Least compatible couples

[Zingano]

Have you ever had any of those awkward couples to dinner, where finding anything they both can eat is an exercise in creativity and ingenuity?

I'm sure you can all top this, but my worst experience was with a couple we met at work. She was a vegetarian who hated chilli. He was a religious meat eater and lover of the spiciest curries, who was allergic to mushrooms and beans. That was a difficult meal to plan! (And, by the way, they're now married with two children. God knows what they eat every night. "Own topping" pizza, I presume.)

[bilrus]

Our closest friends are one of these couples. He is a beef eater who will eat no seafood and prefers no vegetables. She is one of those "vegetarians" who will eat fish.

It is dificult to say the least to cook for them because you either need to make something that you can add meat to but will stand up on its own or make two similar yet different dishes. For a Super Bowl dinner I made chili but served the browned ground beef on the side for addition at the end. On other times I will make, for example, shrimp and chicken fajitas.

We do enjoy their company, but I probably dont' invite them over as much as I should because I dread having to make two meals every time.

[Bicycle Lee]

a girl I ended up falling in love with couldn't stand any seafood and didn't have very cultured tastes otherwise. That was pretty rough. I don't know if I could marry someone who didn't enjoy eating (eating in this context meaning sometimes being challenged by what is on the plate).

[Bux]

Our closest friends are one of these couples. He is a beef eater who will eat no seafood and prefers no vegetables. She is one of those "vegetarians" who will eat fish.

...

We do enjoy their company, but I probably dont' invite them over as much as I should

Or maybe more often than you should. Why not just go out to eat with them. ... Oh yeah, finding the right restaurant. Forget I said anything.

[phaelon56]

My former GF was willing to wait for 90 minutes or more to get a table at Olive Garden, where she always ordered the same dish. She admitted that it was not a great restaurant and better food was likely to be had elsewhere but she couldn't bear the thought of going to a new restaurant, ordering a dish and then finding that it was not to her liking. Her exception to this rule was that if she wasn't really feeling hungry she'd try out a new restaurant and not worry about whether she liked the food because she wasn't really that hungry.

Me? I'm always hungry, don't care for the OG, love to try out new restaurants and new dishes and refuse to wait 90 minutes for a table at any restaurant. One might wonder who on earth we got along but I was madly in love with her anyway - it just didn't matter in the bigger scheme of things (I still am madly in love with her but our circumstances have left us in different parts of the country and I'm busy trying to move on with my life).

[Gifted Gourmet]

Sounds like my family gatherings! Unfortunately I can't divorce them ... so I try to cook accordingly ...

reminds me of the Buddy Hackett line: "My mother had two choices of meals she offered: take it or leave it!" I do love that line!!

[naguere]

. She is one of those "vegetarians" who will eat fish.

A fisharian obviously!

[KHT20]

A good friend of mine used to date this nutcase who claimed she was vegetarian, too, but ate plenty of chicken/beef broth-containing dishes and crab legs by the pound. Anyway, we would go out to a restaurant to eat with them and she wouldn't be able to make up her mind about what to order for at least 30 minutes. Then, she would just order a baked potato, plain, and keep the menu. 15 minutes later she would change her mind and make her boyfriend track down the waiter so she could change her order. Halfway through her "meal" she would order something else, then change her mind (and her order).

My all-time favorite incident was when she ordered a side house salad (standard iceberg with assorted veggies), but wanted romaine instead of iceberg, nothing but the tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on the side. So the waiter asked: "Oh, so you just want the side ceasar salad with tomatoes." And she indignantly replied: "No! I want the side house salad with romaine instead of iceberg, nothing but the tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on the side!"

Needless to say, they are no longer dating (thank God).

[Pickles]

I'd say BYOF. Bring Your Own Food. I am lucky in that my friends are all pigs and eat anything I serve them! And I say that in the nicest way...and certainly not insinuating my food is slop!

[nessa]

Ok, I might be part of one of those couples.

The darling will not eat raw tomatoes, or cooked tomatoes that are not pureed beyond recognition. No raw onions or large cooked onion chunks. No recognizable celery (but he likes the flavor ). No meat on bones. . No peas.

He loves just about anything Mexican/Tex-Mex, or Italian.

On the bright side, hes not a dolt when eating at someone else's house, he will grin and bear it, and suffer while smiling if he doesn't like what is being served.

I like it all, but if given a preference, will choose something middle eastern, or Indian. Maybe asian. He doesn't like Indian at all. That was almost a deal breaker.

I go out with my friends all the time when I need my Indian fix, or some really happenin' Thai and don't feel like cooking.

I tend to end up cooking a lot of His and Hers meals.

His redeeming qualities are that he will try new cuisines, and will eat Japanese (even sushi), Greek, Chinese and Thai if I beg. So I'm not always stuck eating Tex-Mex when we go out.

Other than his questionable taste in food, hes got great taste in women and is certainly a keeper.

