“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Rice and chicken curry.”

“Ooohhh nooo.”

The sighs, pouts and slumped shoulders that accompany said conversation are Oscar worthy.

Drama comes a leetle too easy to some folk these days – especially when they’re under four feet tall and their chief concerns in life revolve around … nothing.

It seems that the more I labor over meals, the more they fuss about them.

Pull out a bag of frozen chicken nuggets, instead, and the Elizabeth Taylor histrionics are soon forgotten.

I decided, recently, that perhaps I need to up my marketing game.

So I looked to the skies for help (referring to airplanes, not like the Heavens.)

Take airline food for instance. (Yup, they still throw in a meal or two when they think you’ve earned it by flying across approximately 84 time zones.)

People have long held that ‘airplane food’ is an oxymoron.

But I’ve always stoically defended airplane food. It’s served to you, you get to eat it warm, there’s no clean up involved and (it feels like) it’s free. How often does that happen, right?

Also, it seems like the nice ladies in the tight skirts always serve me last. By the time they get to me, I’m ready for warm slop.

But I had to laugh at the little dinky bag they handed out on a recent flight.

First off, they call it a ‘Breakfast Blend.’

That’s a hearty breakfast for sure. If you’re a mouse.

But it’s the description of what’s inside that really gets inspires me. Here’s to taking it from .5 ounces of almost nothing to a full-fledged meal with a few words.

But apple cinnamon pretzels and honey roasted sesame sticks? Cuh-mon, people. What’s next? Oh wait…  caramel-macchiato soy nuts! Just in case you missed your Starbucks fix.

So, the next time my little people ask me what’s for dinner, here’s what’s on the menu:

We’re having long-grained Basmati gently cooked to perfection served with a side of chicken simmered in a rich tomato sauce, fragrant with roasted cumin and coriander, garnished with specks of cilantro.

That ought to seal the deal. Not to mention silence certain yap traps for a few minutes.

Mommy Marketing 101 is in session.