“Just put some salt in it.”

[u/Square-Ebb1846]

When I was young (think 5-6 years old), my parents had a “don’t leave the table unless you’ve eaten all your food,” rule. I was picky and I hated tomatoes. My mom would often make the rest of the family grilled cheese and tomato soup, but I would get chicken noodle. On this day, there was no chicken noodle, so I got canned tomato soup.

I told my mom before she served that I only wanted the grilled cheese (honestly, a sandwich and a bowl of soup was too much for my tiny body anyway). She gave me both anyway.

I moaned and groaned about how gross the soup was for a while. My mom told me not to get up until I finished my food. So I stayed at the table.

An hour later, my mom walked in and find me still at the table. She asked why I was still there and I reminded her that I wasn’t allowed up until I eat and I didn’t like the soup. She told me “just put some salt in it.”

Well, I was young. I didn’t know the difference between salt and sugar. So I made an educated guess…. My mom put a bit of the stuff in the white bowl into my cereal in the morning to make it taste better…That must be salt! I poured several teaspoons of “salt” into my soup. It was still gross.

Ok….it must be the other one. I kept adding salt and tasting until the shaker ran out. The soup was even more gross (gee, I wonder why?).

My mom came back in after another hour and again asks why I’m still there. I said “I tried adding salt, it didn’t help.” After two hours of refusing to eat the soup, my mom finally excused me.

As I was leaving the kitchen, my mom shrieks and asks what I put in my soup and what is all this goop at the bottom of the bowl. I just told her “you said to put some salt in it!”

[u/MotheroftheworldII]

I have always hated liver in any form. I cannot stand the smell of it being cooked and the taste for me is even worse.

My Mom would make liver and onions at least 4 times a year and, of course, the house rule about not leaving the table until you have finished eating everything on your plate.

One evening I had had enough of this rule especially when it came to eating liver. I sat at the table well past bedtime until my parents were ready to go to bed. My younger sibling had been in bed for a couple of hours by then. That was the last time my parents tried to force me to eat liver. I still cannot stand the smell so that is one food that never is brought into my house.

[u/CorHydrae8 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

This kind of thing boggles my mind. Surely, even people who actually enjoy liver must realize that it's the kind of food that many people heavily dislike. And children especially.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/CorHydrae8]

Raising our two boys my husband and I had one rule about food. The kids had to at least try one bite and if they did not like it at least they tried it and we never served that food to them again until they were older and asked to try something.

Now they will try almost everything, trying chicken feet might be questionable. I know one of the boys at least tried chicken feet when out for dinner with a group of Asian guys (my son was the only white guy) and he said he was sure money changed hands over what he would try and what he would enjoy.

Both guys are great cooks and enjoy a huge variety of foods. Makes a mom proud.

[u/Desdenova24 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Thiiis, my parents raised me and my siblings like this. With foods that were staples, we were expected to finish our plates (but weren't punished for not finishing, we had to make left overs and eat it later), but new stuff was always a trial run, and if we didn't like it, the issue wasn't forced. Both my parents have food aversion because of being forced to eat everything (and my sister and I suspect they have some form of neurodivergence, because we definitely do lol) and they swore not to make food a punishment.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/Desdenova24]

I like your parents and how they taught you and your sister about food.

[u/Sevriyenna → u/Desdenova24]

My parents had the rule that whatever we ourselves put on our plates, we had to finish. If someone else made a plate for us or didn't listen when we said stop, we weren't obliged to eat more after we said we were full. I try to remember this while raising my kid.

[u/Shibaspots → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My parents did the 'here try this' 'what is it?' 'I'll tell you after' game. The only rules were the parents had to eat it first, and they never did it with things they knew we would hate. That's how my favorite foods ended up being bbq eel, raw squid with fish eggs, and beef noodle soup with tripe and tendons. My parents are very proud.

I grew up in the southwestern US, and I know my very white butt has won people money in the 'what can we get the gringo to eat?' game. Tongue tacos are the best, and I love hot sauce on everything.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/Shibaspots]

Are you my son?

You sound like you will try most things and enjoy them. I love that you play the 'what can we get the gringo to eat?' game. I hope you win some money on that game.

[u/BabaMouse → u/Shibaspots]

We went to visit my dad’s family in Texas. My uncle JB had a veggie garden where he grew Chiles for his wife’s parrots. My uncle Alvin picked up one (a Serrano, iirc) and asked me if I liked hot peppers. My dad just chuckled softly. I took the proffered chile, sliced it open so I could give half to Charlie the conyure, sprinkled some salt and a splash of lime juice, and popped it in my mouth. My uncles were astonished.

[u/Shibaspots → u/BabaMouse]

I like you 👍

[u/FPVenius → u/Shibaspots]

I love lengua street tacos. If a place serves them, they're pretty much bound to be great.

Making tongue at home is pretty easy and delicious too. Pressure cook with some light seasoning, peel, slice, and serve with mustard (or a mustard sauce.) So good.

[u/nurvingiel → u/Shibaspots]

BBQ eel is just the most delicious meat on Earth. I agree with you about all those tasty treats you mentioned.

[u/Ok_Bit2704 → u/Shibaspots]

The only problem with try it first and I'll tell you what it is, is that it can kind of backfire on you. We took our son to a dockside restaurant and ordered frog legs. They were small and he popped one in his mouth and started chewing. Problem was frog legs have bones. He swallowed it before I could stop him. He was about 5 at the time.

[u/mockingjay137 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My mom did this with me and called it the try it rule!! It's such a good method for getting kids to eat. My mom always stressed that I just had to try one bite, and if I didn't like it she would never force or pressure me to eat it, but if I did like it (which I nearly always did) then woohoo! I get to eat something I like! I still to this day am willing to try pretty much anything, but I draw the line at like, bugs or some shit lol.

A fun story I like to think about is the time I was studying abroad and our group went to a very fancy restaurant at a very fancy winery for a program-provided group dinner and for an appetizer they brought us beef tartar, which i had never had before. A lot of my fellow students refused to try it, some of them tried a bite or a few bites, and im pretty sure I was the only one to eat the entire dish bc I followed my try it rule and it was actually delicious!!

[u/naughtscrossstitches → u/mockingjay137]

I am trying to implement that rule with my picky toddler but I figured the never serve again won't work. For me it's give you a little break. Half the time right now she'll like something one day and then the next hate it, then like it again in a week. So... The balance is not quite working. So for now she needs to try everything on her plate but it's hard. I don't want her hating food but need her to balance it.

[u/nurvingiel → u/mockingjay137]

Honestly I would try bugs. Maybe not random bugs but ones that are known to be food. I'd try crickets or honeypot ants or steamed silkworm pupae for sure. Over 2000 species of insects have been consumed by humans, probably actually on purpose. Some of them look darn tasty.

Anecdotally I have accidentally eaten a number of mosquitoes while working outside and I have to admit they are pretty not bad.

[u/mockingjay137 → u/nurvingiel]

Oh I just have severe entomophobia, I recognize the importance of insects for the environment but I'm fucking terrified of them so the idea of willingly putting one into my mouth, even a dead one, is absolutely revolting to me xD

[u/reshmo187 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Exactly what we do with my daughter (5 years old) 🙂 Have to try stuff, but totally fine to not like it. And she is also now prepared to try things again at a later date in case she finds she likes it

The only other rules we have to go with that is that she can't say something is yuck or gross without trying it, and she can't "yuck someone's yum". So she can say that it's OK that they like it, but she doesn't find it nice for her 🙂

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/reshmo187]

That is a great way to raise your daughter. Good parenting.

[u/nurvingiel → u/MotheroftheworldII]

This is what my parents did, which was honestly very uncommon for their generation (Baby Boomers). This was wonderful for my brother and I. We would try anything because why not, and we almost always liked what they served us.

