Help! what to cook for picky eater...

[buckytom]

This reminds me of what my mother did for one of my sisters when we were growing up. Mom was an awesome cook, but of the 6 kids - and, of course, our dad - one of my sisters didn't like most of what she made each night. So Mom would make something else for her, or tailor one serving's worth of what she was making just for her. And it still was often a battle.

But my mom did it from the love in her heart; her unconditional and nurturing way of taking care of everyone like they were the only one that mattered.

I can't offer any advice, but kudos to Ada for caring enough to try to please a difficult eater. There's never a bad time to show your love for someone.

 

[Steve Kroll]

A friend has moved into our house, and we enjoy eating at least one main meal together. Early on, I discovered that he DOES NOT eat the following....

You don't provide many details, so I'm not exactly sure what your relationship is to your house guest. Since you say "4 years", it sounds like it might be a college student rooming with you.

I had a live-in girlfriend many years ago who was even pickier than what you describe. She ate only fish or chicken breasts, and about three kinds of vegetables. Basically, I started out catering to her tastes, but after a month was ready to "toss her out the door" (to use your words). What I tried next was giving her space in the fridge and pantry to store her own groceries. However, this created even more tension as we would each be trying to cook our own meals at the same time so we could at least sit down and enjoy a meal together. Then we just sort of stopped trying. We would each eat at separate times, so as not to bother the other.

Needless to say, the relationship didn't work out, and the meal situation was one of the big contributing factors.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you might want to accept that your situation may not work out. As much as your guest is a "joy" right now, you may end up finding him to be a thorn in your side after a few months of this.

If possible, my other suggestion is maybe you agree to cook one or two meals for him each week, rather than making it a nightly ordeal. And you fend for yourselves the rest of the time.

 

[blissful]

My son lives with us and we don't eat much junk food. If we eat it, we make it from scratch, like popcorn or desserts-brownies, rice krispie treats, oatmeal snacks.

Son likes and can eat junk food, he is 31 so he eats a lot of it, candy, chips, chips, crackers, tortilla chips, soda....and he brings home 2 or three grocery bags of it per week, his choice, his money and his health. Sometimes he brings home 20 lbs of ground beef or beef steak for everyone, sometimes, pork roasts, and some bacon.

DH loves some bacon and he buys that. He buys fruit and vegetables and pizza. Now I don't eat pizza but whatever, he eats sausage mushroom pizza. DS eats pepperoni cheese pizza. I eat spicy peppers with son, and bland veggies with husband. I cook enough for 3 meals a day, at least dinner/lunch packed for at work for each of us. Cheese spreads, marinated veggies, salsa, jams, jellies, picles.

I can and dehydrate and freeze food, especially what we have in the garden. I could live on veggies, cheese, and a little protein.

Whatever he likes, I hope your house guest foots the bills for his preferences or cooks for everyone once in a while. A few years ago my youngest son lived with us, he'd bake (that was awesome), and he'd make a slow cooker stew, it was delicious!

Let everyone bring their own gifts to the relationship. And if they bring no gifts to the relationships, it might wear thin on everyone.

 

[rodentraiser]

Ada, does he have a computer or access to one? Because you can be honest and tell him that you can't afford to feed two dinners at every meal and suggest he look through some recipes online to see what he likes. And let him know firmly that if he does want separate meals, then he'll have to do his share of the cooking and those dishes besides. You could offer to show him how to cook, because once a person has some skin in the game about what goes on the table, they're more interested in eating it.

If all a person has ever eaten in his life is in one food group, it's hard for that person to imagine how other foods will taste. Once he's explored what he knows he already likes, he might hop to some other foods that, while familiar, are a step beyond what he would normally eat.

I think that it's silly of him to expect you to change your whole cooking routine just for him, but I also think he needs a little encouragement to try different foods. Just passing out food to the rest of the family while he sits there with an empty plate isn't the answer.

If you have room for a garden or space for raising herbs, that might be another way to get him to eat new foods. Once people taste what's home grown, they can't believe that fruits and veggies can taste so good. That's how I got started eating more foods and I'm the pickiest eater ever.

I'm surprised anyone eats vegetables from the store what with that awful cardboard taste they have. A few strawberry plants or some corn are easy to grow. Of course, it's too late this year, but give him the idea and maybe next year he'll be looking forward to growing something in a garden. See if he'll go with you to a Farmer's Market or a nursery where they might give him tastes of different things. I bet he'd enjoy that.

 

[Janet H]

some suggestions:

Have breakfast for dinner once a week - sounds like he might eat that.

Try a taco bar or stuffed baked potatoes. He can assemble his own.

Burgers on the grill - he can choose his own toppings.

You might ask him to cook for the family one night a week - see what he likes.

 

[Vinylhanger]

Maybe I'm just cynical, but this guy seems ... Those are the eating habits of a 5 year old. Nothing cold? He never just grabs something out of the fridge? He cooks everything, even a quick snack?

Making you, his host, cater to that is disrespectful.

Anyway, not sure what the solution is. I honestly feel sorry for him, as food is one of the great pleasures in life. I couldn't imagine not enjoying the huge variety of things I do. It makes meal time so much more fun.

 

[CakePoet]

I have friends with hangs up due to Autism spectra and I friends with severe allergies and I people who are just picky.

All meals severed here when they are over are modular, otherwise we would be only eating rhubarb and potatoes and that isnt a lovely meal at all.

I can "IKEA" nearly any meal, so every one gets something they can eat and I get something I like.

