1.
“In Mexico, picky eaters usually stick with quesadillas and a Coke.”
2.
“At restaurants in Japan, the kids menu might have stuff like curry rice, hamburger steak, or spaghetti. And at sushi restaurants, a kid might want just the rice, not the topping. The quintessential ‘yucky’ vegetable for Japanese children is green pepper.”
3.
“When I was growing up (in Russia and then the US), my mom would sometimes make stuffed green peppers. The peppers tasted bitter to me (not spicy, just bitter), so I would only eat the meat/rice ‘stuffing.’ I now love green peppers cooked or raw, but I can see why a little kid may not enjoy it when it’s cooked!”
4.
“I’m Polish, and our picky kid food is crêpes with sweet cheese filling, pierogis with strawberries, noodles with strawberries, and sour cream with some sugar. Also, chicken soup, but just the broth and noodles. No visible veggies. Scrambled eggs made with milk. Bread and butter.”
5.
“When I first moved to Korea, my adult language students took me out for lunch to teach me about Korean food. They got me ‘kiddie kimchi,’ which, as I recall, was a couple of different veggies prepared as kimchi but with a fraction of the spice.”
6.
“In Norway, just bread with cheese on top mainly lol.”
7.
“Growing up in Thailand, the quick and easy food when my sister and I were being difficult and my mom just wanted to shove some food into us was some rice, scrambled egg, and something that is called pork floss, which is basically pork that has been cooked until it shreds and then continued cooking until the shreds turn into fluffy little bits almost like cotton candy. I believe it is usually made with soy sauce and maybe some sugar drink in the initial cooking phase because it’s sweet and salty. Hanging out now in Asian-centered food groups as an adult, quite a number of other people are familiar with this and remember eating it as a child when the grown-ups were eating something the kids wouldn’t. I still eat it as a comfort food or as a really, really quick no-fuss meal.”
8.
“Philippines: I think I was pretty picky. My comfort foods were spam and rice, corned beef and rice, longganisa (spiced pork sausage), tocino (a Filipino pork dish) and rice, or adobo and rice. Pancit, but just noodles. Nesquick on rice for a treat.”
9.
“Finland: meatballs with mashed potatoes, baked macaroni casserole, and hotdogs. This is little kids eating, but picky eaters tend to stick with such familiar things.”
10.
“I was a picky eater as a kid. But thankfully for my parents, I actually did like the standard Dutch food of potatoes, vegetables, and meat. Which is boring but very healthy. It was things like pasta and rice dishes that I had major issues with. And desserts. And bread toppings. No cheese on bread for me, no sirree.”
11.
“In Puerto Rico, it’s just vegetables in general. Some people love them. Others hate them. We eat a lot of meat, fruit, and seafood (lots of fried foods and alcohol, as well). But vegetables are usually an afterthought as a side dish or just a component of the main dish. Never a major component unless it’s a vegan restaurant or dish. Which, when I was growing up on the island, wasn’t a thing. So, some people who don’t like them just eat the main dish without them. Even our fried rice is different from the States, as it typically doesn’t include peas and carrots. I’m personally in the anti-veggie camp. Could never stand onions, tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, etc., but I still like their flavors. So, them being used to cook foods and impart their flavors was okay with me.
12.
“In Germany, the most common thing on the kid’s menu is probably a Schnitzel with fries. There’s also stuff like pasta with tomato sauce or chicken nuggets.”
13.
“Indonesia: rice with egg (either sunny side up or scrambled) and a drizzle of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). Spinach would be the go-to vegetable for picky eaters since it’s soft when cooked and mild tasting. We usually add it into soup/broth for kids.”
14.
“My dad’s side of the family is Guyanese. And apparently when me and my brother were super young, we would only eat rice and roti with either butter or chickpea dal.”
15.
Finally, “In Venezuela, it’s arepas.”
Are you a non-American with a favorite “picky” food you grew up on or still eat? Let us know in the comments below!
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