What is a NORMAL lunch for a young lad?

I have two within that age gap. As it's school holidays the eldest is always out so half the time he's having meals at friends places or buying out.

As he's always been fairly diet and fitness conscience he will opt for a healthy meal option where possible ie. burger minus the fries, subway and will often tell me when he's had something unhealthy with a look of disappointment on his face :confused:.

Often where they go is dictated by the group. It's expensive and he knows it but I'd rather him be active and social than sit infront of the X Box all day.

As for home we've never had fastfood for lunch so they never ask. I'd stay firm on that one if I were you and hopefully he'll drop the asking.

With that said however he'd not be far off from being more independant and out and about so what he eats is less in your control.

In the mean time perhaps make him something nice like a baguette, cold rolls or a wrap 2 or 3 times a week when you're making your lunch and give him some suggestions and tips so he makes his own the rest of the time. This way he gets some variety and learns that lunches made at home don't have to be boring.

Not insinuating you make boring lunches here but even I fall into that trap with my own lunches.
 
You are talking about my 14 year old son too, he is exactly the same. Pantry and fridge are always full of healthy alternatives, my concession is two minute noodles. My son is a good cook, will often cook himself bacon and eggs. Given a teenagers huge appetite, when he comes home from riding his bike miles every day, I do not believe him when he says he is not that hungry. Typical teenager he thinks I was born yesterday! I am aware he has mates whose parents can afford to give thier kids enough money to let thier teenagers eat as much take away crap food as they like, which extends to my son been bought some as well. There is nothing I can do short of chain him to his bed to stop him eating junk food, we rarely have chips or junk food biscults in the house but know his mates have an good supply in thier homes.

So........... my daughter who is older also went threw this stage, and she did grow out of it. My son will still attack the left overs and healthy alternatives at home, sometimes. He is healthy, not obese, so with him I am less vigilant, (first born had it tough), and think he will grow out of it and the healthy food alternatives he has enjoyed until his horrid teenage years will prevale again in the future. These days I chill out about it, and only once in a blue moon go beserk. Surviving teenage years is hard enough, on us parents, I need to preserve my sanity, so let the food issue slight a bit.
 
lol! I really had to laugh when I read this post Wylie! My 15 YO son thinks sandwiches are boring too unless they have at least half a kilo of ham or chicken loaf on them! The upside though is he is in training to be a chef so if he doesn't like what is on offer he often cooks something better:D.

We did start teaching all our kids to cook at about 7 YO, girls - hopeless and not interested but son - excellent from the get go. Eldest daughter starting to learn now that she is married :eek:

He makes great omlettes with fresh herbs etc in them. we have chooks so lots of eggs here. Pasta and noodles seem to be his main stay though and he is skinny as a rake!
 
We give our 18 year old son a gift card for the grocery store each week.
He must buy his breakfast and lunch food with it.He eats supper with us.
We provide staples like bread, milk and juice.The rest is up to him.
 
It might be healthier than KFC or Macca's, but it isn't necessarily healthy! :)

- It is accepted as some sort of staple (great job by marketing gurus!). In Japan, sushi is a delicacy, not a staple. You'd eat it as often as...chocolate cake.

- The wrong type of rice is used here - typically long grains or at best medium calrose. Some long grains can have higher GI than say something like Koshihikari rice.

- The vinegar/sugar mix in the sushi is usually not sour enough. The japanese rice wine vinegar actually helps in lowering the GI


I'd actually prefer if people ate the humble (and dare I say more "staple") "onigiri/omusubi" - while it is almost all rice, there's no sugar in there.... (and yes, in Japan you can get it from you local convenience store ready made! :) )

I have tasted all different types, but i see what you mean it's no where near the same, and i think i'm greatful for that! For my 16th my parents took me to a sushi place in the city it was so good, and i decided to go with something that looked interesting turned out it was raw eel :eek:

I know how to make my own sushi, good stuff that. But i think i'd like to try *real* sushi :)

And whether it's long grain rice, may be the wrong one for sushi, but it's a hell of a lot better for you than most things you can get when you walk into the food court at a shopping center!

