If you and H do not share taste in food... C/P

[midnightmare81]

If you or your H has a favorite meal(s) that the other really does not
like, how do you handle it? Lets just say its something like a family
recipe or something, so getting it out is not an option, and family is
not close.

Do you still make it? If so, do you both eat it anyway or does the other spouse eat something else?

This does not apply to those with allergies since eating them would not just be unpleasant but would make you sick.

C/P from MM since I meant to post it here instead

ETA- doesn't matter if you or SO made it. Its whether or not it is eaten by both parties even if it is not enjoyed. Or if something is not made if one party doesn't like it

[alzi]

we make our own meals often. he eats meat, i do not. i could house a ton of pasta, he is not a big fan. no biggie.

[Doc_Lobster]

I eat it if he makes it. I do not like everything he makes, but I do not complain when someone has been nice enough to cook me dinner.

[midnightmare81]

Mar 3, 2013 20:49:09 GMT -5 alzi said:

we make our own meals often. he eats meat, i do not. i could house a ton of pasta, he is not a big fan. no biggie.

This is me. Luckily he doesn't hate it. I like meat, but not near as much/often as he does

[stephm0188]

One of our biggest arguments ever was over a jar of kimchi in the fridge.

[UMaineTeach]

he's better at cooking the things he likes that I don't and since I have little concept of how it should taste he cooks it if it's not something we both are going to eat.

I wouldn't refuse to cook fish/sea creatures, curry, or eggs, but if he is cooking it he can make it the way he wants since he is only feeding himself.

[midnightmare81]

Mar 3, 2013 20:51:12 GMT -5 mekiakoo said:

I make him eat whatever I cook. And I eat whatever he cooks. Lol. He is good about eating and not complaining. But we don't really have this problem.

Actually, we try to make something we both will enjoy. Like a yummy side for me or something like that.

Well, we don't have any kids, but whenever we do, we want to set a good example. ETA, what I mean is we want to appreciate whoever cooks by eating and not complaining.

Interesting point. I had thought about kids and being taught to eat it if you liked it or not. We don't plan to have kids, so setting an example is irrelevant to us, but possibly very relevant to others.

[hisno1girl]

My husband doesn't cook, but I will make things for him that I don't/won't eat. Sloppy Joes is probably the main one, but I don't really consider that cooking. He loves it and I think it's gross.

[stephm0188]

Okay, so here's my real answer.

I don't cook. He does all the cooking. There isn't anything I adore that he doesn't like, so NBD there.

But there is plenty that he likes that I can.not.stand. and since I'm not the cook, I don't really get a say in the matter. I order pizza or something.

[macmars45]

For the most part H and I like the same foods. There are a few things that H loves and I hate so he'll make those and I'll eat leftovers (like last night). There is one meal that I can think of that H doesn't love but I do. He sucks it up and eats it with me and in return I don't make it as often as I'd like. It's our way of compromising.

I think when we have kids he'll be making his gross foods for snacks during football games or when I/our future kids are gone for a meal.

[underwaterrhymes]

I don't eat beef, chicken or pork, but H does on occasion.

If he's craving something - usually buffalo chicken or fried chicken - he will make it for himself and make something different for me (like fried or buffalo tempeh) instead.

I won't cook meat, but I will cook other meals that he prefers that I don't necessarily love because I know he enjoys it. But there aren't too many of those. Usually desserts fall into this category because he prefers chocolate and I prefer fruity stuff.

[bleubook]

I learned to make a few of his favorite recipes from his mother. They are not my favorite but I cook them with love.

I've learned to appreciate certain dishes which I otherwise could have lived without.

I'm very lucky with DH because there are very few things he refuses to eat.
Generally I do avoid those dishes.

[midnightmare81]

Mar 3, 2013 21:03:53 GMT -5 bleubook said:

I learned to make a few of his favorite recipes from his mother. They are not my favorite but I cook them with love.

I've learned to appreciate certain dishes which I otherwise could have lived without.

I'm very lucky with DH because there are very few things he refuses to eat.
Generally I do avoid those dishes.

This is how it is in our house. For example, tonight we are having Chili, his dad's recipe (I made it). In general, I could take or leave Chili. For his dad's I will leave it every time given the choice. That said, his family has opened my eyes to many new foods, so I appreciate it.

