Solid Fuel

The Bangla word for the ceremonial feeding of rice to Vivian at six months is annaprashan. Dadu's annaprashan card arrives the day Vivian turns half a year old. It's really Erik's job, as the mother's youngest brother. I still have a picture in an album somewhere - wearing a funny balsa wood cone-head hat, sitting on my uncle's lap while he feeds me rice and slips gold ornaments on to my wrists.

The highchair from Stoke has arrived and been assembled by Jo. We grab a box of rice cereal from Central Market. I roll the video camera and Jo feeds Vivian the rice and breast milk slurry. It goes amazingly well. Vivian is taken up by this new form of feeding and doesn't notice the taste till the next time we try. And then she clams up. I try some - I would too. Next we try some mixed grain cereal and Vivian likes it. We slowly add other food groups like a lemon from Mom's margarita and a handful of Dad's nachos at Dog and Duck when Dad isn't paying attention.

Now Vivian is into broccoli and peas. We boil some and them mash it into pulp using a hand grinder gizmo. Even without any seasoning or even salt, this stuff is good. Feeding Vivian requires hand-eye coordination and speed. She wants to feed herself. You have to keep her hands occupied so she doesn't grab the spoon laden with food. Then you have to bring the spoon close enough to her mouth to attract her attention. Once she sees the spoon, the speed and coordination parts come in - you have to move the spoon quickly and still get her mouth though she's moving her whole body and her head and her mouth towards the spoon in a random but aggressive snapping motion. Having never done it, it's hard to be sure - but I suspect it would be like feeding a baby raptor or phirana.