Food fight

TurtleMeng · February 17, 2005

It just occured to me it's hard enough to be committed to an individual, and food conflicts makes that even harder. What am I talking about? Quick example

My husband will NEVER order a fish dish from a "western" restaurant (that, in our family, roughly stands for French, Italian, American).

"They don't know how to cook fish".

Sir, in my opinion, you are missing out a lot of good dishes.

But we just came back from a free dinner and he said the same thing again.

I think there are others...

Pan · February 17, 2005

Seems to me that the solution in such restaurants is for you to order your own fish dish. If he doesn't want to try some of your dish, more fish for you!

Am I suggesting possible solutions too much? Yeah, I know, very male of me. . . :hmmm: :rolleyes:

Luckylies · February 17, 2005

he likes to eat breakfast, insted of say, jumping straight into barbecue at 11:00..

he hates japanese bar food.

He does not like FRUIT! huh? wha?

otherwise he's foodperfect.

NulloModo · February 17, 2005

Hmm, I don't have a significant other, but my roomate has three food peeves that I personally find rather annoying:

1. He won't eat mushrooms (isn't allergic, says he doesn't like them, but when he eats a dish where they are cut up too tiny and he doesn't see them he likes it just fine as long as I don't tell him they are there...)

2. He won't eat beans of any variety, won't even try them, says he finds something about them disgusting, although I can't tell how he would know if he never tries to eat the damn things...

3. Refuses to eat any curries because he says he doesn't like 'curry' and doesn't seem to understand that curry isn't one spice and that my thai green curry might be very different from some Indian one he disliked at a restuarant a long time ago.

Now, none of this is really all that awful, as I still cook whatever I want and if it happens to contain something he doesn't like he will just not raid the fridge of it overnight. I don't even know why I care, I just wish he would take some more risks culinarily, and figure he would enjoy a lot more foods if he did.

CompassRose · February 17, 2005

He doesn't like fruit in savoury dishes. (Sob!)

He likes El Cheapo baked goods (like powdery supermarket donuts) and that repulsive frosting made of Crisco and sugar.

He drops his vegetable peelings in the sink. :angry:

:wub: Otherwise, also foodperfect!

Marlene · February 17, 2005

He doesn't like most vegetables.

He won't eat lamb or veal

He won't let me put nuts in brownies or chocolate chip cookies, or in anything in fact, although he eats nuts. Go figure.

He doesn't do leftovers

He doesn't eat quiche.

Or sour cream.

Or spareribs and saurkraut which is almost sacriledge in my book.

He does however like beef as much as I do. Otherwise, we'd be totally incompatible!

browniebaker · February 17, 2005

He doesn't like coconut! Juice of the coconut is all right, but not the meat. I wait until he's out of town to indulge. I have to make sure the kids are exposed to coconut so that they don't grow up weird.

Lone Star · February 17, 2005

The pinto bean wars have blighted my otherwise food harmonious marriage.

My husband thinks you cannot have beans and cornbread, one of the most perfect meals in the universe, without chili. That is just wrong.

He also puts American cheese on his spaghetti when I am not looking. He thinks I don't see him.

bergerka · February 17, 2005

He not only won't have cranberries at Thanksgiving, he refuses to allow anyone ELSE to have cranberries. :angry: :angry: :angry:

Goddamnit. I LIKE CRANBERRIES.

Fortunately, Ed brings cranberry cheesecake, or I'd go into total withdrawal every year.

K

jgm · February 17, 2005

He not only won't have cranberries at Thanksgiving, he refuses to allow anyone ELSE to have cranberries.
Goddamnit. I LIKE CRANBERRIES.
Fortunately, Ed brings cranberry cheesecake, or I'd go into total withdrawal every year.
K
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Whaddaya mean, "he refuses to allow anyone ELSE to have cranberries"? He can get by with that only if he's allowed to. What's he going to do if you put them on the table and tell him to behave? If it's a situation like a peanut allergy, where for some people even the slightest exposure is life threatening, that's reasonable. Otherwise, time for him to put on his big boy pants and not worry about what others are doing.

My DH... won't eat meat cooked with fruit. He also won't eat yogurt. Or sour cream. Or avocados. Other than that, he's a good guy, and the cats like him, so I let him stay.