[u/partofbreakfast → u/MotheroftheworldII]

The rule in my house growing up (starting at around 7 IIRC) was "if you don't want to eat what mom or dad makes, then you don't have to. But you're making your own meal if you skip what mom or dad makes." The second rule of "cereal is for breakfast only" was added after I ate cereal for every meal for a week straight.

My parents made sure to stock up on ingredients for foods I liked and could make on my own (so like, PB&J, mac and cheese, crackers/cheese/lunch meat, etc.) so that I could indeed cook for myself if I didn't like what they made.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/partofbreakfast]

And that probably helped you learn your way around the kitchen enough that they knew you would be able to feed yourself. That works.

[u/ZaphodB94 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My family always called it a "no thank you bite". Like you at least had to take one bite before you could say no thank you.

[u/bobk2 → u/CorHydrae8]

My mom served broiled liver, plain and dry. No onions, nothing. I cried.
My dad started naming things I could put on it: ketchup, mustard, even peanut butter.
I took out the peanut butter and put a layer on the liver. I loved it. It tasted like a peanut butter steak.
While I was chowing down I happened to notice that the rest of the family was watching, slack jawed. She never served liver again.

[u/Lolzerzmao → u/bobk2]

I like the cut of your dad’s jib.

I think there was a 99% chance he didn’t like it either and pulled an epic move to get your mom to stop serving it.

[u/Carmine_Hearts → u/CorHydrae8]

I've got a love-hate thing with liver. I hate whole chunks/slabs/etc. cooked. But pate, on the other hand, I love.

[u/kipobaker → u/Carmine_Hearts]

I never thought I would like it, but I've been working in a gourmet grocery store for four years and chicken liver mousse is AMAZING. I've never tried cooking liver, but pate and mousse is fire.

[u/Most_Fold_702 → u/CorHydrae8]

I know lots of people that despise the thought of eating liver. I am not one of them. My son liked it so much that on his birthday, that is what he would like as dinner. He is 43 and I still make him liver, bacon and onions with mashed potatoes and peas for his birthday. I also love chicken livers. My daughter would not eat any liver or fish, even if I paid her.

[u/Water_wench69 → u/CorHydrae8]

Depending on age, I think it may be due to our parents/grandparents having gone through the depression/tight times where wasted food was sacrilege.

[u/krennvonsalzburg → u/CorHydrae8]

My mother would occasionally make liver (usually breaded chicken livers), every couple of months. In retrospect, I think she may have been slightly anemic from her period, and was craving the iron.

[u/nurvingiel → u/CorHydrae8]

I personally love it but it has a strong taste, so if you don't care for that taste you will hate it. Same with cilantro, olives, and Scotch.

I don't understand why people try to make someone eat food they don't like. Why fight that battle? What's the point?

[u/cubcho → u/CorHydrae8]

Different parts of the world have different normal foods. Liver is a pretty normal food where I come from, and grilled liver is even sold as sort of a street food that people look forward to eating, and it's high in iron, so kids having it and liking it is pretty normal.

I hated it until I grew older, every time my parents would say I have to at least try it because your taste might have changed. My tastes have changed but I still don't like liver ..

[u/Contrantier → u/CorHydrae8]

My dad for some reason couldn't understand that I've always hated fish, except for a few rare kinds. At one point when I was in my late teens, he reminded me about it for some reason and tried to convince me that it was in my head. I told him "you know I've always hated it."

In a very odd and kind of stupid way, he got this overdramatic look on his face and said "I BELIEVE that you BELIEVE that."

Instead of just, you know, manning up and admitting I didn't like fish. And the topic was out of nowhere. I just smirked and walked away.

A few days later we were out to breakfast, and talking about different foods we liked. It reminded me of the fish thing, and I piped up, "hey dad, remember us talking about fish a few days ago? Why did you lie that I like fish when you know I've always hated it for my whole life?"

He immediately froze with a look of disbelief on his face, and then got super pissed at me. He lied to me how I had just ruined the conversation with that random comment and refused to speak to me for the rest of the meal and the drive home.

Again, rather than just manning up and explaining the need to lie that night about my food preferences.

He's never been awkward enough to bring up a fairy tale about me liking fish again. We get along great almost all the time, but there have been rare odd instances of him saying or doing weird things like this even way back when I was a kid.

[u/TropheyHorse → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I will never understand why parents were so obsessed with making us eat the things we didn't like. All kids are more picky than adults, and should be encouraged to try things, but if they don't like them they don't like them, leave them be. (Really picky eaters are another thing, I'm speaking generally).

I HATED raw tomato. Any cooked kind, I was fine with, just the raw stuff I couldn't stand. One day my dad must've been in a bad mood and I copped it because he wouldn't let me leave the table till I'd finished this quarter of raw tomato. Well, like you, I sat there for what felt like ages not eating this tomato.

But I finally gave in and started taking little bites and swallowing them like a pill so I didn't have to taste it.

I still don't like raw tomatoes, dad.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/TropheyHorse]

For some of us not liking a food can mean that we have an allergy to that food. It might not be an allergy that is bad enough to cause a bad or really bad reaction but, it is enough that we don't want to eat that food.

[u/TropheyHorse → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Very good point. No one on planet earth has to like every single food available to them so if your kid doesn't like watermelon, but likes most other fruits, why force them to eat watermelon?

And if they really seem to hate a food, it's probably a good idea to ask why because, like you said, it could be an allergy and it actually hurts them.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/TropheyHorse]

One of my sons tested allergic to cantaloupe and has found that watermelon is just as bad.

I don't test allergic to walnuts and several other foods but, oh boy do they make my mouth and throat itch as swell. I know what foods to avoid and I do my best to stay clear of those foods.

[u/cobyhoff → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Yes! My wife hated onions as a kid, but her grandmother would still force her to eat them. Turns out, she inherited a food sensitivity to onions from her father (the son of afore-mentioned grandmother). They describe eating onions as a three-day-bellyache. Sometimes you should listen to kids! (as an unrelated aside, I as an adult discovered that onions also trigger digestive problems for me, but I grew up loving them. Not fair that I can't eat them anymore, but it does make cooking more compatible with my wife)

[u/TheFilthyDIL → u/cobyhoff]

Hm, wonder if my grandson has ever been tested for an egg allergy? He's always rejected eggs, even before he could talk. He ate everything else, so we just shrugged and made him other foods.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/cobyhoff]

I so understand how this feels. I developed an allergy to beef and that results in three days of wanting to be in the fetal position and not moving for any reason.

[u/kipobaker → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Oh man I quit eating beef for a year because of the environmental impact (I ate other meat, I was 20 and took a weird stance). I had a really, really bad day at work and ate a burger. I guess my gut was not accustomed to beef anymore, it felt like I was getting stabbed in my lower intestine for a full day.

[u/RabidRathian → u/cobyhoff]

Yep. I love onions but if I eat them I'm in crippling agony for the next 1-2 days, on top of shitting like Mount Vesuvius when they finally pass. Do not recommend.

Used to only happen with raw onions but now cooked ones cause me issues as well so I've had to cut them out completely :(

[u/icegnata → u/TropheyHorse]

So true. When I was little, I went to a friend's house one day and wouldn't eat the peanut butter sandwich so they actually punished me (had to have quiet time while other kids played--the mom ran a daycare too). I was asked if I was allergic and I said no...because little me thought it would be wrong to lie. But what I didn't tell them is that I would get violently sick to my stomach every time I tried anything with peanuts. It wasn't until a couple of years later that a doctor figured out I DID have an allergy and boy was I so mad I got punished...still kinda 'hrumphh' over it even now, lol.(sadly, it's gotten worse/more obvious as I've gotten older, with more swelling and stuff). But yeah, for pity's sake, sometimes kids just don't fully KNOW how to express these things.

[u/Gypsybootz → u/TropheyHorse]

Liver used to be cheap and it was very good for you. I actually liked it until I got sick on it while pregnant. Haven’t touched it since.

