Chefs Share Strategies for Navigating Picky Eating
Professional chefs offer personal advice on encouraging adventurous eating in children, while a guide highlights diverse birthday party venues in Hong Kong for different age groups.
Two separate stories offer guidance for parents on everyday challenges. In the first, three chefs share their personal experiences and strategies for dealing with picky eaters. The second provides a curated list of venues for hosting children's birthday parties in Hong Kong.
Navigating Picky Eaters
Chef Tom Kerridge, father to 10-year-old Acey, believes most children are selective eaters. He focuses on getting high-energy food into his rugby-playing son before hunger strikes, relying on meals like omelettes, burgers, and cheese toasties. Kerridge uses chef's tricks to incorporate vegetables, such as blending them into tomato sauce or involving Acey in building his own pizza or kebabs.
Meera Sodha, mother to Arya, 9, and Yogi, 6, notes her children's evolving palates. Arya now enjoys spicy food, while Yogi has become more open-minded after a phase of resisting new foods. Sodha's strategy includes serving new items alongside familiar favorites and gradually increasing spice levels. She emphasizes avoiding labels like 'fussy eater' and recalls encouraging her daughter to try just one cherry tomato annually, which recently led to her eating three.
Helen Goh, mother to Sam, 15, and Jude, 11, tailors meals to her sons' differing preferences, such as serving chicken breast in a tortilla for one and a chicken leg with skin for the other. She modifies family favorites like tuna macaroni by slowly adding vegetables like grated courgette, but she is wary of hiding ingredients. Goh learned from her own mother that a pinch of salt or sugar can make a child's meal more appealing.
Birthday Party Venues in Hong Kong
Selecting a venue is a key first step for planning a child's birthday party in Hong Kong. The city offers a wide range of options, from private rooms and indoor play centres to unique experiences on junks and trams. Venues provide varying levels of service, with some offering all-inclusive packages that handle food, decor, and entertainment.
Kindhood, a family members club in Repulse Bay, provides themed party packages. Options include pirate, princess, carnival, water party, and laser tag themes. The club manages food, drinks, decorations, entertainment, and cleanup. A promotional code offers a discount on bookings of two or more studios until the end of 2027.
Kiztopia operates five locations across Hong Kong, each with different themes like space or superheroes. Its party packages typically include decorations, food, games, and playtime, with some featuring mascot appearances. A classic package is priced at $5,888 for ten children and ten adults, though prices vary by location. JOYPOLIS SPORTS in Kai Tak offers Sonic the Hedgehog-themed parties that combine gaming with physical activity.
