Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Redisca, I really can't stand people like that. A friend of mine invited her husband's brother and his wife over for a nice dinner. When the food was nearly done, the wife announced that she really wanted cheese pizza from Papa John's instead and wanted her husband to drive there and get one. Which he did. Which took 40 minutes or so, so dinner--that only my friend and her husband wound up eating--was late and cold. Apparently this woman only eats cheese pizza and linguine with alfredo sauce.
hey guys me again I've finally found someone I care about but I'm having a little trouble coping with her eating habits mainly she's extremely picky about what will eat and this bothers me a lot as I am really into food,not a fat slob into grubbing on mcdonalds 24/7 but I mean true culinary differences,small example,suggested sushi "ewww gross I'm not eating raw fish" I then explained that only sushimi is raw fish and there are doezens of other alternatives of "sushi" her response "yeah I'm not eating that" I'm from louisiana I have gone to culinary school and I love everything and am willing to try things at least once her on the other hand is pretty typical of diet meat and potatoes and shrimp,crawfish. corn but only on the cob not out of a can or creamstyle only italian food with red gravy won't even try alfredo or parmesan and I'm at a loss I really care for her but everytime we go on a date to eat somewhere we end up at god damn chili's or applebee's,am I making too big of an issue here?
I hear ya, and I say: it probably won't work.
Your girlfriend's eating selectiveness is most probably a reflection of her personality and character. She's most probably narrow-minded and closed to things outside her comfort zone, and that'll probably include people, places, and cultures.
We all have things we don't like: I don't care much for overly oily/greasy foods, and am not a lover of cheese. There are countries I am not interested in visiting. There are, of course, cuisines I like more than others, but except for some truly bizarre stuff, I'll eat almost anything once.
But fundamentally, you sound like a person who is willing to try anything once, and not just food. This shows you're open-minded and you wish to experience all life has to offer. She however already found her niche and is quite happy in it.
This isn't only a problem in a dating scenario. "Kube" is a guy I've known for nearly 18 years. But he's extremely narrow-minded, and this appears when it comes to food. He only wants to eat dishes from our ancestral culture, and sometimes, SOMETIMES, he'll be OK w/ Chinese food. There were more than one occasion when Kube and I were hanging out with John and John and I wanted to go eat some Latin American-style steak, or to go have a Japanese feast, or what not. Kube would always insist on going somewhere else because he didn't like those foods and he wanted to eat HIS stuff - the dishes from our ancestral cuisine. This also happened with bars - no Hooters, no Irish pub, no yuppie lounge. He didn't "feel comfortable." He only wanted to go to bars staffed by... you guessed it, immigrants from our ancestral culture.
I don't hang out with Kube, never call him, and his name never enters my mind when I make group plans. Ever. And when I invite people over for dinner (I love to entertain) he is never invited. I'm sure you can see why.
When he offered you a taste of his food, did you say, "No, thank you?" or "Eww, nasty!"
The height and boobs thing is pretty strong, though.
I respectfully decline, although he has gotten me to try a number of things with a little liquid courage. You can still dress me up and take me to a finer restaurants, but chances are there's not much on the menu that I'll eat (I primarily eat meat & poultry and dislike all seafood)...but I know how to get by it all without people taking notice.
As I said in another thread, I think the biggest problem with picky eaters -- at least in my experience -- is that pickiness about food never exists in a vacuum. Rather, it's an aspect of a certain kind of personality, one that I, frankly, find very unappealing. Picky eaters invariably have this habit (probably lingering from childhood) of controlling others and keeping them off balance through food. So watch very carefully how she acts in general.
A case in point: a bunch of co-workers and me went out to lunch one day and one of them brought his girlfriend. Now this girl, despite having lived all her life within a mere 2-hour bus ride from NYC, is almost comically provincial about food. She informed us that she was amenable to eating one of two things: "Mexican" (which, it turned out a minute later, meant Taco Bell) or Subway. Obviously, the five of us, normal people, wouldn't have either. In a situation like that, the way out of the impasse is obvious: you take a vote. But no, not this time. Despite a mind-boggling array of dining choices (this is New York City, after all), she was stuck on either Taco Bell or Subway, and wouldn't budge. And the worst thing about it wasn't that she was a picky eater -- but the fact that she expected FIVE PEOPLE to bend to her will. And when we wouldn't -- because really, there is no reason why one person should bend five others to her will -- she spent the rest of the day sulking and wearing that ridiculous raped look on her face. We ended up going to a fabulous Chinese restaurant, and one of us continually tried to placate her, but to no avail. She wouldn't eat the rice because it's "weird". She wouldn't eat the noodles because they are "slimy". She wouldn't eat the beef because "the texture is all wrong". She wouldn't eat the pork because "it's too red". She wouldn't eat the chicken because "it might be dog meat". She wouldn't eat the shrimp because "I only eat it breaded". Also, "Isn't shrimp supposed to be, like, really tiny? Why are these so big?" She wouldn't eat the soup for a bunch of reasons ranging from being disgusted by egg to being really suspicious of lemon grass. And she wouldn't eat the dessert because "it's too green". And all through that, she was sulking, tearing up from time to time, and looking at us as if we were defiling her.
