Giving a sour surprise to your trusting dependent

March 28, 2008 7:41 AM

Your daily recommended allowance of YouTube: Trusting baby tries a lemon / Wary baby given a lime / Two dogs try a lemon / Lime makes dog crazy /

(Some guidelines for your baby and fruit)
(Some fruits you should never give your dog)

posted by 2bucksplus (56 comments total)

I voluntarily clicked on a media link containing the word lemon. That's trusting.

(Thankfully, my trust was rewarded. This is ten kinds of cute.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:49 AM on March 28

Bwaaaaa! Takes me back to the day when I innocently gave my son (then ~1, now 18) a lemon wedge. He freaked, and I must've looked like a child abuser to the ten or so in-laws at the barbecue. The inspiration was an old b&w photo of me, also ~1, making a hilarious face (and not freaking) after biting into a lemon.
posted by VicNebulous at 7:50 AM on March 28

Every baby has a first lemon, a first pickle, and a first Baker's Chocolate. The first two are funny. The third one is the reason they treat you the way they do when they're sixteen.
posted by headspace at 7:54 AM on March 28 [7 favorites]

You know, thinking about this more, it's weird: there's this whole set of baby-meets-food traditions that I was never exposed to. I didn't know about the smash cake thing until a year or two ago either.

(The HAVE I FOUND GOD? look on the baby's face there is like the polar opposite of the OH YOU ASSHOLES look in the lime video.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:57 AM on March 28

Did the kid have scurvy? Otherwise, I don't see the point of the whole exercise.

Remember Timmy, most food is evil. Especially fruit. And flavor. Stick with food that reminds you of the bland pablum of your infancy, which you can easily find in all it's carb heavy, dense, caloric glory.

(Ceases lecturing strangers on nutrition to scrape honey-nut Cheerios that have fused to the sides of the kids' breakfast bowls)
posted by bibliowench at 7:58 AM on March 28 [1 favorite]

Those people in the restaurant are practically jamming the lime in that baby's mouth. If I saw video of my family doing that to me I'd be kind of resentful.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:04 AM on March 28

Would it be lame of me to say: this post sucks and that I don't have a daily recommended allowance of YouTube?
Not one of these YouTubes hasn't been seen by many people that have access to the internet (look at the views). Many of them that don't have access would have then seen them on lame TV shows that regurgitate internet content. What is is new here (other for those people that don't have TV or internet access… hey! hang on)
posted by tellurian at 8:06 AM on March 28

When my son was 18 months old he begged for a bite of the pickle I was eating. I told him and told him he wouldn't like it, but he kept begging. Finally, thinking it'd teach him a lesson about listening (not to mention build some character), I said fine, here, have a bite. *chew chew chew*...*no change in expression*....MORE!
posted by DU at 8:07 AM on March 28 [2 favorites]

Did the kid have scurvy? Otherwise, I don't see the point of the whole exercise.

Do you have a sense of humor at all?

Cuz that's the point.
posted by spicynuts at 8:07 AM on March 28

Remember Timmy, most food is evil.

A lot of those babies go back for a second bite. Of course, babies are kind of stupid.
posted by DU at 8:08 AM on March 28

Many of the foods on the doggie list apply to cats as well. But lettuce appears to be okay (and my cat loves lettuce). Never seen a cat that would go near citrus, tho'.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 8:12 AM on March 28

Remember Timmy, most food is evil. Especially fruit. And flavor.

I don't know, bibliowench. That lime-eating kid keeps going back for more. Maybe he found the whole experience exhilirating; maybe even fun. Besides, it's probably good to tweak their senses every now and then -- remind 'em what it means to be alive and out in the world.
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:12 AM on March 28

Baby's first time tasting pear.
posted by creeky at 8:14 AM on March 28 [1 favorite]

Do you have a sense of humor at all?
Yeah. And I've got kids. And I've learned a lot about the connection between food and trust.

I have no trouble with offering kids new flavors - because it helps them expand their culinary horizons, not because I want a funny video for YouTube. (I'm basing my comments on the first video, by the way, where the baby just looks miserable and confused at the end).
posted by bibliowench at 8:21 AM on March 28 [1 favorite]

Those people in the restaurant are practically jamming the lime in that baby's mouth.

Are you talking about the "Wary baby given a lime" link? At one point, another child does, indeed, try to force the lime in the baby's mouth, but the (presumed) parent intervenes. Every other tasting looks to be totally voluntary, and, indeed, enthusiastic.

You know, you can't assume that the baby's expression is a close analogue of our own. My daughter used to screw up her face like that when she had babyfood prunes--then she'd beg for more. Heck, I screw up my face like that whenI eat something sour, and, of course, then I continue to dig in.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:24 AM on March 28

Besides, it's probably good to tweak their senses every now and then -- remind 'em what it means to be alive and out in the world.

Kinda like an adult gobbling a few grams of 'shrooms every few years to "blow out the pipes" and re-set the circuitry.
posted by VicNebulous at 8:28 AM on March 28 [3 favorites]

Oh man, this is hilarious. Vaguely sadistic, but only a nervous grandmother would object.

I used to love to give my dog grapes too. She'd compulsively chew them but, at the same time, kept spitting them out - and then have to re-chew them again, ad infinitum.

The laughs are guaranteed.
posted by stinkycheese at 8:40 AM on March 28

Kinda like an adult gobbling a few grams of 'shrooms every few years to "blow out the pipes" and re-set the circuitry.

*types "baby's first shroom" in YouTube search field*
posted by Atom Eyes at 8:47 AM on March 28

God I wish we had our camera for Toddler's first chips and salsa. She tried it, freaked out, went for the water, calmed down..............................rinse/repeat.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:48 AM on March 28

That kid in the first video made the same faces my son made at about that age when I did the same thing.

However, after making the face, my son would giggle like madman. It was his favorite treat. He loved the lemons, and limes and pickles of all sorts. He still does. Good times.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:50 AM on March 28

Surprisingly, this baby eating a jalapeño seems pretty okay, but you probably don't want to watch this video.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:52 AM on March 28

Despite the promising title, that second video did not show a Texas Baby-Eating Lime at all.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:53 AM on March 28 [3 favorites]

bibliowench, tormenting the children like this is one of the few ways parents can get back at the little monsters darlings. For more food fun, try zweibach or biscotti. While an adult will sensibly insert the narrow end or bite off a corner, babies attempt to insert it vertically.

(On preview, bw, try taking the gummy cheerios and using them for target practice on the cat. I have to say, the only helpless dependent creature more fun to torment than a 1-year old is a cat.)
posted by nax at 9:10 AM on March 28

I'm not falling for that 2 dogs 1 lemon video again.
posted by Sailormom at 9:10 AM on March 28 [10 favorites]

I kind of wish the post would have come full circle with dogs eating babies somehow.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:13 AM on March 28

stinkycheese, it's not mentioned in the text of the post, but grapes (and raisins) are the fruit you should never, never, give to dogs.
posted by yhbc at 9:18 AM on March 28

When I first got my dog we had a lemon tree in the backyard, and she and I used to play with fallen lemons like balls. I'd kick one over to her and she'd run after it and attempt to fetch it, but if the juice had broken through the skin she'd go wild and take it in her mouth and toss it way up in the air and run after it and bark at it just like the dog in video 4. It was like the ball that bit back. She loved playing lemon ball.
posted by tula at 9:27 AM on March 28 [4 favorites]

It wouldn't be a lemon party without old Dick.
posted by phirleh at 9:33 AM on March 28

I have to confess to doing the same experiment with my son when he was about 5 months old. The thing I find most interesting is the way the babies keep putting the lemon wedge back into their mouths. I suspect that they aren't yet capable of understanding the cause / effect relationship betwen the lemon wedge and that horrible taste in their mouths. But I'm not so sure.

More experimentation required.
posted by tracy_the_astonishing at 9:36 AM on March 28

I admit I'm no fan of practical jokes, but playing unpleasant tricks on a baby has got to be some kind of nadir.
posted by Phanx at 9:37 AM on March 28

My boys fight over lemon slices, olives, and pickles. Eat them all like candy. My 2 year old hated chocolate for most of his life. There is no accounting for taste, and no reason not to give a one year old a taste of just about anything.

It's great watching a little kid with a slice of lemon. It's just like the dog/lemon thing. Taste, ACK!, NO NO NO YUK! Pause... Taste.
posted by Patapsco Mike at 9:43 AM on March 28

Oh- and by the time a kid is two, if he/she gets outside at all he's tasted a LOT of things. Shoes, dog food, dried stuff that might be poop, sticks, rocks, muddy leaves, you name it. Everything they get their hands on goes right into their mouths. Compared to a lot of that, a lemon is probably pretty tasty.

