I’m not going to mince words: I live with two fussbudgets.
At least when it comes to food, that is. My son and husband are both very picky eaters, and while I wouldn’t say that my culinary tastes are super diverse, I beat the heck out of them in that department.
When it comes to the kid’s dinner, it’s either pasta (no sauce – just butter and cheese), chicken nuggets, pizza, eggs, or mac and cheese. Maybe a hot dog here and there and the occasional vegetable. He’s always been picky, but I thought his tastes would have expanded now that he’s 11.
He is becoming more willing to try new things, which does give me some hope. We’re not talking anything exotic here – things like burgers, meatloaf, and chili – but, he usually – and predictably – says he doesn’t like them. The saving grace is that he will eat as much fruit as we can offer him and has a healthy appetite as long as he likes what’s put in front of him.
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Then, there’s my husband. A step up from the kid, but still picky, picky, picky. Here’s just a short selection of what is out as far as he’s concerned: broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, any meat with a bone in it, steak (yes, steak!), fish, and pork. And that’s just a short selection.
As the cook in our house, I’ve gotten used to making substitutions in recipes: replacing mushrooms with zucchini, tomatoes with red pepper, and chicken for just about any other meat. Or, I’ll make a half and half recipe and leave his dislikes in my portion or grill myself a nice steak while he’s having a burger and the kid’s having whatever he’s decided he likes that day.
The good thing is that neither one of them complains too much about their food options. Even after day upon day of my son taking crackers and cheese and applesauce to school for lunch, he doesn’t bellyache. He just wants what he wants. I know many parents are much stricter about what their kids eat and refuse to make separate meals, and while I agree that that would make life a bit easier, I can live with my lot in life. My husband and I do, however, make it clear when going to others’ houses to eat that my son will be served what they’ve made and if he doesn’t eat it, he’ll be hungry. Most of our friends get it and don’t take it personally if he politely declines.
When it comes to my husband, he doesn’t complain either, but he also doesn’t get super excited about food. When asked how he likes what I’ve made, he usually gives an “it’s fine” or a slightly more exuberant “it’s good”. But, I do have one recipe that is the key to lighting up his taste buds and getting rave reviews: pad thai. It might seem like a surprising choice from a fussy eater, but it’s a pared-down version of pad thai: no shrimp, no fish sauce, no tamarind or anything else he’d be likely to reject.
When making up my grocery list, I’ll sometimes ask if he has any requests for dinner. The answer is usually “whatever”, but I’ll get an occasional “How about pad thai?” And, you know what? I love it when he asks for it. It’s a chance for him to actually really enjoy a meal and a chance for me to make something I can watch him enjoy. It’s a small way of me saying I get him, so I’ll make all the substitutions I need to.
You know who doesn’t enjoy pad thai? That’s right – my son. He’ll have chicken nuggets and fries, please.
Melanie McGregor is a mom of one who lives in Milton, Ontario. She works in the mental health field and writes a bi-weekly health and wellness column for local newspapers. Left to her own devices, she’s either on the tennis court, baking in the kitchen, chilling out with a book, or watching mindless reality TV.
I was lucky.My kids were pretty easy going,except when it came to liver.My husband was the fussy one!
I would try to make their request once a week to keep the peace.My motto was”I’m the cook” and it worked for me.
I hear you – from a short order cook who prepares 3 different plates at every meal!!! I totally get what you are saying and agree that it is what it is and have been happy to accommodate my picky eaters – my son at 15 is starting to ask for more flavour so there is hope!!
I hear you. My daughter is very picky. At age 14, I find that peer pressure is finally working for me. She tried chicken wings because she saw her best friend eat them. Now she loves them! She actually ate hamburger sliders when she went to camp because her friends said they were awesome – and she didn’t die! She eats very limited veggies so now I have to find her a vegetarian BFF.