I have been dreading dinner all day. But I felt like a total brat for not wanting to eat it and wanting something else. I feel much better now about making my own dinner now!

Thankfully, I can't think of anything I will eat he doesn't like, so I got lucky there

[midnightmare81]

Mar 3, 2013 21:08:48 GMT -5 bricco said:

Okay, so.. what you're about to read about my H is highly flameful.

My H takes pickiness to the extremes. He does not like that he is picky, but he has a very limited selection of foods that he will eat. He has broadened it slightly in the 4+ years we have been together, but let me tell you, it's very, very limited. His issue with food is more texture-based than flavor, and he definitely has major anxiety when it's time to try new foods. He often needs to have a few drinks in order to get through it, and is still visibly shaken, even when it's his idea. He does push himself to try new things fairly often, but with minimal success.

He eats hamburgers (with ketchup only), hot dogs, bacon, pancakes, cheese pizza, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, Wavy Lay's chips (with Dean's French Onion Dip), and.. that's basically it.

He is working on eating other meats (tonight we had baked breaded chicken and he ate it! HUGE breakthrough for us). He is going to attempt pasta with alfredo sauce on Thursday. (When we met, he did not eat burgers from restaurants other than McDonald's and did not have mozzarella sticks in his repertoire either. Adding those two things have made it infinitely easier to dine out with him.)

He does not eat any fruits or vegetables. He drinks V8 fusion every day, but right now that's it. He's trying to try 1-2 new foods every week and we're working on ways to sneak vegetables into his food. The most successful so far is the pasta sauce with servings of vegetables in it. He also has eaten chips with vegetables in them before. He didn't like them but could handle it.

It's basically the only thing wrong with my H, but it is a major deal, so he's working on it.
--
Anyway, that's ALL way tl;dr but basically.. H and I do not eat the same meals, ever. I cook for me, he cooks for him. I tried eating like he does the first year we dated and I gained 25 pounds and we weren't even living together. So yeah.. If one of us is ill, the other will pitch in and pick up something or make something easy that the other one will eat.

I can sympathize with him. I was/still sorta am the same way. My mom never cooked, so I lived on pasta. My palate prior to meeting H was pasta, pizza, burgers with like NOTHING on them, and chicken fingers with FF. When I met H, he was still living home. His dad is a good cook, and usually would make me something to eat if I didn't like it, but also made his normal meal. I always told him not to worry about it, but usually he would make me a side of pasta anyway.
So many times I would end up trying and liking his meal. So I would eat what he made me, but also a portion of what he made for everyone. Over time, I learned to eat different things, and even make some of his recipes. I think having something I liked took away the anxiety, but I was still encouraged to try new things. It took a while, but I am now able to eat much more broadly. Maybe try making him a small portion of something he likes, so he won't fear that the only food to have is something he doesn't like, but also to try the new stuff since his food is not meal size.

Does he have smell issues as well? If so, alfredo may not be the way to go. The smell of cooked parm cheese makes me gag, even though I like the taste. I have to hold my nose to take the first bite.

[mskitkat]

We have a few foods that we mutually agree not to have in the house. Mushrooms make me gag at the sight of them. He loathes olives and avocado. Other than that, we suck it up and eat what the other person made.

[janiejones]

We face this all the time. Our diets are about 50/50 shared to not shared food preferences.
I am vegetarian, he is not. I do cook meat for him, and veg entree for myself. I'm over being fussy about food, unless it's one of my allergies (some of which are rather severe).

[Cioccolato]

We only make meals we both like, if we're eating together. H is not picky though, even when I was vegan he always ate the same meals as me. Sometimes he would add something to his food if he wanted, but it was rare (like chicken to stir fry or something).

[lightbulbsun]

H is pretty picky. When we were first living together I tried to cook for both of us but it just got annoying, so now I make whatever I want and let him know what the meal plan is, and if he doesn't like something he can make his own food. It works for us.

ETA: I sometimes make him try things that I eat.  His mom is really impressed with the variety of food I've gotten him to eat, lol.

