I'd think it more productive to address the problems with the dish like an adult rather than like a particularly picky 5 year old. Were the responses more along the lines of "they clearly didn't cook off enough of the spinach's liquid", as opposed to "it looks like poop!" or "I want American food, dang it!", they might have seen a different response. If you don't want to be accused of having the attitude of an unpleasant child, don't speak like an unpleasant child.