11 year old & Food touching on plate

[divawife]

My niece does not like her food touching each other on her plate. She will be considered an adult for the DDP. She is not so much a picky eater so she will try different foods and she can eat most of an adult portion.

I see from the many food pics that Disney follows the trend of piling food on top of each other for a prettier presentation.

If we asked nicely would they seperate her food on the plate so she might actually eat all of it?

 

[cyndisun]

My niece does not like her food touching each other on her plate. She will be considered an adult for the DDP. She is not so much a picky eater so she will try different foods and she can eat most of an adult portion.

I see from the many food pics that Disney follows the trend of piling food on top of each other for a prettier presentation.

If we asked nicely would they seperate her food on the plate so she might actually eat all of it?

I'm sure most places will be accomodating. But at 11 she may be willing (with a little encouragement) to try eating some adult arrangements. It will start to get harder for her as a teenager and adult to go out to eat if it doesn't change. Maybe something gradual?

 

[larryz]

Don't worry -- when she gets hungry, she'll eat.

 

[HunnyJar]

My son was sort of like this a few years ago. He wouldn't mind if they brought him a plate with his food touching as long as he could fix it afterwards. And he also liked to eat all of one thing before moving on to the next item. I don't know why, he just did. He's pretty much grown out of this now (he'll be 15 in a few months) but it has taken some time. If you mention it to the servers, some might be willing to help you out - but I honestly I think it will depend on how busy the restaurant is and how friendly the server/chefs are.

Good luck!

 

[nytimez]

Ha! I was the same way at that age.

 

[Art 1]

Don't worry -- when she gets hungry, she'll eat.

 

[divawife]

Thanks everyone!
She is getting better and I am sure she will grow out of it. It is place that are more upscale that tend to make a mountain out of all the food that is my real concern. I think they might be accomodating. Simple places like the Plaza is no big deal

 

[bdoyledimou]

Don't worry -- when she gets hungry, she'll eat.

I have to agree. My Son was also like this, until i finally got fed up enabling the behaviour and just started giving him the same plate as anyone else.

Another option would be to start creating home made 'hamburger helper" type meals.. cassaroles, sheppards pie, beef stroganoff, where the entire dish is a blend, and then once she starts eating that point out that it is reall just protein/veggies/starch touching each other, no different than mash veggies and steak on a plate.

 

[HunnyJar]

I have to agree. My Son was also like this, until i finally got fed up enabling the behaviour and just started giving him the same plate as anyone else.

Another option would be to start creating home made 'hamburger helper" type meals.. cassaroles, sheppards pie, beef stroganoff, where the entire dish is a blend, and then once she starts eating that point out that it is reall just protein/veggies/starch touching each other, no different than mash veggies and steak on a plate.

I think that's a good idea.

 

[acc82]

ummm....i still do this. and, i know i'm not the only one!! there are other adults i've met that don't like foods to touch. i've never asked for special accomodations at disney but i'm sure they would do it. i just don't eat the part of the food that's mixed. I do this more for the taste aspect. when many foods mix together, i think the taste is awful. she may grow out of it or she may not, but either way, it's fine.

 

[USAswimmer626]

This topic made me laugh because I just thought about this a couple weeks ago. It amuses me how I won't let any food on my Thanksgiving plate touch another food. But at a restaurant, if there isn't a presentation on the plate, the meal does not look as nice.

I'm sure if you ask, a restaurant will be able to accomodate your daughter.

 

[MomtoEmIs&Ow]

I don't think that you should really cater to this behaviour when eating out. It is one thing that she dosen't like it at home, heck I don't really either. But is she going ask for the rest of her life "oh could you please make sure that the different foods on my plate don't touch eachother"? I agree that she needs to be introduced to more casserole type dishes.

Just a thought.

 

[carley]

im 38 and very picky about how my food is plated. i never outgrew it. If you ask... disney will seperate for you on the plate. its never been a problem for me when ive asked not to pile my food

 

[nytimez]

I don't think that you should really cater to this behaviour when eating out. It is one thing that she dosen't like it at home, heck I don't really either. But is she going ask for the rest of her life "oh could you please make sure that the different foods on my plate don't touch eachother"? I agree that she needs to be introduced to more casserole type dishes.