[pantsparty]

My H pretty much eats whatever I put in front of him. If he was incredibly picky, I could see us making separate dinners. He's a good sport about me trying new things, but most of the time, he just wants simple dinners, like tacos.

[dragonfly08]

I don't cook for my DH, so it doesn't matter that we have completely separate likes as far as dinner goes. I prefer a big salad with some protein. DH is a small meal/snack throughout the day kind of guy and will often eat just oatmeal, cereal, or bean salad for "dinner" during the week. He hates leftovers, and having to reheat it even if I just made it two hours beforehand counts so he told me a long time ago to just cook for the girls and myself.

We will often eat the same thing on weekends, but then we stick to the few things that are common ground like roast chicken or salmon, or we go out.

[mamasaurus]

I'm vegetarian and he doesn't eat vegetables. We end up cooking and eating different things more nights than we cook/eat the same things.

ETA: I rarely cook for him, but sometimes he cooks for the both of us. For example, I do not grill his chicken, but if we're both having pasta, he usually makes it for us both since he's super picky about it and I'm not.

[DotAndBuzz]

H will eat most anything I make, but there are some dishes that I LOVE which he really doesn't even like. I make those when I know he's working evenings so I still get my favorite dishes, but don't have to worry about making something he won't eat. He also won't do any fish at home, so even though it is something I'd like to incorporate into the rotation, I know he won't eat it, so I just order that when we go out.

[emjacobs]

Mar 3, 2013 21:08:48 GMT -5 bricco said:

Okay, so.. what you're about to read about my H is highly flameful.

My H takes pickiness to the extremes. He does not like that he is picky, but he has a very limited selection of foods that he will eat. He has broadened it slightly in the 4+ years we have been together, but let me tell you, it's very, very limited. His issue with food is more texture-based than flavor, and he definitely has major anxiety when it's time to try new foods. He often needs to have a few drinks in order to get through it, and is still visibly shaken, even when it's his idea. He does push himself to try new things fairly often, but with minimal success.

He eats hamburgers (with ketchup only), hot dogs, bacon, pancakes, cheese pizza, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, Wavy Lay's chips (with Dean's French Onion Dip), and.. that's basically it.

He is working on eating other meats (tonight we had baked breaded chicken and he ate it! HUGE breakthrough for us). He is going to attempt pasta with alfredo sauce on Thursday. (When we met, he did not eat burgers from restaurants other than McDonald's and did not have mozzarella sticks in his repertoire either. Adding those two things have made it infinitely easier to dine out with him.)

He does not eat any fruits or vegetables. He drinks V8 fusion every day, but right now that's it. He's trying to try 1-2 new foods every week and we're working on ways to sneak vegetables into his food. The most successful so far is the pasta sauce with servings of vegetables in it. He also has eaten chips with vegetables in them before. He didn't like them but could handle it.

It's basically the only thing wrong with my H, but it is a major deal, so he's working on it.
--
Anyway, that's ALL way tl;dr but basically.. H and I do not eat the same meals, ever. I cook for me, he cooks for him. I tried eating like he does the first year we dated and I gained 25 pounds and we weren't even living together. So yeah.. If one of us is ill, the other will pitch in and pick up something or make something easy that the other one will eat.

Wanna come to dinner at my house because it sounds like you are married to my FI.  T will eat a few more things that your H.  He will eat carrots with ranch, broccoli loaded with cheese, baked beans (my recipe only), green beans (my moms and mine only), and has recently allowed me to cook things with mushrooms and onions but won't actually eat them.  Will not eat meat on the bone, ham or any pork for that matter other than bacon.  Doesn't eat fruit or fruity things other than a few bananas / apples a year.

Oh and he doesn't cook.

[leeann]

I don't like (or prefer, anyway) most things H picks for dinner, so I usually make whatever gross thing he wants (he eats like an 8 year old, so it's Hamburger Helper or something equally ridiculous) and then I make myself whatever I want.

[cuddlyevil]

DH eats whatever I put in front of him. He may not always like it, but we abide by the "You can't say you don't like it if you haven't tried it" rule in our house.

He doesn't cook so that's not a concern for me

[Cioccolato]

Mar 3, 2013 21:08:48 GMT -5 bricco said:

Okay, so.. what you're about to read about my H is highly flameful.