TurtleMeng · February 17, 2005

Let me add some

(1) Going to a Shanghainese restaurant and ordering a Cantonese dish (of course, it's edible and even possibly good if it's on the menu. but still it's riskier, and a little missing the point of choosing that restaurant)

(2) asking about foie gras and escargots @ every "western" restaurant

(3) when (2) fails, promptly then ask if they have fried calamari

Looks like all restaurant stuff. I guess at home he eats every thing. Oh, at home:

when asked how a dish tastes, always responding with "normal".

1. He won't eat mushrooms (isn't allergic, says he doesn't like them, but when he eats a dish where they are cut up too tiny and he doesn't see them he likes it just fine as long as I don't tell him they are there...)

BTW, that is my son, 100 %. Amazing.

TongoRad · February 17, 2005

My wife refuses to spend money on vegetable dishes in restaurants. To her veggies are 'so cheap' and I can do just as good of a job cooking them at home. It's especially irritating at Indian and Chinese restaurants, and always involves some sort of negotiation on my part (because I just. won't. learn.) I have gotten smart lately, though, and moved the deal-making to the time before we go out so there will be no unpleasantness at the restaurant itself. :wink:

Other than this seemingly strange frugality, though, we are quite usually sympatico.

My husband will NEVER order a fish dish from a "western" restaurant (that, in our family, roughly stands for French, Italian, American).
"They don't know how to cook fish".

French and American, maybe...but Italian?!!! Seafood is the whole point of going out for Italian. Well- that and fried cheese :biggrin:

Ovenfrenzy · February 17, 2005

My husband won't eat beef, pork, or chicken unless it's organic. Since we don't live anywhere near a grocery that carries such meat, we mainly eat vegetarian or fish. I want to just buy a damn roast at my local store and brown it and braise it into an meltingly tender beefy explosion...Grrr. Other than that he's great and willing to try anything I cook.

Potter · February 17, 2005

My hubby will eat anything but he has a strange aversion to corn bread, corn fritters and corn pancakes. However, he will eat these things if I make them. Though he likes corn on the cob.

My main pet peeve is how he eats ice cream. Pours milk over it and loudly smashes it with a spoon. It's like he's making a milkshake with a mortar and pestle.

Due to his upbringing, he is very reluctant to throw away food that is old (not yet rotten, but iffy). He's getting better with this. Last we time we ate at his mom's, she tried to serve us 10 day old ham from Christmas. I was very proud when he told her he wouldn't eat the ham and no else should either!

NulloModo · February 17, 2005

Due to his upbringing, he is very reluctant to throw away food that is old (not yet rotten, but iffy). He's getting better with this. Last we time we ate at his mom's, she tried to serve us 10 day old ham from Christmas. I was very proud when he told her he wouldn't eat the ham and no else should either!
←

Oh come now, ten days is perfectly safe for ham. Heck, I was still eating ham and turkey from Thanksgiving a week before christmas...

CaliPoutine · February 17, 2005

My SO hates fruit. How can someone hate fruit? I dont get it.

She also douses her french fries with salt. Oy, I feel a heart attack coming on just thinking about it.

chile_peppa · February 17, 2005

The Biker Dude lived many years as a single father, feasting at Burger King and Taco Bell, and heating the occasional quick-n-easy thing in the microwave. He's a really terrible cook when it comes to anything but prepared foods and even then, it's a little iffy. Apparently, his son ate a lot of ramen in his formative years. He eats Chef-Boy-Ardee cold out of the can. He likes squishy white bread. He hates mushrooms but like someone else above, he'll eat them if he can't see them. He made a chicken and rice dish and managed to burn the Minute Rice black. He couldn't figure out why I wouldn't eat it. He tries, but I told him never to cook for me again.

But, on the other hand, he absolutely loves anything I make for him. I don't press him to eat any of the more "exotic" things that I like, but he's willing to try quite a lot. If I instruct him carefully, he's good at peeling and chopping and other prep tasks. He always thanks me for cooking for him, and he cleans the kitchen and scrubs the pots. He takes out the trash without my asking. There's still hope.

Arey · February 17, 2005

He scatters his kibble all over the kitchen floor. When offered a treat (Gerbers beef and lamb are the only treats he'll sometimes eat) he tries to hide what he didn't eat by scooping kibble out of his dinner bowl onto the treat. He barfs his kibble in the most inconvenient places.

edited for apostrophe mis-use.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Arey (log)

Chris Amirault · February 17, 2005

A previous thread on food and partners, with an eerily similar title....

