Adult and child foods? A British thing?

[StandardRussian66]

I got bitched at yet again today by the group I meet with for lunch occasionally.
They find it very strange that my 3 year old eat “adult food”.
I have lived in 4 countries and have only ever come across this in Britain.
It is very strange?
Why would child’s only eat plain food?
My DD had calamari, for reference, incase that is odd. I am part Japanese so she is no stranger to fish.
Aibu to find it equally strange that some toddlers were still being fed mashed food?

Oh right. I thank my lucky stars my children live here rather than Russia or China. I’m sure yours will overlook the kids food in desperate gratitude you decided to settle here instead

Did you mean to be so xenophobic?

What is wrong with Russia and China?

They’re not Brexit Britain!

I know, it’s terrible when people stereotype a whole nationality isn’t it?

I truly believe you get what you’re given for eaters and sleepers. Some kids will eat anything, some kids sleep through the night. And some kids refuse to eat anything that isn’t touched by moonbeams at the full moon while left in the right hand corner of an unmown field, and some kids think moonrise equals time for solo circus routine.

I have a brilliant eater. Despite a dairy allergy that means restaurant menus can be a bloody nightmare, he will eat loads of stuff. And turns up his mose at bought chicken nuggets, doesn’t really like chips.

On the other hand, he first slept through the night at 4 1/2, and its still touch and go at 5 1/2.

Nothing I did for either, I think.

A kids menu means that more families can eat out together. Maybe in other countries some families just don’t bother, as they know it just won’t work? So the statistics are a bit skewed.

Where I am now, children must eat soup. The kids school specifically has soup for the primary children only, and our baby sitter often makes soup and tries to persuade the kids to eat it.

I think one of the reasons (as people have said) is convenience food, but also commuting. I work from home, so I can eat with the kids, but then DP is left eating all alone when he gets back (and he might have already eaten, so if we plated up a dinner it would go to waste) - so whilst yes, we theoretically eat the same dinners, in practise, it goes in every direction depending on whether I fancy what the kids are having, if it will re-heat well, if DP's going to be home on time etc.

I will say that in many places I've lived, Brits have a bit of a reputation as adventurous eaters - willing to give anything a go - but then obviously conversation then becomes a light ribbing about British Cuisine (well, at least until we invite them round for roast beef and yorkshire puddings. That normally proves that they've just not had good British food)

The human rights record in China is appalling but that’s another thread....TatianaLarina

OP I agree.

I hate the sausages/chicken nugget culture.

As soon as my kids were able to eat solids they ate family foods.
Seafood was always a big hit with my toddlers, mussels, prawns- making them dance, taking their jackets off, no food was off limits.
My kids also liked the ceremony of eating a big messy dish like paella or moules marinière.
Even as a toddler they love the idea of picking out mussel meat, sucking shells, or using finger bowls, squeezing lemons, napkins, debris bowls for shells. Everything was dripping in garlic, My babies from one year old loved this.

And now as older teens, still love all foods,

Cherrycokewinning Agreed this thread is so anti British...

My GD(10)hates mSh !!

mash

TatianaLarina Sorry just re-read your thread! I think it’s so funny that you think Brexit Britain is worse than China’s and Russia’s serious issues 😂 think you need to do some reading!

I'm very lucky that my son will currently try anything and likes most things, I've only come across a handful of things he doesn't like. If we were to go out he can try whatever I have. But I would choose something I know he will like for his food. Not because I dont want him to be adventurous but I just do not have the money to waste on buying food he might not like. I would imagine many people are in the same boat.

I have not called an entire nationality rude and arrogant! I said that British tend to separate foods into kids and adults. That’s not even a bad thing just an observation!

StandardRussian66 Your thread is rude

How?

I know, it’s terrible when people stereotype a whole nationality isn’t it?

Except that the OP, at whom your comment was directed, has not. She asked a question, as someone, who is not native British.

You stereotyped two entire countries in a xenophobic and frankly racist comment with some weird British supremacism thrown in.

As much as my kids love a beige dinner on occasion (nuggets, chips/waffles, beans) they eat far more real food. I don't cook different meals unless it suits me to do so (such as DH and I eating together when he finishes work) so when we're on 'adult' dinners, they are too. Homemade curry, lasagne, or the more adventurous stuff, they're happy to dig in too.
I do know a lot of families that only provide kid-friendly dishes and the children as a result are very hard to feed on play dates. Even a simple meal ends up being adapted to what they'll eat. Then they still pick at it.

zzzzz Completely agree with you! Not to mention are disgusting part in the slave trade. I just thought saying brexit was worse than the issues China has is really daft! 😂

How is it xenophobic to feel lucky not to live somewhere with a horrific human rights record? Is it not lucky to not live in say, the Congo, either?

I was brought up eating exactly the same as my parents, my mum was a great cook, liked eexperimenting and cooked from scratch. She would occasionally make pizza but other than than nothing you would especially expect to find on a children’s menu. I used to literally love going anywhere with a childrens menu as it was the only time (other than at school friends houses) I ever got that kind of thing. I was never told to pick from the children’s menu but almost certainly would. It was certainly no reflection of the food I was fed at home.

Cherrycokewinning exactly!

you are right that the human rights record in China isn’t good, but you know the UK is part of some pretty horrifying actions too. It’s just you don’t “count” playing an active part in destabilising an entire region (M.E.) or further back in history flooding China with opiates. People in glass houses and all that

Well quite. China’s record on human rights is poor, but I don’t think that justifies the racist attack it prompted. The idea that anyone would have ‘desperate gratitude’ to live in the UK rather than there is as ignorant as if offensive. And of course the British are not known for their record on human rights in India, Africa, Northern Ireland, or ironically, China.

The people I know who eat the same things as their children generally don't have very many children( so are not catering for lots of dislikes), get in earlyish so that they can eat as a family, and don't have very sophisticated palates themselves so don't mind eating more bland food.

We do sometimes eat as a family, roast is easy as are pasta dishes (which I think is why Italians tend to eat together), they did try what we ate last night - we had a guacamole with a sort of spicy salsa, hearts of palm and seared crusted tuna, but none of them liked it.
They preferred the macaroni cheese I did earlier...but I don't want to eat things like that.

DS(11) does now choose whether he wants to eat with us at 8pm or eat with the other children at 6.

I have one child who loves all seafood, another spinach, olives, aubergines and courgettes, and another who loves strong flavours, curries, tagines, etc. Its just not the same child.

The UK has become the "fat man of Europe" with the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, unfortunately. Obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled in the last 30 years. One in four British adults is obese, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. At the way things are going at the moment, and the feeding habits of many families, half the population could be obese by 2050.

This makes the gulf between the UK and other European nations sound much larger than it actually is. 26.9% of British people are obese vs. 24.8% of Finns and 23.6% of Germans.