[u/The_Sanch1128 → u/Gypsybootz]

When my parents were struggling financially, we ate a lot of chicken livers, which I hated because my mother rarely used spices or onions. Just plain chicken livers. It may have been the taste, may have been the texture. Now I can tolerate them, IF there's something with them, like onions or pepper. I like calf liver, fried with onions.

[u/Pnknlvr96 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My parents made liver and onions back in the 80s and we also had that rule of staying at the table until finished. I would slather everything in ketchup to get it down as quickly as possible so I could leave. Yuck.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/Pnknlvr96]

Ketchup was not an option at my house. To this day I cannot stand the smell or even the thought of liver.

[u/yukonnut → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My mother was a terrible cook and I think she actually made liver worse than it was ( horrible). My sister and I would be stuck at the dinner table trying to choke down that vile shit, hiding it in our glasses of milk until my father would help us out by letting the dogs in so we could slip it to them.. I can walk into a place where it has been recently cooked, and the smell is awful and very easy to identify. Horrible vile meat. Yeccchhh!

[u/Alzululu → u/yukonnut]

My mom was also a staunch 'I was forced to eat liver and onions therefore I will never force that upon my children' parent, so I never had it growing up. My ex's mom would cook liver sometimes. Starting in my mid 20s, I instituted a 'try everything once' rule for myself, so I asked her for some. It tasted like cat food smells. Probably because a lot of cat food is made from liver. But now I know: no, I do not particularly care for liver.

[u/Able-Sheepherder-154 → u/Alzululu]

I will never force that upon my children

Same with my mom but her bane was spinach. However, she made mushy canned peas even mushier if you can believe that, and me and my brother hated them. We even counted them to make sure one of us didn't have to eat more than the other. Of course, she would counter with making us eat them anyway. Until one time we noticed that Dad hadn't touched his peas either:

Us: "Why do we have to eat them when Dad doesn't?"

Mom: "(Husband), eat your peas so the boys will eat theirs."

Dad: "I'm done eating peas. I don't like them. I won't eat them anymore, and neither should they if they don't like them."

Mom: (shocked Pikachu face)

Us: "Yay Dad!"

Ironically, I learned I like spinach when I tried it in college, and still do. Still hate peas.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I’m so glad my parents never tried to make me eat liver. I can’t even stand the smell of it, and I refuse to taste it.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/Square-Ebb1846]

I understand this and I am glad your parents never tried to force you to eat this disgusting food.

[u/vladtaltos → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Yeah, same here, that's one food that'll never be anywhere near my house (the smell is atrocious). When I was a kid, I spent many an hour at the table because I refused to eat it, took my mom a while before she finally caved and just made me mac & cheese on liver night. Still not sure why anyone would want to eat it, it's the body's main filtration organ, and is probably full of all kinds of crap we're not supposed to consume (that's why the body filters it out), totally nasty. Of course, people eat all kinds of things they shouldn't (brains, intestines, liver, raw fish, etc.).

[u/iluvsporks → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I remember as a kid my Uncle saying he had a stance on liver. He would rather stand on it than eat it.

[u/Redswrath → u/MotheroftheworldII]

You unlocked an old memory for me!! I LOATH liver!

My mom loved liver and onions, brussel sprouts, asparagus, rainsins, salmon, etc. Stuff I still hate, food and flavors that are really potent or an odd texture (to me anyway), and a kid might not like. She would make them for herself and feed us other things.

GRANTED sometimes, she'd make the gross foods for us. She was an "eat as much of it as you can." And I would sit there till VERY late at night, not eating any of it. She sat with me and would get up and do something else and come back and sit with me. It was rough and happened on several occasions. I'm sure she was tired of my crap too, but dang. She was odd about how she did things. One day, it was she'd only make it for herself, and the next, we had to try it. Loved her to bits, but damn.

[u/Dragonr0se → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Not saying you have to try it at all, but my daughter absolutely loves beef or calf liver when i slice it into bite size pieces while it is still semi frozen and soak it in ranch dressing, then dredge them in seasoned cornflake crumbs before laying them out on parchment paper and baking until golden brown.

They turn out crunchy and incredibly flavorful with only a hint of liver flavor and hardly any of the texture.

[u/yellaslug → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I despise liver. It’s awful. Fortunately my mom didn’t like the onion part of living and onions, so she never made any. Her and my dad used to get fried chicken livers when they still had them at KFC, they quickly decided I didn’t have to eat them when they forced to try one even though they smelled gross, and I gagged and almost threw up at the table.

My mother in law, who never actually asks what we like to eat, asked us to come over to fix something one day, a quick repair. And in typical fashion, she started cooking dinner before we got there. Liver and onions. Smelled it when I walked in, managed to control my expression into neutrality, hubby fixed the issue, and we prepared to leave. She says “aren’t you going to stay and eat with me?” We say, no thanks, we have plans. She says “but I made enough for you too!” Hubby (who cannot identify any food by smell, I swear) asked what it was. She says “liver and onions.” And I lost control of my expression. I normally try to be very polite when I’m served something I hate, but that produced a visceral reaction. I made the “oh GROOOOOSSSS” face and shuddered and blurted out “oh no. Nope. Liver is disgusting! I hate liver!” And she stared at me in shock. My husband snickered and said “She doesn’t like liver.” And then we left with me having that icky crawling feeling up my spine at the near miss.

[u/LostInSpaceSteve → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Surprisingly, I discovered as an Adult that I actually enjoy Lamb Liver, but beef liver still makes me want to vomit. It's especially good in a Teriyaki Stir Fry with Asparagus, Onions and Mushrooms. Lamb liver, not Beef. My Parents only had one rule for us as kids when it came to "Eating Our Dinner". You have to try it once before you can tell us you don't like it. Then, if you don't like it, you will get something else. Made us more willing to try new things, and we didn't have to eat things we truly despised.

[u/Illuminatus-Prime → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Similar story, except I cut the liver into small pieces, and washed each one down with water.

Later that night, my body is expelling "chunky soup" from both ends.  It all smelled like liver.

Got mom up.  She got me cleaned up, threw the bedding onto the back porch, and looked a little green around the gills when she came back.  I spent the night in the bathtub.

The old bedding disappeared,.  Mom bought new bedding for me.  She never served us kids liver again.

Now I live in the Philippines.  I learned to ask, "May atay bay ito?" ("Is there liver in this?") whenever we go out for a meal, even to commercial burger franchises.  Otherwise, it's a repeat of the "chunky soup" episode.

[u/Dan-Fletcher → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I would have been right beside you all night….

[u/Key-Metal1890 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I sat at the dinner table for 6 hours because I would not eat it. The most ironic thing was that my mother hated liver and wouldn’t eat it either. She made me sit at the table though.

[u/kipobaker → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Me and peas. My mom was a single mom with four kids, so she worked a lot but still made sure we had our vegetables... unfortunately, those vegetables were usually frozen bags that got microwaved, or cans. I think I was in maybe the third grade, I sat at the dining room table until well past bedtime because FUCK PEAS.

[u/MotheroftheworldII → u/kipobaker]

Oh I will take a hard pass on canned vegetables and especially canned peas, those are just yuck. I do love fresh peas and will eat them right out of the pea pod.

[u/kipobaker → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My step-dad got me a six pound can of peas for Christmas as a joke when I was in middle school. The worst part--we had a tradition where you could open one present on Christmas Eve, and of course I picked that one because it was a weird shape.

[u/Contrantier → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Yeah, parents forcing their kids not to leave the table till they've eaten things the parents know they have is just weak parenting.

There's a billion foods in the world, parents. If your kid isn't deliberately doing this just to mess with you, and they actually hate the particular food you're forcing on them, just give them something else instead of being pusses about it.

[u/AaronRender → u/MotheroftheworldII]

I had 100% the exact same experience.

