DD's friend said her food stinks

[Anonymous]

OP your kid needs to learn to stand up for herself. Diversity training 101: people are different and they like different foods.

That said, steamed broccolis do not smell if they are cold. So maybe steam in the evening and put it in the fridge before packing? I pack cold steamed veggies for my kid all the time.

[Anonymous]

We are chinese, and I pack kids lunch that are common around here. And, they are lunchable, chicken nuggets, pizza bagels, jelly sandwich, corn dog plus a fruit plus apple sauce plus a juice box. Healthy? Not really. I always ask kids what other kids pack, and they say that they don't know. They don't even have time to eat lunch.Exactly, what are the common lunch item to pack for kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are chinese, and I pack kids lunch that are common around here. And, they are lunchable, chicken nuggets, pizza bagels, jelly sandwich, corn dog plus a fruit plus apple sauce plus a juice box. Healthy? Not really. I always ask kids what other kids pack, and they say that they don't know. They don't even have time to eat lunch.Exactly, what are the common lunch item to pack for kids?

Are you ashamed of Chinese cuisine? It has one of the oldest culinary traditions and is one of the most refined cuisines in the world

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a boy in high school who brought egg salad every day. It stunk! I had to relocate.

Ew! I love egg salad but would never pack it for a lunch.

[Anonymous]

I never packed ethnic food when my kids were young because they barely seemed to have any time to eat in elementary. After tossing barely touched home made food (my kid is very social during lunch) i view it more as snack time and have a homemade meal for them at the end of the day.

Now that they are older, they have the words to fend off any negative comments. There have been very few as older kids seem more able to handle unfamiliar scents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP your kid needs to learn to stand up for herself. Diversity training 101: people are different and they like different foods.

That said, steamed broccolis do not smell if they are cold. So maybe steam in the evening and put it in the fridge before packing? I pack cold steamed veggies for my kid all the time.

Sure it does.

I refuse to even put leftover broccoli in my fridge because no matter how you seal it, it stinks up the fridge so badly. It definitely smells either way. And I love broccoli!

[Anonymous]

Betting it was the broccoli.

I loved tuna sandwiches as a kid and definitely got told by other kids my lunch stunk.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Just send a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and let her be like all the other kids for lunch.

Ugh don't do this.

Fine you let YOUR kid cry in the bathroom every day and get made fun of every day for her smelly food. This is one small thing OP can do to help her kid - she should do it. Her kid can eat Indian food for the other two meals each day plus eat non-smelly Indian snacks at school.

Considering so many schools are peanut free these days, hardly anyone is bringing PB&J for lunch.

Don't be tone deaf.

Get real. So many kids are getting lunch at school anyway. This is not a huge issue no matter what kids are eating at school, which is rarely PB&J.

Tone deaf, meaning: pbj is not the point. The point pp is making is, pack an American lunch.

No, the point is an “American” lunch includes food from many cultures becauee Americans come from many backgrounds. I swear the responses on this thread are from 1983 not 2023.

My kid comes home wanting Vietnamese food in her lunch because she sees her friends eating it. Kids bring a wide variety of stuff. And kids are more exposed to foods from other places.

But broccoli stinks.

[Anonymous]

Replace the steamed broccoli with steamed green beans or steamed carrots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are chinese, and I pack kids lunch that are common around here. And, they are lunchable, chicken nuggets, pizza bagels, jelly sandwich, corn dog plus a fruit plus apple sauce plus a juice box. Healthy? Not really. I always ask kids what other kids pack, and they say that they don't know. They don't even have time to eat lunch.Exactly, what are the common lunch item to pack for kids?

Are you ashamed of Chinese cuisine? It has one of the oldest culinary traditions and is one of the most refined cuisines in the world

+1 My kids take all kinds of varying ethnic cuisines to school. I'm Asian American; it's not like the 80s or even 90s. Around the DC area, most kids have been exposed to various ethnic foods. If not, that's a shame.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am North Indian and tamarind rice is a favorite s Indian dish for us. My kids are grown now but I have stories to share. My daughter was very careful to take food that would not be mocked. My son on the other hand is hard to be bullied or mocked. He loves chicken biryani and I packed it for lunch for him in a thermos. Well, at lunch time a boy told him that his food looks like dog food. My son basically told him - yup, looks like dog food, but smells and tastes like the best thing in the world. The other boy took a sniff and commented - yes, my mom packs clam chowder and it looks like puke but tastes very good.

Long story short - my daughter was more fragile and liked to take conventional American food, my son does not care about other peoples opinions so he gets paranthas and idlies also.

Op, you did nothing wrong.the food does not stink, and usuallu if the classmates are better travelled and exposed to different cuisines then they will be fine with what your kid eats.

[Anonymous]

The fact that so many people from backgrounds that are not multigenerational American have to think about and plan meals around the fragile noses of white people is so sad.

[Anonymous]

I’m white and 4th generation American. I had no idea that people find egg salad and tuna salad stinky, l definitely had those in my lunch but got no teasing for it.

So there are 2 topics here - foods with a sting scent, and ethnic foods.

I think I’m general, as a courtesy, foods with a really strong scent should be avoided. That would include certain veggies that have a sulfuric scent when cooked like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. What do people think about cooked fish? I don’t mean microwaving fish at the office (many people hate the smell and l think we can all agree it’s very strong when microwaved).

In terms of ethnic foods, my white son’s favorite food is Indian food, he really prefers Asian foods in general. I often send something like chicken tikka masala for him and have heard no complaints. He’s pretty sensitive so l think if he was being teased he would tell me. This leads me to think maybe one of your daughters friends was being culturally insensitive, if this has happened before with non- broccoli type foods. Maybe your daughter could invite her pals over to try some Indian food at your house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that so many people from backgrounds that are not multigenerational American have to think about and plan meals around the fragile noses of white people is so sad.

I’m a white person who has been eating steamed broccoli my whole life, and recognizing that a container of steamed broccoli will smell bad has absolutely nothing to do with other cultures’ cuisines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am North Indian and tamarind rice is a favorite s Indian dish for us. My kids are grown now but I have stories to share. My daughter was very careful to take food that would not be mocked. My son on the other hand is hard to be bullied or mocked. He loves chicken biryani and I packed it for lunch for him in a thermos. Well, at lunch time a boy told him that his food looks like dog food. My son basically told him - yup, looks like dog food, but smells and tastes like the best thing in the world. The other boy took a sniff and commented - yes, my mom packs clam chowder and it looks like puke but tastes very good.

Long story short - my daughter was more fragile and liked to take conventional American food, my son does not care about other peoples opinions so he gets paranthas and idlies also.

Op, you did nothing wrong.the food does not stink, and usuallu if the classmates are better travelled and exposed to different cuisines then they will be fine with what your kid eats.

This. You know your kid and the best approach with them. It’s not ok to make a kid fight a battle they aren’t ready to fight. Another of your own children may be up for that. Talk with your child about how they want to handle it and go with that. Bringing “american” food for lunch doesn’t mean she’s ashamed of her culture. She will find her own voice, and these same kids will be so interested in different foods in a few years. Although it’s better than a generation ago, it’s still hard being different in whatever way, and it’s hard being a kid in general. Follow their lead. Good luck!