I pretty much agree with the point of view that says kids won’t allow themselves to starve. However, I’d disagree with the suggestion that you leave your child staring at a plate of cold food until they give in and eat it. That seems like a sure fire way of making them dig their heels in and refusing to eat.
When mine were younger the response we took was along the lines of “I’m sorry that you don’t like this, you ate it last week. However, it is the meal we have prepared and it is all there is” at that point the plate was removed from in front of them and we carried on with our meal regardless.
This stopped it being a battle of wills and meant that they didn’t lose face. If they said later on that they were hungry, we politely offered to warm their dinner up and on many occasions they would accept it willingly.
Good luck – it can be a real pain. Just try to play it down and I am sure it will pass.