Picky kids coming to visit - now I've seen it all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my biggest pet peeves is kids who come to our house and refuse to eat anything we serve. When we first moved here from Europe, we would serve our kids' friends (ranging in age from 8 to 12) whatever we were eating - pasta bolognese, roasted chicken and potatoes with herbs, salad. We soon realized that our kids friends' -- at least the ones who'd grown up in the US -- wouldn't touch any of it. So we started simplifying their meals, only serving plain pasta, hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs. That works most of the time. (Well, except for the kid who scrapes all the toppings off a plain pizza and cuts off the crust, in the end only eating 40% of each slice and throwing the rest away.) Anyway... today we had some more kids over and I made hot dogs and oven french fries. Sure winner, right? Nope. One of the kids, upon seeing the food, immediately declares: I don't like french fries. The only french fries I like are the home made ones.

Please, can someone unroll my eyes out of the back of my head?

Yeah, OP, you’re so superior.

[Anonymous]

Get over yourself. Kids are allowed to not like French fries.

[Anonymous]

Sure it's annoying. Maybe it's more of a problem in the us than in Europe in general. However, I'll tell you my nephew and niece who live in Europe (and were born there and lived there all their lives, with one European parent and one American parent) are the absolute pickiest kids I've ever met. They are both in elementary school. They basically only eat plain noodles, potatoes, oatmeal, and white bread, occasionally a banana. They won't eat anything with sauce on it, I've never seen them eat a vegetable of any sort. They won't eat most fruits, won't eat even kid friendly food like pb&j, macaroni and cheese or pizza.

Anyway, point is I don't think it's an American kids phenomenon...

[Anonymous]

From your complaint, it’s Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Kid won’t eat your “fancy” meals and you complain. Kid won’t eat crappy kid food and you complain.
Honestly I think you’re being too sensitive. Kids comment. Who cares? Put out a few things and if they’re hungry they’ll find something. If not, oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From your complaint, it’s Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Kid won’t eat your “fancy” meals and you complain. Kid won’t eat crappy kid food and you complain.
Honestly I think you’re being too sensitive. Kids comment. Who cares? Put out a few things and if they’re hungry they’ll find something. If not, oh well.

I guess my expectation is that kids won't complain when served food at the house of someone they barely know. Basic manners, y'know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post sounds awfully familiar...only it was a European step-grandparent (IIRC) complaining about what the American kids would eat.

Yes, we've seen this post before ...

This one?

Hosting step-grandson for two weeks- how to deal with food fussiness
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/740836.page

Yes! That’s the one.

[Anonymous]

I dunno. I think at that age barring allergies kids can be picky. but they are not allowed to be rude to their hosts to to their parents who make the food either for that matter. They eat what is served (pick through as unnoticaleablt as pososble), eat beforehand or bring a sandwich from home (if they know they are picky). I grew up where there was not meal choice. Things were ot on my plate and I ate some or most of it.

[Anonymous]

When you say scraped the toppings off the pizza I'm assuming you made the error of ordering pizza with gross shite on top. That was your bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From your complaint, it’s Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Kid won’t eat your “fancy” meals and you complain. Kid won’t eat crappy kid food and you complain.
Honestly I think you’re being too sensitive. Kids comment. Who cares? Put out a few things and if they’re hungry they’ll find something. If not, oh well.

I guess my expectation is that kids won't complain when served food at the house of someone they barely know. Basic manners, y'know?

Eh. From what you posted it was a matter of fact kid statement. He didn’t say - that’s gross (which is rude) but that he didn’t eat like French fries (a statement of opinion). I know adults who say I don’t eat that because it’s carbs or whatever. People are allowed to have food preferences. I just really think op is blowing it out of proportion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you say scraped the toppings off the pizza I'm assuming you made the error of ordering pizza with gross shite on top. That was your bad.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you. But don't think this is a Europe vs American thing.

The struggle is real. DH and I are the most adventurous eaters ever. And our kids like plain food. We've never made them separate meals and they must sit at the table while we're eating. 99% of the time they pick through our meals, don't eat or scrape things off our food. We do try to feed them one thing a night we know they love and that doesn't even always work. DH and I have a joy of cooking and eating and aren't sure where our kids came from.

So, you've made mealtimes unpleasant and stressful for your children yet acknowledge it has no positive effect on their eating behavior. Congratulations?

[Anonymous]

Who cares? They don't have to eat what they don't like; the kids will eventually eat some food before they starve.

[Anonymous]

NEIN!

[Anonymous]

Don’t hold us in suspense. Did he eat the hot dog?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From your complaint, it’s Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Kid won’t eat your “fancy” meals and you complain. Kid won’t eat crappy kid food and you complain.
Honestly I think you’re being too sensitive. Kids comment. Who cares? Put out a few things and if they’re hungry they’ll find something. If not, oh well.

I guess my expectation is that kids won't complain when served food at the house of someone they barely know. Basic manners, y'know?

Eh. From what you posted it was a matter of fact kid statement. He didn’t say - that’s gross (which is rude) but that he didn’t eat like French fries (a statement of opinion). I know adults who say I don’t eat that because it’s carbs or whatever. People are allowed to have food preferences. I just really think op is blowing it out of proportion.

Exactly. I agree with this and the person who said put out whatever and they’ll eat it or they won’t. Don’t take it personally.