Anonymous
02/27/2021 19:02
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
I travel internationally often and I am not brave about food. I thought I would starve in Asia. Sad, but true.
Food stipend and give her a shelve of the pantry.
Food stipend and give her a shelve of the pantry.
Anonymous
02/25/2021 17:14
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hello Everyone--
Our au pair has been with us for a little over 3 months. She is lovely. The only thing is she only eats food from her own country. She basically is not interested in trying other foods---at all. I know this is not the biggest issue, but it is kind of annoying to spend extra money on groceries that are specific to her country when we have the same foods available for her use. For instance, she won't use "American" baking powder or salt. It has to be the brand she uses back home. Any thoughts?
Where is she buying these brands from? If she is lovely, I'll let her buy whatever she wants because it will not be more than a couple hundred dollars tops.
Local ethnic grocery store from her country. THere are plenty here in the area
Anonymous
02/25/2021 15:13
Subject: Re:au pair only eats food from her country
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is common with Asian APs who eat very different meals than the family. But different baking powder? Unless it actually acts different, I don’t see why that’s necessary, so I would think she could get it herself.
But if it acts the same, then OP could just buy it for the whole family. I'm not really sure in a situation where one person has a preference and one doesn't how that leads to two baking powders. If it's a situation where OP is also brand loyal, then she's probably not in a position to judge.
Why would she needs to spend more than she pays normally? APs that want specific brands (when there’s no usage difference) should purchase their own.
Anonymous
02/25/2021 13:49
Subject: Re:au pair only eats food from her country
Anonymous wrote:This is common with Asian APs who eat very different meals than the family. But different baking powder? Unless it actually acts different, I don’t see why that’s necessary, so I would think she could get it herself.
But if it acts the same, then OP could just buy it for the whole family. I'm not really sure in a situation where one person has a preference and one doesn't how that leads to two baking powders. If it's a situation where OP is also brand loyal, then she's probably not in a position to judge.
Anonymous
02/25/2021 13:19
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
Anonymous wrote:Hello Everyone--
Our au pair has been with us for a little over 3 months. She is lovely. The only thing is she only eats food from her own country. She basically is not interested in trying other foods---at all. I know this is not the biggest issue, but it is kind of annoying to spend extra money on groceries that are specific to her country when we have the same foods available for her use. For instance, she won't use "American" baking powder or salt. It has to be the brand she uses back home. Any thoughts?
Where is she buying these brands from? If she is lovely, I'll let her buy whatever she wants because it will not be more than a couple hundred dollars tops.
Anonymous
02/25/2021 13:16
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
I am more than happy to have care-givers buy whatever grocery they want to use. Unless they are buying caviar and champagne...really, who cares?
Anonymous
02/25/2021 10:39
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
i had a roommate like that in grad school. first time she lived away from home. she would state things like "I can only eat this brand of bread" or "i can only drink out of this kind of paper cup". as pp said erlier, a way to control the environment, but if this goes on and gets more extreme there may be some emotional health issue
Anonymous
02/25/2021 10:03
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
To me, a clear indicator of a successful au pair year is how much the AP is willing to try new foods/dinners cooked by the family. I say this as an immigrant myself and who has done plenty of stints in other countries. If you can't make a bonafide effort to eat the food of teh country you will be in for a year, then it is a reflection of lack of interest in a cultural experience.
Anonymous
02/24/2021 19:25
Subject: Re:au pair only eats food from her country
This is common with Asian APs who eat very different meals than the family. But different baking powder? Unless it actually acts different, I don’t see why that’s necessary, so I would think she could get it herself.
Anonymous
02/22/2021 07:28
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
Baking powder? So she eats different foods than your family at every meal?
Anonymous
02/22/2021 07:07
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
Which country? We’ve always tried to help our au pairs find a few familiar items to help them feel connected, but we also introduce them to a variety of things from here and find that they adapt pretty quickly. We do try to find au pairs who describe themselves as adventurous and who like to eat lots of different cuisines. I agree with telling her you’ll accommodate a limited amount of things but that’s it.
Anonymous
02/21/2021 15:54
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
These are great suggestions, thanks!
Anonymous
02/21/2021 14:37
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
I would solve this issue this way: "Larla, I know there are certain products that you prefer to have from home. I am going to add $20 a month to your stipend so you can purchase those items when you like. I won't be adding them to our regular grocery shopping, but you can take care of buying them and store them in this special shelf that is just for you. I know there are little things that will make you feel more at home, and I hope this helps."
Anonymous
02/21/2021 13:15
Subject: Re:au pair only eats food from her country
For different brands I would not give into that, or tell her if she needs her own stash she needs to purchase on her own. This baking supply separation could be a way of controlling her environment, something I struggled with when I had roommates
Anonymous
02/21/2021 12:06
Subject: au pair only eats food from her country
Hello Everyone--
Our au pair has been with us for a little over 3 months. She is lovely. The only thing is she only eats food from her own country. She basically is not interested in trying other foods---at all. I know this is not the biggest issue, but it is kind of annoying to spend extra money on groceries that are specific to her country when we have the same foods available for her use. For instance, she won't use "American" baking powder or salt. It has to be the brand she uses back home. Any thoughts?
Our au pair has been with us for a little over 3 months. She is lovely. The only thing is she only eats food from her own country. She basically is not interested in trying other foods---at all. I know this is not the biggest issue, but it is kind of annoying to spend extra money on groceries that are specific to her country when we have the same foods available for her use. For instance, she won't use "American" baking powder or salt. It has to be the brand she uses back home. Any thoughts?