I have created a food snob

[niccig]

DS is picky eater. He will eat a lot of different food, but he's picky about how it's made.

He can tell if I forgot to put the cinnamon and vanilla in his oatmeal
He can tel if I forgot to put nutmeg in the mac n cheese
He can tell if it's too much or too little cheese in the mac n cheese
He can tell if I put a different cheese in his scrambled eggs
He can tell if I overcooked his favourite pork
He can tell if used a different seasoning mix on the pork
He can tell if DH undercooked the steak
He can tell if the pizza place put too much pizza sauce on the cheese pizza
He can tell if the 2% milk is from TJs or another brand (this I do not understand)

I'm glad he'll eat a variety of food, but it is driving me crazy and DH refuses to cook for DS as "I can't do it the way you do." DS will eat the food, as I don't short order cook, and he will eat what is offered when visiting someone else, but I am amazed at what he can tell is different in his food.

[crl]

Maybe he has a future as a chef?

Catherine

[twowhat?]

I remember reading an article some years back about food tasters and how it's a well-paying job:)

[niccig]

Maybe he has a future as a chef?

Catherine

Maybe, then he can hear people complain about his cooking. I don't always have the exact same cheese, milk, or spices. I need him to be more flexible with his food. He will eat it, but grudgingly.

[mikala]

Does he ever cook with you or is he old enough to start doing a lot of the cooking steps himself for a few recipes? It might help him to experience first hand how all the little steps add up and somehow the outcome isn't always what you expect.

Re: milk, that actually doesn't seem that uncommon. I can tell the difference between different brands and between regular and ultra-pasteurized milk and know several friends that are the same. The type of plastic they use to package it (cloudy vs white plastic) also seems to affect taste.

[niccig]

I remember reading an article some years back about food tasters and how it's a well-paying job:)

Or a food critic. He can say he's had years of experience critiquing his mother's cooking. At least he will eat enough of the food. It could be worse, and he could refuse to eat it at all.

[niccig]

Does he ever cook with you or is he old enough to start doing a lot of the cooking steps himself for a few recipes? It might help him to experience first hand how all the little steps add up and somehow the outcome isn't always what you expect.

Re: milk, that actually doesn't seem that uncommon. I can tell the difference between different brands and between regular and ultra-pasteurized milk and know several friends that are the same. The type of plastic they use to package it (cloudy vs white plastic) also seems to affect taste.

He does cook with me and after the last complaint about the scrambled eggs which he can make with help, I told him he'll be making breakfast over the summer, so he can see how much work it is to make food everyday.

I do think the milk is as you describe. I just want to be able to buy milk if at grocery store rather than having to go to TJs. He will drink store bought milk, but much much less than normally does, so it won't get used up in time. I normally end up buying a small carton to get us through until next TJs trip.

[mikala]

This is probably way too complex for your needs but didn't someone post a way to read the TJs milk codes to find out where they actually source their milk? Your local grocery may carry the same thing under a different brand name.

[elbenn]

There are a group of people called super tasters. Maybe your DS is a super taster. Here's a link to explain it:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/how-to-tell-if-you-are-a-supertaster/

[niccig]

This is probably way too complex for your needs but didn't someone post a way to read the TJs milk codes to find out where they actually source their milk? Your local grocery may carry the same thing under a different brand name.

I should look into this. Thanks.

[niccig]

There are a group of people called super tasters. Maybe your DS is a super taster. Here's a link to explain it:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/how-to-tell-if-you-are-a-supertaster/

He could be. He does eat his green vegetables. I should try that home test.

[Aishe]

He can tell if the 2% milk is from TJs or another brand (this I do not understand)


My DH swears that TJ's milk is inferior to other brands. I cannot tell a difference at all, but he is adamant about it.

[citymama]

Love it. He has good taste!

My 2 year old rejects American parmesan cheese. Nothing but Italian, freshly grated onto her pasta. "PARMESAN!" She will yell if offered a lesser alternative that is called parmesan but is really not. (Same is true of her sister, but I think it's funnier when the two year old demands higher quality cheese!)

