Raising A Foodie! The 4-Year-Old Who Ate His Way Through Singapore

A mother’s journey through Singapore with her curious 4-year-old foodie. From pork dumplings to baby octopus, discover how ditching the kids' menu led to real food adventures.

Hungry to Explore: Singapore, But Make It Delicious

If you’re a foodie like me, you don’t just pack bags for a vacation—you pack a list of must-eats.
As soon as I booked our tickets to Singapore, I dove headfirst into research for the best Xiao Long Bao, those magical pork dumplings I once devoured in Hong Kong and never quite found in India again.

The plan was simple: I’d eat my way through the city, and my 4.5-year-old could stick to his fries and buttered bread. Or so I thought…

Day 1: “Mama, What’s Xiao Long Bao?”

Me: “It’s a juicy dumpling filled with meat and soup.”
Him: “Can I taste it too?”

Sure, why not?

Day 2: “That Dumpling Was SO Tasty!”

He didn’t just eat it. He savored it. Slurped up the soup inside like a connoisseur in training.
 Suddenly, my foodie trip wasn’t solo anymore.

Day 3: “Mama, Is That Baby Octopus? I Want It!”

This was the moment. I stared at him, then at the men

u, then ba

ck at him.

 Did I want him to try baby octopus? No.
Did I need to support his curiosity? Absolutely.

I don’t eat octopus. But parenting isn’t about cloning ourselves—it’s about guiding tiny humans to explore the world through their own senses, including taste.

Beyond Fries: Rethinking the “Kids’ Menu”

That’s when it hit me: these over-sanitized, repetitive kids' menus—nuggets, mac & cheese, fries—weren’t doing anyone any favors. Sure, they’re safe. But they’re also boring. Where’s the adventure?

The problem isn’t chicken nuggets. The problem is only having chicken nuggets as an option.

My son tried different fish dishes and learned to tell kingfish from salmon, lobsters from prawns. When he finally got a typical “kids’ fish and chips” plate, he gave it one bite and declared, “This is boring.”

And he was right.

The Parantha Revelation (a.k.a. Comfort Food Isn’t Universal)

In the heart of Chinatown, surrounded by food carts and neon signs, he looked at me and asked,
“Mama, can I have a parantha?”

Uh-oh. I braced for meltdown. No Indian restaurants in sight.

We negotiated down to a plate of chicken fried rice, which he happily devoured. That’s when I had epiphany #2:

Our children crave what we teach them to eat.

Food As Identity, Food As Openness

Growing up, there were no kids’ menus. You ate what your parents ate—just a little less spicy.
And I think that made us more open, less picky. In today’s world, food is so much more than fuel—it’s identity, culture, politics.
So why not start young and raise empathetic eaters?

Food teaches tolerance. Trying octopus in Singapore today might just make our kids more open-minded tomorrow.

About the Author

Priyanka Bhattacharya Dutt is a journalist and co-founder of Tura Turi, a charming art-led children’s merchandise brand. When she’s not chasing stories (or her endlessly curious son), she’s busy planning her next meal.