11 year old & Food touching on plate

[divawife]

Thank you SteffM

 

[emmabemmainc]

::sigh::
For the record I thought I made it clear that it was the fancier stacking method of food like mashed potatoes on the bottom, stacked with steak, then onion straws, then whatever as a stacked, "artistic" presentation tower rather then simply a plate of food with the food next to each other that might bother her. I am sorry I didn't make myself clear in the first post.
So..it is my niece not my daughter. She is ok with just a plate of food and does not freak out if the mashed potatos happen to touch the steak if they are next to each other. She simply prefers they do not touch but can move them aside. Without pouting or crying. She eats casseroles and pasta with meatballs. She eats chicken pot pie and shepards pie. Again, it is the stacked food on top of food on top of food that she will not care for. I simply wanted to know if her preference could be accomodated. She is a normal little girl and is not a horse to be "broken". She will be on vacation, she is a child and is not the person "responsible for her problem not me" for asking the waitress for anything out of the ordinary. As the adult it is indeed "my problem" and I don't see it as a "problem" in the first place. As for 'let her go hungry don't worry she'll eat" I don't even know how to respond to that.
For those of you who simply helped out with a simple answer...thank you.

Love this! I love it--from what you originally posted, some people decided that there was a sense of entitlement and that she pouts. Some people are just ridiculous!
Good luck and I am sure that all the restaurants will be just fine with doing this. Heck, I think it would be easier--they'd just be placing things on a plate without having to arrange it!

 

[badblackpug]

Change reservations to one person "kosher"...Or let the resturant know when you check in.
Food won't touch then.

No. Meat and dairy or meat and fish cannot be on the same plate, but food that is not of these two groups can certainly touch one another. For example, your chicken could be piled on your rice and topped with greens. meat must be served on a separate plate from dairy or fish, though fish can be served with dairy.

 

[maggiew]

It's not the actual habit that is bad, it's the attitude and sense of entitlement that comes with it. The "if you don't do it MY WAY then i will sit here and pout".
That's what needs to be broken.

It is 100% okay to have a preference. It is when the preference becomes demand that it is not acceptable.

I don't recall anywhere where the OP said her niece does this??


To the OP, I suggest you have your niece look at some of the pictures on the food picture thread and find things that aren't piled together. That way she will know what to order and not be surprised by a fancy pile.

I look at the pictures myself because I don't like sauces or drizzles, etc. on my food. And those are not always listed. So I look at the pictures and then I know to ask for certain drizzles not to be put on my food. Like the drizzle on the Major domo pie at CRT.

Maggie

 

[Deb & Bill]

::sigh::
For the record I thought I made it clear that it was the fancier stacking method of food like mashed potatoes on the bottom, stacked with steak, then onion straws, then whatever as a stacked, "artistic" presentation tower rather then simply a plate of food with the food next to each other that might bother her. I am sorry I didn't make myself clear in the first post.
So..it is my niece not my daughter. She is ok with just a plate of food and does not freak out if the mashed potatos happen to touch the steak if they are next to each other. She simply prefers they do not touch but can move them aside. Without pouting or crying. She eats casseroles and pasta with meatballs. She eats chicken pot pie and shepards pie. Again, it is the stacked food on top of food on top of food that she will not care for. I simply wanted to know if her preference could be accomodated. She is a normal little girl and is not a horse to be "broken". She will be on vacation, she is a child and is not the person "responsible for her problem not me" for asking the waitress for anything out of the ordinary. As the adult it is indeed "my problem" and I don't see it as a "problem" in the first place. As for 'let her go hungry don't worry she'll eat" I don't even know how to respond to that.
For those of you who simply helped out with a simple answer...thank you.

I'm exactly like her. I hate this style of food presentation. First thing I do is unstack it and push everything to it's own little corner of the plate. Usually the plate is massive with a six inch tall pile in the middle of the plate and there is plenty of room to separate the stack. I never understood how you were supposed to eat this.

If she can do this, she should be okay. Just tell her to think of it as a tempermental artist (the chef) creating a masterpiece and she's the art critic.

