Fussy eaters and how to cope in a thankless environment

[Lostandconfused]

Firstly, I'd like to say that I understand the pressure educators are under and appreciate everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. I have worked in different center kitchens and have found children in the oldest age group (kinder age) to be the fussiest of them all and the kinder teacher in my center has been telling me that her kids want to have sandwiches for lunch instead of a hot meal. According to her, the parents are also preferring that as they start school next year and will be having sandwiches in their lunchboxes etc etc. I complied as the cook and for a few weeks, I've been supplying them with salads, ham, cheese and wraps. I found that they would be eating up to 2-3 wraps each with heaps of ham and cheese and not much salads. After a week or two they also started asking for hot meals as well as salads and wraps. This didn't sit right with me because firstly, the center isn't a buffet, you should be eating what is given. Secondly, just having wraps and cheese everyday isn't a nutritionally balanced diet. I came up with a suggestion of having transition days. On having their preferred wraps and salads on days they don't want their hot meal and to have the hot meal on other days that are popular (eg: spag bol days). I tried talking to the kinder teacher today about my ideas alongside my center manager. I printed out the healthy eating guidelines summary to highlight the fact that ham and cheese daily isn't going to suffice. As soon as I explained things the kinder teacher finished nodding and started telling me that her kids just hate my food. I've been in this place for 6 months. The previous cook was there for 7 years. When I started I tried introducing things like salads and I would dice up veg since I don't believe in hiding vegetables. I was brutally taken down for trying new things. I started keeping things simple and would not cook things the kids didn't like. I would still cut up things like broccoli and cauliflower instead of blending it into smitherins and for that she said to me that the kids are having anxiety from the foods. They don't like things like chunky veg, and crispy cheesy bit on top of pasta bakes cos it's too hard and she has to dig through it to serve the meal to them .she said theyd eat bowls of what the last cook would make but they just can't transition to the meals I make. I told her that It's very unfair for her to tell me that considering I'm hearing feedback from other room educators telling me they love the meals. One educator even said to me she has stopped bringing lunch to work cos she looks forward to eating what I make. The thing is, I know my food tastes good. I don't need that reassurance. A part of me feels that she just got super defensive. I said to her that I'm not telling her how to do her job, I just want the children to have a variety apart from ham and cheese wraps everyday. I don't need to be told that my pasta bakes are giving kids anxiety???

I am actually quite bummed although I'm trying not to take it personally. I feel like my job is quite thankless and I am trying very hard to cope. I have lost my passion for entering the cooking industry to begin with and I used to thrive cooking for children. I tried telling her that it's important for the children to have a sensory experience with meals and they need to see, touch and feel things like vegetables. Different textures and things. She said that's not our problem. That's for the parents to do. I said it's our duty when they are at the center because they spend most of their time and meals there. We can't control what goes on at home but the food culture at the center is something we can cultivate to make it a positive and immersive experience. Am I just being delusional to think this way? As a center cook is my job just to serve slop on a plate?

[Lorina]

It sounds like you're putting a lot of thought and effort to serve nutritious and healthy balanced meals to the children.

As for the children having anxiety over your food is very "over the top". If all the other children and Educators are enjoying your food except for the kindy room, it just doesn't sound right.

If the children are enjoying ham and cheese can you incorporate that into your meals? Pizzas, pasta bakes etc. just add the extra cheese and ham (sorry if you are already doing this I'm just throwing ideas out there).

Can you add a wrap with the hot food for each child - or could you do a sandwich platter for the kindy teacher to serve wraps to the children with the hot food.

You're are not delusional that's for sure! You are doing the right thing!

What did the director say about all this? Have you come up with a solution?

,
Lorina

[Lostandconfused]

We have resolved with the issue by getting them to have the meals separately ie: rice and sauce in different bowls etc etc. On days I'm unable to that eg: pasta bake days, they will have salads and wraps. Will see how that works. The outcome has been met, I just can't shake off what she said to me because it actually cut me deep and just hurt my feelings. But oh well .that's life