Traveling with picky eaters

[*inviteseller]

I hatehatehate people whose eating issues take over and become everyone's issue.  I don't eat meat, but my dad's favorite place to go out to is a steakhouse with very little choices for me...but I make do with an appetizer and salad.  I don't stomp my feet and whine and say but I don't liike that!  I worked with someone though that took pickiness to an art form.  There were only 5 of us, so on Fridays we would pick from over 40 different places to order from for a group lunch.  Each one of us took a turn picking a place but she started whining because she only liked 2-3 places.  So, the boss, who was spinesless when it came to her, let her keep picking.  The problem?  2 of the places literally each had 1 thing on the menu I could eat, and I had tried both and did not care for them at all.  The third was so expensive that I could not justify spending the money, so I quit joining in for lunch.  I was berated for being too picky (?) and yelled at because I ordered from another place instead.  Everyone has different food tastes, and it can be difficult to appease everyone, but with co operation it can be done.  When a few hold the whole group hostage from enjoying a local food in a foreign country (which is part of the fun of traveling!) then it is time to cut them loose from the travel group, or simply saying "the majority wants to go to place A, so go find whatever you want to eat and we will meet back up late."

[ettiquit]

Slight thread-jack - I have a rule that I must go to McDonalds once anytime I'm in a new country.  Every country changes up the menu (Rome served beer, Greece has gyros), and I amuse myself by taking this tradition very seriously.  Thankfully, my DH doesn't mind indulging this, although I would never expect anyone I'm traveling with to eat a McD's with me.  I wouldn't expect them to sit with me either, assuming that transportation isn't an issue. 

[Twik]

McDonalds does blackened chicken outside of Houston. Quite good, actually.

[sammycat]

Slight thread-jack - I have a rule that I must go to McDonalds once anytime I'm in a new country.  Every country changes up the menu (Rome served beer, Greece has gyros), and I amuse myself by taking this tradition very seriously.  Thankfully, my DH doesn't mind indulging this, although I would never expect anyone I'm traveling with to eat a McD's with me.  I wouldn't expect them to sit with me either, assuming that transportation isn't an issue.

I love visiting foreign McDonalds too, for this reason. It's interesting to see the differences between foreign McDonalds and my local ones.

[Sophia]

It is funny that I NEVER go to McDonald's at home.  Rarely burger fast food of any kind.  But, usually once per trip I usually go.  I'll crave french fries and a giant soda.  Mcdonald's is usually the place outside the U.S. to get both.

[Cami]

Slight thread-jack - I have a rule that I must go to McDonalds once anytime I'm in a new country.  Every country changes up the menu (Rome served beer, Greece has gyros), and I amuse myself by taking this tradition very seriously.  Thankfully, my DH doesn't mind indulging this, although I would never expect anyone I'm traveling with to eat a McD's with me.  I wouldn't expect them to sit with me either, assuming that transportation isn't an issue.

I love visiting foreign McDonalds too, for this reason. It's interesting to see the differences between foreign McDonalds and my local ones.

Now this is funny:  my sister had an au pair from Poland for awhile, and the only place she wanted to eat was McDonald's, because she just LOVED the McDonald's back in Poland.

We get a lot of foreign visitors from many different countries in my office and their top two choices for eating out are:
1. McDonald's
2. A steakhouse

In fact, we actually had an incident with a group of foreign dignitaries who were treated to a truly awesome dinner party at someone's home. They asked their host if they could leave and go to McDonald's.

[Thipu1]

Back in the days of the USSR friends from the museum would sometimes play host to scholars visiting for conferences.  They were the opposite of picky eaters.  When asked what sort of food they wanted to try in NYC, the answer was always, 'MEAT'.

[BuffaloFang]

Funnily enough, the country we went to was one of the few first world countries with absolutely no McDonalds, so at least we were spared that.

The issue itself, however, extends to more than just while in a foreign country.  When we go out to eat as a group in our hometown, the same two people tend to be making the stipulations on our dining options.  The difference being that the rest of the group doesn't really tend to care at home (though there has been a little bit of tension about it), since it's not a "This is our only chance to try *foreign specialty!*. 

Perhaps that was the bigger problem: they had grown accustomed to having their pickiness accommodated and couldn't see why it was different abroad.

