Table 2.

Essence of meta-themes and sub-themes.

Meta-Theme/Sub-Theme	Essence
1.Rejection: distaste and disgust	The theme ‘rejection’ concerns children’s behaviour and verbal expressions that can be characterised as distaste or disgust as defined by Martins and Pliner [25], Rozin and Fallon [24], and Angyal [35]; distaste is defined as a sensory-driven reaction (e.g., smell, touch, taste, appearance, texture, sound), and disgust as a concern with contamination or being soiled as a result of contact with what is perceived as animal bodily waste products. The latter is defined by observed body language, for example turning away, holding a hand in front of the mouth and/or nose, mimicking nausea and/or vomiting, etc. [24,35]. The theme refers to observed behaviour and verbal expressions motivated by any interaction with the fresh fish, which could promote or is a direct rejection of tasting the cooked fish at the end of the experiment. Rejection could also be a result of a perception of a food [27].
2.Acceptance: tactility, exploration, and liking	The theme “acceptance” concerns children’s behaviour and verbal expressions concerning tactility, limited to include the sense of touch with the hands, exploration driven by curiosity, and liking, which refers to a positive affective response to food. Acceptance is understood as a willingness to taste the food, but it can then be rejected. Acceptance does not depend on liking, since other motives can exist for accepting a food (e.g., for its health benefits) [24,27].
3.Craftsmanship: autonomy and skills	The theme “craftsmanship” concerns observed behaviour and verbal expressions related to the defined activity of preparation and cooking. Craftsmanship is understood as a physical, bodily practice that leads to a tactile experience and relational understanding [59]. Craftsmanship covers a tacit experience-based set of knowledge and skills within cooking – in this case, the fish. Even though Sennett [59] defines craftsmanship as “the skill of making things well”, in this case the effort and attempt matter just as much, and maybe more than the outcome, an approach also supported by Martin [60]. In craftsmanship, Martin [60] underlines the importance of creating an environment in which the child feels independent and thereby learns by making decisions. In this space of autonomy, intrinsic motivation may promote pride in the work, thereby increasing curiosity with regard to tasting the fish.
4.Interaction: helping each other and peer influence	The theme “interaction” refers to observed behaviour and verbal expressions related to social facilitation either related to the children helping each other or by peer influence. Through behaviour and verbal expressions, the children might influence each other with regard to accepting or rejecting the fish at the end of the experiment [27,61,62].