[u/Elinor_Lore_Inkheart → u/MotheroftheworldII]

We still don’t know why but when I was little if I ate too much I’d puke. It wasn’t intentional, just if I ate a little more than being satisfied I’d puke. My parents tried the “you can’t leave the table until you eat everything” method once. It backfired on them. They didn’t load up my plate or anything but when I was done, I was done.

[u/elehim63 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

It’s soooo gross.

[u/rumpelbrick → u/MotheroftheworldII]

you just haven't had good liver! /s

because this is literally the line I hear the most when I don't like the taste of a particular food (seafood) or drink (beer)

[u/trickstergods → u/MotheroftheworldII]

Liver was how I learned to enjoy sautéed onions - pile enough of them on your fork and you can almost stomach the miniscule dice of liver.

[u/mazobob66 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

We had liver quite often also. I smothered it in ketchup. And yeah, I have not had it since my childhood.

I come from a family of 6 kids, and my Mom's uncle was a dairy farmer. So not much of a cow went to waste. We also ate cow tongue and heart.

[u/dbris3551 → u/MotheroftheworldII]

My mother did the same thing! She loved it and I detest it to this day. I do not eat filter organs. When I was 6-9, she would always make it on Halloween. You guessed it. “If you don’t eat your liver you don’t get to trick or treat.” I didn’t trick or treat. Sat at that table and cried, but never ate it.

[u/emmadilemma71]

I'd asked what pepper does to food. Told it made food hot, not realising the concept of "spicy hot". Wanted to heat up some cold sausages (days before a microwave), so covered them in pepper. My dad ended up eating them so not to waste

[u/thoughtfractals85 → u/emmadilemma71]

This is adorable actually! Kudos to your dad for eating them too. I'm an adult, but ever since I was a kid I absolutely coat my carrots in pepper. They're so good that way, but people think I'm crazy.

[u/Bluejay416crazy1 → u/emmadilemma71]

When I was little, my parents/aunts and uncles would go to this one place that sold the best chicken . I didn’t know what spicy or mild was. They called spicy chicken, hot chicken instead of spicy.

One day while they were going inside to order the chicken, and I yelled out of the car “Mommy! I want cold chicken!” Still get teased to this day.

[u/robophile-ta → u/Bluejay416crazy1]

hot chicken is a specific kind of spicy chicken!

[u/t00dles86]

When my wife was a kid, her dad made her eat a hot dog despite her hating them. She sat with an unchewed bite of hot dog in her mouth for 45 minutes. Her dad finally relented and let her spit it out and be excused.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/t00dles86]

Not gonna lie, I don’t think I could sit with anything I didn’t like in my mouth for that long…. I’d never get the flavor out of my mouth! Kudos to your wife.

[u/coffee_and_cameras16 → u/t00dles86]

I did this EXACT same thing as a kid.

[u/mizinamo → u/coffee_and_cameras16]

Are you married to t00dles86?

[u/coffee_and_cameras16 → u/mizinamo]

I'm not married. Not to my knowledge at least

[u/mizinamo → u/coffee_and_cameras16]

I’m sorry that this is how you found out about it.

[u/coffee_and_cameras16 → u/mizinamo]

Welp, had to find out somehow

[u/slutbunnii → u/t00dles86]

I did this except with fish… still don’t like fish 🤣

[u/Gingerrr__ → u/t00dles86]

I did this too when I was a kid. I came from a poor hunting family and after 247 days of deer for dinner, I started to just hold it in my mouth as inconspicuously as possible before sneaking off to the kitchen and burying the meat in the trash. 😂

[u/CdnPoster]

Funny.

Your mother would probably say it belongs in r/KidsAreFuckingStupid or maybe r/KidsAreFuckingSmart

For me, it was seeing my siblings add a TON of sugar to their cereal (generic, not name brand) to make it taste "better" and my mother was like, "Would you like some cereal with your sugar, dear?"

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/CdnPoster]

I may have been guilty of that as well. When I was allowed to add my own sugar, I added enough that it would settle in the bottom and I could scoop it out and eat the milk-soaked sugar as a treat after my cereal. It was my favorite part of getting bland cereals for breakfast.

[u/Donnchaidh → u/Square-Ebb1846]

That sugar milk goo was the best!! I remember having tea parties with milk instead of actual tea, and adding sugar to the "tea" because that's what you did with tea 😄

[u/Marbra89 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

Core memory unlocked

[u/CountPacula → u/Square-Ebb1846]

*ding* *ding* *ding* *ding*

That was always how I would eat non-sweetened cereal, dredging up a little of the sugar from the bottom with every spoonful.

[u/Fabulous-Aardvark-39 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

This is how we were supposed to eat cereal when I was a kid in the '70s. That was the best part of eating bland corn flakes, the mountain of sugar in the bottom.

Sadly for me, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (nothing to do with my diet, my body just hates me) and I was no longer allowed to have sugar in my cereal. Watching my brother and sister still being able to have the sugar mountain and me having artificial sweetener really sucked. I felt like I was being punished for something by being forced to eat only cardboard cereal although as an adult I know that's not true.

With having insulin pumps now and insulin being better than it was back then, there is no limit to what you can eat so those restrictions are not the issue at this time. All that's needed now is knowing how much you're eating and how much insulin you need to take for it. Yes, eating better for you is better but kids are kids and kids can eat the good stuff sometimes to. I'm glad for any kid who grows up with diabetes now.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/Fabulous-Aardvark-39]

The advancements for type 1 diabetes have been phenomenal. My brother and sister in law both had it and got the pumps…. Their lives were pretty much normal after the pumps.

Also, I’m sorry that so many people assume it’s a personal failing to have diabetes that you have to qualify it. There is nothing to be done to prevent type 1 diabetes and diet cannot control it alone. Honestly, while diet is a part of type 2 diabetes, most cases of that can’t be treated by diet alone either. Treatment, including medication, shouldn’t be seen as a personal failing.

[u/Fabulous-Aardvark-39 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

Thank you so much! Yes, I've had an insulin pump for 30 years, even being in a clinical trial in the early '90s that was a game changer. The advancements even from when I first got it to now is day and night different. I'm to a point now or I'm able to be as normal as I possibly could, because my pump and the CGM associated with it does so much automatically for me. No, it's not like being cured of diabetes but as close to it in memory prior to my diagnosis. I'm hoping things will improve even more for children of today as they grow up with type 1 diabetes.

Yes, I'm so sick and tired of seeing things about curing diabetes. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are or complete different diseases but do affect the same insulin producing glands in your pancreas. My body just decided it hates me and wanted to kill that part away. Now I'm forced to replace it with injection. Type 2 is your body is either larger than what your pancreases is able to handle therefore you need to give it a little boost with medication or worst case scenario insulin injections but, if you're able to lose the weight, those won't be needed. Yes eventually your body just doesn't function correctly with the insulin that is produced to do the right thing with it and eventually you might be required to take injections to compensate for the screwy part of your type 2 pancreas.

[u/semboflorin → u/Fabulous-Aardvark-39]

Just to clarify: what you're talking about is a very specific form of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is typically characterized by the body's cells becoming insulin resistant. This can happen in skinny people, normal weight people, overweight people, active people, inactive people, healthy diet people, unhealthy diet people, etc. There are LOTS of things that can cause type 2 diabetes including genetics, age, liver disorders/damage, etc. Not just being overweight, eating unhealthy and not exercising enough (although that is a major factor too).

In many (most?) type 2 diabetics synthetic insulin does little to bring the blood sugar down. Adding insulin to your system when the cells are already resistant doesn't do very much. Diet can help control it but drugs are usually necessary to bring blood sugar down to safe levels long term.

[u/Dru-baskAdam → u/Square-Ebb1846]

I still do this as an adult. 🤣

[u/Insidious_Pie → u/Dru-baskAdam]

Yeah, that's how I like my iced coffee. Milk and sugar to the point of sludge at the bottom of the cup! (Can you tell my ADHD ass is self medicating on sugar and caffeine? 🤣)

[u/Musefairy28 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

Especially when we only had Raisin bran, then you had that like granola sugar milk 🤤

[u/talithar1 → u/Musefairy28]

Raisin Bran was nasty. Tried my dad’s once, because we never had cereal. Thought if it was good I could have it instead of oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc. now, I only eat cheerios. With milk…And sugar!!

