Not to eat hot meals?

[NotRamona]

Apparently this makes me very unreasonable according to work colleagues and I’ve had raised eyebrows about teaching my DC good habits and if I feed them properly (I do)

I just detest hot meals and am much more happy with a plate with the likes of pita, nice cheese, chorizo, coleslaw/Ballymaloe relish, olives, crusty bread, sushi, turkey slices, beetroot, branston pickle etc etc.

Is this really so unusual?
I cook hot meals for DC.

Are you my eldest ds? He's never liked meals but can hoover a plate of little picky bits with gusto.
He's, frankly, fucking annoying at mealtimes but now he's 18 he mostly caters for himself.

I mostly eat cold food unless the weather is cold. I eat a lot of salads, I don't just mean lettuce etc. All sorts of grain combinations, grilled meat, fish, veg etc, I sprout a lot of beans & seeds in jars. I add nuts, fancy cheese, I make hummus & dips, I dry fry seeds in a pan, I add home grown fresh herbs etc. I get a lot of ideas from pinterest. A lot of the time I make a big batch of something to last for a few days, & stick it in the fridge in tubs, then just add fresh lettuce, tomatoes, etc when I want dinner. Easy & quick.

I don’t think it’s weird. Pre DD my weekday evening “meals” were like this, I would graze on tasty morsels like cheese, bread, crackers, tomatoes, pesto, pickle etc. I could spend all evening nibbling!

Now I’m pushed for time and bedtime takes ages so I now have a ready meal or freezer meal
or something quick. I don’t get the time to linger over supper any more.

I mean not picky (as in fussy) at all and don’t mind things mixing.

I do hate that I don’t not eat the same as DC though and I suppose that’s why the comments stung a bit today.
I don’t know why I don’t like it, I’ve sat down and attempted to multiple times but I really don’t enjoy it very much. Not in any sort of “food issue” way- or so I’d thought! Just in a preference way...I think but I’m questioning everything now!

If I’m camping or winter hiking then I like hot food. But in a centrally heated house? Can’t see the need!

I like salads and will often have them for lunch, with various toppings, and when we are on holiday we often have picky lunches which I enjoy. But I can’t imagine not having the foods OP makes for her DC and other things like curries, stews, roasts and pasta dishes.

So you never sit down as a family to eat the same meal? That does strike me as a bit odd - I always think eating together is a good opportunity to model healthy eating habits for kids.

Sounds fine to me. When I have an empty house I live on sandwiches. If I am feeling particularly self indulgent I will order a sandwich platter from M&S and a multipack of crisps. That and some fruit can keep me going all weekend.

I always have soup on the go in winter for DC and often enjoy that (so maybe my whole OP is a lie!)

Cottipus that all sounds right up my alley!
BertandRussel this is exactly how I felt! But I was made to feel rather ashamed in work today, people have very strong feelings about a hot meal!

If I am feeling particularly self indulgent I will order a sandwich platter from M&S and a multipack of crisps

I’m getting so many wonderful ideas

Bertrand you obviously don’t have a body thermostat that's permanently set to cold. Doesn’t matter how warm the house is and how many layers I have on, I very rarely get really toasty (without making everyone else in the house keel over with the heat) so I like my hot meals. Weirdly I don’t like many hot drinks though (unless it’s mulled wine )

It's a bit weird. I love those things (I do heat pita) but variety is everything, but on a Saturday I quite like nibbles

It's not unreasonable, just unusual, especially if you're preparing hot meals for your children. I find it hard to believe that you never realised this before now.

People are very intolerant of anything different.

In hot weather I barely eat hot food at all. I do have hot drinks and soup but I tend to have cold salads made with rice, potato or pasta. My child has the option of a hot meal at school but seems to prefer the cold options.

I'm not sure why food has to be served hot. What are the benefits of a hot meal everyday for a child? If they are eating healthily then does it matter?

It's quite an eating disordered type of behaviour as it's a very discreet way of restricting intake.
Is it the temperature of the food (unlikely, as you have soup) or the calorie density?

I’m with OP I hardly ever cook much preferring a meze type meal, I think it is more nutritious with the salads etc, especially when the weather is warm and you can just take the ingredients into the garden and graze...and a lot less clearing up/washing up. I think this works if you don’t have a family to cook for which I don’t.

I think perhaps it's just the sameness of it that people don't understand. It just sounds like it's the same food over and over.
My SIL won't eat cold food, which I find weird. Purely because she world never eat cereal for breakfast or sandwiches/salad for lunch etc... all her food has to be hot.

Oh I'm almost the opposite of you. I do like cheese and some mezze but I'm not a fan of sandwiches or salads or most cold food - if I got a cheese sandwich I would microwave it!

We eat like this loads in the summer, when busy and every meal on self-catered holidays. We do like cooking hot meals, but some days it's great to just grab supper out the fridge. We did cut down on it as we weren't getting much veg variety and we were eating more bread and cheese than we intended.

There is a lot about YOU, and your eating habits and likes, however what are your dc food preferences?

That sound like snack type food. I could probably have that and need proper food after.

There is a lot about YOU, and your eating habits and likes, however what are your dc food preferences?

I’ve posted this already. We’re a big fish family, they love stir frys, paella etc.
Not really sure what you’re getting at?

And it’s about ME because it was MY preferences that my colleagues were shocked by...

“That sound like snack type food. I could probably have that and need proper food after.”

Not if you eat enough of it, surely?

I’ve never really understood the “hot meal” obsession. How a sandwich is somehow not a meal but a bowl of pasta and sauce is.

Some people on this thread say they grill meat or fish, or cook up pasta or veg for a salad, so they are simply eating the food cold. That is IMO very different. They don't want the temperature as hot.
But if all you are eating is food that does not have to be cooked at all, then your diet is going to be much more restricted. And yes I would find it unusual as I think it would be pretty boring and limited. I have lunches like this at times. Cherry tomatoes, bread, hummus, etc. But the only meat you could eat is bought cold meats, and normally the only fish would be salmon. And lots of veg is not nice raw, so you have a more limited choice of veg.
But if you are actually eating well and are not underweight, then crack on. Just because it is different to the norm does not mean there is anything wrong with it.