Off-topic sperging but it seems like in the midwest particularly people are averse to fucking spices. Salt, pepper, maybe seasoned salt if we're gonna get wild. Then when I started cooking I discovered that there are indeed other spices and when used properly they make a decent recipe fucking fantastic. Maybe people are afraid they'll ruin the whole dish by using the wrong thing, I don't know if it's just me but I have some kind of innate sense for what seasonings would liven up a certain recipe or dish. Point being, I don't know why the fuck people insist on eating bland food and making their kids eat bland food. Experiment a little for fuck's sake, there's so many god damn seasonings and blends out there, there's gotta be at least a couple you're going to like.
So many foods that I disliked when I was a kid, then later on I discovered I actually liked them if they were prepared and seasoned right. Like brussel sprouts. I've seldom met anybody who knows how to cook fucking brussel sprouts and they always come out mushy and bitter. Roast those fuckers in some butter, throw some pepper and minced garlic in, it's like a whole different vegetable.
Likewise, canned shit is fine because it lasts forever and it's convenient, but there were a lot of vegetables I thought I hated. Canned green beans kind of suck, fresh green beans on the other hand? It's not even the same god damn ballpark, especially when you grow them yourself.