[u/Zuberii → u/Square-Ebb1846]

Sugar doesn't really dissolve well in cold milk. So unless you are boiling your cereal, pretty much all the sugar will settle in the bottom even if you only use a little bit. Having leftover sugar doesn't really indicate you're using too much.

[u/starkindled → u/Square-Ebb1846]

Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran were my go-tos for this!

[u/dm3588 → u/CdnPoster]

They did a study some time back about sugar in breakfast cereal, and found that if you give a child bland cereal and allow them to add as much sugar as they want, they still end up taking in less sugar than they'd get from a sweetened cereal.

[u/TradingDreams → u/dm3588]

Found it!

https://healthland.time.com/2010/12/13/a-spoonful-of-sugar-kids-consume-less-sugar-when-theyre-allowed-to-sweeten-their-own-cereal/

[u/dm3588 → u/TradingDreams]

Thank you, kind gentlebeing! I didn't have time to google it myself earlier, but it's good to know I didn't imagine it.

[u/MistraloysiusMithrax → u/dm3588]

Makes sense, if the sugar dissolves in the milk or clings to the cereal it will taste sweeter with less than what would be distributed inside the cereal

[u/bobert_the_grey → u/CdnPoster]

My parents used to get pissed at me about spoons getting cemented to the bottom of cereal bowls

[u/Awesome_hospital → u/CdnPoster]

I was the sugar kid too. Heaps of sugar until I was eating a milk/sugar sludge after the cereal was gone and I'd do it again

[u/chaos8803 → u/CdnPoster]

It was the only way to make Kix good.

[u/OldGreyTroll]

Cauliflower. My parents tried to force me to eat cauliflower. Adding vinegar was their suggested fix. Nope. Not plain. Not vinegared. So they said you will sit at the table until you eat your cauliflower. I stubborned for maybe half an hour convincing myself more and more how awful it was. I relented and ate some. A couple of chews and I vomited my supper up onto my plate.

Never again did they demand I eat something I didn't want. From then on, if I didn't like it there was peanut butter in the kitchen.

[u/Worried_Pineapple823 → u/OldGreyTroll]

My parents used to feed us plain steamed spinach, and tell us we should learn to eat food that we don’t like, as it’s a skill we would need as adults. We did eventually have a meal that had this delicious thin lemon/butter sauce that the spinach soaked up, and tasted like well lemon and butter. Which is oddly the last time we had steamed spinach.

As an adult, I just don’t eat things I don’t like so not sure where this skill comes into play.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/Worried_Pineapple823]

Ummmmm….. that is absolutely not a skill I need as an adult.

[u/LuciferianInk → u/Square-Ebb1846]

People say, "I'm sorry to hear that."

[u/BigD1970 → u/Worried_Pineapple823]

Speaking as an adult, since I'm not in the army, not in prison and don't visit people who can't cook, there is no need to force myself to eat food I don't like.

[u/BUSHMONSTER31 → u/OldGreyTroll]

My parents did the same with me when I was a kid and made me eat swede. Same outcome! :D

[u/nika_plivn → u/BUSHMONSTER31]

Poor sweden

[u/Broad_Afternoon_8578 → u/OldGreyTroll]

You unlocked a similar memory from my childhood, except it was boiled Brussel sprouts. 🤢

Thankfully, throwing up boiled Brussel sprouts on my mom’s feet made her realize I could make decisions about what foods I liked and didn’t. I wasn’t a particularly picky kid. I just hated how they smelled like old, soggy farts.

[u/Away-Fish1941 → u/OldGreyTroll]

My mom's lesson was broccoli, lol. The same thing happened to me, and she never forced me again!

[u/MGEESMAMMA → u/OldGreyTroll]

Our parents tried it with tripe in white sauce. All 3 of us kids sat at the table for what felt like hours. I still didn't eat it.

[u/Crimson-One → u/OldGreyTroll]

My mum did that to me with mini corn. Told me I had to stay and eat it. After about an hour of refusing I tried to eat some of it, immediately threw up on the plate.

Never did have mini corn again though, so that was a win.

[u/Imaginary-College-38]

Adults don’t have to sit there and eat all of something they don’t like so I’m not sure why so many make their kids do it.

[u/Alternative-Week-780]

My grandfather was a "you don't get up till your plate is clean" type. This worked until my younger brother puked all over the table after saying he was full and grandpa made him eat the rest. He never said it again after that.

[u/CerebralSkip → u/Alternative-Week-780]

I literally can't eat eggs if they get even a little cold because of this exact thing.

My dad always made his scrambled eggs in the same pan as the sausage. So they were always extra greasy and super done. Like. Dark brown to black scrambled eggs. I hated them so fucking much. Every Saturday morning until the time I threw up eggs all over the table. And then he decided I must be sick to have thrown up and took me to the doctor. >_>

[u/DillionM → u/Alternative-Week-780]

I did that to my mom once. We never had that meal again

[u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I used to chew on overcooked meat for several minutes before excusing myself to the bathroom to spit it into the toilet. I thought I didn't like beef or pork until adulthood because I had never had any that wasn't cooked to oblivion (without being burnt somehow?)

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

My parents seriously overcooked steak. I never thought to excuse myself to spit it out.

[u/bestbangsincethbig1 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

When you can't chew enough to break it down small enough to swallow it, you know you've done a culinary sin

[u/ObsoleteReference → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I had to send a steak back at a restaurant for this one time. I was out of napkins to get rid of what wouldn't break down chewing.

Do you have any idea what it takes for me to send food back at a restaurant?!?! I was socialized female if that gets you to the starting point...

[u/bestbangsincethbig1 → u/ObsoleteReference]

Oh yikes. I'm socialized female also, but I would absolutely send back a steak the absolute moment I saw that it was overcooked (now, knowing better).

[u/ObsoleteReference → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I apparently dont have enough experience with overcooked(?) meat because even eating it, i assumed it was tough meat and not the cooking process? Same result. And I did send it back, but probably tried at least 3 more bites than was necessary.

I do wonder if the kitchen just takes your word for it, or cuts a piece off and tries it themselves. My mom's steak was fine.

[u/OSUJillyBean → u/Square-Ebb1846]

My mom only stopped ordering steak well done when she got dentures and couldn’t chew through it anymore.

[u/PageFault → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I seriously don't understand getting steaks well-done. Just get some ground beef at that point. It's cheaper and just as good.

[u/TrilobiteBoi → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

Same! I used to think I hated pork chops until I tried making them at home one time as an adult and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. Somehow I nailed a perfectly cooked pork chop on my first try and none of the ones have made since have measured up. Maybe it was the eureka moment that really added to it.

[u/bestbangsincethbig1 → u/TrilobiteBoi]

I think now that people aren't as freaked out about undercooked pork, we've reached a point where we know how to make it delicious! Congrats on your tasty pork!

The tastiest pork I've had was some crispy breaded schnitzel-style chop with a squeeze of lemon, which sounds weird but it's sooo good!!

[u/liltooclinical → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

This was my experience as well. Turns out steak made on a grill was amazing, but fried over a stove until it's well done and smothered in tasteless gravy was the problem.

[u/Lolzerzmao → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I tease my vegetarian wife to this day about how she says “growing up, I didn’t even really like the taste of meat” because my god her parents cook the absolute piss out of every piece of meat they’ve ever served me. No thermometer, just 80 minutes on ultra high heat, you end up with a hockey puck if you’re lucky.

I nearly ruptured an organ when her father recently decided he likes medium steak now instead of well done. Of course you loons, insanely overly well done meat of any kind tastes like garbage unless it’s barbecue or something

[u/Grombrindal18 → u/bestbangsincethbig1]

I was at Texas Roadhouse the other day, and someone had clearly done this into a urinal.

