Why Are My Grandparents Such Fussy Eaters?

[Tom9348]

So I have been out for several meals this past 12 months with my grandparents, one 82 the other 80 (although they don't look it). I noticed that going on these meals how much they find fault with food, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the food. For example we went to a very nice restaurant yesterday which serves excellent meals, nice sirloin steaks, mixed grills, salmon, etc. I have ate here a few times and the food is outstanding. I read the entire menu to my grandmother, a big menu btw, and she said she doesn't like any of it, so she opted to just have a starter (soup), which she ate but said she didn't really enjoy it. My grandad ordered steak and said today he wasn't really fond of it either. Another restaurant we have been to a couple of months ago, again I read out the entire menu to my grandmother and she didn't like a single thing on the menu. I mean sure I understand people have food preferences, as do I, but I don't understand how someone can be that picky, especially when it is traditional restaurant food. Even when we visit the chip shop and get fish and chips, both my grandparents complained that the chips were too crispy. I had the same meal as them and the chips were just normal chips, nothing wrong at all. 

[bhg481]

I can sympathise with your grandparents who are a few years older than us. We were brought up at a time when food was rationed and cooking was plain; nowadays food seems to be ponced about with to make it look exotic but it doesn't taste the way we like it. We gave up eating out years ago because of that. That, coupled with the fact that it costs an arm and a leg for something you don't enjoy as much as home-cooked, means there's no joy in going out to eat even if someone else is paying.

[ladybirder]

Do you let them choose the restaurant?  If not, let them, perhaps it will be to their taste then.

Perhaps not!

[Tom9348]

Ladybirder- yes it was actually my nans idea to go out there. It's not like it's some exotic foreign restaurant that is an acquired taste, its traditional restaurant food, and plenty of stuff to choose from 

[Redhelen72]

Maybe they were embarrassed at the cost of things.

My MIL is the same age and loves going out but only to certain places that are 'cheap' and the foods tend to be over cooked veg and limp meats like a bad carvery.

[Tom9348]

Redhelen- no it definitely wasn't that, they are not short of money at all and my nan has never been tight with money. Besides they've been before so they knew what it cost. They just seem to always moan about food

[barry1010]

Many older people dislike the trend of under salting food.  It can be added at the table but that really does give a different taste to cooking with salt. Taste buds aren't as sensitive and food seems to lack flavour, which doesn't help.

Many in your grandparents age bracket have diminished appetites and large plates of food is off putting.

Maybe they find it all a bit of an effort.  The getting ready, travelling, waiting, having to make conversation..... Perhaps it is later than their normal meal times, or the chairs are too hard, the restaurant too noisy.

[retrocop]

I recall a restaurant/pub chain in Eastbourne where there is an elderly retired population. When this pub/restaurant opened the amount of food left uneaten on the plates was staggering. My mother explained later nthat the elder people just couldn't cope with the generous portions. I assume that tummys shrink with age. Mine certainly has.My wife and I took my aged mum out every Sunday for a roast dinner and bought her a children's portion . She just managed that.

[retrocop]

Crossed post barry. Sorry

[smurfchops]

Well we are of a certain age, we often go out for meals and nearly always find fault, mainly with the exorbitant price, we compare it with what it would cost if we cooked it at home.  And home cooked is always better.  We always wonder how clean the kitchens are in restaurants....

[barry1010]

I wonder why you often go out for meals, smurf.  

[hellywelly4]

I'm the same (83). I don't know half of the things on the menus and hate al dente vegetables. I've been having Wiltshire Farm Foods and have stopped most of them because they do their veg al dente. I just have shepherds pie these days. 
 

[Canary42]

Because 2 generations ago food was a lot tastier - youngsters today lack the oomph to acquire proper tastes, so food served up is necessarily bland-to-tasteless (as epitomised by places like MacDonalds, Burgerking and KFC).  

Stuffing ones face with loads of such rubbish is a real drag for we older folk.

[barry1010]

I'm not convinced food was a lot tastier 40 + years ago.  It was a lot saltier and had more sugar but there was a lot of very bad food that was popular back then.  

It is true we lose our taste buds as we age, noticeably from around 50, so by the time we get to 70+ nothing tastes like it used to and food can seem very bland.

 

 

 

[pastafreak]

Good grief...most of my fellow ABers seem like right fusspots. I'm in my 70s and love going out...which happens mostly when my daughter and her partner take me out. I'll try most things...but I've always been fairly adventurous about food. There are some things I'd not choose...like kfc yesterday at a motorway service station. It was that or noodles. My daughter and her partner will eat both that... or very high end food. They won't be fussy oldies. 😉

You really need to ask your grandparents what they want want to eat, and where if they are that dissatisfied. When they don't enjoy it, ask...politely...why.

[pastafreak]

A PS...I'd not call KFC tasteless...mine yesterday was quite well seasoned. And greasy 😐

[Tom9348]

Pasta freak- I do ask, but my nan is (with all due respect) a massive snowflake and gets defensive if you ask anything that she interprets as any form of criticism 

[Hopkirk]

There is good reason why there are phrases "grumpy old man" and "grumpy old woman".

Often people don't realise they have become perennial moaners.

[douglas9401]

Those people should ensure that they don't become perineum moaners.

[William51]

It might be your grandparents have got judgemental and picky at their good age. It is sad.