Fast food, as a treat?

[sweetseven]

This concept is one I find difficult to understand, but DP seems to hold to it.

* Sometimes, he wants to do something special for breakfast, so goes out and brings back McDonalds pancakes.
* When it is someones birthday and I am asking them for input on what they would like me to cook for their birthday dinner, he starts reccommending KFC, Hungry Jacks, Pizza, or a trip to Sizzlers.
* When one of my girls has a friend over, he gets really pushy about getting something nice like take-away curry or chinese, whereas I am trying to make an effort to cook a more fancy meal.

I just cannot understand the concept of fast-food as a treat, and always saw it as an easy fallback. Personally I would rather heat up an Aldi lazagne or Griff's chicken mornay TV dinner than have take out.

But when I tried to dispute the issue with DP awhile back, he had the kids on his side. They seem to think take-out food is a treat also.

[MothersMilk]

When i was a child i viewed take away as a treat because we didn't have it very often. On birthdays we were always given a choice of any dinner we wanted and i would say take away as i rarely got to eat it so it seemed exciting.
Now as an adult i view take away as a quick fix when i can't be bothered - not a treat. A treat is going out to eat in a nice restaurant or a really fancy home cooked meal :yes:

[Hollywood]

We never eat take away food so it isn't considered a treat here (was the same growing up for both me and DH).

For me, a treat is a bowl of ice cream, or a small amount of chocolate. I guess we're all different with our ideas of 'treats'.

Before DS came along, DH and I used to go to the Pancake Parlour occasionally (once a month roughly) and I would always get Bavarian Apple on buckwheat pancakes with cream. Now THAT is a treat :yes:

Personally, I can't stand Maccas, KFC and all those places :barf:

[Blueberry Crumble]

Ofcourse takeout is a treat. It tastes good and is fun, children enjoy it, therefore, it is a treat!!

[sara86]

Ofcourse takeout is a treat. It tastes good and is fun, children enjoy it, therefore, it is a treat!!

:iagree:

As a kid we would have take-away on special occasions or just as a treat.

Now though we often have take-away, but not really maccas/kfc etc, we have more yummier take-aways like thai/chinese/italian etc. Yumm...
We probably have take-away maybe once a week or fortnight.

[Areca]

Growing up as a kid it was for me, not for DH.

We're raising our kids that no food is a treat. There are healthy foods that we eat all the time because they help our body grow and give us energy to do all the fun things we do, and then we have unhealthy foods sometimes simply because we like the taste of it....but it's not good for us so we don't eat it often.
The word treat with regards to food simply isn't uttered in this house and my kids don't even know what KFC, Macca's etc. is and that's exactly how I like it. I don't eat those foods anymore, haven't for a few years.

[Sheer Bliss]

I see something like take-away from the divine Thai restaurant in town a treat, because it tastes so yummy and there isn't as much cleaning up to do. If we grab maccas or something at other times, it's usually a convenience thing rather than a special treat. The treats are soft drinks of ice-cream, and sometimes that comed from maccas or KFC, but it is the same treat if I buy a bottle of lemonade at the supermarket.

The biggest part of take-away being a treat for me is that there is little to no clean-up and it's fast! If I want a treat of something delicious and tasty to eat - then its either a restaurant or DH's cooking (usually DH!!) for sure.

[SimplyMum]

DP and my idea of what a treat is, is different to what DS views as a treat.

DP and my idea of a treat is a dinner out, nice take-away such as chinese, thai (which is rare to find) etc.

DS idea of a treat can be anything from quiche made at home, pizzas made at home or Maccas, KFC or red rooster. Fast food is not mine or DP's idea of a treat. It often leaves us feeling.....yucky/unsatisfied and is mostly a cop out, when we can't be stuffed or if we're feeling like particulary oily foods for whatever reason- which happens maybe twice a year?

We don't get fast food often as;
1. it's unhealthy/sends DS into a tail spin
2. it's expensive
3. it doesn't taste 'nice'
4. often we're already at home so going out to get take away offers no real convenience.
4. DS only eats the chips from all places. He doesn't eat the nuggets or the burgers and only ever gets the water so it than becomes a waste of money.

[trishalishous]

I grew up 60km from the general store/post office, who made fish n chips and 120 km from town, with kfc,hjs etc.
junkfood was a huge treat for us, as it was difficult to get.

[waterlily]

Ofcourse takeout is a treat. It tastes good and is fun, children enjoy it, therefore, it is a treat!!

