OH. EM. GEE.
I KNOW WHY PEOPLE HATE VEGGIES!!!
Well, I may not be exactly right but I’ll bet it’s part of the problem.
I grew up pigging out on mouth-watering Chinese food and every meal always had one or more side dishes of deliciously-cooked vegetables (spinach, bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, etc.). They were cooked in rich sauces, steamed with simple ingredients like ginger or served with sauces like oyster sauce on the side. They were always good! I don’t think I’ve ever hated eating veggies in my life. All my [Asian] friends love veggies too… sometimes we even get into dramatic conversations when trying to decide what type of “choy” (spinach) to order with our meal.
On the otherhand, from people I know and from watching TV/movies of “white” families eating, all they seem to eat are very bland and boring looking vegetables (eg. steamed, unseasoned). Sure, steamed veggies are definitely a lot more healthy than ones covered in sauces but that’s not the way to turn kids into veggie lovers. Besides, there are ways to make things delicious and healthy at the same time, so parents: think twice before bitching at your kids for not eating their veggies! You may think it’s healthy but you’re ruining their relationship with veggies… FOR LIFE. LIFE!!
Thanks to my parents for not forcing bland vegetables down my throat when I was little, I now LOVE them; steamed, raw, roasted, baked… you name it and I’ll eat it.
Just because I’m practically drooling right now, my favorites are steamed asparagus and broccoli, raw cauliflower and celery, cabbage with bean thread noodles and ginger, baby bok-choy steamed with garlic and my grandma’s ong choy. Today I even discovered a newfound love for red peppers… I use to avoid the red/yellow ones and only eat the green ones. Don’t ask.
But anyway, I don’t want to stereotype and generalize a whole group of people but that’s just one thing I noticed (on TV… BLAME THE MEDIA!!!). I know white people know how to cook good vegetable dishes too and I know Asians who despises them. 
Do you hate vegetables? Why?
KATY:
[...] more here: Get Your Own Bok-Choy, Bitch. Share and [...]
I love vegetables especially in Asian dishes. Damn it I’m hungry now! :sorry:
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I’ve always loved vegetables and my mom is a great cook! I do think it’s partly because of the way we’re raised. Mmm… I’m drooling now, I want some asparagus.
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Stereotypes exist for a reason. White people totally cannot cook veggies. EXCEPT for Germans. German cabbage is the white people’s kimchi. Otherwise, white folks just slather broccoli in Velveeta cheese – which is delicious. Perhaps you should post some Asian veg recipes on the blog.
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
I’ve always wanted to try veggies and cheese because of all those commercials on TV but it doesn’t look that great. I’d rather slather some oyster sauce or something on mine.
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omg this reminds me of when I told my husband (white, and from Texas) that I wanted green beens as a side for dinner, and he came home with canned green beans. wtf! He knows better now.
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Haha, I love your posts .. they are soooo random!! Hmm, I have to say though .. I am asian but I HATE veggies (cooked any way)!!! I think I prefer salad over cooked veggies. I think it is because I had braces at a very young age and any time I had veggies it would always get stuck … it was GROSSSSSS (haha, too much info!!!!). But, yeah asian diets (veggies, fish, steaming, etc.) keeps us looking young compared to our Caucasian counterpart =].
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Growing up, my mom was really strict about diets. I didn’t have meat or unnatural sugar (from honey or fruit) for the first few years of my life. Even after that, I grew up on a mostly vegetarian diet. So, it’s obviously no surprise that I’ve never found a veggie I didn’t love.
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
Vegetarians definitely know how to cook their veggies.
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Yeahhhh I was one of those kids forced to choke down unflavorful veggies.
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I thank my mom and dad every day for making me yummy veggies with yummy sauces throughout my life. I LOVE veggies <3
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You’re so riggghhht my dear, asians cook their vegetables better. We use many different techniques and sauces. I’m not into anything that tastes bland..
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I figured this out when I was 13 I think. I really could not imagine how Americans or British or… those portrayed in TV shows HATE BROCCOLI. Seriously. I was never a veggie lover when I was really young but it was love at firs sight with BROCCOLI!! hehe
And there, I then saw hey, them broccolis look dried and ours were dripping with sauces. hehee. Yey for Asian cuisine! 
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
I LOVE broccoli!! Not so much raw though… not too bad but I preferred it cooked or better yet, broccoli and cheese soup. Nomnom.
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Here here, I think that’s why mu husband doesn’t like them but I loooove veg!
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
You need to get your chef on and make some yummy veggie dishes so he’ll start loving them.
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I love my veggies!! Didn’t really eat them as a kid!!
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I love vegetables. I used to hate them though, but now I love it. I have no idea when that changed:P
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
Well as we get older, we start thinking differently and we know that veggies are good for us so I guess some people will change their minds in that reason alone… or else you just started eating some “properly cooked” veggies later in life.
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ong choy is awesomeeeeeeee.
* i’m not too fond of bok-choy.. i don’t care how it’s cooked or what it’s in. bleh.
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
Bok-choy is so good! I like baby bak-choy better though and not so much when it’s still crunchy… I like it cooked until it’s really soft. :drunk:
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linda
October 5th, 2009 |
i thought about it and remembered i put them in hot pot. lol yeah i’ll eat it when it’s nothing but mush!
