xx

Marcy, per the above responses, your kids will not go hungry in Paris.<BR><BR>But you should really think about how you are handicapping your children by allowing them to become and remain such picky eaters. They will have problems in their adult lives. Few people have tollerance for picky adult eaters. This behavior will affect their personal as well as professional relationships. For their sakes, try to reverse this now.<BR><BR>

elvira

Just a caveat, that even 'safe' food can be a challenge:<BR><BR>Tuna sandwich - it is NOT tuna salad; it is chunks of tuna (like out of the can before you mush it up with mayo) usually with tomato and lettuce<BR>Egg sandwich - it is NOT egg salad; it is slices of hard-boiled egg, sometimes with tomato and lettuce.<BR>There are ham sandwiches; there are cheese sandwiches; it's hard to find a ham and cheese sandwich (with the exception of toasted ham and cheese [croque monsieur]). We usually resort to ordering one of each and combining ingredients.<BR>Most sandwiches are made with butter as the only condiment.<BR>A lot of French cheeses are very stinky and strong - Emmenthal is what we know as Swiss Cheese; Gruyere is pretty mild. If you go into a cheese store, or to a stand at an outdoor market, you can ask for a sample - and advice.<BR>Steak (beef) tastes really different - gamier than American beef. Meat is usually served much rarer than in American restaurants. Ask for bien cuit to get it well-done. The chicken is chickenier - I don't know how else to describe it. It does NOT taste like McNuggets or KFC. Coq is REALLY gamy.<BR>Coca cola tastes different; I can't tell it, but a Cokaholic traveling companion can. Sprite/7-Up are pretty available; there's always Orangina. You won't get a lot of ice unless you ask for an extra glass of it.<BR><BR>Pizza tastes like pizza; marinara sauce tastes like marinara sauce; moo goo gai pan tastes like moo goo gai pan - respites from the 'ala' and 'sauce riche' malaise. There is a Hard Rock Cafe at 14, blvd Montmartre and several Tex-Mex places throughout the city.<BR><BR>

marilyn

I'm sorry, I just HAD to reply to xxx:no one ALLOWS someone to be a picky eater, and I would venture to bet that adult picky eaters were probably scarred as children by parents who thought they could MAKE them eat stuff. Making food a battleground is an invitation to trouble! It doesn't have to be a handicap to be a picky eater as an adult because it is in any case MUCH easier to hide that one is a picky eater when one is an adult. My mother, a sainted woman with 11 children, made an effort tro ensure that her children always had something the eat that they liked. The woman knew who liked a lot of catsup on their sandwich and who liked a little and who liked none at all, and always offered a CHOICE of vegetable at dinner and on and on. Far from being a picky eater as an adult, I assure you!

Susan

Do parents make a picky eater? I don't know the answer, but my husband and his brother are the most adventurous, completely unpicky eaters I've ever met and their parents took them travelling through Europe from an early age. I think exposure to different cuisines definitely helps avoid the picky eater syndrome. That's what I'm trying to do with my kids. On this last trip they (7 and 8) were much more adventurous eaters than they are at home, with the exception of the mustard thing.

xxx

Sorry, Marilyn, you're wrong. And that kind of thinking is why many of today's children are so spoiled.<BR><BR>I agree that forcing a child to eat something he doesn't want is a bad idea and will be ineffective. However, allowing a child to have a specialized menu to its liking is spoiling him. If he refuses to eat what the rest of the family is eating, then he has the right not to eat it. However, he does not have the right to substitute something else. He can just go to bed hungry that night (this doesn't harm the child). He will soon be more willing to eat what is put in front of him.<BR><BR>Spoiling a child will very likely lead to problems when he is an adult.

Dee

Since when are posts being deleted? I thought we could speak freely here??

mom

Funny, though that Mom only cooks things SHE likes to eat, and parents only go to restaurants where THEY like the cuisine---If a parent refused to go to say a Thai restaurant or a sushi restaurant (assuming they detest Thai food or sushi) would anyone make a big fuss????

ridiculous

So, now, no one is allowed to even disagree? So, if we post a negative review, that's deleted too?<BR><BR>What a santized world Fodor's must travel in.<BR><BR>And, to the poster who thinks people are "scarred" from having parents expect kids to eat what's on their plates .... You must be kidding?! No one is that fragile. "Scars" are mental or physical abuse or witnessing horrors as a child.<BR><BR>Grow up.

BTilke

Oh, leave Marcy alone! I was a terribly picky eater as a kid and now love sushi and snails and lots of stuff in between. Studies have shown that in fact kids' taste buds aren't as well developed as adults' and may be one of the reasons they don't cotton to fancy foods as much as some grownups. At the age of her kids, I liked salads without any dressing, uncooked vegetables and plain steak and chicken--no sauces. Too bad I don't feel that way now--I'd be cutting a lot of fat from my diet! And vegetables are better raw than smothered in bearnaise sauce...<BR>Exposing kids to new foods is admirable, but forcing kids to eat things they don't like is NOT the way to spend a vacation!! <BR>Marcy could ask the kids to just take a taste of her more gourmet choices--then let them decide for themselves whether they want to be more daring.