[Gifted Gourmet]

A good friend of mine used to date this nutcase who claimed she was vegetarian, too, but ate plenty of chicken/beef broth-containing dishes and crab legs by the pound.  Anyway, we would go out to a restaurant to eat with them and she wouldn't be able to make up her mind about what to order for at least 30 minutes.  Then, she would just order a baked potato, plain, and keep the menu.  15 minutes later she would change her mind and make her boyfriend track down the waiter so she could change her order.  Halfway through her "meal" she would order something else, then change her mind (and her order).

My all-time favorite incident was when she ordered a side house salad (standard iceberg with assorted veggies), but wanted romaine instead of iceberg, nothing but the tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on the side.  So the waiter asked: "Oh, so you just want the side ceasar salad with tomatoes."  And she indignantly replied: "No!  I want the side house salad with romaine instead of iceberg, nothing but the tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on the side!"

Needless to say, they are no longer dating (thank God).

This is hysterical!!

Might she be one of my relatives in disguise??

[Milt]

When dating ( a long time ago) I looked for women who were interesting, bright, articulate, pleasant, etc. When we had a date, I began to see that some of them were not as adventuresome as I when selecting a restaurant. There were a couple of times that I stopped dating simply because I felt we would be too far apart too much of the time around restaurants - or what is eventually fixed at home, if the relationship ever got that far.

I finally found a woman who is interesting, bright, articulate, pleasant, and more. We even share most of our religious and political values. And she will try just about any restaurant that I want to visit. She is not nearly as adventuresome as I, but she knows that she can find something on the menu that she will enjoy. Twenty-seven years later, she is still accompanying me to restaurants that she would never have chosen - and she is still finding something on the menu for herself.

Now we have a daughter who is interesting, bright, articulate, pleasant and more. There are whole classes of foods that she won't try, because she might not like them if she tasted them. When I cook, she automatically gets a pizza out of the freezer. When we go out, she orders chicken or shrimp. That is progress. For the first fifteen years of her life she only ordered chicken fingers. Now she will even order a dinner that includes a salad. She won't eat it - but she will order it. On the other hand, our son (who prefers simple traditional foods) will try anything. He loves my pot roast - but he has tasted everything I have cooked and just about everything I have ordered at a restaurant. Aren't kids amazing?

We have friendships with couples where one party is a picky eater, but I can't imagine having to deal with two like that. What a challenge and what a tribute to those of you who endure such tastes and invite them over anyway.

[Mulcahy]

The male half of a couple we are very close to won't eat any spice. None. Zip. Hates it. Cayenne pepper is my friend.

The female half won't eat anything smoky (read: bacon or bacon flavored), pork, meat that isn't charred, and lots of other stuff.

Almost had them over for lasagna once (I make my lasagna with spicy italian sausage) and then threw the brakes on hard. That would have been a disaster.

I love them dearly, but it is easier to go to a restaurant.

[ellencho]

I wonder if any of these couples really know how inconvenient it is to have them as guests. Of course everyone has their likes and dislikes, but I'd feel so ashamed if I knew that people were going out of their way to feed me and show me hospitality.

[Jason Perlow]

Have you ever had any of those awkward couples to dinner, where finding anything they both can eat is an exercise in creativity and ingenuity?

Yes. There's this couple we know that lives in Manhattan, that we occasionally dine with. He's a former attorney and his wife is a travel writer and pro photographer. They have this great Bulldog...

[agnolottigirl]

Now we have a daughter who is interesting, bright, articulate, pleasant and more. There are whole classes of foods that she won't try, because she might not like them if she tasted them. When I cook, she automatically gets a pizza out of the freezer. When we go out, she orders chicken or shrimp. That is progress. For the first fifteen years of her life she only ordered chicken fingers. Now she will even order a dinner that includes a salad. She won't eat it - but she will order it.

There's hope, though, Milt. . . my parents STILL love to tell people about my yearlong french fries and bacon phase. I pretty much eat everything now. . . but wonder whether my earlier poor diet stunted my growth! (Hey, this just occurred to me: was I the earliest-ever adopter of the Atkins Diet?)

[mongo_jones]

Twenty-seven years later, she is still accompanying me to restaurants that she would never have chosen - and she is still finding something on the menu for herself.

hopefully she gets to choose the restaurant once every other year milt :-)

[NeroW]

The female half won't eat anything smoky (read: bacon or bacon flavored), pork, meat that isn't charred, and lots of other stuff.

That's OK. I'll eat hers.

[maggiethecat]

The joy of having real live eGullet buddies, who will eat anything, talk about the food, and teach me about stuff I'm unfamiliar with!

Before that, I was in the wilderness. A girlfriend who hates cheese (No allergy or anything, but that pear and gorgonzola salad sure fell flat!) Brother and SIL (Caterers!) who will only eat two legged animals. And the charge of foisting "Weird Food" on an unsuspecting populace -- Geez, how weird are pierogi or artichokes?

[Milt]

Now we have a daughter who is interesting, bright, articulate, pleasant and more. There are whole classes of foods that she won't try, because she might not like them if she tasted them. When I cook, she automatically gets a pizza out of the freezer. When we go out, she orders chicken or shrimp. That is progress. For the first fifteen years of her life she only ordered chicken fingers. Now she will even order a dinner that includes a salad. She won't eat it - but she will order it.

