A Question From Threads: Kids Eating Sushi

A chirashi bowl! I do something similar here for me and DH but mine has raw salmon or tuna and his gets cooked. He also doesn't like the nori but the rest of the flavors are fine for him as long as the seafood is cooked.

Thank you. Logically, I know you're right, but my anxious brain tells me otherwise. Something I need to work on.

I voted mom should have asked about the meal ahead of time, or she should have had something acceptable they would have eaten.   She knew the couple was childless so shouldn't expect a meal catered to the tastes of her children.

The only thing I ever mentioned to hosts about food was DD's allergy to eggs and oranges.  Sushi would have been a big hit with her.   When she was 8 I was taking her and her BFF to a Brownie meeting.  On the drive there I hear them in the back seat discussing the merits of which sushi was their favorite and which sushi restaurant in town was the best.     I am pretty sure I didn't even know what sushi was until I was in my 30's!  Fortunately for me DD did not come with  food issues or picky tastes like her mother!

If I am inviting people over for dinner, I would run the menu by them in advance, or at least the main dish. I would say come over for chicken, or come over for pizza night, etc. And I would have something kids would like, depending on their age.

As for sushi, there are kid friendly sushi. Inari/cone sushi is just a fried tofu shell filled with sweet rice. Most kids love this and it was usually the only sushi I liked as a kid. There is also Tamago (egg) sushi. It is sliced sweet fried egg on top of sushi rice, wrapped with a piece of seaweed.

But even with these kid friendly choices, I would have something else available for the kids if I was hosting a sushi dinner.

Ya know, I don't stress over it.  I figured if someone has some kind of special diet they know what they can and cannot eat. I have never ever come across a problem.  I don't really have parties anymore, but when I did, I usually had enough of different things that most people could at least have something to eat, in-between the main dish, fruit/veggie platters, and sides.  

I'm just thankful those days are behind me and DD does the hosting now. Win-win.

If it has lived in water, I will eat it, and therefore love sushi. I however cannot have wasabi. It causes my tastebuds to immediately stop working for hours. I hate having to ask for it to be left off.

I would be hard pressed to believe that most adults don't know another adult who won't eat sushi. So it doesn't really sound like a good choice for a dinner party. Unless it is a situation like jeremysgirl brought up and the two couples had been out for sushi before.

Ds would not have eaten sushi as a little, but the boy also believed that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a life source, so I was seldom without one.

I'm in the camp of... I raised 3 kids. Not one of them would have been happy to eat sushi.

The one that (even as an adult) was the most adventurous and easiest to please would have been the LAST one to eat it. Even today, in his 30's I wouldn't put sushi in front of him as an "only choice."

The second child... I'm not sure what she would have done as a child. She wasn't picky, but she wasn't exposed to things like that before about 8 or so.

The third one... If I didn't know his dad was a 100% white white dude who thinks of Asian food as the kind of Chinese served in a crap place, I'd believe he was raised in a mixed Asian household. He was exposed to Korean food before he was 1.. and he would happily never eat anything but Thai, Korean, and Japanese type foods for the rest of his life. AND all that to say... sushi? When he was itty bitty, he would have been icked by the touching of so many different things (likely.) When he was older, he likely would have separated it out. Now, as an adult, I think he could be able to eat happily, but hopefully there is a selection (same for me.)

That said.. my 50 year old partner would tell you.. yeahhh I like sushi. And he'd believe the words coming out of his mouth. But he thinks spring rolls define sushi, or the deep friend, heavily sauced, and definitely fully cooked and breaded would be the type served. And.. that's the type I will eat- but prefer fresher, spicy, and less sauce/breading.

My friends and I like to get together for sushi, and I only have one friend that hosts at her house where she prepares the sushi (I'm seeing restaurant prepared sushi trays popping up at alot of parties though...) We would specifically say... HEY Want to come over for sushi night? Honestly, I just don't think that's something you "spring" on someone unless you KNOW they like it. And, with kids, I would always make a point to ask what is being served, or if I'm hosting, what are kids' preferences? Because I'd rather my friends have fun having dinner at my house, rather than stressing about diverting a melt down. I think it was foolish on the parent's part, and inconsiderate on the host's part.

FWIW- In my experience with my kids.. "kid friendly" can mean literally anything. For years, all my youngest would eat when we went places (especially holiday meals) was all the veggie trays and fresh salads. And pasta with no sauce/butter. I always volunteered to bring a veggie tray, because he would eat it alllllllllll.

I think my kids would eat sushi everyday if they were given the option. My youngest is super picky, eating only what's otherwise usually considered kid-friendly foods. So sushi is the healthiest meal she eats! She came as a bit of a shock after my oldest was the toddler sharing my salad or gobbling down the free olive appetizer at a restaurant. Taking my youngest anywhere without asking about the menu or bringing something she'll eat would just be a nightmare.

But the kids and I also have gluten sensitivity so I have to ask about the menu when we are invited somewhere unless it's a potluck or with those who have accommodated us before. I'll get in touch with the hosts and ask if I can bring the gluten free options that match.

For the Threads situation I answered that the parents should have asked and the situation sucks all around. To only offer sushi for lunch seems like poor hosting, but ultimately parents are responsible for their own kids. If it weren't for the gluten free issue, I could see bringing my eldest anywhere without feeling the need to ask. For my kid-friendly foods kid, I would have to communicate with the hosts to ensure that my child eats one way or another, or not bring them.

I eat sushi but not often. If I am in a restaurant I most likely would not order it unless as part of a shared appetizer. I’m pretty neutral about it. I don’t dislike it, I don’t crave it. It’s not something my kids would have learned to eat at home. I certainly didn’t try it until I was an adult. I do see how a young child might be reluctant to eat it. If I were hosting a dinner I would at least try to have more common food for the kids.

*I* am unable to eat sushi, so I would not expect a child to eat it. I agree with the OP. Balls were dropped.

I don’t know what I would do if sushi was served. Guess that I would hope that there was some plain rice to eat. I have tried several times to eat sushi, but I just can’t. I am not sure why. I am not a picky eater.

As a host if I was serving sushi, I would mention to my guests ahead of time.

My kids would've been fine - we've been sushi eaters for a long time.

I would've wished the hosts had thought about it a little more and maybe asked the parents if the kids would like that.

And if someone invited me and my family to their house for lunch, it wouldn't occur to me to bring along food that my kids would like.

However, we do have some friends that we know will never have enough food to feed our bunch (they just never make enough - not sure what that's about) so we always ate at home before we went to their house.