Snooks

It all goes back to when I was 19 months old and my mother forced me to eat banana pudding instead of tapioca. I have never forgotten! <BR><BR>She also made me fly on that stupid airplane for 10 hours. What a bummer. All the crying and screaming I did helped. After that I got all of the tapioca I wanted.<BR><BR>Now all I want to eat is steak and lobster.<BR><BR>Snooks

picky

To xxx and the rest of your wicked witches,<BR> I am so grateful you are not my parent and I pray you are no one's parent. I was a picky eater as a child and I'm a picky eater as an adult. I've travelled the world, spend 2-8 weeks a year in France and find plenty of food to enjoy with my childish eating habits. I'm happy, successful and blessed with many wonderful friends and loved ones. What's YOUR problem. Leave the kids alone!!!<BR><BR>And, if Fodor's is deleting your bilious parenting advice, more power to them. Read Marcy's question again and then keep your martinet mouth shut unless you have something germaine to contribute.

joe

Do you suppose those little kids in Afganistan are picky eaters?

abc

to al you child experts out there that always insist that everyone else is a bad parent no matter what they do and are raising monsters, I guess you should know, you must have all been raised with the same types of horrible parents.<BR><BR>Beware, I was spoiled terribly as a child and am now middle aged and still get spoiled by everyone, so you better hope you don't pass by me on the street, for heavens sake I just might rob you or take you and use you as a hostage for some horrific crime.<BR>Beware.<BR><BR>Oh geez, I guess this means I better quit my day job, I am a nuclear pharmacist.

can'thelpit

I just had to respond to the poster who said to let the kids go to bed hungry and they'll learn to eat. My son has got to be the world's piciest eater. At 12 he has just recently eaten a vegetable and red meat. Before he would only eat chicken, potatoes, bread and pasta. Basically, nothing but white food. Anyway, when he was very young I instituted the rule that if he didn't like what was served he would go without. He ended up in the hospital for failure to thrive! This is just a testament to the fact that some kids have a very strong will and WILL NOT eat what they don't like! I think the nurses thought we weren't feeding him. They would put the spoon up to his lips and he would clamp them shut, even though he was clearly hungry. Well, he survived and still won't eat what he doesn't like, but very slowly is expanding his repertoire. Just goes to show you, you can't force a child not to be a picky eater!

Surlok

Marcy,<BR><BR>Don't forget Le Procope, it's in Saint Germain, at Rue de L' Ancienne Comedie. Your kids will savor a wonderful steak ( or boef), and you'll be given a wide choice of gourmet cuisine. Besides, the setting is lovely, traditionally French, and not far from where you're staying.<BR><BR>There are two French desserts that I especially enjoy, "Tarte Tartin " ( apple pie, served warm, with vanilla ice cream) and Poire Helene ( boiled pear, with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream). I bet your kids will love both, and you will, too.<BR><BR>Enjoy Paris, all of you,<BR><BR>Surlok

marcy

Thanks, Surlok, I have added Le Precope to my list. I have several evenings to fill and I assume my children will be 'welcome' there. It's in my neighborhood. Is this a 'reservations' place or a 'show-up' place?<BR><BR>Thanks!

anon

xxx,<BR> Hey, I'm with picky...the anger is well directed at you, you cruella deVille. I had to look up martinet and that is a great new word for me. Sounds right. Looked up braggadocio 'pretentious boasting'...didn't think picky was boasting, just the proper amount of anger. You are the one who would send the children to bed with no supper if they won't eat what the queen slings 'em!<BR><BR>

Surlok

I'd reserve for dinner, Marcy, although I never had to do it for lunch.<BR><BR>The place isn't small. Like the Bofinger, there are two floors. In fact, Le Procope is bigger than the Bofinger. Have your hotel concierge calling, if you want to have dinner there.<BR><BR>Great! I just found out that Le Procope has a web site:<BR><BR>http://www.procope.com/anglais/default.htm<BR><BR>Good luck, and I hope you enjoy,<BR><BR>Surlok<BR><BR>

confused

Picky,<BR>If even you declare your eating habits childish, why don't you just grow up?<BR>A child is one thing but an adult????<BR><BR>And by a child I mean an under 10 , at 12 or 14 , get real, there's a world out there , learn too live in it, experiment or do they want to stay in Middleville, Mid-America all their lives? where is their curiosity? I hope they are not as dull in school.<BR><BR>

Eeuw!

If these kids don't like to eat "icky" things, they must have a hell of a time finding anything to eat in American fast food joints!