And my 500th post on eGullet!

Potter · February 17, 2005

Due to his upbringing, he is very reluctant to throw away food that is old (not yet rotten, but iffy). He's getting better with this. Last we time we ate at his mom's, she tried to serve us 10 day old ham from Christmas. I was very proud when he told her he wouldn't eat the ham and no else should either!
←
Oh come now, ten days is perfectly safe for ham. Heck, I was still eating ham and turkey from Thanksgiving a week before christmas...
←

Wow. You must have an iron stomach. My mother-in-law would love you. What's the oldest food you ever ate? did it make you sick? 100-year-old eggs don't count nor do any aged/fermented foods.

redglass · February 17, 2005

DBF doesn't like cheese other than american and cheddar. Who doesn't like cheese in all of its wonderful and sinful forms? Same for artichokes, hearts of palm, pickles, olives.... more for me, I guess.

My roommate's recipes- and he fancies himself a good cook- all seem to contain garlic and onion powder and exclusively canned or frozen veggies- not a fresh item in sight.

lorilei1170 · February 17, 2005

Generally spouse will try anything in front of him but has kind of limited faculties when it comes to some things:

- Will not salt pasta water!!!!! Uses oil (?) instead. "No, really honey, you don't have to start dinner!"

- Used to use ketchup for EVERYTHING, now not so much. Hated it when I would marinate and grill up a nice hunk of meat, then he would smother it with ketchup! No the barbeque sauce comes out occasionally but less often...

- Does not eat cooked fish but will eat sushi?!?!

- Will not let me use butter or salt on his veggies, or just about anything else. But since I REFUSE to keep any kind of butter "substitute" or margarine around, he will just go w/out.

Generally we have opposite food philosophies: He eats to live and I live to eat.

(all things considered, he is great all around and would not change a thing, we have just learned to accept our differences)

bergerka · February 17, 2005

Whaddaya mean, "he refuses to allow anyone ELSE to have cranberries"? He can get by with that only if he's allowed to. What's he going to do if you put them on the table and tell him to behave? If it's a situation like a peanut allergy, where for some people even the slightest exposure is life threatening, that's reasonable. Otherwise, time for him to put on his big boy pants and not worry about what others are doing.
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It's not quite THAT simple. We don't do Thanksgiving with family-style service, we do a plated multi-course tasting menu which he spends hours (days) and tons of energy preparing (he blogged it for egullet this year, in fact).

It's become a little running joke between us that nowhere in the tasting menu do cranberries appear except during dessert. I wasn't clear enough about that, sorry.

K

johnnyd · February 17, 2005

we do a plated multi-course tasting menu which he spends hours (days) and tons of energy preparing (he blogged it for egullet this year, in fact).

B,

I'm still working through Sam's amazing menu. Cauliflower soup w/curry oil went over well the other day...

I worked hard weaning my SO off bottled salad dressings, using less and less sugar in whatever I whisked up until the sharp character of the vinegar was no longer a problem. One night, not long after dinner, she went for a bowl of cereal which collided with my balsamic head-on. Up came the whole thing and she wouldn't even sniff any kind of vinegar for months, no way. Only lately have I tricked her with a sauce or two and I think I'm making some headway!

Edited February 17, 2005 by johnnyd (log)

NulloModo · February 17, 2005

Wow. You must have an iron stomach. My mother-in-law would love you. What's the oldest food you ever ate? did it make you sick? 100-year-old eggs don't count nor do any aged/fermented foods.
←

I don't dispute that I have an iron stomach, I can chow down on a bowl of habaneros in hot sauce and blue cheese and not feel it in my gut later, but the ham and turkey in question still smelled fine. Generally I go by the smell/feel taste. If it smells funny or is unacceptably slimy (and isn't supposed to be slimy) I toss it, if not, it is still fair game. Only thing I ever got sick from food-wise was some Italian sausage I cooked up over a year ago that I didn't manage to cook very thoroughly. Oh well, live and learn, I still love Italian sausage and do my best to make sure I don't leave it medium-rare now ;).

I thought of another odd food-quirk my roomate has: he won't eat any pizza that has any vegetable on it.

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