Three kids, ten countries, zero consistency in what they’ll actually eat. Here’s what got refused, what got fought over, and what surprised everybody, country by country.
Japan: sushi was a hard no, katsu was a hard yes
Raw fish did not go over well with this crew, not even a little, not even the good stuff. Katsu, on the other hand, disappeared instantly every single time, and convenience store onigiri became a legitimate travel snack request. Rice, breaded, fried, safe. That’s the formula.
South Korea: spicy started a real family debate
One kid decided spicy was a personality trait now and ordered it everywhere. Another needed everything rinsed of any sauce that looked even slightly red. Korean fried chicken settled the argument. Everybody agrees on Korean fried chicken. Everybody, everywhere, always.
Norway: fish for breakfast was never going to happen
Pickled anything, smoked anything, and fish at a meal that wasn’t dinner were all firmly rejected. Waffles saved us. Norwegian waffles with jam showed up constantly and nobody complained once. Bring the waffle iron mentally with you.
Italy: the one country with zero complaints
Pizza and pasta, shaped like the pasta they already love at home, plus gelato on demand. This was the one place where every single meal request got approved by committee. Italy wins the family food gold medal, no contest.
France: bread got a pass, everything wrapped in it got vetoed
A plain baguette, huge fan base. A baguette with anything unfamiliar on it, immediate suspicion. Crepes with just sugar or nutella were the safe zone and we leaned on them hard, more than once, as an actual dinner.
Denmark: hot dogs from a cart, universally beloved
Danish hot dog carts are a genuine kid-food miracle and I will not hear otherwise. Open sandwiches with fish toppings, less so. Ice cream from the same carts also cleared, easily, with room to spare.
Croatia: grilled anything on a stick, instant approval
Cevapi, grilled meat on a stick basically, was a unanimous hit. Whole grilled fish at the table, bones and eyeball included, was not a hit with anyone under the age of forty. We ordered separate plates after that lesson.
Czechia: schnitzel and dumplings, no notes
Breaded and fried travels well across borders apparently, because schnitzel was a hit here too. The bread dumplings confused everybody at first and then got quietly finished off every plate anyway.
Laos: sticky rice carried the entire country
Sticky rice, plain, out of a basket, was the one food that crossed every objection. Anything spicy or unfamiliar in sauce got the suspicious poke-and-decline treatment. We ordered a lot of plain sticky rice as backup.
Cambodia: fruit shakes solved every meltdown
Fresh fruit shakes, mango especially, fixed every hot, tired, hungry kid moment we had. Amok, the local curry, got a cautious try and a mixed verdict. The shake stand became a daily, non negotiable stop.
Pattern across all ten: breaded, fried, familiar shape, wins every time. -Adam
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