It isn't necessarily unhealthy either

I'm hungry now...

I have a teenager rapidly approaching 30.

Lunch is invariably grilled cheese on toast. Fruit? Never. Vegetables? With dinner but never any other time. Breakfast? Unheard of.

LOL! Husband?
 
... turned out it was raw eel :eek:

Eel yes - but I doubt it would have been raw? Japanese eat eel generally in "kabayaki" style (grilled) and the ones topping nigiri is usually a slice of this...

If you want adventurous (both taste and texture) go the "uni" (sea urchin)...

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
"Tell him, he's dreamin' "

Seriously! At fourteen years old, most kids are getting their own lunch and not getting mummy to do it for them. :D

Not I don't have teenagers myself,but it wasn't that long since I was one and I have teenage siblings still living at home with mum and dad. He's just harrassing you because that's what kids do (teenagers in particular), but don't give him. Maybe give hime some homework - tell him to do the math on how much it would cost to feed him a 'nice' lunch everyday in the holidays, and then to figure out what he is going to do to cover this cost.

I highly doubt it
 
children are tyrants. they contridict their parents, gobble their food and tyrannize their techers ... socrates (a long long time ago).

children have not changed. i am sure we were hair pulling fiends to our parents too - just we don't see it that way.
 
Thanks everyone. I don't plan on pandering to his whims. I can ALWAYS find something to eat in the pantry or fridge. He just has to lose the "lazy bone" and realise that he is now 14 and not a little child who can whine and moan, and think someone will "fix it" for him.

Mind you, I have been trying to change the 21 year old and that has not worked. About two years ago, I was stinky from exercising and dropped him at Coles to get something for the four of them for dinner as I was going out and the fridge was pretty empty. I suggested he get something to heat up, pizza, quiche, something easy. He went in while I sat in the car. I got a call on the mobile.... "there's no FOOD in here" :rolleyes:.

How can I fight that? Believe me, we have tried, and tried, and tried. Now we just let him do what he wants. At 21 he can decide to eat or not.
 
Eel yes - but I doubt it would have been raw? Japanese eat eel generally in "kabayaki" style (grilled) and the ones topping nigiri is usually a slice of this...

If you want adventurous (both taste and texture) go the "uni" (sea urchin)...

It seemed raw! :eek:

They had a small flame that i think it was held over on one side for all about 5 seconds..It wasn't very tasty!

Interesting..may look at that lol!
 
what is unhealthy about it ? besides the unecessary amount of soy sauce some feel they have to drown them in

Don't worry - I'm just extremist - if I made the thing, no one would eat it because it would be brown rice with probably only raw veg! :D

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
The fourteen year old has seen & been conditioned to what the 21 year old does.

But how to explain why he also hasn't seen and been conditioned to what the 18 year old does (which is polar opposite of what the 21 year old does)? He sees much, much more of the 18 year old as the 21 year old is rarely here.

I don't think it is that simple, especially as he sees that the 21 year old doesn't get what he wants either.

I don't know..... it does my head in. Just when you think you have them figured out, they change tactics :confused:.
 
LOL! Lil went to the pantry, opened it up and declared "There's nothing Lil acceptable to eat". I guess she has been reading this thread.
 
LOL! Lil went to the pantry, opened it up and declared "There's nothing Lil acceptable to eat". I guess she has been reading this thread.

I believe it was "There's nothing to eat!", you said that there was so i said how there is nothing "Sam worthy".:D
 
I suggested he get something to heat up, pizza, quiche, something easy. He went in while I sat in the car. I got a call on the mobile.... "there's no FOOD in here" :rolleyes:.
Haha.. I can relate to that.. what's even worse is coming home with bags of food shopping, putting them into the pantry/fridge and then complaining there's no food.. Some of us guys just don't know how to come up with cooking ideas.

I started with spag bog.. experimenting with different vegetables.. a few bottles of red wine usually helps ;)

Stir fry with hokien noodles, chicken, vegetables, soy/oyster sauce is another favourite.

I'd suggest introducing your sons to the bbq too :D
 
Back
Top