She loves olives. But she will not eat the kind of olives less fancy pizza places will put on their pizza or pasta dishes. She has a taste for the oil-cured kalamatas or other "high-end" olives. She almost gagged when offered the cheapo olives at what seemed like a fancy restaurant on our vacation.

They both love bread dipped in EVOO. My DD1 can absolutely tell lesser quality EVOO from better EVOO. I wouldn't dare offer them non-virgin olive oil.

My kids will not eat fake maple syrup. They won't eat pancakes from mixes. They do love home made pancakes with real maple syrup though!

Darn it, the kids have gotten used to good food way too early!

[citymama]

My DH swears that TJ's milk is inferior to other brands. I cannot tell a difference at all, but he is adamant about it.

FYI, TJs milk is sourced locally and differently in different regions. Where I live, their organic milk sourced from a group of dairies about 75 miles away from us and is the same milk sold under another brand name locally. So YMMV on the quality of their milk - it's very good around these parts.

[candaceb]

He definitely sounds like a super taster. DH is one. It sucks do I feel for you. His mother still talks about his 4th birthday when she put a little too much salt in the cake accidentally and he took one bite and said "too salty".

[larig]

Does he ever cook with you or is he old enough to start doing a lot of the cooking steps himself for a few recipes? It might help him to experience first hand how all the little steps add up and somehow the outcome isn't always what you expect.

Re: milk, that actually doesn't seem that uncommon. I can tell the difference between different brands and between regular and ultra-pasteurized milk and know several friends that are the same. The type of plastic they use to package it (cloudy vs white plastic) also seems to affect taste.

What the cows ate/were fed .matters a great deal too. Different grass = different taste

[brittone2]

DS1 is like that. He has an amazing sense of smell and taste with food and can detect very subtle undertones. Maybe he'll be a real wine snob some day :)

When he was like 3-4, the cheese people in WFs would crack up because he knew lots about the different varieties of cheeses. They gave him a cheddar sample without telling him what it was (other than "cheese"), and he was like, "is this an aged cheddar? I can taste the crystals in there." They were laughing so hard. He wasn't ;) He was very serious, and yes, it was cave-aged. The nice thing is that they spent about 10 mins with him teaching him different things about nice cheeses since they knew he was interested.

DH and I often joke about this generation of kids as opposed to our own generation, and their more "gourmet" and well-rounded tastebuds. Way different than the casseroles DH and I grew up on ;) (that said, my kids like a good casserole too).

eta: and yes, citymama, my kids could eat about $50 in olives from the olive bar each week I think ;) All 3 have loved them. Yes, they reject "out of a can" types of olives, but love the kalamatas and other nice varieties.

[georgiegirl]

My kids are food snobs too. They both freaked out when they were served regular olives (they love kalamata and other fancy types.). My 2 year old asked for capers on his bagel when we were at a friends house. Other embarrassing things they've asked for at friends houses include freshly cracked pepper and tzatziki (instead of ranch as a dip.)

[kozachka]

Supertaster or not, I think we as parents are at least partially responsible. We expose and teach our kids about better foods and cooking methods. When I asked DS which restaurant he wants to go to to celebrate end of school year, he asked to go to The Fish House for oysters (they have them on happy hour special for $1.25) and then proceeded to comment that they were not as nice as the small ones (Kumamoto oysters) ordered online. When I was 8 years old, I've never seen even a picture of an oyster, let alone knew the difference between the varieties. DS also would not ear canned olives. And he always picks up the best restaurant of the bunch of those we've been to, without any help from us, and then I have to explain that it is too expensive for the occasion. Plus he loves eating out.

I am glad that my DS lives a life where he gets to eat oysters, sushi, variety of ethnic foods, fancy cheeses and all sort of fresh fruits year round, but sometimes I worry about him being able to afford the lifestyle we are getting him used to, at least when he is younger.

Anyway, it is good to have a child who eats almost anything and I try to involve mine into cooking so that he understand the mechanics and timing a bit better.