 

[acc82]

::sigh::
For the record I thought I made it clear that it was the fancier stacking method of food like mashed potatoes on the bottom, stacked with steak, then onion straws, then whatever as a stacked, "artistic" presentation tower rather then simply a plate of food with the food next to each other that might bother her. I am sorry I didn't make myself clear in the first post.
So..it is my niece not my daughter. She is ok with just a plate of food and does not freak out if the mashed potatos happen to touch the steak if they are next to each other. She simply prefers they do not touch but can move them aside. Without pouting or crying. She eats casseroles and pasta with meatballs. She eats chicken pot pie and shepards pie. Again, it is the stacked food on top of food on top of food that she will not care for. I simply wanted to know if her preference could be accomodated. She is a normal little girl and is not a horse to be "broken". She will be on vacation, she is a child and is not the person "responsible for her problem not me" for asking the waitress for anything out of the ordinary. As the adult it is indeed "my problem" and I don't see it as a "problem" in the first place. As for 'let her go hungry don't worry she'll eat" I don't even know how to respond to that.
For those of you who simply helped out with a simple answer...thank you.

i agree that there is nothing weird or abnormal about your niece. Which, is why I was pointing out that there are plenty of people who still do this and she doesn't need to be 'broken'. As you can see from the posts, plenty of people still do this in adulthood and there is NOTHING WRONG OR WEIRD about that.

I don't know why people assume that she was going to 'pout' or cry from your post. People just have their own assumptions about what they know to be true and have trouble thinking outside the proverbial 'box'.

I agree with the poster who said this is no different than asking for something on the side or a sandwhich without mayo or whatever. Do you (critics) like the way each item is prepared on a menu every time???? doubtful. Also, as many posters have mentioned, a good many of us don't ask for accomodations, we simply eat as we always have and we do the separating ourselves - similar to if you scrape the mayo off your sandwhich.

I forgot to post this earlier, but since your niece is 11, she may order children's menu selections, right? children's menu stuff usually comes separated as it is served. i.e. mac and cheese, chicken tenders, that kind of thing. She may find she likes those entrees better than the adult ones anyway. At 11 she may still like 'kids' foods or she may be outgrowing that, I'm not sure.

 

[aanderson5]

As a chef I can tell you that having the food "not stacked" would be one of the easiest requests and I can not imagine not being accomodated. It is no more difficult than asking for fries insted of mashed. (it is probably easier)

I wanted to ask that people don't ask for a kosher meal if they are not kosher. It is a lot more work to provide a kosher meal. It would probably have to be made from scratch with proper equipment and recipes may have to be altured. There is a reason that some places require 24 hrs notice for kosher meals. Another thing I have heard people suggest if someone doesn't like somthing is to say they are allergic to it. (sorry off topic) Again, please do not do this. Chefs go to a lot of effort to ensure that there is no cross contamination when allergies are concerned (ie getting all new equipment or sanitizing what they are using, changing frying oil, etc). None of this is minded when it is a true allergy or religious dietary need but should not be used by people how think it is an easy way to ensure their like and dislikes are met. Just ask, 99% of the time you will be accomodated. End of PSA.

 

[bdoyledimou]

I don't know why people assume that she was going to 'pout' or cry from your post.

I can tell you where my interpetation came from.. from the very first post.

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

If a child isn't going to eat, they will then whine and/or pout about not being able to eat. it's a given. It happens all the time. My son did the same thing. His friends do it. I have seen it 1000's of times all around the world (and not just Disney World, i mean THE WORLD.

 

[Priorityonecb]

Having a child with food allergies, I have found WDW to be the most accomodating of any other place we've travelled when it comes to food. I don't think a chef would give a moments pause to not stacking a particular entree. It will be just fine OP!

 

[acc82]

I can tell you where my interpetation came from.. from the very first post.




If a child isn't going to eat, they will then whine and/or pout about not being able to eat. it's a given. It happens all the time. My son did the same thing. His friends do it. I have seen it 1000's of times all around the world (and not just Disney World, i mean THE WORLD.

in my experience (and i take care of sick children for a living), I have had to ASK many children why they weren't eating their food (as they did not whine or cry or even complain) only to find out they didn't like it. I've been around just as many children who will not whine/cry/pout as those who will. It depends on the child.

 

[Oh Kay!]

As a chef I can tell you that having the food "not stacked" would be one of the easiest requests and I can not imagine not being accomodated. It is no more difficult than asking for fries insted of mashed. (it is probably easier)

I wanted to ask that people don't ask for a kosher meal if they are not kosher. It is a lot more work to provide a kosher meal. It would probably have to be made from scratch with proper equipment and recipes may have to be altured. There is a reason that some places require 24 hrs notice for kosher meals. Another thing I have heard people suggest if someone doesn't like somthing is to say they are allergic to it. (sorry off topic) Again, please do not do this. Chefs go to a lot of effort to ensure that there is no cross contamination when allergies are concerned (ie getting all new equipment or sanitizing what they are using, changing frying oil, etc). None of this is minded when it is a true allergy or religious dietary need but should not be used by people how think it is an easy way to ensure their like and dislikes are met. Just ask, 99% of the time you will be accomodated. End of PSA.

Sorry to go off topic, but does WDW have a Kosher kitchen? I've assumed they ordered the Kosher meals from outside vendors and that's why they need 24 hour notice.