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I think that’s true for the most part — people who don’t like vegetables that much most of the time just haven’t had exposure to eating them prepared well. I’ve always liked them, but then again I’m from the south so there is pretty much nothing healthy about the way they are prepared down there. My grandma’s green peas are to die for, but I found out later it was because she loads them down with lard and bacon grease (laugh). When I told my wife about deep frying okra she just shook her head at me.
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Katy
October 5th, 2009 |
At least your grandma got people to eat peas.
Mmmm I’ve always wanted to try real southern cooking!
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I second this! I know exceptions but most white kids hate veggies and I could never really understand why until I went to USA. Asian veg dishes are just too good
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I’m not all that keen on veggies, except the ones used for salads. But I do like them in Asian dishes. You’ve made a very good point, I think if the western world were more inventive (other than gravys and simple sauces) kids would like veggies more. Ironically the best place for veggie haters who want to try something different is probably a vegetarian restaurant.
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You know, you probably have a point. Steamed broccoli is the worst. But drizzled in cheese sauce? Oh mah! So yummy.
You should share a few recipes with the rest of us! I know I def need some new ways to cook veggies so that they are yummy. Mostly I’ll add either cheese or bacon for yum flavors. Or teriyaki sauce if I’m doing a stir fry. My cooking skills are primitive.
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Hey! Thanks for coming by
I love meeting Vancouverites! Wow you’ve been blogging for a long time… and you’re site looks awesome! You make us noobs look like… well, noobs.
You’re completely right – Asian veggies are delish! I love ong choy! And dau mew! Mmm Mmm good!
xo
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Katy
October 6th, 2009 |
My friends always order dau mew and I always forget what it is even though I eat it with them!!
How long have you been blogging for?
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Bunnie
October 6th, 2009 |
Dau mew is my ALL TIME favorite. Especially after a night of partying on the weekend.. you head to some late night Chinese joint to eat some dau mew and deep fried tofu.. Ahh. Bonding over veggies, how cute
HA! Don’t even ask me how long I’ve been blogging – there’s a reason I’m a noob. I started in August!
xo
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Katy
October 8th, 2009 |
No.9 after a night of clubbing is the BEST! We always get gai-lan though for some reason when eating late at night. Deep-fried tofu + deep-fried squid = HEAVEN. Nomnomnom.
August?! It seems like you’ve been blogging for a while. Your blog looks great!
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Bunnie
October 8th, 2009 |
Aww thanks
Yes, it’s only been 2 months so far! It’s pretty addicting though. I’m blogsessed if you must. But my site is no where near as functional as yours! I love it!
xo
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Asian veggies for the win!
Its the way that Asians make it that always seem to taste better to me. and just like you, I grew up with parents who didn’t force me to eat them and now I love them too!
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I love most veggies, even though most of the time my mom just steamed them. I just liked their “clean”, plain taste!
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This is really random and has absolutely nothing to do with this post (lol sorry), but I was just wondering if you could explain to me what an “LG” is (not the brand). It just seems like a lot of asians say it, and I have no idea what it means :\
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Katy
October 8th, 2009 |
LG stands for “little girl.”
It’s a label for young girls (around 12-15 years old) who dress and act older than they are (eg. slutty clothes, etc). EG. That LG is carrying a fake LV bag!!
Well, that’s my understanding of the term anyway.
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HAHAHA totally agree with it! I hate salads and I still do. It’s cold, crunchy and it either has too much dressing or not enough dressing. ugh. I’d much rather eat asian veggie dishes, nicely seasoned, warm, good tasting… mmmmm
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Hahaha yeah chinese style vegies are the best! Good ol oystersauce + garlic always does the trick:)My favourites are kai lan and dau mew… most of the time i’m lazy and I just add pakchoi or whatever to my instant noodles! Never fails:)) O and my new <3…sugersnaps(really good with shrimps…)~3~
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Very good point! I actually love veggies. I always have spinach, baby bok choy and broccoli in my fridge. I think as a kid I hated them because of the texture but now? I totally love them… especially stir-fried with oyster sauce. Oyster sauce makes everything awesome.
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my parents never forced veggies down my throat either and i actually do think that’s why my taste buds fell in love with them. i got to choose when i would eat them and how i ate my greens. i even strayed off eating them to smoking them. haha kidding! when i cook any type of meat, i HAVE to serve veggies on the side. plain or flavorful. i cannot eat meat without vegetables on the side.
lovin’ your blog! it’s all here
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I *love* vegetables because I grew up eating Chinese ones too. I think a lot of “white” people don’t like vegetables because they’re just used to eating ones that are way undercooked (al dente my butt!) or way overcooked till it’s mushy. My favorite is stir fried long beans from the Chinese restaurants because they make it so tasty with their crazy wok qi. I can never replicate it at home.
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I’ve never noticed that but I think it’s true!
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[...] trainer’s blog who thought that people who hates vegetables weren’t raised properly (or they just don’t know how to cook) and I couldn’t agree more. Parents and teachers are suppose to be role models and should be [...]