Everyone’s tastes are different, and some folks enjoy trying new foods, while others don’t mind sticking to just a handful of their favorite things. Unfortunately, picky eaters often get a bad rep with people constantly trying to convince them to eat things they dislike.
This is what happened when a teenager got annoyed by her cousin’s picky eating and secretly made him eat quiche filled with onions. When he found out what she had done, he complained to his parents, and the teen got called out for contaminating his food.
More info: Reddit
Most fussy eaters tend to feel misunderstood by their loved ones because of the nature of their food restrictions
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster explained that she had to cook for her cousin while he was staying with her family for the summer, but since he was a picky eater, it was tough to manage
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The teenager threw a fit whenever a meal wasn’t to his liking, and one of his biggest food restrictions was about eating onions, which the poster loved using
Image credits: Simona Sergi / Freepik (not the actual photo)
To teach her cousin a lesson, the poster secretly made quiches with finely chopped onions in them and fed them to him
Image credits: gofwraths1
When the teen revealed what she had done, her cousin was livid, and he complained to his mom, who backed him up, claiming the teen had poisoned him
The biggest problem that the poster faced while hosting her cousin during the summer was that he kept rejecting all of the diverse dishes that she and her family cooked. Unfortunately, he had a long list of ingredients and items that he didn’t like to eat at all, and refused to even try the meals that she made.
In situations like this, people might be quick to blame the teen for having such a strict diet, but research shows that sometimes such behaviors can also be learned in childhood. Kids might pick up odd eating habits by watching their parents or even as a result of strict feeding patterns forced on them.
To also get a professional insight into this situation, Bored Panda reached out to Jess and Nita, who are registered dietitians, friends, and moms. Together, they operate Happy Healthy Eaters, where their mission is to help parents feed their children confidently.
They told us that “some teens are ‘super tasters,’ meaning they have more taste buds than average. For them, flavours aren’t just strong: they’re intense, which can make certain foods feel overwhelming.”
“Others may have had negative experiences with food earlier in childhood, such as being pressured to eat something they weren’t ready for. Those memories can stick and make certain foods feel unsafe or unappealing later on,” they added.
What the poster noticed was that even though her cousin kept making a fuss about eating certain foods, he seemed to like them when he ate dishes without knowing what was in them. That’s why she decided to secretly add onions to the meal that she was making and see what his reaction would be.
Image credits: egoitz_bengoetxea / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Eventually, the OP got tired of tiptoeing around her cousin’s pickiness, and she chopped onions up finely to put in his food. He didn’t realize what she had done, and he even ended up enjoying the meal, which is when the poster revealed the truth. Obviously, this made the teen very mad, and he complained to his parents about her.
Jess and Nita told us that “no one likes being tricked at the dinner table. It damages trust and almost never leads to, ‘Wow, thanks for fooling me! I guess I like onions now!’ While the intention may have been to ‘prove a point,’ actions like this can damage trust and typically backfire.”
They explained that “picky eaters are often strong-willed individuals who are determined in their preferences, and feeling deceived is more likely to increase their resistance. A respectful, honest approach tends to foster far more progress.”
That’s why even the teen’s mom was enraged at the OP’s actions, and she accused the girl of contaminating his food. The poster felt that she hadn’t done anything wrong, especially since her cousin had actually liked the meal.
It definitely seems clear that tricking the boy by making him eat onions didn’t work out as well as the OP expected, which is why Jess and Nita say that “a balanced approach works best. Teens should always have at least one familiar, comfortable food available so that mealtimes feel safe. At the same time, gentle nudges to explore new foods are important.”
“Curiosity is key. People learn to like new foods only when they feel in charge of trying them, and because our brains form opinions about flavour before we even take a bite, an open mind can make all the difference. If someone has already decided they won’t like a food, tasting it rarely changes the outcome,” they added.
Whose side are you on in this situation, and have you ever dealt with a picky eater or been one yourself? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Folks were divided on the issue, with some completely against the poster’s trickery and others thinking she did the right thing
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