 

[tenspeed]

Our daughter was exposed to a wide variety of foods at a very young age. We made it a fun experience. Tex Mex food was from Senor Tenspeed's Cantina, seafood was from Captain Tenspeed's, Italian food was from Tenspeed's Ristorante, etc. We had a wide variety of veggies, starches, etc. There was a bit of pickiness as a teenager, but as an adult she will eat just about anything and enjoy it. She is slowly training her husband to widen his palate.

Just my opinion, but I think it's a disservice to our kids if we don't expose them to a variety of foods and let them be picky eaters. Exposure to a wide variety extends beyond food as well.

I would not let a house guest dictate what I eat, nor would I cook two dinners. I would be somewhat accommodating, but the guest would have to settle for some leftovers if nothing on the menu was palatable to his/her tastes.

 

[CharlieD]

Our daughter was exposed to a wide variety of foods at a very young age. We made it a fun experience. Tex Mex food was from Senor Tenspeed's Cantina, seafood was from Captain Tenspeed's, Italian food was from Tenspeed's Ristorante, etc. We had a wide variety of veggies, starches, etc. There was a bit of pickiness as a teenager, but as an adult she will eat just about anything and enjoy it. She is slowly training her husband to widen his palate.

Just my opinion, but I think it's a disservice to our kids if we don't expose them to a variety of foods and let them be picky eaters. Exposure to a wide variety extends beyond food as well.

I would not let a house guest dictate what I eat, nor would I cook two dinners. I would be somewhat accommodating, but the guest would have to settle for some leftovers if nothing on the menu was palatable to his/her tastes.

Well, good for you, and also that is why the aforementioned person is not your guest.

 

[CakePoet]

Tenspeed; I am not coming home to you to eat then. I love food but I have allergies and that attitude has cause me many hours on the toilet , being ill or high fever and not understanding why.


To all who say she should not cater for his picky eating, remember there could be medical reason and yes having autism can cause picky eating, severe picky eating. I have some one who I never invite over for dinner, only cake and coffee, because he will eat the same thing for 8 months at the time. Right now it is boil tomato, boiled potatoes and salmon, nothing more and he has to cook it. Or I have friend with severe panic attack .

 

[buckytom]

I find it kinda funny that a group of foodies such as ourselves seem to struggle to understand why a person isn't interested in food to such an extreme extent.

 

[CakePoet]

it more people who never met people with allergies, disabilities and hang ups. Nor under stand how hard it is to live with it. There is most often a reason for every thing if you ask.
I know some one who used to give kids who have celiac disease cinnamon rolls, because it was just their mum being overprotective, until her best friend was diagnosed with the same, now everything she does is gluten free.

I have a struggle, Im fat, so I get people trying to sneak in extra fiber, artificial sweeteners and " health" food. But I intolerant, it means I wont die from the extra fibers, greens or sweeteners but I will poop my self and get bloated and run a high fever. I also allergic , so yeah I could die from some foods.

 

[Vinylhanger]

I get allergies and intolerance, believe me I do.

However, this doesn't sound like that. If the OP posts again, maybe they can clarify it a bit.

They didn't say there was an actual reason for the pickiness.

 

[GotGarlic]

I find it kinda funny that a group of foodies such as ourselves seem to struggle to understand why a person isn't interested in food to such an extreme extent.

I don't see anyone struggling to understand. I see people saying it's not necessary to cater to this one person's likes and dislikes, forgoing what the rest of the household enjoys.

And CakePoet, I'm pretty sure no one here would refuse to be accommodating for a person's medical issues related to food. There was no indication that that's the case here, though.

But as caseydog said in another thread, it's entirely possible that the OP is a one-hit wonder and this isn't a serious question.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have never put up with the picky eater crap. When my older son came to live with me at 14 because his mother couldn't handle him, he went away from the table hungry many times before he learned to shut up and eat what was served. You only have two choices at my table; take it or leave it.

I would tell him that if he wants to leave the kids table and eat with the grown-ups he is going to have to pull on his big boy tightie whities and broaden his horizons in the food area.

 

[roadfix]

But as caseydog said in another thread, it's entirely possible that the OP is a one-hit wonder and this isn't a serious question.

True, but unlike being trolled, it turned into a very interesting topic of discussion.

 

[GotGarlic]

True, but unlike being trolled, it turned into a very interesting topic of discussion.

Sure, we can always entertain ourselves with random questions [emoji38]

 

[tenspeed]

When you are a guest, you defer to the wishes of your host. Allergies and intolerances are a different kettle of fish.

 

[RPCookin]

I don't see anyone struggling to understand. I see people saying it's not necessary to cater to this one person's likes and dislikes, forgoing what the rest of the household enjoys.

And CakePoet, I'm pretty sure no one here would refuse to be accommodating for a person's medical issues related to food. There was no indication that that's the case here, though.

But as caseydog said in another thread, it's entirely possible that the OP is a one-hit wonder and this isn't a serious question.

This ^^ And I hate people like this apparent troll who pose a potentially explosive issue and never post again. Then we speculate it to death with no actual knowledge of the actual situation, or if there is really any truth to the original post at all. Discussion is fine, but sometimes it just devolves into strong opinions and can rub some nerves raw in the process. Care is needed to keep the discussion civil.

Cake Poet - nobody has said that they would ignore a valid medical reason for dietary restrictions, but the OP said nothing of the sort. I've known both picky eaters and those with certain food allergies. The allergies I can deal with. The adult picky eater I have zero patience with, and only moderate patience with a picky child.

 

[caseydog]

For all we know, Ada Ataloss could be one of us in disguise. It could even be me. Bwaaaahaaahaaahaaa.

CD