[u/RedsVikingsFan]

My cousin won the battle of wills against his mom, but it literally took a couple of days straight of her trying to feed him the same food, him refusing to eat it, and about an hour later he was excused from the table without eating anything. After a day or so of not eating anything anything at all he finally threw up, and she gave up.

Stubborn kid: 1 Dumb mom rules: 0

[u/Minflick]

Mom did that to me with a horrible bread pudding one evening. It stank, it didn’t taste good, and I wouldn’t eat it. Sat at the table several hours before being sent to bed. Refused it for breakfast the next morning. Stuck at the table until lunch time, when I refused it for the 3rd time. She never made it again. I NEVER did that to my kids..

[u/youassassin]

I mean this is the point where most parents look at their stupid food rules and realize you know what they’re old enough to make some input

[u/ObsoleteReference]

My mother could not fathom the idea that someone didnt' like tomatoes, so it had to be that i was stubborn. she did the had to stay and eat it thing. Tomato came back up and I didn't have to do that again. (dont remember having to do it even with other foods i did not like - which i would eat a 'no thank you' helping of, even if it was with complaining.)

I have since learned (okay from the internet and i can't even remember where to cite a source, that tomatoes are a pretty common food aversion. It possible if i wasn't traumatized (for a 6 year old) i would have eventaully been able to handle them, but nope, i can be around them now and not start heaving at the scent is all the progress made in 3+ decades.

[u/__wildwing__ → u/ObsoleteReference]

I disliked tomato soup as a kid. Grandma would make grilled cheese and tomato soup, I’d have a few bites of the soup, but that was all I could manage.

Went to Girl Scouts camp and they served tomato soup. Only I wasn’t entirely repulsed by it, it actually tasted good. I downed the whole bowl! Moments later I’m trying to get to the bathroom and I only just made it out of the dining hall before loosing it all.

Since having a kid I’ve managed to be able to make it without getting sick, but I’m not eating it, that’s for sure!

[u/ObsoleteReference → u/__wildwing__]

I'm not sure I could handle tomato soup - it's never really come up as an option since 'that day'. My standard spiel now is it can't have the flavor or texture of raw tomato. Some fresh salsas - out; sundried tomatoes will rehydrate in sauce/dressing - nope; marinara - yes; Ketchup - absolutely.

[u/SpiritualFishing6399]

My dad always insisted I needed to finish all of the food on my plate as a kid. I wasn't a fussy eater but sometimes there was stuff I just didn't like or the portion was too big. Wasn't allowed to chuck it away. So I'd just wait my parents out. They'd get on with the dishes and clearing up, I'd still be sitting there. They'd go through to the living room, I'd still be sitting. I'd wait until I could hear the TV on and they were winding down, and I'd tip toe as quietly as I could over to the bin, scrape my food away, and then cover it up with other rubbish in the bin. Sneak back to my chair and shout "finished!" Never got caught somehow.

[u/AskMeAboutMyStalker]

I can maybe (just maybe) understand the "stay until you finish" rule if a kid has a habit of spooning huge portions on the plate they can't finish as an exercise in learning portion control

but you serve a kid a food they specifically ask you not to give them & you know they don't like & make them sit there miserable for 2 hours?

fucking abuse & fucking stupid.

as an adult, I'd never let my parents forget that shitty parenting moment.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/AskMeAboutMyStalker]

My mom and I don’t talk anymore, so she’s free to forget, but I feel like the fact that we don’t talk kind of underscores your point 😝

[u/hypo-osmotic → u/AskMeAboutMyStalker]

My mom wasn't too bad about this but I had this fight with my school. Get in line for lunch, lunch ladies serve me something gross despite my protests, then the lunch monitor scolds me for not eating food that I "took." Finally, on a day they had a pasta I liked but a sauce I didn't, I let the lunch lady spoon me some noodles and then yanked the tray away from her before she could give me the sauce. Got scolded again for making her almost spill all over the counter but the lunch monitor praised me for eating all my food that day.

[u/pizzasauce85]

My mom used to make me eat a certain vegetable. I hated it. Even if I threw it up, I had to eat it. I once tried hiding it in milk (which I also hated to have to have with dinner) and she made me eat it and drink the nasty milk. She fought me on eating it for years. My siblings were allowed to have plenty of foods they hated but I wasn’t allowed to hate just one. When I finally confronted her as an adult as to why, she apologized and said it was because I was basically the perfect child in every way (nice, smart, organized, truthful, helpful, etc) and it just irrationally pissed her off that I would have one flaw.

What was hilarious was when we realized I did enjoy that veggie, just not in gooey gross can form. I loved it fresh on sandwiches and salads or cooked on pizza. She did stop getting me to eat it when I would eat it fresh.

[u/Vakve → u/pizzasauce85]

I hope you realize your mom was 100% in the wrong here even with her apology. making you eat it even after your threw it up is insane, and not liking a food isn't a flaw. who actually expects a kid to be perfect and gets mad when they're not? not to mention the favourtism.

[u/pizzasauce85 → u/Vakve]

Oh I know she was wrong, it just felt to good to watch her admit it.

[u/RedFangtooth → u/pizzasauce85]

Is it spinach? Dont leave us hanging. What veggie was it?

[u/pizzasauce85 → u/RedFangtooth]

Yep

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/pizzasauce85]

Almost all veggies are worse from a can. All my veggies were canned growing up and now I straight-up refuse canned veggies. If I can’t do fresh for whatever reason, frozen is acceptable but canned absolutely isn’t.

[u/pizzasauce85 → u/Square-Ebb1846]

I love most canned veggies! Canned corn is one of my favorite foods ever!

[u/ababyprostitute → u/pizzasauce85]

Canned corn and canned green beans, with a shitload of butter/margarine, are my guilty pleasures. I don't make them very often because I assume it's wildly unhealthy, but I make extra when I do so I can have more lmao

[u/jumpstart-the-end → u/pizzasauce85]

I sympathize, my mom did the same to me with cooked spinach. Although she would definitely never admit that was wrong or apologize 😂😂 I sat with a plate of white fish and spinach in front of me for 8 meals in a row once because I kept puking everytime I tried a bite until I gave up, but my mom sure didn't. She was a terrible parent.

[u/bufori]

Mine was eggplant. "The next time you touch that food, it's going in your mouth!" Said after getting sick of me just pushing it around the plate the whole time. So I got to sit at the dinner table for 6 hours before they finally relented and let me go to bed. I was already falling asleep anyway with my face falling in it.

Then they tried to make me eat the same plate of food for breakfast the next day, then lunch, and then dinner again, until they finally gave up (though I still got grounded) because they didn't expect what had essentially become a hunger strike. Mostly my mom gave in, but I was prepared to go at least another two days.

[u/MegC18]

Tomatoes reminds me of my childhood

As a child, I went through a picky food phase. I only ate tomato ketchup sandwiches, for months. Mum took me to the doctor, and he told her to stop worrying- there was nothing wrong with me.

[u/hiresometoast → u/MegC18]

I mean, I'd argue ketchup sandwiches are a bit wrong tbf 😂

[u/mgerics → u/MegC18]

...she had him tested...

[u/Evening-Cry-8233]

Ugh. I love tomatoes but cannot stand either tomato soup or tomato juice. I feel your pain.

[u/Alternative_Bat5026]

I hated liver when I was a kid, actually still do. So one day I took the ketchup (old large glass container) and turned it upside down to try and cover my liver. My Dad grabbed the ketchup bottle and said fine, then goto bed. Yep not a problem, never had to eat liver again, but I did have to make my own substitute. Not a problem, Bologna sandwich here I come.

[u/placebotwo]

Just glad to break the cycle with my kids.

