Eating out with kids in the Netherlands reminds me of a rhyme in English that goes like this:
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That’s what little boys are made of !”
What are little girls made of?
“Sugar and spice and all things nice
That’s what little girls are made of!”
Only here in the Netherlands it’s not just the girls full of sugar and all things nice… it’s boys too. Or at least that is the impression I get when I look at typical offerings for kids in Dutch restaurants.
Sugar For Breakfast. And Lunch.
For some reason that I still don’t get even after living here for so many years, the Dutch give their children sprinkles (hagelslag) and chocolate flakes on bread for breakfast or (maybe even and) lunch.
Sugar on bread in essence.
And not occasionally, or a once-a-year-treat-because-it’s-your-birthday kind of way. Daily. As in every single day.
My husband reminisces about his ‘sugar on bread’ childhood, so it’s certainly not a new trend.
The Menu for Kids in Dutch Restaurants
Eating out is no better. Dutch restaurants directed at children either serve fried stuff or sweet stuff on the kids’s menus.
Pancake houses are good examples…. many offer pancakes especially for children. This typically means putting lots of sweets on a pancake, usually in the shape of a face. Or providing a child with bowls of various sweet varieties containing more sugar than you would want your child to consume in a decade, let alone during the consumption of one little pancake.
Don’t get me wrong, a pancake house every now and then is a great treat and lots of fun. But sometimes it would be nice to have other options…..
UK v NL Restaurant Options for Children
When we visit the UK I am always struck by the huge difference to eating options for kids in the Netherlands. Kid’s menus are not always unhealthy in the UK. Pasta with sauces (including those with hidden vegetables) are often available, or simply the same meals offered to adults but in smaller portions for the kids.
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to come up with something that isn’t fried or isn’t sugar to feed to restaurant going children. Does it?
Well, that’s my take on it and it’s been a source of irritation for many years now. Ever since I became a mother and adopted the “you’re not eating sweets every day” approach to parenting.
Let me introduce you to Smulpaapje.nl. It is the initiative of Susan Aretz and Annemieke Dubbeldeman who were also fed up with the limited offerings for their children whilst eating out. They set up a site to put restaurants with healthier options for children on the map.
Take a look so that maybe next time you want to eat out with your children you don’t end up in a pancake house…again.
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