My H takes pickiness to the extremes. He does not like that he is picky, but he has a very limited selection of foods that he will eat. He has broadened it slightly in the 4+ years we have been together, but let me tell you, it's very, very limited. His issue with food is more texture-based than flavor, and he definitely has major anxiety when it's time to try new foods. He often needs to have a few drinks in order to get through it, and is still visibly shaken, even when it's his idea. He does push himself to try new things fairly often, but with minimal success.

He eats hamburgers (with ketchup only), hot dogs, bacon, pancakes, cheese pizza, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, Wavy Lay's chips (with Dean's French Onion Dip), and.. that's basically it.

He is working on eating other meats (tonight we had baked breaded chicken and he ate it! HUGE breakthrough for us). He is going to attempt pasta with alfredo sauce on Thursday. (When we met, he did not eat burgers from restaurants other than McDonald's and did not have mozzarella sticks in his repertoire either. Adding those two things have made it infinitely easier to dine out with him.)

He does not eat any fruits or vegetables. He drinks V8 fusion every day, but right now that's it. He's trying to try 1-2 new foods every week and we're working on ways to sneak vegetables into his food. The most successful so far is the pasta sauce with servings of vegetables in it. He also has eaten chips with vegetables in them before. He didn't like them but could handle it.

It's basically the only thing wrong with my H, but it is a major deal, so he's working on it.
--
Anyway, that's ALL way tl;dr but basically.. H and I do not eat the same meals, ever. I cook for me, he cooks for him. I tried eating like he does the first year we dated and I gained 25 pounds and we weren't even living together. So yeah.. If one of us is ill, the other will pitch in and pick up something or make something easy that the other one will eat.

I could not live with this.

[lemondrop34]

This is a HUGE issue for my H and I. He has certain meals that his mom used to make (she passed away before I even knew her) and he wants me to duplicate them. Example, Beef Paprika, I have never heard of it, never eaten it, never anything, but he insisted that I get the recipe from his sister and make it. I used the wrong meat. He said it tasted like it, but the meat was cut up different. Also, if I make something like Meatloaf, he has to have the exact sides that his mom would serve with it. I don't like Ranch Style Beans with my Meatloaf *shudder*.

Anyway, it's still an issue and I still try to cook something he will enjoy every night. I'm a people pleaser...what can I say?

Oh and we have 4 kids and I'm the only person in the house that cooks, so making separate meals for everyone is out of the question.

My vote is that I make things he likes and I don't like, but suck it up.

[whitemerlot]

I do most of the cooking and my H eats everything except mayo, which I only like in tuna and egg salad sandwiches. I make those for lunch once in a while for myself. He was picky when we started dating, but now is a very adventurous eater. I think mayo is the only thing he prefers not to eat.

[litebright]

We eat about 85% the same stuff, but there are some caveats. DH and I have switched roles, actually, since the beginning of our marriage. He used to be somewhat lactose intolerant and I was not; I tried to avoid cooking heavily creamy/milky dishes, but he mostly just dealt with it by eating what he could.

Now he's barely LI at all and I have it really bad; even the lactose pills don't help much if at all. So we discuss things ahead of time. Like last night, I made creme brulee because I knew he really likes it, and it's a special treat I knew the girls would love; and he made his super-cheesy lasagna from scratch. I bought myself a slice of chocolate cake and made stuffed shells with fake cheese.

It was kind of a bummer for me, because I love creme brulee and his lasagna and I just can't eat it anymore. But I have two kids and a DH who can all eat the same things and need their calcium. I also haven't stopped buying treats like pudding and ice cream for them, even though I can't eat them.

I also have learned to cook fish, even though I hate it, because DH and the girls like it and it's good for them. We'll have tilapia and salmon sometime this week, and I'll make myself something else for myself.

[cheeseandcrackers]

Basically, if he doesn't like what i'm cooking or wants something else, my policy is he can make it himself

Most of the time this is not an issue though, we like the same food. 

He has been complaining about us never eating any sort of pasta dish (i'm not a fan). I told him he can cook it for us one day if he is really craving it. Hasn't happened yet, lol.