american food

[paul1672]

hi all.

going back for our fourth visit in september and we are taking my 9 year old son who is very very fussy in what he eats.

he only really eats chips,super-noodles,packet pasta (asda chicken and mushroom sauce) pot-noodles,crisps and shreddies.

i know,it's a nightmare.............

just wondering,can anyone advise if we will be able to buy this type of food in wal-mart etc as we are staying in a villa so want to be able to cook him food he will like....

failing that,does anyone know if we can take the above various types of food into the country being as most of them are dried packet foods?

many thanks in advance

paul

[peterB]

Don't bring or buy any of the above and I am sure after a few days he will aprreciate the good food that is readily available in the fine restaurants around Orlando. Have fun.

[Majik]

i know it is not what you want to hear, but I agree with above. It is a great time to try different food. Take him to a buffet where he can try little portions of lots of different foods.

[lafifille]

I'm affraid I agree with above, and I can relate to what you're going through as my youngest was the pickiest in the world, to the point she'd throw up if she had to try something she didn't want to eat. BUT we took her abroad many times, and she never let herself starve to death. I must say we never went out of our way to give her just what she supposedly liked when we were travelling. Even in Morrocco (she was 7) she ended up liking the lemon marinated chicken they grill... after 3 days of bread and water.

That said, I don't know about the super-noodles and packet pasta, but I think your Chips are French fries, which you'll find at every corner. Crisps are all over the world too. Buffet restaurants will have pasta, and your son may want to try macaroni and cheese. Pot noodles should be on the shelves at the grocery store too, but I might be talking about something entirely different of what you're referring to[msnscared]. You'll find that restaurants in the US are very children oriented, and will usually go out of their way to please a picky child... usually.

Just for my own education, what on earth are shreddies?

I think you're okay with SOME dry food in your checked luggage.

[Jules]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lafifille
Just for my own education, what on earth are shreddies?[/quote]They are a type of breakfast cereal made by Nabisco, apparently they are available in Canada but not the US.

I disagree with the others, I don't think a time when you are suppposed to be relaxing and enjoying yourselves is the time to try and cure your sons unusual eating habits. My daughter had a period of being vegan, yes it was a teenage fad that she eventually grew out of in her own time but it did make for some very difficult times on holiday so I can sympathise.

If I was you I would pack a couple of boxes of Shreddies so that at least he can eat breakfast in the villa, they are not that heavy to carry and though there may be some in the ethnic aisles of Wal Mart and Publix they will be expensive. He will be able to get chips no problem, they have oven chips in the supermarkets and every restaurant will have "fries". The same with crisps they will be different brands that he is used to(try Lays brand) may be different flavours than he is used to but they taste pretty similar to the ones we have here, we actually prefer them. The dried pasta in sauce should be OK to pack as long as it doesn't contain beef but you will be able to find similar stuff in the supermarkets.

I agree with taking him to buffets they are fairly cheap and he may just decide that he wants to try something different.

Good luck and have a good holiday.

[lafifille]

Since you're going in September, you have some time to make him try brands you'll find in the US, sort of attacking the problem from the opposite angle [msnwink]. Call the toll-free numbers on the packages of the foods he likes, and ask them if they are available in the US, and what the package looks like (very often the same stuff is just presented differently[msnwink]). You can probably find the info on the brands websites too.
Also, many restaurants heve websites where they give their menu and some even have pictures, you could browse on them with your son and let him pick the places that appeal to him most, if any.

I really think you'll be fine: he'll probably be so excited by all the fun Florida has to offer that food won't be his top preoccupation. Let's cross our fingers for that!

For what it's worth, I seize every occasion to tell my daughter that she might have to try food she's not used too when we'll be in the US. That's the price to pay to go there and do the parks [msnwink]. Then I hope for the best...

[bargainqueen]

I agree with Jules, bring his favourite breakfast cereal, pkt noodles and pasta. If he finds something else to eat fine but if he doesn't then you're covered.

If you are staying in a villa you only need to bring out 3 or 4 changes of clothes so your suitcases will be fairly empty.

You'll have plenty of room to bring back the bargains that you'll find here.

I'll be going into Walmart today so I'll check to see if they do pot noodle and report back.

[Val]

You will find most of the food in Walmart or Publix, I do know that Publix carry things like Shreddies. I do agree that this is your holiday and you do not want to be stressed but the buffet bars are such a good way of getting children to try different foods and lets face it you are also on holiday and do not want to be wasting time cooking, its your holiday as well and I would think at 9 he should be able to appreciate this and make an effort especially as his Mum and Dad have saved all their money to treat him to a holiday in Florida. Golden Coral or Sizzlers do good buffets for children.

Val

[Neil Swift]

Here is a thought Paul, tell your son that you are not allowed to take foodstuffs into the US (even though many of us do [msnwink]) and then go food shopping when you get there without him and tell him they don't sell his usual stuff. Eating all that rubbish is surely not good for him and this tactic might change his eating habits?

Failing that Publix's and Wal-Mart sell all the same rubbish and a lot more good food besides.

Also Val has a very good point. The buffet places are very cheap and serve a massive choice, even fries[msnsmile2]

Edit..... I have two boys aged 9 and 5 and there is always something they like where ever we go to eat.

[luckylady]

My eldest Grandson was a fussy eater; I could count on two hands what he would eat.
When he visited Florida for the first time we took him to the Golden Coral for breakfast one morning. The look on his face was a picture, couldn’t believe his eyes that he could have ice cream for breakfast.

We made a rule that he could have anything he wanted in moderation, provided he tasted some different items that he hadn't tried before. This system worked a treat, many foods he tried and disliked but some he liked especially the scrambled eggs, and hash browns
We went back many time Pot Roast, sweat corn and mashed potatoes were all items he tried for dinner and spaghetti was a real winner

From that time he was been more adventurous and has added those items to his limited menu. It’s the first place he asks to eat when he arrives in Florida [msnwink]