Picky Eater food-- milcheg/pareve

[bunnyjadwiga]

Ok, I'm baffled.
The synagogue is very into doing the dinner, but wants to put it off until fall and do some other stuff leading up to it, which is fine by me.

But someone pointed out that people don't want to go to something where their children won't eat anything on the menu. I understand that, of course; we struggle with it all the time, especially at the synagogue, which keeps kosher, specifically kosher dairy-- so vegetarian and dairy stuff is ok, fish is ok, but no meat.

Miss B. will eat noodles and cheese, which I put on the menu, and olives.
But I'm baffled as to what else to offer for picky eaters.

I know most will eat cheese pizza (we could have some kosher pizza ordered in?) but if they won't eat cheesze noodles... Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, hot dogs are out, of course.

In the SCA, one provides basic finger foods and we manage-- I suppose we could put out some fruit.

Suggestions, anyone?

Comments

[alysten.livejournal.com]

What about fish sticks or 'chicken' shaped nuggets that are actually tofu.

[jinglebellz61.livejournal.com]

Grilled cheese sandwiches?

[stringlady.livejournal.com]

What do they normally serve that this someone thinks works for picky eaters?

I would think noodles and cheese would work for most, myself. (And the pickiest eaters I have known are adults...)

[pepperbeast.livejournal.com]

Put out a variety of foods. They won't starve themselves.

[johnomar915.livejournal.com]

If the picky eaters are kids, sugary cereal.

[angorian.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure why people think that the way to cater to picky eaters is to provide junk food. Most kids who are picky tend to be picky about certain things, so dishes with lots of mixed ingredients are what don't work. Having some plain carbs (rice, pasta), that can be served with different toppings (cheese, tomato sauce, etc) or sides (fruit, veggies) in a flexible way should mean that parents can put something together that will suit their kid's particular preferences.

[madrun.livejournal.com]

This was my exact reply, down to the letter. Put out plenty of different things and even the pickiest kids will find something to eat if they are left alone to choose for themselves.

I saw this great study on PBS when my oldest was just a baby about toddlers' eating habits. The toddlers were mostly described by their parents as "picky eaters". The researchers gave the toddlers basically a "salad bar" of different foods and they could choose for themselves what to eat. It was a huge range of things, balanced between protein/carbs/fruit/vegetables, mostly single ingredients and raw produce. What they found is that if they were left alone with free choice, the toddlers chose for themselves a very balanced diet, even if they would only eat a few things. It really opened my eyes.

[thatpotteryguy.livejournal.com]

This has been my observation with my (now) 5-year-old...when he was a toddler, he wouldn't eat certain things, but left to his own devices, he generally chose foods that were both healthy and well-balanced. They just may not have been what I felt like making for all of us. Of course, things like potato chips and sugary cereals were not on the offer. To this day, his default choice for dinner is a bowl of green peas and slices of red bell pepper, with some kind of bread and a cheese stick.

[marag.livejournal.com]

Our shul always serves plain noodles with sauce on the side when they expect a lot of kids to be there. I think some fruit for kids to pick at is quite enough.

[patrikia.livejournal.com]

Since you have extra time, ask the parents for their suggestions.

[maziemaus.livejournal.com]

I was the messenger with the feast information and as we were in the middle of a board meeting - actually at the very end - and I didn't feel I should go into the discussion of what this particular person's child eats that wasn't addressed in some way on the menu.

What I had gotten was a reiteration of what happened when one of the shul's first community dinner before services was organized. Someone told the person who'd organized it that there was nothing there that their child would eat and they wouldn't come back to a dinner thing that the shul put on. OK - in my opinion that's really not leaving any room for improvement but I wasn't there so what do I know. After that experience they always say what the dinner being served will be (bagel dinner, pasta dinner, whatever dinner) and they always have noodles and BUTTER which the adults fall on as well as the kids... so, wait... noodles and butter is good but noodles and cheese isn't? wtf?

The person who related the story to me, and is the person who organizes those dinners and she further commented that, after looking at the menu, there wasn't anything on it her daughter would eat so she wouldn't come (wasn't going to get a baby sitter) because it would be a waste of their money.

I will ask her what her daughter does eat. sorry, this was disjointed

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

This is the part that messes with my mind: my experience is that the Shul food mostly isn't very kid-friendly even now. I can feed Beekman somewhat, but Miss B. gets pretty much nothin'.

Kids Menu for Any Activity?

[maziemaus.livejournal.com]

What would happen if every activity that served food had carrots, cherry tomatoes, bread, butter, olives or pickles, cheese chunks, hummus (these people would put out hummus with ice cream), and fruit. I was at a loss for another protein.

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

In a kosher dairy situation (and at SCA events), my kids eat hummus and pita, yogurt, cut fruit, veggie sticks, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese.