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Kids food for picky eater in Germany

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Kids food for picky eater in Germany

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Old May 24th, 2007, 03:14 PM
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Kids food for picky eater in Germany

We've encouraged trying new things, but chicken fingers, nachos, cheese and crackers are about the only things she will eat regularly.

Help! Looking for any suggestions so that we can all go out to eat.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 03:33 PM
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Try the bakeries for fresh breads and rolls and the delicatessens for cheese and lunch meat-there is type of lunch meat, called lyoner (said lee-oh-ner) and it is similar in taste to bologna. On fresh bread, with smoky cheese - no butter and no mayo, it is delicious!

In the farmers' markets in every town, usually near the largest church or cathedral, you will be able to find fresh fruit and vegetables, which are very sweet. Many of the farmers and their wives sell their products in these markets. Also, you can get a German hot dog on a crusty bun in these markets.

You can also stop in a German grocery store, too, and I recommend Nutella.

If the picky eater gets hungry enough, they will find something to eat. There are lots of good foods in Germany for kids.

Best Regards,
Julia

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Old May 24th, 2007, 03:38 PM
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Thank you Julia! Lots of good suggestions!

Do German restaurants generally have a kids menu?
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Old May 24th, 2007, 03:57 PM
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If they like hot dogs you could try a wurst with brotchen (bread) and either ketchup or mustard. A schnitzel is similar to chicken fried steak and can be cut up in small pieces and cam be ordered with French fries. How about a noodle dish called Spatezle (sp) it noodles with small pieces of ham and in a creamy cheese sauce. Oh, and to drink try the Apple saft scholer – apple juice mixed with bubbly water! Some restaurants have menus for smaller portions. I think I am making myself hungry.

Clea
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Old May 24th, 2007, 04:03 PM
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Most restaurants will have a Fitnessteller ("fitness plate&quot---a simple grilled chicken breast with a side salad.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 04:04 PM
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We didn't see kids menus in any of the restaurants we went to - mostly outdoor cafe type places - but I think most places will fix something child-friendly. There is always potato salad, butter noodles, potato dumplings, and so on.

The recommendation for the outdoor markets is great - so many good things to have. I think even the pickiest of eaters couldn't resist

Breakfast should be no problem - every hotel breakfast we had was a buffet with breads, cold cuts, yogurt, fruit, cold cereal, juices, etc. Lots of easily recognizable, non-risky type foods - LOL.

I have a picky eater nephew who is 8 years old. He is just now starting to venture out with regard to food. I think peer pressure has something to do with it - my husband and his brother were the same way, but started to try new things when they were that age and didn't want to be the one kid on the baseball team who wouldn't eat pepperoni or whatever it was - LOL. Anyway - last week my nephew tried steak and declared it to be his favorite thing in the world. There is hope for him yet!
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Old May 24th, 2007, 04:06 PM
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The only meat she'll eat is chicken. My big concern is that I think most German specialties are pork or beef/veal based...
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Old May 24th, 2007, 04:58 PM
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Well, I'm sorry, but tough! If the kid won't eat any of the yummy things that the posters have mentioned, she will be pretty hungry by the time she leaves Germany.

How old is she, anyway, to be able to jerk you around like that?

Sorry if I sound testy, but part of educating a kid (aside from taking them to Europe) is to introduce them to the wide experience of nutritional variety that this world offers.

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Old May 24th, 2007, 05:07 PM
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Sorry, but we're not from the "if you're hungry you'll eat what's on your plate" school of thought when trying to maintain a balanced diet while on the road. Every kid goes through a period where they're willing to try new things - she's just not there yet. I'm sure there were things you wouldn't eat either when you were a youngster. Just looking for possibilities we can suggest ahead of time so that eating out on this trip isn't a traumatic experience for us or anyone else in the restaurant.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 05:43 PM
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One of my favorite thing to pick on when walking through towns in germany.... it's kind of a baguette made out of and the same way as pretzel dough, then there is cheese (kase)melted onto/into it - and sometimes little pieces of ham (schinken). I usually find them in bakeries. Yum! I know it's not restaurant food, but it might keep her happy during the day and maybe a salad will work at night.

The spaetzle is a great idea. You can get that with kase, too - It's about as close to mac and chee you can get.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 05:57 PM
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This old thread might help:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34858542
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Old May 24th, 2007, 05:59 PM
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lvk -- thank you -- this thread is great!
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:04 PM
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See only eats those things because that's what she's constantly given. Sorry...have seen too many kids, too many times, be the
boss when it comes to meals. I've seen parents ask to have a grilled cheese made for their child because "they don't eat anything on the smorgasbord." A smorgasbord which had everything.... all types of meat, potates, etc.

You made a comment about a balanced diet...do you call deep fried chicken fingers, nachos, cheese and crackers balanced?

Again, sorry...this is a pet peeve of mine and the reason so many American kids are overweight.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:05 PM
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lol- I so knew it would come down to people questioning your parenting tips on how to feed your kids...

Years ago I took my kids to France...we had dined in many fancy restaurants, and after a time, my one daughter was finding the food rather rich and therefore asked if she could just have plain broccoli (she was more of a veggie eater than a meat eater). When we politely requested this of the waiter, he brought back a bowl of broccoli smothered in a buttery sauce with diced onion and a gazillion other things added to it. My daughter was exasperated and said, "Can't they just make PLAIN broccoli???"
This post brought back fond memories of that ...

You could simply ask your waiters if you could have the dishes on the menu prepared more plainly, such as pasta with olive oil and parmesan only, or garlic bread, or ask for cheese and crackers with carrot or celery sticks on the side...I'm sure they'll try to accomodate you.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:08 PM
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I haven't read all of that old thread, but there is plenty of chicken available in Germany. Actually, you can find a good deal of 'plain' food, so she should be fine. There will be lots of cheese also, and good bread/bakery products. She'll be fine.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:28 PM
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For the record, Brot is bread. Brötchen (broetchen) means little bread, lit. rolls.

Spätzle is the "noodle". With ham and cheese is a way of fixing Spätzle. My favorite style is Kasespätzle, Spätzle noodles with melted Algäuer or Swiss cheese, usually with fried onions on top. It is the Schwäbisch version of macaroni and cheese.

I have seen children's menus in Germany. One restaurant on the middle Rhein has their menu online. They have both a German language and English language version. Interestingly, the English menu has children's dishes (small Schnitzel, fish sticks, wiener), but the same things are not shown on the German menu. Supposedly German children eat grownup food (?).

German restaurants also have dishes for small appetites, called "Kleine Gericht" or "Kleine Portion". You just have to know the right words.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:33 PM
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I think she'll be fine. Someone already mentioned wiener schnitzel, which isn't so different from chicken fingers- maybe she'll change her mind on only eating chicken once she sees what it's like.

The trick with picky kids is to make sure they get enough protein. If she ends up not eating much at restuarants, you can supplement with cheese and crackers between sit-down meals. Baby Bel cheeses are great to have on hand.

Does she like yogurt? Yogurt is another good way to get some protein, and the yogurt in Europe is excellent.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 06:39 PM
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Also, if there's some source of protein that she will eat that is portable, I'd consider carrying it with you. Such as a jar of peanut butter, or a Luna bar, or peanut butter or cheese crackers, or packages of nuts. This would be sort of an 'insurance policy'. She will find things she likes as she goes along, no doubt.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 08:15 PM
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Auhammer---chicken is on almost every menu in Germany. did you read my message above about the Fitnessteller? If they don't have that, it will be roasted chicken, or maybe a chicken Schnitzel, which is a nice thin chicken breast, breaded and fried. It is all very good and high quality.

If she likes pizza or pasta, those are common on German menus as well. The pizza is like to be Marghereta----simple pizza with a bit of sauce and cheese.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 02:32 AM
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I can understand the quandry of wanting vacation to go smoothly without wasting money on uneaten food! My family's method for vacation is to not worry that much about nutrition. Vacation is temporary... and it's vacation after all! The goal is to keep kids fed so that they'll be happier. We always have fruit and cereal bars around when they want a snack. I agree with the suggestions so far. Sausages if she liks hot dogs. Schnitzel if she likes chicken fingers. Cheese and crackers, french fries, and pizza will be easy to find.

Maybe you could have her look up German food beforehand and talk with her about what German children eat at school, etc. Our kids think that kind of stuff is so interesting. And encourage her to try a bite of your meals when you're there. My kids flipped when they saw the chicken patty that was "weiner schintzel" but they loved it after giving it a chance. They liked sauerbraten too.
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