I am about to step on some toes here, so I apologize. But here is a pet peeve of mine (and my husband's). Picky eaters. It is very difficult to feed a picky eater. Each of my kids has a friend or two who are picky eaters and it is very frustrating to keep them fed while they are in our home.
We have made LOTS of parenting mistakes, so I do not claim to be an expert. But we knew we did not want picky eaters. So, when our kids were little, we encouraged all sorts of taste testing. When they were 3 and 6 we took them to a Chinese buffet and I offered a dime for each food item they put on their plate and tasted. Chinese food became a favorite that day. When my daughter was 4 she started ordering spinach/artichoke dip as her meal at Applebee's, because we had encouraged her to try it once. My son was 6 when he started ordering seafood enchiladas because he had tasted Daddy's; and he has ordered grilled salmon for a few years now, because we encouraged him to try it once. Oh, and they fight over the artichoke hearts in our favorite Italian salad. I didn't know this was a big deal until some friends commented that our kids had "very mature taste buds". Really? We just never assumed they would dislike something.
Now I don't believe in making kids eat something they hate. But I also don't believe in telling them what they'll hate.
This is on my mind because one of the picky eaters is here tonight. She won't eat mac-n-cheese, she won't eat pb&j. SHE WON'T EAT DONUTS!!!! She won't eat spaghetti sauce, or pork chops, or even shaved ice. She won't eat the barbecue meatballs my daughter wanted for supper. She won't eat most of the things that kids love. I have been friends with her mother for years and love this family dearly. But I know that she vetoed LOTS of lunch ideas when the kids were little because "they won't like it." Another friend and I got sneaky one day and while she was ordering her taco at taco bell, after saying her 3 year old would eat at home, we handed him a soft taco and watched him go to town on it. When she came back to the table we just said, "He loves it."She was surprised but thrilled.
See, these picky eaters sometimes expect to be catered to at other people's homes like they are at their own. And that makes it really hard on the host family. It is one thing to have to be careful of somebody's food allergies. That is a matter of safety. But to have to be careful simply because kids haven't tried foods and, therefore, assume they don't like it. Well, that is just frustrating. I just want to scream "Well, what DO you like???"
So, we will either go out for dinner or I will serve our guest a plate of plain spaghetti and a slice of bread. Which seems very unappealing to me.