It's amazing we've survived as a species.
posted by Patapsco Mike at 9:47 AM on March 28

If the babies found it truly unpleasant, wouldn't they cry and try to shove the lemon away? I've not been around a lot of babies but my limited experience has shown me that if they don't like something they will try to get away from it. The fact that they keep trying the lemon or lime says to me it can't be that unpleasant for them, ergo, it's not bad to let them try it and the funny faces are just bonus. Can we try to keep the righteous indignation to a minimum?
posted by LunaticFringe at 9:54 AM on March 28

I read an article online a while ago (I should probably find it and do the link thing, but....). Anyway, it stated that infants are born liking sweets. The sour taste buds develop next and even if baby makes a face, the sensation on his tongue is still somewhat pleasureable. Humans have to learn to like bitter-tasting foods, however (such as broccoli and other greens). Supposedly bitter equals toxic, and babies and young children automatically reject such foods as a defense mechanism to prevent them from being poisoned.
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:02 AM on March 28

I actually meant it was a nadir of the unfunny, but I concede I do also espouse the controversial view that babies should be protected from unpleasant experiences and care taken over what gets put in their mouths.

I agree with Patapsco that in certain lights our survival is surprising.
posted by Phanx at 10:08 AM on March 28

foods to keep away from your dog:

"Toxicologists have found that grapes and raisins can cause acute renal and kidney failure. As few as ten raisins or grapes, anywhere from nine ounces (255 grams) to two pounds (0.9 kilograms), could be fatal."
posted by hubs at 10:10 AM on March 28 [1 favorite]

My dogs are indifferent to citrus. They will take it if they can steal it, but I don't think they crave or fear it.

Now camphor, on the other hand, is like mustard gas to them. I innocently put on some Watkins Liniment on a sore shoulder a while back and couldn't figure out why, when I reached to pet my dog, he ran terrified and hid in the corner with his tail between his legs.

I figured something had spooked him and when I went to calm him down he just got more and more panicked when my hands got near him. I finally figured out what it was and wondered if he had some kind of crazy-ass Pavlovian experience as a puppy. Thus went my thinking until I went near my other dog who reacted the exact same way.

So, either camphor really stinks to a dogs sensitive nose, or all canines share the same terrifying phobia of tail-attacking vacuum cleaners which fire moth-balls and are driven by mean spirited cats. (Based on the reactions of my pets, I have to assume that the latter choice is a very real possibility.)
posted by quin at 10:12 AM on March 28 [1 favorite]

I actually meant it was a nadir of the unfunny, but I concede I do also espouse the controversial view that babies should be protected from unpleasant experiences and care taken over what gets put in their mouths.


Yes and a lemon is the most dangerous experience of all. Beware the lemon, for it will destroy your infant and render him/her blind, deaf and dumb. And the type of people who feed babies fruit must be stopped at costs! Yes, those parents are absolute monsters for feeding their child a lemon. We should round up all the parents who've feed their children lemons, nasty things those lemons, line them up against a wall and shoot them until their bullet-riddled corpses no longer twitch.

Your posts give the impression you are the least fun parent on the internet. It's a lemon, the baby seems to enjoy it, so relax and check your backend for wayward sticks or pinecones.
posted by LunaticFringe at 10:23 AM on March 28 [6 favorites]

I actually meant it was a nadir of the unfunny, but I concede I do also espouse the controversial view that babies should be protected from unpleasant experiences and care taken over what gets put in their mouths.

Apart from what LunaticFringe said (which I agree with :), you should also know that most babies enjoy eating these fruits. The face we make in response to the sour flavor is a natural reaction, but that doesn't mean it's an unpleasant experience. When my daughter was this age, she would ask for lemons over and over, eating one, making her lemon face, and then eating another one.

In the second video, the baby certainly seems to be enjoying himself, despite the fact that his face screws up in reaction to the sour. What makes you think it's unpleasant? (And why would he continue eating it?)
posted by nzero at 10:45 AM on March 28

I used to be able to keep my dog off the furniture by putting grapefruits on the sofa.
posted by MotherTucker at 11:01 AM on March 28

Dog + Grapes = Renal Failure
Renal Failure = Bad

Therefore, Dog + Grapes = Bad
posted by WalterMitty at 11:10 AM on March 28

I actually meant it was a nadir of the unfunny, but I concede I do also espouse the controversial view that babies should be protected from unpleasant experiences and care taken over what gets put in their mouths.

Parenthood is basically the struggle to figure out what to protect your kids from. Should I let them eat that, should I let them play with this, should we just put the helmet on when they wake up and keep it on until naptime. I'm not certain, but based on my parents I think this ends a few minutes before you die.

It's not simple, and is made worse by the fact that from the time babies can wiggle in the direction of their choosing they seek out ways to harm themselves through constantly trying to get hold of things to jam in their screamholes. If I had a dollar for every time I said "get that out of your mouth" I could pay off a months mortgage. That does not even include the year before they could understand me and I just had to yell "NO! Pinecone yucky!" and make a face.

