Heirloom tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, diakon radish and edible flowers are not likely afternoon school snacks that fifth graders might indulge in, but that is just what a group of elementary students did during a recent kitchen tour at zale lipshy university hospital.

              And as 1980s cereal commercial child icon Mikie reacted after eating Total cereal, most students from John F. Kennedy Learning Center surprisingly made the comment, "I like it, I really like it," after taste-testing several of the foods.

              Refining the taste buds of school children is just one of the goals of the Days of Taste program, a discovery-based program for fourth and fifth grade students designed to allow them to learn about food and how it weaves its way through daily life from the farm to the table.

              Developed and sponsored by The American Institute of Wine & Food, the program also emphasizes table etiquette, food safety and sanitation, making healthy food choices and introducing children to careers related to the food industry.

              Mary Kimbrough, corporate director for nutrition and hospitality services at Zale Lipshy and St. Paul University Hospitals, served as chair of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter for this year's program, which included seven schools.

              Some students were apprehensive about trying the new foods, but after a few samples most students and their taste buds were pleasantly surprised. Take 10-year-old Luis LeVara for example. "When 1 first ate the white thing (diakon radish), I thought that it was going to be nasty, but it was good." "It was spicy, but it was good.

              Before the students visited the kitchen at Zale Lipshy, Ms. Kimbrough gave an in-class workshop where the students were introduced to the Food Guide Pyramid and learned about the basics of nutrition. The students also explored the nuances of taste by learning which part of the tongue are affected by sugar, salt, cocoa and citric acid.

            "One of our goals is to get children open-minded about foods and to help them understand where food comes from," Ms. Kimbrough said.

              Most students had never tasted, seen or even heard of the fresh vegetables that they sampled, and many were surprised that they actually liked some of the foods. "Most of the foods were good," said 10-year-old Karina Martinez. The edible flowers, however, were not appealing. "The flower-looking things were not good," she said.

              After taste-testing various foods in Zale Lipshy's kitchen, the students headed up to the cafeteria foranother special treat and to learn about table manners.

              Before eating pumpkin bread, fruit and drinking a tall glass of milk, the students were briefed on table manners and were given examples of healthy snacks. "This is an ideal age to instill in children examples of healthy food choices and good table manners," Ms. Kimbrough said. "Although this is just a one-day event, we hope that the students will remember what they learn and apply it throughout their lifetime."

              The day ended with a tour of the Dallas Farmers Market, where the students put what they learned into action by selecting fresh ingredients, including vegetables and fruit, for their very own harvest salad. "Toward the end of the day, one of the students came up to me and said, 'This is the best day of my life,'" Ms. Kimbrough said.

              And with a statement like that, this nutrition crash course will at least be on the minds of the John F. Kennedy Learning Center students for a very long