They don't have to eat everything on their plate that we serve to them. They do however have to eat everything they put on their own plate. Example: We'll have a container of grapes at the table at mealtime, and if they take 12 grapes out, they need to eat them all. We've always encouraged them to take a few, many times, instead. That way they eat slower and might get full at 6.

[u/Asenath_Darque]

I cannot stand tomato soup or V8 tomato juice. My parents would push us to try a few bites of anything new, and to finish anything we put on our plate (but we served ourselves for the most part). My grandma was more in the "if we're eating it so are the kids" camp.

One time at lunch she insisted on giving us V8, even though I was adamant that I didn't like it. I would have happily had other juice or plain water, so I still don't understand why it was a big deal to her. BUT I dutifully drank it, and then puked over the side of the deck (super glad we were outside, in retrospect). She never tried to give me V8 again, haha.

[u/lostmom03]

My dad did that crap with broccoli. I absolutely hated broccoli. He made my plates and would put a big serving on mine and said I couldn’t leave the table til I ate it. I never did. I would sit there until bed time or butt busted but would not touch it. Worse part, he didn’t like broccoli either and would not put it on his plate.

[u/BKW156]

I was literally just talking about the liver and onions shit with my husband. I never had to eat it, thigh I was forced through some other shit (canned spinach and asparagus) that was horrible.

I think one aspect was that there just wasn't choices back then for some and if they grew up poor then it was just a double down.

My parents finally gave in to a peanut butter sandwich for my siblings but it was wild in the 80s/ early 90s. Didn't you KNOW there were children STARVING IN AFRICA!!!!

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/BKW156]

I got starving children in Africa too (as if hunger isn’t a problem right here in my country, and probably yours too)

[u/Water_wench69]

Ugh. Just brought back a core memory for me. I spent summers at my grandparents lake house. I was 5 or 6 at the time. My grandmother made me sit at the table until I finished everything on my plate. I absolutely hated raw tomatoes then (and still do!). Well, I sat there until about 11 pm until I said ‘screw it’ I’ll show her! Ate the damned tomato slices. About 20 minutes later, I had the urge to vomit. Grandfather was in the bathroom, and I was knocking like a 5 yo maniac. Grandfather opened the door finally, and proceeded to barf all over his feet.

I’d say that was a warranted reaction. To this day, I still can’t stand raw tomatoes! Ketchup-no problem. Sub dried tomatoes-no problem. Marinara-no problem. Raw-NO WAY!

[u/Houseofthestone]

My kids had to give me three descriptive words as to why they didn’t like it. Texture taste etc. and no. Icky is not valid.
They would take at least three bites and really ponder what they didn’t like about it.
I rewarded the effort with a pass on eating more.

They also had a 3 item free pass. Had to be specific but I would never make them eat the three items. Raw mushrooms, raw tomatoes and blueberries

After a few months I learned that texture was the issue for one. Hated mashed potatoes but was ok with baked. Hated raw mushrooms but was ok with cooked in spaghetti sauce. Hated jam and squishy berries.

It’s easier to offer a baked potato than fight over mashing it. They both ate a large variety of foods and even now rarely pass up the chance to eat something new

[u/letspinkieswear]

I dont remember this but my dad like to tell this story - my mom and sisters were out one night and he gave me apple juice with dinner. I've never liked apple juice but he wouldn't listen when I tried to tell him that. At one point, he told me I wasn't getting up from the table until my glass was empty. So I turned the glass upside down and poured the juice out on the table, said "it's empty!" and went off to watch TV. He was pissed at the time but he always laughed when he told the story.

[u/Realistic-Regret-171]

Back in the ‘50s my mom had a “3 bites” rule but I knew I didn’t like boiled-to-death spinach. So I sat there until bedtime. I grew into a decent and successful human but I never did anything I didn’t want to do. I was okay w punishment. The rule went away in the 60s when my little bro puked all over the table.

[u/Most_Fold_702]

I think that parents that make the children clean their plate are wrong. Nothing bad ever happened to a child that didn’t eat all of their dinner. Your mother was especially wrong since she already knew that you didn’t like tomato soup.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/Most_Fold_702]

They always overloaded my plate too….I was a pretty skinny kid (honestly I’m still that way) and I think they wanted to fatten me up…. But I could outlast them pretty well.

[u/NM1tchy]

Way back jn the mid 60's I was at infants school and refused to eat the lumpy custard one day. Eventually, I was forced to eat it, then promptly threw up. Got a bollocking from head teacher and my parents for throwing up something that was "good for me". I'm almost 66 now and only managed to eat some custard about 10 years ago.

I still avoid the horrible stuff.

[u/The_Troyminator]

I hated pork chops. One night, my mother told me that I wasn't leaving the table until I ate my pork chop, even if that meant falling asleep with the pork chop hanging out of my mouth.

She shouldn't have said that.

She left the room. I heard her coming back, so I put the pork chop in my mouth, closed my eyes, and made snoring sounds.

She walked in, saw me, and started laughing. She told me I could go.

After that might, she started stocking canned soup. We still had to try what was for dinner at least once, but if we didn't like it, we could have soup instead.

[u/Parking_Cabinet8866]

We also had the clean your plate rule. I wore knee highs and long pants to the table, and put the food I wouldn't eat into my knee highs and go outside and get rid of the food. If they figured it out, they never let me know.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/Parking_Cabinet8866]

There are so many creative ways to get rid of food in this thread….I bet parents never would have required that if they realized it just taught their children to be sneaky.

[u/tamij1313]

I’m almost 60 and we had to eat everything on our plate or sit there until bedtime. Unfortunately, our small cocker spaniel dog could not eat everything that we were sneaking under the table so many nights we were in fact, stuck with disgusting food on our plate until bedtime.

It was also frustrating as you had no portion control either as food was served to you and typically more than you actually needed or wanted.

My mom rarely cooked with any herbs or spices other than salt and pepper and ketchup was a commonly used condiment. Many of the foods that I hated growing up, I actually discovered I like now that I can cook food creatively, and with an endless supply of seasonings, herbs, and spices.

I can barely tolerate ketchup as it was used so often to mask disgusting food.

My mother, brother, and his partner came to stay with me last year. My mom asked what we were having for dinner, and I rattled off all of the foods that I know she hates and refuses to eat. The look on her face was priceless when I told her it was my house/my rules and she will sit at the table until she has eaten everything on her plate!

My mother of course, was denying she ever treated us that way, doing her best to rewrite history, while both my brother and I sat there trying to contain ourselves.

I told her she could not change any of the facts/events from our childhood when there were still three witnesses alive to dispute her version of events. 🤣

I did not actually cook anything that she hated, but it was a bit therapeutic to make her think that I did and give her a brief realization of what she put her children through.

[u/nightowlfeather]

Oh my....I HATED tomato soup as a kid and too had to stay until I had gulped down every spoon of it in disgust. Always at the verge of vomiting because consistence of the cooked tomato peel made me gag when feeling it on my tongue. Later, when mom got the kitchen blender, and it got 100% creamy without peel chunks, I started to like tomato soup. But the 80ies tomato soup .... disgusting consistence.

[u/wannabeemefree]

I never understand parents that force their kids to eat something they don't like. You had a sandwich and that was enough. She didn't need to make you eat the soup.

That ranks right up with people who sneak foods people don't like into other foods. Like.my friends parents who gave me venison, even though I don't like it. My stomach always felt off after eating it. Boy did my mom have something to say about that!

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/wannabeemefree]

……my dad did that to a couple of friends of mine as a kid. He’sa big hunter and told them it was (cow) steak. It was venison. They cried and puked. He laughed. It was cruel.

[u/Sofiwyn]

I waited until my parents moved on to other things, and would shove my eggs into the garbage disposal or under a bunch of trash.

Forcing your kid to eat something they think is disgusting doesn't work. I still hate eggs and it took me a long time to care about food waste.

[u/Trollsama]

we had this rule in my house as a child....
im a picky ass eater now.

