Oh, I can feel the flames already....

[disneyfav4ever]

It's a problem when my whole family is together, with my "little" cousins. They always got away with it when they were little, but now that they're older, I think they should be expected to at least try what is served, but my grandmother will make them anything they want, and will send my grandfather to the store if they don't like what brand name stuff they have.

When we were all at the beach together my other cousin and I cooked dinner one night. We made fish. They wouldn't try it. Apparently they like fish, but they didn't like our fish even though they didn't even try it.

 

[cdrn1]

Every year we play games for different WDW trip prizes.

WHAT A FUN IDEA!!!! Thanks for posting; it's something I obviously have never thought of in my 30-year Disney World obsession...can't wait to do this with my kids and grandkids!

 

[goofy4tink]

I am a 'plain eater', and I'm certainly not going to apologize for that. My two oldest children (35 and 33) are broad eaters...always were. My youngest, 15, is not. She exists on plain pizza, chicken, cheeseburgers, plain steak and pasta with butter/parm cheese, and peanut butter. So what!!
My dh loves seafood (I keep trying it but just don't care for it) and various sauces, as well as casseroles. Me? Meat and potatoes girl. DH likes Calif Grill. I don't care for it. You won't find me at Kouzinna any time soon...despite the fact that I dated a Greek boy for years..still don't care for that type food.

I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone is bothered by anyone else's eating style. It impacts no one but the family of the 'picky eater'...certainly impacts no one else in that restaurant. When the three of us go out to eat, it's up to my dd to figure out what she will eat...not my problem. At home, if she doesn't like what I'm serving that night, she knows where the peanut butter and bread are.

I tend to get a bit peeved when people cast aspersions on others for the way they eat. I'm an adult and can eat anywhere I choose to. If I choose to eat only one type of food, so what?? I have a friend who makes a huge deal over the 'trendy' food her dd, 15 eats, and has always eaten. I truly don't believe that eating snails is going to make you a more well rounded person.
I have a nephew that everyone raves about because he eats lobster and such...big deal, he never finishes it, is ill-behaved at restaurants and has miserable table manners. He doesn't eat that expensive food, he just moves it around on his plate after 3 bites. But my dd eats her entire serving of plain buttered pasta.
There are other things that make people well rounded and eating at trendy restuarants isn't one of them. As long as you have good table manners and are comfortable being out, but eating differently than others, so be it. But I will not change my eating habits to make someone else comfortable. I don't have to explain to anyone why I eat the way I do or how my dd eats. She is a very pleasant person, fun to be around with good manners. That is so much more important than what she eats.

 

[kmk1180]

It drives me absolutely crazy when people say, "I am very picky"...
geez....LIVE DANGEROUSLY!!!! Stop wearing "picky" like a badge and try something outside the box.

Bring on the flames.

I agree...that's why for picky eaters I suggest Boma.
There's enough regular food for anyone yet enough different tastes to try something new.

Also try to apply it to which resturants, we always try a least 1 new place every trip.

And that's why I wish they would turn the Odessey at EPCOT to a
Taste of EPCOT place. Where you could go to get small portion or sample sizes of the varies food offered at the sit down resturants of World Showcase.
Because I would like to try Morrocco but not enough to commit spending a whole meal there. This way if I like it I would be willing to
make and ADR and pay for a whole meal.
And it would help people who have different picks for dinner.
Say you want China, but your spouse wants Italy. Both would be happy.

 

[Hallowishes]

i wouldnt call myself a "picky eater" im just not very adventurous! you will never EVER catch me eating a salad .. ive never like the texture and i probably never will. HOWEVER, im pretty outside the box on vacation ... i love eating a boma and jiko coz they are so different and outside my "comfort zone"

 

[Nermel9]

i wouldnt call myself a "picky eater" im just not very adventurous! you will never EVER catch me eating a salad .. ive never like the texture and i probably never will. HOWEVER, im pretty outside the box on vacation ... i love eating a boma and jiko coz they are so different and outside my "comfort zone"

I'm exactly the same way with salad...don't like the way it feels in my mouth so I can't eat it. I wish I could since I'm always trying to lose weight and they're so good for you, I just can't!

And I wanted to try Jiko...it's definitely something different and exotic in my mind and I really wanted to give it a shot...instead I chickened out and booked Narcoosee's because it's safe. Now I'm a little bummed I didn't do Jiko instead...and it's all booked up. Oh well! I'm definitely going to be a little adventurous this year at the Food and Wine fest and try new things!

 

[kmk1180]

. It's beyond my comprehension why people frequent McDonalds at WDW when you can have that any day at home .

I totally agree..I go on vacation I want food I CANT get at home.
I'm not one to complain about Disney but that's one thing I would change, get rid of those Mc'd fry stops.

Every year we play games for different WDW trip prizes. Last year my husband won "TS Restaurant of Choice" - we usually do a lot of CS. Anyway he picked Teppan Edo! I needed to hide the "yuck" face and tell the kids to stop whining about a 100 times.