Again, it's not so much about not eating this or that -- it's about transforming a group event into something that centers on pleasing her, and where the food preferences of five people are ignored in favor of one. I find this behavior typical of fussy eaters. I think it's an attention-seeking ploy, and I personally find it absolutely revolting.
Apart from that, you will generally find it very difficult, as a foodie, to be with someone like that long-term. As someone said above, foodies and non-foodies don't mix. This may sound shallow, but food has a major social role in our every-day lives, including our intimate lives. Fundamental differences in how you perceive food are just as serious as fundamental differences about sex -- it's not something that you can put up with on a permanent basis.
Just my two cents.
Oh my... and I thought Kube was bad.
I only read this post after writing mine, and I will bet anything this woman is from New Jersey.
This woman is not only provincial; words such as "ignorant," "narrow-minded," "uncultured," and even "country bumpkin" enter my mind.
But that she expected 5 individuals to do her bidding and that she sulked like a child to the point of tears because she wouldn't have her way is not only tragically selfish, it's a sign of tremendous immaturity.
On a personal note, a major reason I live within very close distance of New York City is that I absolutely love the variety of cuisines available in this city. (And, I just wouldn't fit in if I were to live in towns where people like this woman were common. I'd go crazy.).
To the OP - either find a new girlfriend - or round up some of your culinary school or foodie buddies to go out every once in awhile to enjoy a wonderful meal and get some relief.
If you're truly in New Orleans and the girlfriend won't budge from Chili's or Applebee's, she is really missing out on some of the gastronomic delights and experiences of her lifetime.
Just to add to the mix and getting a chuckle from many of the responses, I've a quick story to add just for levity's sake. After wearing many different hats over a long life I've been a restaurant owner for 14 years now and do all the cooking myself. It's so incredibly rare to encounter a difficult customer but one always sticks out in particular.
A new couple came in one night. They read through the menu for a very long time and then asked my server if they could have, "the lamb curry without the curry." My server politely explained that the lamb curry is already made and seasoned, at which they said, "So she doesn't have any lamb that she can just grill? She DOES have a grill, right?" A polite negative on that one from the server prompted the next question.
I have breaded fried shrimp as an appetizer and they wanted to know if they could have that item steamed instead of fried ...
They finally ordered something (I honestly don't remember what it was but they cleaned it up) with a green salad to start. When the green salad (clearly on the menu as a mix of baby greens) was presented, the man wanted to know why there were no tomatoes, onions or cucumber on it. The server politely explained that it was a green salad and not a garden salad. The man said that EVERYWHERE he'd ever been out to eat (obviously not too many and I should add that his companion had to read the menu to him) a green salad had all the veggies too. The polite explanation by the server of the difference between a green and garden salad went down with him like a zinc cupcake. He ate it anyway, they were actually complimentary about their shared dinner - and left without leaving one penny of a tip. Oh well.
davenz, I have to disagree with you on this one. Not liking something is one thing, not being willing to try something new takes it up to a next level and outrightly saying, "Eeeewww, I won't eat THAT!" is in a different ballpark. When someone is so rigid about food and can only find anything to suit at a basic fast food/franchise operation, their culinary-savvy partner is going to have a problem. Cheers!
Redisca, I really can't stand people like that. A friend of mine invited her husband's brother and his wife over for a nice dinner. When the food was nearly done, the wife announced that she really wanted cheese pizza from Papa John's instead and wanted her husband to drive there and get one. Which he did. Which took 40 minutes or so, so dinner--that only my friend and her husband wound up eating--was late and cold. Apparently this woman only eats cheese pizza and linguine with alfredo sauce.
Kube did something a bit similar.
John said to me that once John and his wife invited Kube and his wife to dinner. John's wife is a great cook and she made a large lasagna.
Kube's wife enjoyed it, but Kube didn't. He had a little, and asked John's wife if she had a side dish which goes w/ every meal in our ancestral cuisine (and which is a total mismatch with lasagna). Out of courtesy, John's wife served him some.
Ironically, Kube's wife was born and raised in that ancestral homeland and has been here only a few years; she didn't ask for other dishes and enjoyed the lasagna far more than Kube did. Kube immigrated to the USA in the mid-1980s, and acts this way.
Kube's wife was born and raised in that ancestral homeland and has been here only a few years; she didn't ask for other dishes and enjoyed the lasagna far more than Kube did. Kube immigrated to the USA in the mid-1980s, and acts this way.
He's done a wonderful job of integrating not.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You can still dress me up and take me to a finer restaurants, but chances are there's not much on the menu that I'll eat (I primarily eat meat & poultry and dislike all seafood)...but I know how to get by it all without people taking notice.
