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Original poster

So fellow lentil devourers - feeding Other Peoples Kids who only like crap... what do YOU do?

149 replies

Piffle · 29/09/2006 18:24

ds is 12 his friend is here
According to his mother he likes beans and chips, the usual boy things no veges ta.
Today he announces he detests beans in actual fact
this leaves weetbix or egg in my house
Do I compromise my principles and buy some junk

OP posts:
oxocube · 30/09/2006 07:34

Well, I'm with the 'compromise' camp here - I usually check in advance with the mum to see if there's anything they loathe (for ds2 who is 4), the older 2's friends (all btwn 8 and 11) take their chances with dinner but I do make sure its not something they would be totally unfamiliar with. Eg if we have pizza, it is homemade and usually served with salad. Veggies are in middle of table and guests are encouraged but not forced to take them (my kids have no choice). I wouldn't, say, give little guests ds1's fave dinner which is herby salmon with garlicky lentils or dd's which is broccoli or vegetable soup. Its not that big a deal and usually easy to find some healthy food universally liked by kids.

YeahBut · 30/09/2006 07:38

Just had to get that off my chest. Dd had a friend over yesterday and I made cottage pie for dinner. Friend took one look at the plate and said "I don't like that" (without even trying it) and shoved the plate across the table. Wouldn't even accept bread and butter thereafter. Do I seem like the sort of woman who invites children round just so I can poison them?(!)

lexiemum · 30/09/2006 07:54

lanismum - what do you eat?

nqc - my mum actually does get invited to a friends for hearts. Its the only time she gets to eat them.

many moons ago my mother served liver and bacon to me and friends - needless to say none of us enjoyed our meal and alot of ketchup was consumed to soften the meal!

NotQuiteCockney · 30/09/2006 08:20

Oh, my mom was a dreadful cook, but if she was having loads of kids around, she would have the kids make pizza. She would buy the dough from a local shop, and provide the pizza toppings, and the kids would each make their own pizza. This worked pretty well, and meant you didn't have to keep track of everyone's particular food issues - if they don't eat tomatoes, well, they don't put tomatoes on their pizza.

FrannyandZooey · 30/09/2006 08:24

I do that when there is a mix of ages NQC and find it works well. Another good one is wraps - just set out lots of bowls of salad, grated cheese, hummus, sour cream, avocado, beans, quorn etc and let people choose their own fillings. They love the novelty of rolling up the wraps, too.

oxocube · 30/09/2006 09:00

that another favourite here Franny. But I am anal and make my own wraps cos I don't like the shop ones . In fact, thats what we're having for dinner tonight

colditz · 30/09/2006 09:09

pmsl at this thread

marthamoo · 30/09/2006 09:18

It's never happened - all the children we've had for playdates have eaten what I've given them. But I do tend to do 'uncontroversial' choices when children are coming - chicken, sausages, baked potatoes, pasta etc. I wouldn't produce curry or dhal or stuffed peppers or anything like that - even though I know my kids will eat pretty much anything. When we have playdates dh and I don't eat with them anyway - so it's a good excuse for a takeaway when they've gone home.

Actually, I have pandered - but to family. My nephew is the most horrendously fussy child and has a very limited diet. So when they were coming to stay I bought in, specially, the things I knew he would eat (not stuff I would buy normally - fish cakes and the dread smiley faces). It's not my battle to try and get him to eat differently - and I didn't want to put SIL and BIL in an awkward situation with him kicking off because there was nothing he would eat. He actually only eats about 4 things...every single day... so those are the things I had in.

BudaBabe · 30/09/2006 09:40

marthmoo - we may have the same nephew! Mine is the same but in his defence my sis was the same growing up and BIL was worse. BIL travelled around Thailand for a month at age 18/19 and lived on plain rice and bananas! So nephew was pretty ,much predisposed to being like this. His sister will try most things and is a better eater. Nephew2 is the same.

lanismum - also desperate to know what you DO eat???!

hub2dee · 30/09/2006 09:45

FaZ, would you care to join me for toasted baguette with lashing of tapenade with chili, or would you prefer avocado covered in lashings of melted bleu cheese ?

hub2dee · 30/09/2006 09:49
FrannyandZooey · 30/09/2006 09:50

I think I will pass on the food and just take the lashing

Twiglett · 30/09/2006 09:52

last couple of weeks playdates we've had

roast chicken, roast potatoes, brocolli and carrots

chinese style spicey rice with veg and prawns

chilli con carne and rice

fish fingers and chips

sandwiches (they could choose fillings)

spaghetti bolognese

salmon fillets with carrots and brocolli

so basically whatever I happen to have in gets fed to guests too

hub2dee · 30/09/2006 09:59

I'm probably gonna need Lou33's help, you realise FaZ, LOL.

hunkermunker · 30/09/2006 10:18

I'm a fussy kid. I remember being served salad and cold baked beans when I was about eight and having the shock of my life when I put the beans in my mouth. Hot I like. Cold...no thanks.

There are loads of things I don't like, including prawns.

But I also love loads of things.

I think people who will eat anything have no taste buds.

flashingnose · 30/09/2006 10:23
Twiglett · 30/09/2006 10:24

I will eat anything

if I won't eat it, coat it with cheese and I will eat it

(I won't eat borscht though)

hub2dee · 30/09/2006 10:26

Will you eat pieces of beetroot though, T ?

Twiglett · 30/09/2006 10:27

love beetroot .. not borscht .. was scarred as a child by a horrific "you will all sit there till you finish your bowls of soup that your mother has spent hours making" incident

hunkermunker · 30/09/2006 10:27

I won't eat twiglets, for instance

I can't eat mushrooms. Just can't. I could probably choke them down in a bolognaise, for instance, but I couldn't eat mushroom soup or a plate of garlic mushrooms.

I realise to all you "eat anything cos I've no taste buds" folk, this seems an overreaction. Sorry about that.

NotQuiteCockney · 30/09/2006 10:28

HM, there are foods I really don't like. There are foods I really do like! But I will eat almost anything, out of politeness. It's not really a matter of taste,

hunkermunker · 30/09/2006 10:29

Oh, I'm very polite. And I can't remember the last time I turned down something to eat. Don't get me wrong, I don't make a big deal of it and wave my arms and say "oh, I couldn't possibly eat that!"

flashingnose · 30/09/2006 10:30

Exactly NQC. And if I was cooking for you Hunker, you'd just say "no mushrooms" - job done.

hunkermunker · 30/09/2006 10:30

But I can't eat things that will make me vomit - and that's the effect it will have.

DS1 is the same with breaded food, btw - no fishfingers or nuggets here because they make him retch.

marthamoo · 30/09/2006 10:35

I don't eat grapes, or plums, or gooseberries.
I'm not keen on blackcurrants, blackberries or raspberries.
Not particularly fond of broad beans.
Can't eat raw onion - love it; it doesn't love me.

Other than that, I'll eat pretty much anything.