Well now they are BEGGING to go back. We were so happy we "flamed" up our palets and tried something new! Jiko's is our big adventure this year, plus getting spoiled with the FD - hopefully I can get my husband hooked!

You will LOVE it. Our #1 resturant at Disney. Definately try a flatbread.

 

[Pakey]

My husband and I are extremely adventurous but we raised 3 children, two of whom were/are not. We did not cater to them; however, their tastes are what they are and even as adult men, the older 2 prefer to limit their choices (the yougest son is adventurous).

IMO, it's vacation and plain eaters should be able to enjoy their vacation as much as adventurous eaters. Everyone on this dining board excessively plan their food choices to make themselves happy so I don't understand how that is any different than plain eaters planning in an attempt to find their perfect meals either.

I will continue to respond to all plain eaters' questions about where they can find food they enjoy; I think they deserve to enjoy their meals as much as everyone else on here, without being judged.

 

[MarkinNM]

I will continue to respond to all plain eaters' questions about where they can find food they enjoy; I think they deserve to enjoy their meals as much as everyone else on here, without being judged.

Oh boy here we go......................

 

[PoohsFan1]

Yes! I so agree! Especially when parents say, 'my kids are picky and won't eat anything but chicken fingers and pizza'. Really? Is it because that's all they've ever been fed? Disney is a great place to explore new kinds of food!

I'll proudly take the flames with you! Bring it!

I too agree.....when we eat at Disney it is DH and I that pick out the restaurants because my kids will ALWAYS find something on the children's menus. I have two kids that are on each side of the spectrum....one will eat anything on the menus, and one will look for steak and cheeseburgers. In fact, when we go in December my steak eater DD asked if we can go back to CG because she loved the steak there .

 

[ibouncetoo]

Yep, everyone should have what they want on their vacation! I know my ADRs involve two specific fried chicken spots! (and let's not even mention the Wishes Dessert Party)


My (internal) response to the children pickey eater posts is "WHERE'S THE NUTRITION COMING FROM" when someone says my kids only eat pizza and chicken fingers? Hope that pizza is loaded with veggies. It may be that these folks don't really mean ONLY and they are just referring to entre type foods...I certainly hope so.

Now I don't post that as a reply to any specific individual's post when I see them, as I'm not about to tell anyone how to raise their families. And certainly once someone nears adulthood they are responsible for their own choices. I think those of us who grew up in a you'll eat what I put in front of you household (or were raised by depression era parents) are the most surprised by the proliferation of these comments.

As a fried chicken/hot dog/french fry loving adult I find I occasionally have to make sure I've been balancing my foods (hmmmmm....have I had a vegetable yet this weekend???). I go through spurts of healthy eating, then fall into a period I call "favorite fried food frenzy" and have to pull myself up and focus again.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

My husband and I are extremely adventurous but we raised 3 children, two of whom were/are not. We did not cater to them; however, their tastes are what they are and even as adult men, the older 2 prefer to limit their choices (the yougest son is adventurous).

IMO, it's vacation and plain eaters should be able to enjoy their vacation as much as adventurous eaters. Everyone on this dining board excessively plan their food choices to make themselves happy so I don't understand how that is any different than plain eaters planning in an attempt to find their perfect meals either.

I will continue to respond to all plain eaters' questions about where they can find food they enjoy; I think they deserve to enjoy their meals as much as everyone else on here, without being judged.

I think everyone should be able to enjoy themselves too, but this isn't just about eating while on vacation, at least it's not to me. I don't like it when I spend a couple hours cooking dinner, and then some people will refuse to even try it. I just think that "picky" eaters could be a little more open to trying new things. A bite of something won't kill them, and if they don't like it, they don't have to eat any more, and if they do like it, they get to enjoy something they otherwise wouldn't have.

I think one of the great things about Disney is the many different types of restaurants and food there, and it's a great place to try new things. Especially if you go during the Food and Wine Festival, or eat at places like Boma.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

A while back someone asked if the McDonalds stand in Epcot had chicken nuggets. I couldn't believe all these posters who were convinced that their children would starve if chicken nuggets weren't available.

I remember a time when there was no such thing as chicken nuggets, and there were no children starving because of it.

I have friends who raised a picky eater. As a toddler he was allowed to snack all day then would throw a tantrum if they asked him to sit at the table for dinner to eat. Then they started always making something special for him (spagettios, grilled cheese, etc.). The mother said "I don't want him to develop 'food issues'". I said "I hate to break it to you, but he has 'food issues'".

 

[TillyMarigold]

I have a simple reason for "why do people care?": because I've had many an otherwise delicious trip to an "ethnic" restaurant ruined by people at the next table complaining loudly throughout about how weird the food is and how can those people eat it.