There's hope, though, Milt. . . my parents STILL love to tell people about my yearlong french fries and bacon phase. I pretty much eat everything now. . . but wonder whether my earlier poor diet stunted my growth! (Hey, this just occurred to me: was I the earliest-ever adopter of the Atkins Diet?)

I hope our daughter's diet hasn't stunted her growth. She just admitted last week to have reached 6'1". Think what good nutrition could have done.

[Milt]

Twenty-seven years later, she is still accompanying me to restaurants that she would never have chosen - and she is still finding something on the menu for herself.

hopefully she gets to choose the restaurant once every other year milt :-)

Actually, we have taken turns for years. She chooses where we eat as often as I do. It's just that her choices are mainstream enough that there is no challenge in finding something to eat when she chooses the restaurant. My current favorite is a considerable drive from home (forty minutes). It is a Dominican restaurant where my favorites are plantains stuffed with beef brisket or stewed goat accompanied by black beans and rice.

[Gifted Gourmet]

My current favorite is a considerable drive from home (forty minutes). It is a Dominican restaurant where my favorites are plantains stuffed with beef brisket or stewed goat accompanied by black beans and rice.

If you are that impressed, a fellow Atlantan would love to hear the details of this restaurant in the Southeastern Forum of eG ....

[auntdot]

We will eat about anything (do not include insects or other strange delicacies in that).

And I will not allow even the smell of egg salad to polute my air (the other half will make the stuff only when I am not about).

Other than that, we're pretty flexible.

Wish the rest of the family was.

The worst is a brother in law.

Usually just abandon all hope and send out for pizza, regular pizza that is.

No onions, no mushrooms, no sausage, no olives, no pepperoni, peppers or anchovies (OK, I am one of those who like anchovies on pizza but understand most of the world does not).

Just regular pizza.

Tried to pawn off one with extra cheese one time, no go.

Regular pizza.

Yes, he will eat beef but the hours of the crematorium make it difficult for us to prepare a meal.

Another B-I-L will eat vegetables, as long as they are string beans and have been cooked for at least a week and a half.

At least for him we can just open a can.

Don't get to cook for company often, but when we do we like to get a bit creative.

Love good beef, buy why bother when it is going to be incinerated?

Hate making two meals, and hate plating bad food.

Just a foible, I can deal with it if I need to.

[wesza]

I'm guilty of finding a method of resolving this difficulty professionally that actually worked, since both operations prospered and even won some awards.

In the last several restaurants that i owned and operated with associates of like mind and spirit we wrote in a prominent place on our Menus in large type.

That all customers must order a entrée.

Appetizers are expected to be ordered after your entrées are ordered and are served to be shared family style.

When customers requested any Steak be served well one they were advised that we would prepare the steak that way if requested, but wouldn't guarantee the tenderness or flavor with no exchanges.

We generally served seafood undercooked [this was before it became popular], opened the first wine bar, cordial and brandy carte, served Skate, Sting-Ray, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels, Slime Head [Orange Roughy], Morton Bay Bugs [slipper Lobster], Authentic Scampi, Fresh Water Hawaiian Prawns, Hawaiian Red Prawns [Deep Ocean], Saint Peters Fish [Talipia], Opihi, Blue Cod, Live Sea Slugs, Hawaiian Goby, Oio [bonefish], Barracuda, Wolfish, Trigger Fish, Parrot Fish, Surgeon Fish, Conger Eel, Awa Awa [Ladyfish], Live Uni,, Various Whelks, and Opah and other under utilized varieties of seafood from periwinkles, types of squid and octopus rarely sold at any restaurants at the time.

It was fun catering to diners who enjoyed trying interesting new types of foods, if we had Fresh Goat Available, Axis Deer or Venison, Wild Boar or any Game they were the types of items that after calling customers who we kept on a list who were interested in these items we would of get booked up and not be able to merchandise then except by reservation.

We even had the opportunity to open for dinner at 6:30 PM and stop serving by 9:30 PM. Since we had the ordering a entrée for every customer policy there were occasionally customers who chose not to eat at our establishment, but since over 90% of our business was by reservation, the majority of walk ins were repeat or regular customers who we always accommodated.

We also did one other thing that sometimes made incompatible couples into lovey dovy couples. We required that Couples sit side by side instead of across from each other on the premise that we encouraged food be shared and we would be more able to provide better service. Initially it was a gamble, but over time it worked extremley well, where we would get couples, recommended by their pastors or Reverend's to be made to sit side by side and order specific appetizers, after which we would be requested to stamp and sign the card to verify that they had complied. In excess of 100 were sent by the most popular TV evangelist from California.

I'm sorry that parts of this response are off topic but I haven't though about this subject previously and hoped it would be of interst to eGulleters.

Irwin

[Sleepy_Dragon]

.  She is one of those "vegetarians" who will eat fish. 

A fisharian obviously!

In my school, we call these folks "fence-jumpers".

Pat