What can i feed the fussiest eater in the world?

skintchick

I seem to have opened a veritable can of worms!

I have to say, hearing some of your stories, he seems not that fussy after all!

I agree with introducing sauces - I cannot believe he hates all sauces regardless of content, and so I'll try him on them, perhaps serving them on the side so he can add or not as he wishes.

I'm a big believer in trying things at least once, whereas he is a little set in his (male) ways, but as some have said, I cannot make a rod for my own back.

Also, when I next go to his for the weekend (we spend most at mine) I will insist he cooks - I did say as much last night to him, that it's not fair to be fussy and never cook for me (and I am not fussy with food at all).

Clearly we all have our quirks, and I'm sure I have annoying habits as well.

I'm grateful for all the ideas of recipes - lots in there for me to play with, and keep the variety going - and also for the discussion about fussy men, which has rather opened my eyes!

Feel free to carry on debating this one - it's interesting that so many men are fussy. I wonder why? Is it all down to their mothers? Are we women naturally more adventurous?

Spendless

skintchick wrote:

Feel free to carry on debating this one - it's interesting that so many men are fussy. I wonder why? Is it all down to their mothers? Are we women naturally more adventurous?

I am not fussy but my sister is, so is her husband and surprise, surprise so are her kids. We didn't have a wide range of tastes growing up but I'm prepared to try. I think a lot of people are stuck in the "I didn't like this at 3 therefore I won't like it now". Without realising/acknowledging that taste-buds change.

When my DS started with a "I don't like that" once with a meal he had ate happily before, I took it away and served it up each time he said he was hungry. He gave in after about 1 1/2 hours . Think it was the thought of pork chops for breakfast that did it

My friend introduced an extra 10p pocket money if her kids would try a new/previously under the heading of I don't like that food. You could try a variation on this theme with your bf;)

chardonnay_2

skintchick wrote:

Look, people, I was asking for some recipes, not to be told to dump the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Good grief, he isn;t THAT fussy - I just wanted some help with new ideas.

skintchick i'm sure the op didn't mean offence but i can see their point if a little harsh lol. my auntie loves italy and travelling etc but hates garlic/ pasta/ spicy food etc. of which she has never tried, she just doesn't like the look of. she lives alone. my fil is the same and says he doesn't like without trying, my mil has a good palate and likes many cuisines, but limits what she makes to plain foods to suit her hubby or if she gets fed up buys herself readymeals instead. so she will have a readymeal of chicken curry and spend time making her fussy partner a home cooked meal. seems like her head is on back to front lol!

luckily my hubby is very different from his father and does most of the cooking. he didn't like melted cheese until we met and i made him lasagne and now he loves it on meals. he even used to get cheeseless pizzas

nappentass

FWIW - I can understand the suggestions that you not pander to 'fussiness'
When I was younger I would do things like cook different meals even things I didn't like, in the misguided belief that was what you did when you loved someone.
With hindsight I now know that this kind of behaviour sometimes can be more about control than choice, and that if you give in under something harmless it can insidiously spread into more unpleasant aspects.
Bottom line is if you're compromise is one sided then it is ringing alarm bells in folk that have 'been there' - hence some of the posts and I must admit I wouldn't do it now either having learnt better

Another thought - Sometimes dislikes can be aversions based on a previous experience of the food. I can't eat an apple with the skin on - it's gotta be peeled, or I will gag on it - I know this is a repeat of what happened to me as a young child and guess I could work on changing it, but can't be bothered at the moment. If you bf has a problem with 'slimy' textures, perhaps exploring where this originates may help him be more open to re-trying the experience as an adult rather than the previous (probably childhood) reaction

Another possibility is a genuine problem, I'm intolerant to some foods and now know how they affect me, and so I avoid them. However I didn't actually like some of the foods before I ever identified the problem they cause me.

HTH

Jill

louise_1981

Snow_Angel wrote:

Let me know when you do ... I'll get a copy for my bf's mum :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I think there is a niche market there!

lynzpower

I think it is the mothers/ parents/ whomever cooked, they do have a massive influence, and that pandering that parents do, if you dont like it leave it, that enforces that some foods are not that nice.

Oh says that things in his house were very much the meat & 2 veg variety/ frozen gear. As I said earlier there was a host of things he wouldnt eat, but mainly as he never had before.

I dont think its a gender thing, both my parents say "the xxxx's dont eat fish" if it comes from the chippy or frozen with batter in a box they will, but nothing else. I was very much the same till i went to the carribbean and cuba in particular gave me very little option. Now I drool over a memory of a swordfish steak, or crab claws. Saying that I cant eat any cold fish, the smell jsut makes me gag and I have a very weak stomach at times, altohugh OH is allowed to open tins of tuna in my kitchen, which no one else has been privelidged to have done before! I also cannot abide the smell of cucumber ( I know most of you say it doesnt smell of anything, but it does broccoli & cauli. Very occasionally, I can tolerate purple srouting broccoli, but only lightly steamed.

OH told me he was a fusspot, so in the first few times he was over I made things that he simply couldnt argue with, a steak & ale pie & mini roasties, home made chunky burgers with wedges, profiteroles, chocolate cake.

I think its lifestyle really. If my parents had brought me up eating cucumber & sushi, I guess I would liike them still now. But they didnt, so i dont.

In terms of living with me, I made it clear the kitchen is my arena ( he has a few things he has to do, his spag bol is way better than mine, as is his mash) there was no way ever I was going to cook 2 meals. I dont approve of anything out of a box in the freezer section aside from the odd bag of oven chips or fishfingers. So practically everything is from scratch, he can see and appreciates what I put into cooking for us. Its great really. Id hate cooking to be a battleground, as its my hobby!!

helping_hubby

The fussy eater is me I'm afraid, and pre-finding out about my hubbys debt I wouldn't think twice about spending good money on Whole chickens, Lamb chops, a whole duck (when they were half price), legs of lamb etc.

I still buy the odd whole chicken, which we then use for sandwiches for a few days (I feel really mean though, because hubby is very thin and has a high metabolism and although he doesn't say anything I don't think the amount of chicken I give him for a meal is enough).

I also get lamb chops if they are reduced (due to sell by dates) but this is extremely rare.

I don't mind still buying lamb once a week, but I feel it needs to be balance out by other cheaper meals.

This is where it gets quite difficult...I don't like tomatoes and I don't like anything mashed or minced.

As I'm writing this, it's come to my head that casseroles could be a good idea. And I shall go look at some casserole dish recipes now. I guess I could buy some cheaper cuts of lamb/chicken thighs that will tenderise if cooked for ages?

Would appreciate any non-tomato based ideas for casseroles then. I quite like mushroom based sauces.

Justie

chicken casserole - brown the chicken, fry onions if you like of just put them straight in - just use chicken stock for the liquid, add in whatever veg you have to hand and throw in a tin of chick peas - with 2 chicken breasts I find it makes enough for 2 meals for 2 of us. The chick peas stretch the meat and make it last longer. You can serve it with rice or pasta or potatoes.

sausage casserole with lots of chopped onion a tin of haricot or other white beans and either chicken stock or beef stock. great with jacket potatoes and again makes everything stretch.

also soups will make food go further and if you add in beans or a pulse then it bulks it up a bit for your man. If you think he's not getting enough food then give him more veg it doesn't have to be meat to fill him up.

newlywed

turkey pieces often work out cheaper. I use these for a curry as by the time you have all the sauce you don't notice any difference.

Pork chops?? Not sure if they are cheaper than lamb.

What about things like toad in the hole?

lipidicman

a high metabolism?

Scientific studies have shown there is no such thing.