Just a thought.

I was going to say it's nothing to worry about because they all outgrow it eventually. But then I read this:

im 38 and very picky about how my food is plated. i never outgrew it. If you ask... disney will seperate for you on the plate. its never been a problem for me when ive asked not to pile my food

 

[acc82]

i really don't understand the people here who assume something is wrong with the kid because of this. who says what's normal? maybe everyone else is abnormal because they like everything mixed all together.

I think it's egotistical to think that someone should be broken of a particular behavior because it's not popular. things like this are what make people unique and interesting. it's just like how teachers automatically place pencils in a child's right hand because it's culturally 'right'.

 

[MomtoEmIs&Ow]

i really don't understand the people here who assume something is wrong with the kid because of this. who says what's normal? maybe everyone else is abnormal because they like everything mixed all together.

I think it's egotistical to think that someone should be broken of a particular behavior because it's not popular. things like this are what make people unique and interesting. it's just like how teachers automatically place pencils in a child's right hand because it's culturally 'right'.

I hope it is not being assumed that I think there is something wrong with this behaviour/child! I even stated that I am not a big fan of my food touching either. I just think that its the same as a picky eater, we should encourage our kids to try new things and not encourage little nit picky behaviours.
We all do end up with our own little 'hang-ups' so why add more.....

 

[jreed1920]

I never outgrew it either. I am not a picky eater and I will try most anything but I don't like my food to touch and I eat one item at a time. I also don't have any issue at all with casseroles or other combined foods but I still do not want my casserole touching anything else on my plate like veg or salad.

 

[MMS1125]

hmm I'm 33 years old and still can't stand my food to touch. I'm not picky either hah..just don't want my cheese sauce from broccoli going into my mashed potatoes..who cares if it'll mix later (as my dh tells me)

Another choice to consider is buffets that way she can do her own plates how she likes. We are doing quite a few buffets only b/c my 12yr old is SOOOOO picky...he'd never eat anything on the menus at some restaurants. Our trip isn't worth us fighting over what he'll eat so to pacify everybody we'll just do buffets and ev1 can find something they like.

 

[2Tiggies]

I think if you ask nicely most places will be willing to accommodate you. However keep in mind that if they are busy your request could be met with a little annoyance. My DD, now 8 has had the same issue since she was a toddler. I get around this for the most part by booking plenty buffets so she can serve herself but I also make sure she is mentally prepared that if she wants to eat out, she has to do so just as everyone else does. By last year she made no mention of the mixed food and even ate the mixed up CS meals prepared for her. She would say something at home, but she has to understand that the world is not going to come to a standstill just because she likes something a certain way. In fact, "pushing" her into these meals and having them labeled as special or some kind of treat, has gone a long way to resolving the problem, albeit a slow process.

I am not suggesting that you should not be sensitive to your nieces issues at all. I accept that everyone is different and certain approaches may work with one person and not another. However I don't think it will hurt to prime her that she may have to face the reality.

 

[duffy]

i really don't understand the people here who assume something is wrong with the kid because of this. who says what's normal? maybe everyone else is abnormal because they like everything mixed all together.

I think it's egotistical to think that someone should be broken of a particular behavior because it's not popular. things like this are what make people unique and interesting. it's just like how teachers automatically place pencils in a child's right hand because it's culturally 'right'.

Here's why I "broke" my daughter of this: She would fuss because foods touched. She would then not eat. At home, she was in control of her own plate, but not at a restaurant.

So, her food would come, she would be unhappy and not eat. Then, she would expect that we would make a special trip to a place, just for her, where she would be happy with the food coming in separate containers. That meant a fast food place!! No way!! No way was I going to take her to a fast food place, after having wasted so much money-and food-that she rejected because foods touched. She expected us all to sit and watch her then eat her fast-food meal!!

A few forced skipped meals and she was a lot less fussy. We were all miserable, listening to her whining about being hungry, but, she learned that if we are willing to pay for her to eat, and if she choose her own meal, she has to eat it. Of course, we always picked places to eat that would be satisfactory to us all.

This daughter is now 25, a vegetarian, and very healthy. She's in the middle of giving birth to my first grandchild right now!!