 

[heaven2dc]

I have a little problem with food piled on top of another mostly when I see pics of food presentations here on the Dis - esp when I see a filet mignon piled on top of mashed potatoes with the red juices running all over the plate (I'm weird, I know ) I was planning on request the food be served separately in cases like that - otherwise it's not a problem.

I'm sure the chef/server at the restaurants will be more the happy to accommodate her needs. It may be something she will outgrow but in the meantime to enjoy her meals, I think she won't have a problem with the restaurants.

 

[phorsenuf]

Change reservations to one person "kosher"...Or let the restaurant know when you check in.
Food won't touch then.

Please don't do that. I hate when people lie so things can be adjusted for them. If you have an issue, talk with them about it. Either they can do it or they can't.

Plus if you say you are kosher then there will be things you can't order off the menu. Are you prepared to do that. Afterall, if you say you are Kosher, then you should act Kosher.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

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 agree with this post.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

Please don't do that. I hate when people lie so things can be adjusted for them.

Right on!!!

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

I can tell you where my interpetation came from.. from the very first post.

I have concur, I thought the same.


I am all for helping put a smile on my children's faces - but whatever happened to parents running the home and telling their kids "this is the way it is going to be. PERIOD."

 

[badblackpug]

As a chef I can tell you that having the food "not stacked" would be one of the easiest requests and I can not imagine not being accomodated. It is no more difficult than asking for fries insted of mashed. (it is probably easier)

I wanted to ask that people don't ask for a kosher meal if they are not kosher. It is a lot more work to provide a kosher meal. It would probably have to be made from scratch with proper equipment and recipes may have to be altured. There is a reason that some places require 24 hrs notice for kosher meals. Another thing I have heard people suggest if someone doesn't like somthing is to say they are allergic to it. (sorry off topic) Again, please do not do this. Chefs go to a lot of effort to ensure that there is no cross contamination when allergies are concerned (ie getting all new equipment or sanitizing what they are using, changing frying oil, etc). None of this is minded when it is a true allergy or religious dietary need but should not be used by people how think it is an easy way to ensure their like and dislikes are met. Just ask, 99% of the time you will be accomodated. End of PSA.

I have to second this. I have way oversimplified Kashrut, but I would imagine in a commercial kitchen keeping strictly Kosher is quite difficult.

OP. If your niece is okay with the food actually touching, I don't know why she can't just 'unstack" it. I'm pretty sure most people do this anyway, but I also don't see why it would be a problem for the chef to not "stack" the food.

Also, I don't understand why she can't make these requests herself. I have no issue with special requests themselves, but my 12 year old has been more than willing and capable of making her own requests for some time.

 

[phorsenuf]

And why would an 11 year old girl be Kosher but the rest of her family isn't.

 

[duffy]

::sigh::
For the record I thought I made it clear that it was the fancier stacking method of food like mashed potatoes on the bottom, stacked with steak, then onion straws, then whatever as a stacked, "artistic" presentation tower rather then simply a plate of food with the food next to each other that might bother her. I am sorry I didn't make myself clear in the first post.
So..it is my niece not my daughter. She is ok with just a plate of food and does not freak out if the mashed potatos happen to touch the steak if they are next to each other. She simply prefers they do not touch but can move them aside. Without pouting or crying. She eats casseroles and pasta with meatballs. She eats chicken pot pie and shepards pie. Again, it is the stacked food on top of food on top of food that she will not care for. I simply wanted to know if her preference could be accomodated. She is a normal little girl and is not a horse to be "broken". She will be on vacation, she is a child and is not the person "responsible for her problem not me" for asking the waitress for anything out of the ordinary. As the adult it is indeed "my problem" and I don't see it as a "problem" in the first place. As for 'let her go hungry don't worry she'll eat" I don't even know how to respond to that.
For those of you who simply helped out with a simple answer...thank you.

If it's really not such a big deal, then why post about it? Why can't she just "move them aside", as you say? You posted a question, people started discussing it. What's the big deal?

I stand corrected on the kosher meal.

I posted my version of how this situation occurred in my family. It WAS a big deal to us, because it was definitely a situation of my daughter thinking that she was-wait for it-entitled to special treatment, specifically, because the food came TOUCHING, my daughter thought that we would blithely throw away an uneaten plate of food, and then go buy her a new meal. We quickly adjusted her thinking.

Anyhow, that's the story of what happened in our family. In yours, well, you do whatever you have to do. Ask the staff to arrange it however you wish, or just have your niece push the food around. Enjoy!

 

[Happy Mom2]

I'm 38, and still don't like my food to touch! If my food is touching at a restaurant, I will eat it, but first I kind of move stuff around so it's not touching. When I fix my plate at home, I don't let my food touch. I'm trying not to pass my "quirk" on to my kids so I always make their food touch!