Yep! I pefer healthy take out to KFC, pizza ect.
My and DF don't have to cook so it's a treat for us :)

[Refresh]

We're raising our kids that no food is a treat

Me too! I also baulk at the idea of using food for a reward, but that's another thread probably!

I don't see something that is really bad for your body, makes kids hypo and makes you feel sick as a treat at all! I see fast food as emergency food when we are out and about and there is nothing else.

[NonnyMouse]

Takeout was always a treat in my house growing up because it was so full of fat/salt/sugar that it tasted better to my young tastebuds than the stodgy "meat and potato with the required three types of boiled vege" meals we had on a daily basis.

Because I have more a developed palate now and am a kick-butt cook, takeout for me might be easy, but I can't stand it! Fish and chips are just a pile of same-coloured greasy stuff on a plate, curries are watery and lack flavour, KFC/Maccas/HJ's etc sit heavy in my stomach and the "salads" are usually limp and over-dressed etc.

I'd rather cook up a 5 minute omelet , or even baked beans on toast, than get takeout these days.

[RmumR]

DD views maccas and kfc as a treat as its not part of our regular routine or diet. she also views eating out at the pub or a restaurant as a treat - basically any meal not made by mum and dad in the kitchen she thinks is a treat.

[sahm]

I don't want my kids to see food as "good", "bad" or "treats".

I see McDonalds or fish and chips as a convenience when I can't be bothered cooking, haven't planned ahead etc. But DS loves chips, chicken nuggets etc. like lots of other kids, and so he gets excited about it.

I never refer to it as a "treat" but I get the feeling he sees it that way!

[Thalia]

This concept is one I find difficult to understand, but DP seems to hold to it.

* Sometimes, he wants to do something special for breakfast, so goes out and brings back McDonalds pancakes.
* When it is someones birthday and I am asking them for input on what they would like me to cook for their birthday dinner, he starts reccommending KFC, Hungry Jacks, Pizza, or a trip to Sizzlers.
* When one of my girls has a friend over, he gets really pushy about getting something nice like take-away curry or chinese, whereas I am trying to make an effort to cook a more fancy meal.

I just cannot understand the concept of fast-food as a treat, and always saw it as an easy fallback. Personally I would rather heat up an Aldi lazagne or Griff's chicken mornay TV dinner than have take out.

But when I tried to dispute the issue with DP awhile back, he had the kids on his side. They seem to think take-out food is a treat also.

I agree. The food is just junk. The sad thing is Australia has such a high rate of obesity compared to the rest of the western world, it's terrible. Parents are quite happy to 'treat' kids to Mcdonalds, KFC etc as it's only on the odd occasion, but what they are doing is reinforcing this attitude that junk food is yummy and is a special treat. Why not take them out and buy them decent quality food. And what happens when they become a teenager, they end up having special treats as and when they feel like it.

[Benji]

I see it as a treat for myself and DP because it means we don't have to cook. We have a space of about 1.5 hours from finishing work to DS's bed-time to prepare dinner and eat it (as well as spend time with DS and get him ready for bed) so not cooking is a huge treat for us.

We usually have Fasta Pasta or Sushi as take away though, take away & fast food doesn't *have* to mean KFC, McDonalds etc.

[oleander]

DD dosent get food as a treat. I give her other things as treats such as a new book or a trip to the play cafe for example.

I don't like the idea of food as a treat at all because when children become adults they will more than likely use food (usually food they got as kids as a 'treat') as a comfort, which can lead to eating disorders, overweight etc.

Saying that though, we do have takeaway occasionally. Not as a treat but as a convenience food.

[Nowhere]

To me fast food is a lazy dinner dressed up as a treat, Maybe its difernt cause my DD doesnt eat, but when we have take out its cause I cant be bothered cooking.

Having a child that doesnt eat at all, We have to use none food option as a treat when neally everyone veiws lollies chocolate and cr*p as a treat it seems weird but for us its the norm.

[Thalia]

I see it as a treat for myself and DP because it means we don't have to cook. We have a space of about 1.5 hours from finishing work to DS's bed-time to prepare dinner and eat it (as well as spend time with DS and get him ready for bed) so not cooking is a huge treat for us.

We usually have Fasta Pasta or Sushi as take away though, take away & fast food doesn't *have* to mean KFC, McDonalds etc.

I don't have a problem with fast food or unhealthy food, but food like Mcdonalds is just :barf:.

[Thalia]

DD dosent get food as a treat. I give her other things as treats such as a new book or a trip to the play cafe for example.