[Midge]

Slight thread-jack - I have a rule that I must go to McDonalds once anytime I'm in a new country.  Every country changes up the menu (Rome served beer, Greece has gyros), and I amuse myself by taking this tradition very seriously.  Thankfully, my DH doesn't mind indulging this, although I would never expect anyone I'm traveling with to eat a McD's with me.  I wouldn't expect them to sit with me either, assuming that transportation isn't an issue.

I love visiting foreign McDonalds too, for this reason. It's interesting to see the differences between foreign McDonalds and my local ones.

That's how my hubby and I are when we travel. We try one restaurant "from home"--TGIFriday's in London, McDonald's in France, etc--just to see what it's like. We also try the Coca Cola in each country, go to grocery stores, and watch several hours of television. It gives you a nice perspective on the normal lives of normal people in the country.

We spend the rest of our time wandering, taking tours, trying the local cuisine, and talking and drinking with anyone who'll talk and drink with us.

[LadyClaire]

I have an extremely picky co-worker. She won't eat veggies of any sort, and pretty much only likes pasta, chicken fingers, and cheeseburgers from one particular place but not from anywhere else. When we have a group lunch, or a work related lunch, we all end up limited by the very few places she will eat. Even when it's someone else's birthday lunch. I'm all for telling her just to suck it up, try something new, or just don't go, but most of the other people will say "Ohh, it would be MEAN to exclude her/tell her she just has to deal with it".

It's very frustrating sometimes.

[magicdomino]

It just doesn't make sense to me that the compromise is each person spending some of their time being miserable while the other one is happy. So for example, I abhor sitting on the beach all day doing absolutely nothing. I'd be miserable doing that. On the other hand, there are folks who would be miserable trudging through museums all day or shopping all day, two things I love to do. For me to make them spend their day doing those things and being miserable, and then turn around spending my day on the beach to make up for it, well, it just doesn't make sense to me.

Truly miserable? There is absolutely nothing at the beach that you could find to enjoy if you went here for *part* of your vacation? There is absolutely no way to find the slightest bit of interest or enjoyment in a trip to the museum?

*raises hand*  I'm another one who is truly miserable at the beach, for much of the same reasons as other posters have mentioned:  heat, sunburn, sand in your underwear, overall boredom.  I don't like swimming, and haven't worn a bathing suit in many years.  In fact, I went on a cruise to the Caribbean, and never went anywhere near a beach.  Having said that, I wouldn't go on a vacation to a beach area with someone who loves the beach, anymore than I'd go on vacation with someone whose eating habits are drastically different than mine.  This is why most of my vacations have been by myself. 

[Venus193]

Ditto.  I don't get the beach vacation thing and always wonder why honeymoons are expected to be at such places.

As for the picky cow-irker who always wins the restaurant battle?  The other co-workers are enabling her.

[lurkerwisp]

I hatehatehate people whose eating issues take over and become everyone's issue. 

I confess that I have an eating issue which does dictate where I can go when a group of friends wants to get together for food.  I have a severe skin allergy to coconut.  As such, I cannot set foot in a Thai restaurant ever.  What's more, if someone were to eat something with coconut in it and then say, hug me, I'd be a resident of hive city for the next week.  My friends and family are aware of this, but occasionally forget.  If everyone else wanted to go for coconut-laden-food I'd have to just decline.

On vacation I'd not feel particularly safe being left alone in a foreign city.  I think I would have to insist that something that would cause a serious medical issue abroad be avoided out of respect for my safety.  If my travel buddies couldn't do that little for me I don't think we'd be friends anymore after traveling.

[Moray]

Ditto.  I don't get the beach vacation thing and always wonder why honeymoons are expected to be at such places.

As for the picky cow-irker who always wins the restaurant battle?  The other co-workers are enabling her.

Because honeymooners want to go someplace they consider romantic, and many of them (like other, non-honeymooning people ) find the beach romantic, relaxing, and enjoyable? The ones who don't feel that way, generally find other places to go.

[Lady Snowdon]

Whenever I read this thread, and people's reactions to the picky eaters, I'm always reminded of a college trip I took to London in 2011.  We all went to the Tower of London one morning and our profs gave us all a certain amount to buy lunch with (maybe 10 pounds?).  Anyway, 26 girls (including me) all went off to find lunch.  25 of them wound up going to McDonald's.  I bought fish and chips from a vendor.  I was amazed that nobody else wanted anything but "American" food.  I had a reputation for being a very picky eater at the time, and yet I was being "daring" and "bold" to eat fish and chips, according to these other girls.