So cut the lemongivers some slack. It's just a lemon. The kids will be OK, I promise. Unless they are allergic to lemons, in which case you give them a Benadryl from your wallet and take the trip to the emergency room.
posted by Patapsco Mike at 11:36 AM on March 28

If I ever have another dog, I'll content myself with the conk full of peanut butter and keep the grapes away, folks.

Natasha Von Schnauzer appreciates your concern in Doggie Heaven, I'm sure. And no, I don't think I got her there any faster by giving her a grape once or twice a year.
posted by stinkycheese at 11:37 AM on March 28

If the babies found it truly unpleasant, wouldn't they cry and try to shove the lemon away

Not in my experience (although I never tried anything truly horrible, as I didn't have a video camera handy). When my children when that age, they just trusted that whatever I put in their mouth was food, and they accepted it. I remember feeding my oldest son spinach for the first time: he grimaced horribly, then opened his mouth for the next bite. After three bites, all with the same result, he opened his mouth, then burst into tears with his mouth still open. He didn't want to eat the stuff, but that's how his world worked - Mom gave him the food, he eats the food.
And the world sucked at the moment.

(For the record, I took the spinach, mixed it with some carrots and -yes- lemon juice, and tried again with happier results).

And that's why this first video annoyed me (although in itself, it's both harmless and indicative of Youtube at its worst). An older baby who can put food in his own mouth, has gotten used to rejecting food as one of the few forms of power he has, who choses to try the lemon, who learns that flavor can have multiple dimensions, that it can be fun to shock your mouth a bit - that's fun for all involved. But when you've got a creature that will eat whatever you give it, you're just making it jump for your own amusement. It's not abusive, just kind of asinine.

Plate of beans, overthought. And also not good to give to a baby, unless you want to add to the genre of baby farting videos on Youtuve.
posted by bibliowench at 11:56 AM on March 28

Great, now someone's going to get the idea of giving their baby his/her first japaleno. Can't wait to see that on Nancy Grace.
posted by phyrewerx at 12:55 PM on March 28

I used to love to give my dog grapes too.

Please don't give grapes to a dog.
posted by agregoli at 1:19 PM on March 28

(Sorry, posted without reading entirely first, flog me with a grapevine.)
posted by agregoli at 1:25 PM on March 28

More LemonFilter Please!
posted by not_on_display at 5:50 PM on March 28

Our dog absolutely freaked out when offered horseradish recently. Gonna try to get it on film this weekend.
posted by neuron at 5:51 PM on March 28

So: lemon OR lime = doggy catnip!
posted by not_on_display at 6:40 PM on March 28

The sour taste buds develop next and even if baby makes a face, the sensation on his tongue is still somewhat pleasureable.

Miracle Fruit: When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing bitter and sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet.

Anyone try this? Did your lemons taste the same as when you were five months old?

What do you mean you don't remember? C'mon, try!
posted by five fresh fish at 7:30 PM on March 28

Superlative baby/lime video
posted by five fresh fish at 7:41 PM on March 28

Another parent of one lemon-loving baby (so far) chiming in. I've heard lots of other parents say the same thing, that theirs loved lemons and limes too. And yes, they do still make that face. It seems to be involuntary.

Has anyone here ever tried pure citric acid crystals, like you'd use for canning? It's the same stuff they crust on the outside of sour patch kids candy. I have to stop myself from tasting it, because its like crack to me. So I don't see how that's any different really.
posted by rusty at 7:49 PM on March 28

I dare everyone to start eating lemons (and next year, limes) whenever you encounter them. I have the same reaction as some of the babies: that facial scrunch, the head shake, and then the big smile.

Taste-sensory self-abuse — shocking the taste buds, I suppose — is what makes hot peppers so good, too. And gin, for that matter. Gin and tonic in the heat of the summer is great. Especially with a lime on the side. And some nice salty chips with tomato salsa (put those peppers on the side along with guacamole and sour cream. Hold the cheese.)

Strong taste and texture sensation, shocking and robust. Spicy, bitter, sour, salty, fatty, umami, crunchy-squishy, swishy-swashy, warm and icy.

Start with a dark chocolate mousse. At least, I think I would. I like to leave with a clean palate. Or maybe one could finish with a chocolate gelato? Pear-chocolate gelato. Mmmm. I'll have both.

goodness, i think i shall have a taste orgy tomorrow evening.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:01 PM on March 28 [2 favorites]

This was worth reading to the (current) end just to get to the five fresh fish comment.
posted by stevil at 11:56 AM on March 29

Why, thank-you.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:55 PM on March 29