08/10/2026
What makes a food “gross”… and who gets to decide?
As part of our 2026 Summer Reading List series, we’re featuring “Carla’s Sandwich” by Debbie Herman, the story of a girl whose unusual lunches are teased and judged by her classmates. But as the story unfolds, Carla’s creativity and kindness help them discover an important lesson: something that seems strange to one person may be delicious to someone else.
At Spoons Across America, we call this “Don’t Yuck My Yum.” Instead of labeling foods as “gross,” we encourage children to explore and describe what they’re experiencing using words like sweet, bitter, crunchy, tangy, or spicy. When we replace judgment with curiosity, we help children become more adventurous eaters and more respectful of the different foods, cultures, and traditions around them.
Thank you to Debbie Herman for sharing a message that aligns so beautifully with our mission: celebrating food, embracing differences, and encouraging children to keep an open mind, one bite at a time.