Actually, I have two: because now when I go to "ethnic" restaurants in some places, the wait staff look at my blonde hair and assume I can't handle spicy food and won't serve it to me no matter what I ask for. I've ordered daal (curried lentils) spiced medium and been given pureed lentils with absolutely nothing else in them, blech. Even my favorite Indian restaurant back in New Jersey (which has the largest Indian population in the US) that I used to eat at once a week at a minimum eventually started refusing to spice my food medium because so many white people complained about the heat.

That's less of a problem now that I'm in New Mexico where the food is hotter, but I still occasionally have a meal of New Mexican food ruined by the loud tourists shrieking over the heat (and I'm not a spicy-food junkie, most of this food is in the medium-hot range), plus out here people think tofu is the most bizarre food ever and how could anyone ever possibly eat it. Look, if you don't want tofu, don't go to an Asian restaurant! And don't monopolize my waiter while I'm sitting there waiting to order as he patiently details all of the ingredients, the relative level spice, and all possible modifications to every single dish on the menu to you.

 

[badblackpug]

OP, I absolutely agree. I think so many people are "picky" eaters because they have been made to be that way. I'm not a short order cook, either. You eat what is served, or you go hungry. There is no "you can make yourself this or that,' the rule is: this is what there is. period. We also make ADRs at WDW based on what we want. The kids can find something on the menu, or they can be hungry. I don't care what other people eat until it effects me. Like when other people look at your meal and comment or make the "yuk" face. Also, you are not helping your children by allowing them to be picky. There are going to be situations in their life where people won't cater to their self-imposed restrictions.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I have a simple reason for "why do people care?": because I've had many an otherwise delicious trip to an "ethnic" restaurant ruined by people at the next table complaining loudly throughout about how weird the food is and how can those people eat it.

Actually, I have two: because now when I go to "ethnic" restaurants in some places, the wait staff look at my blonde hair and assume I can't handle spicy food and won't serve it to me no matter what I ask for. I've ordered daal (curried lentils) spiced medium and been given pureed lentils with absolutely nothing else in them, blech. Even my favorite Indian restaurant back in New Jersey (which has the largest Indian population in the US) that I used to eat at once a week at a minimum eventually started refusing to spice my food medium because so many white people complained about the heat.

That's less of a problem now that I'm in New Mexico where the food is hotter, but I still occasionally have a meal of New Mexican food ruined by the loud tourists shrieking over the heat (and I'm not a spicy-food junkie, most of this food is in the medium-hot range), plus out here people think tofu is the most bizarre food ever and how could anyone ever possibly eat it. Look, if you don't want tofu, don't go to an Asian restaurant! And don't monopolize my waiter while I'm sitting there waiting to order as he patiently details all of the ingredients, the relative level spice, and all possible modifications to every single dish on the menu to you.

That is a very good point. It's like how Figaro fries were changed to just fries with cheese sauce and bacon, because so many people ordered them without lettuce and tomato.

And to the PP who mentioned nutrition, I agree, you have to wonder where the kids are getting their fruits and vegetables in if they only eat chicken nuggets, pizza, etc.

 

[Tigger-Lover]

Please also realize that if a kid is even mildly picky, some don't want to deal with that on vacation.

I don't understand why people are ticked that some adults are picky. Picky IMO doesn't mean nuggets/burgers only diet. Some are picky because of dietary restrictions/allergies/digestive problems and it's easier eating simple foods.



As for kids, that's the parents responsibility. Everyone's palettes are different.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

OP, I absolutely agree. I think so many people are "picky" eaters because they have been made to be that way. I'm not a short order cook, either. You eat what is served, or you go hungry. There is no "you can make yourself this or that,' the rule is: this is what there is. period. We also make ADRs at WDW based on what we want. The kids can find something on the menu, or they can be hungry. I don't care what other people eat until it effects me. Like when other people look at your meal and comment or make the "yuk" face. Also, you are not helping your children by allowing them to be picky. There are going to be situations in their life where people won't cater to their self-imposed restrictions.

I also get the "yuk" face a lot too. So yes, picky eaters do effect me, either when I get their comments / faces or when menus items are changed because of it. There may be other reasons too, I'll be sure to post if I can think of them.

 

[Lizzybear]

My parents always gave me and my 5 years younger sister a variety of different foods but with very different results: I'll eat pretty much anything and she's what most people would call picky... She's also about half my size so maybe it's a good thing in some ways!
I work in a daycare and we often get comments like "oh he won't eat fish at home" or "he'll only drink juice, won't touch water". Amazing how 10 other kids eating the same thing and putting water in an opaque sippy cup can work wonders

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

When our DS13 was young, picky wasn't even in his vocabulary. He would eat anything and every thing under the sun if I would let him. When he turned 10 is when he started with the picky stuff. Well, it didn't last too long. He will try just about anything now so I am thankful for that. I am not one of these parents that would make something different for our DS if he didn't want what we were having. You don't like it don't eat. There were very and I mean very few times he did not eat.

Hey, if there wasn't a chicken nugget or french fries to be found at WDW, I am sure those kids would find something to eat.