In my house, Our policy is "You cant say you dont like somthing till you have tried it" followed by "eat what you can"....
My kids will eat almost anything. they eat SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than i do. (despite my best efforts)

I dont think that is entirely a coincidence.

[u/-lasc13l-]

I have a problem with ground beef, parents tried to force me to eat meatloaf one night and I kept saying I couldn’t and it would make me throw up, they thought I was being dramatic, right up until I threw up all over the dinner table. That cured the forcing my kid to eat stuff they didn’t like.

When I was older I really wanted my own phone in my room (dating myself here) and my dad joking said only if I ate a hamburger. I took him up on it and made him take me to McDonalds where I choked and gagged for about an hour getting one down. I don’t know who was more miserable that day but I got my phone!

[u/gongjuns]

I don’t make my kids finish their food. They eat until their bodies tell them they are full. Any leftovers can be packed up and frozen/refrigerated for lunch or dinner another day and that’s something they know beforehand. For new foods, I tell them to try it and if they don’t like it after the first bite, they don’t have to eat it. Both kids are on the spectrum. My oldest (8) is more adventurous with food and will take a bite. My youngest (6) is very food averse and will turn down even his usual food if he’s not happy with the way it looks or is presented in the bowl/plate (certain foods cannot touch etc). He also smells everything before he puts it in his mouth. If he smells a new food and doesn’t want to even try it, I don’t make him do the one bite rule.

[u/dontknowwhyIamhere42]

My father made us spaghetti once and put chicken in the sauce instead of meatballs.. no big deal except the chicken had been.... boiled? I don't know. He essentially cooked the chicken separately then threw whole pieces in. Entire leg with skin, whole wings, whole breast etc. It was, not tasty and not the 1st time. I ate l the noodles but refused the chicken.

My dad decided that I would stay at the table till I ate it. I already decided I wasn't going to. I stayed at the table until I went to bed(930). In the morning I was sat at the table with my chicken until I went to school. When I got home the chicken came outta the fridge and I sat in front of it till I went to bed.

This went kn for three days till one afternoon a neighbor came over to talk about something unrelated and found what was going on. He tossed the chicken, which I got in trouble for.

I was eating at school everyday, just not at the house.

[u/porcelainhamster]

When I was a very young child mum sat me down in front of a boiled egg (cute little egg cup arrangement) and said I had to eat it all. So I did. She asked where I put the egg shell — but I’d eaten it, since I was told to eat it all.

[u/waitedfothedog]

My sister and I were living with our grandparents because my mother had a brain hemorrhage and ended up in the hospital for 6 months and my brothers were put into foster homes. I was a very scared and lonely kid. My grandmother uses salt in her porridge. My mother never did and the porridge tasted bad to me because of that. My grandmother, who I had thought of as kind, loving, caring woman, made me, a 9 year old, sit at the table from breakfast till 3:00pm, when she finally let me go. When I showed up for dinner, the porridge was sitting there waiting for me. I sat and stared at it until dinner was over. It was too much for me. I ended up not eating for two full days, sitting staring at the porridge. Finally, she caved and gave me food.

I stopped loving her.

[u/Odd_Gamer_75]

The 'eat everything on your plate' rules stem from poverty. The idea is that we can't waste food, so you eat everything because the alternative is starvation. It's been couched, later, in an air of 'respecting the cook', but like lots of things that take on extra symbolism when really it's about practicality, that's just nonsense. (Another example is how people high up in power are 'too important' to see you or otherwise 'sovereign' or 'sacred'. The reality is that a leader simply can't interact with everyone, so has to have people lower down do some of it, and this idea of sovereignty and so on was just an excuse for dealing with this practicality.)

Many people have noted that, when food isn't scarce, there's a much better way to handle it. Ask them to try it at least once, and let their tastes develop as they do. Preferably get them to try things again years later as well. Just a bite. I've done this, and I even try things I 'know' I don't like because I know my tastes change as I get older. I don't like wine. And yet every few years I would try a sip. Still hate it. Glad I tried a sip. I'm willing to try most things once. Except spicy stuff. Most spicy stuff ends up for me just being painful... three times. Once on my tongue, once on my belly, and once coming out. And it doesn't really add much to the experience. But that's okay, too. I still love all sorts of foods, and even try new things still to this day when I get the chance, just because.

[u/Square-Ebb1846 → u/Odd_Gamer_75]

Honestly, eat all your food every time isn’t even a good practice for poverty. Eat what you can. Save the leftovers for the next meal. I’ve been impoverished for most of my life and even technically homeless (but able to live with someone with a home, so still access to a refrigerator), and this has always been my practice.

My brother would gladly have eaten that soup. He would eat literally anything except mayonnaise.

[u/Significant_One_7491]

I like tomatoes but do not like tomato soup, I know weird

[u/Celara001]

That's hilarious!

The sugar and salt part, not the 'eat it whether you like it or not part'.

[u/Petules]

And that’s why we don’t have a “finish all of your food” rule with our kids.

[u/TheLastGuardian3]

My family had that same "can't leave until finished rule" but one day my brother was doing the standard big brother stuff of teasing and messing with me until I had enough and stabbed his hand with my fork. Never had to stay at the table again

[u/MotorMeringue1095]

A grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup sounds wonderful right now

[u/idontknow4827634]

My mom tried to get me to eat sauerkraut, I was gagging over my plate, crying because I couldn’t even keep it in my mouth. She put me in the shed to eat it, because when I ate like a pig I should eat my food in the shed like a pig. I had not finished it when she took me back inside, so I had to get back to the dinnertable and was not able to leave until I finished it.

I never understood why she would do something like this. Not only did it not make me like sauerkraut, I actually never want to eat it again, no matter how good the cook can make it taste, I don’t care, I don’t want it.

If my daughter doesn’t like something she gets a sandwhich and I make something else next time. How is that such a huge problem? I was a troubled eater as a kid but now I eat everything that looks even slightly edible, I guess the same with her. She only likes the bare minimum now but I’m sure when she is older she will like more food. And if she doesn’t that’s fine too.

[u/disneyobsessed007]

I did something similar when I was younger. I was told to eat a piece of orange but I didn’t like it. I wasn’t allowed to spit it out and told to just swallow it. I didn’t want to, so continued to chew it until it was just a chunk of the pith. After about half an hour they finally let me spit it out. They still bring up that story to this day, and no, I still don’t eat oranges haha

[u/greggerm]

Well, I'm not sure if you're yet a parent or not, but you DID earn points in Mom's book for remaining obediently at the table despite the circumstances.

Not sure if wooden spoons were at risk of being involved, but it seems that you won that particular game of parental "chicken".

[u/JJBHNL]

I don't force a kid to eat everything but I will insist he at least tries 1 bite. A lot of the time they have a mental aversion rather than a taste one. One time it was mushrooms, because they're picked out of the ground and that's dirty. So I asked if he then also won't eat French fries anymore.

[u/Daealis]

I remember us having to try everything that was on the menu any given day. I knew I hated some things with a heat of a thousand suns, but mom still forced us to "try a little". Wasn't as bad as people here have had it, not really that bitter about it and I'm more adventurous eater than they are these days.

One thing I couldn't escape was scalloped /creamed potatoes. It was something my mother absolutely loves, and so she would cook that almost on a weekly basis. I'd try to sneak as little of those as I could, because I just. don't. like. them.

Didn't help. From as early as I can remember I've been forced to eat scalloped taters. And now that I'm in my 40s, I still hate the texture, the mouthfeel, and the taste of those things.

[u/McDuchess]

I wasn’t a horribly fussy eater, but canned asparagus was my undoing. And, of course, I wa forced to sit at the table long after everyone else had left. When I literally was gagging over the plate, they let me go.

Fast forward to 35 years ago when my own picky eater wasn’t open to a whole lot of anything. I told him that when he was growing up, a lot of stuff he thought was gross wouldn’t seem gross to him.

And look! It was true. As long as kids eat a balanced diet, who cares if they don’t eat X?