I don't like the idea of food as a treat at all because when children become adults they will more than likely use food (usually food they got as kids as a 'treat') as a comfort, which can lead to eating disorders, overweight etc.

Saying that though, we do have takeaway occasionally. Not as a treat but as a convenience food.

Exactly.

[Benji]

I don't have a problem with fast food or unhealthy food, but food like Mcdonalds is just :barf:.

It is pretty gross. I get junk food 'hangovers' because it's so disgustingly oily. But oh man I'm craving some now :laughing:

Must admit, I have given DS mcdonalds in the past - those pasta zoo things with the fruit & water... not as a 'treat' but because of a lack of time to cook.

[Thalia]

Perfect choice when u have a stinking hangover!

[RoarsomeMum]

As Kids our biggest most anticipated and bigger and better than Christmas treat was Macca's! (and not even macca's AT Macca's, Macca's that spent 5 hours in the car and then another 5 odd hours on the bench overnight and we would wake up and it was THERE!!!!! and we would all happily (us kids anyway!) sit and eat our 12 odd hours old, microwaved macca's.. We Loved it.

YES! it is crap food, YES it is unnecessary and processed and bad and a million other things.. But it was our treat..

I have learned, Roar does not eat 12 hour old Macca's, but she does eat it.. She enjoys it, it does not play havoc with her bowel, She is no longer considered overweight.. Not every aspect of her life is framed to assist her.. (though, I think occasional Macca's will assist her in learning healthy/unhealthy food choices and that occasionally choosing poor ones does not make you drop dead..)

When she eats it, it is with Stiry fry or raw veg as a side and with Fruit afterward.. Damage control in a way.. (and yep, I am doing the damage, as I may be with every parenting choice I make, at least with the food ones I am aware of how..)

Other peoples ideas of treats are my ideas of learning experiences that I offer regularly anyway..

Balance is the key.. And accepting that all kids and families are different.. Nothing will make a cheeseburger the best food choice, but My child's reaction to it (none at all) and another child (Hyper or sick or worse, dead..) all weigh in. We can eat it as a family and not suffer for it.. As for the "possible suffering" well, it's kind of like all of the "possible results" we have to weigh them up alone, for our individual children and families.

[RoarsomeMum]

Thanks to this thread, and me having overwhelming childhood memories of Macca's. We are now having treat lunch today.. :yes:

Stir fry Veg with a cheeseburger and Mandarin for Roar and Big Mac for Mumma!!!!! :goodvibes: And a McFlurry! cause a Big mac is a meal, not a treat! LOL!

[elleandsam]

When I was a kid the only food that was ever a treat was watermelon. I'm serious. Because we were allowed to eat it outside and we could eat as much as we wanted until it was all gone. We'd probably have it once a fortnight in summer. And it wasn't so much the food that was the treat, it was the running around out the back, jumping in and out of the pool, seeing who could eat the most. It wasn't just about food.

We occasionally have take away here but it's just food. We never intend to use food as a reward or a punishment.

[SassyMummy]

I don't like any food as a "treat," as such, because as others have pointed out - it can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

That said, I think most people call it a "treat" because they mean it's not a regular thing. It's something they do every so often for whatever reason. It might be because they've had a busy day and can't be stuffed doing anything more than going through the drive-through, or they just crave something junky.

We get take-away when we're out during mealtimes, most of the time. Sometimes we'll do it because I can't be stuffed cooking too.

I'd say there's nothing wrong with the occasional junky take-away meal. My parents were very anti-takeaway, and it wasn't something I had often (unless we were travelling, because on the road, there's not much choice).

When I got to an age where I could buy my own food, I went NUTS with the the junk food. I finally had the freedom to eat this rubbish food - and I stacked on a LOT of weight as a result. I do believe that had my parents been a bit more lenient about it all, I might not have gone as crazy with it as I did.

Of course, this is all considering that your child doesn't react poorly to take-away.

I don't think it means your kids will want to only ever eat junk food either. If we're at the shops at lunch, I give DD her pick of the foods. Sometimes she'll choose a cheeseburger happymeal, but other times she wants sushi or a sandwich or something... she's not guaranteed to go for the greasy burger. She just chooses whatever she feels like having...

[Leisa21]

We don't really use it as a treat but DS loves going to a nice restaraunt for breaky, lunch or dinner. He gets to pick what he wants from the menu and orders it himself. He loves it so I guess the experience is a treat to him. I try not to give foods as a treat but it's not something we're against.