Eating with people who don't enjoy food

who remembers the dining scene from Tom Jones
with the naughty Albert Finney and Joyce Redman
going at it with soup, oysters chicken, wine, and the
fruit!?!

nanna8

What I find annoying is going to restaurants with people who order a meal and then just move it round their plates and leave half of it after complaining that something perfectly fine is ‘too tough’ or ‘too salty’ or whatever. Some seem to make a habit of this.

Dh’s aunt was like this. We used to take her for a pub lunch, but everything was too hot/too cold/too tough/too sloppy/they don’t know how to make pastry any more, you name it.
In the end we stopped taking her out - I’d take something very simple/basic I knew she liked, to cook at hers.

However she was very anti/suspicious of anything that wasn’t fresh meat/fish/veg, so given that she was always ‘starving!’ and I was expected to have it all ready within about 20 minutes, I used to decant M&S e.g. tinned minced beef or steak into a Tupperware, maybe add a few mushrooms, and pretend I’d cooked it.
She never twigged!

AGAA4

I took my son and his new girlfriend out for a meal. She ordered then didn't eat any of it. It was a very popular, always booked up restaurant, so a bit embarrassing sending back a whole plate of untouched food. I found out later that her diet consisted of several bottles of cola a day and a few bags of crisps.

Oh heavens, that would be embarrassing, handing back an untouched plate of food. That poor young lady clearly has a very bad eating disorder if she only eats coke and crisps, and will be in hospital before too long, seriously sick. Do you have any idea how she is now? I'm feeling quite worried about her. 😟

I have one of those, who orders children’s portions and hardly eats that. I love my food (it shows😂) - so I really don’t like going out with her for a meal.

That wouldn't be a wonderful weekend for me I’m afraid.

I’m sorry op , I don’t understand how you were famished. Did you have the same portion size as your friends? Or was it that they’d finished before you , due to small portions ?

I’m no great cook but I enjoy proper food. I can’t abide people messing about with food.

I used to find cooking for the family tiring .
My kids love food ,are adventurous.and enjoy spicy food .
One doesn't like the smell of lamb and one can stand anything that reminds her of an animal -but I could cook a successful meal for them .
I'd make at least three different desserts to please them .
But my parents were super picky.
They liked bland food and were probably looking forward to the puddings .
Somehow with a large glass of wine - I'd muddle through .

As I get older I get bored with food quickly,but I really dislike going out with friends who pick through the menu ,exhaust the unfortunate server with questions ,demand things that aren't on the menu,pick their way through the meal and lecture everyone on their allergies,intolerances and illnesses.
This is usually accompanied by the declaration of weight loss .

In France ,one of my friends did such a performance.
The chef cane out of the kitchen and asked her never to return to his restaurant.
And worse,a distinguished elderly Chevalier came across to our table and said that if he saw her in the restaurant-he'd leave .

Biscuitmuncher

Just had a wonderful weekend with lovely people who really weren't food lovers. They had a spoonful of rice and chicken, bland as anything and were then stuffed at the end. I have spent all weekend famished

I love to cook but don't much care to eat more than a few spoons.

Good job we're all different.

We have two separate friends who simply don’t have a big enjoyment of food!

Both single women, one lives in the South of France, in a lovely village in a very nice villa with a pool, she’s lovely but the worst hostess ever and lives blinking miles from the nearest shop, she used to be an amazing cook and stuff all her guests full to bursting, now she’s only got ice cream and lollies in her freezer and roll mops and booze in her fridge!

We sneak food in and I offer to cook!

The other lady doesn’t eat much herself at all, but at least puts on a decent spread!

However she’s very very health conscious and very slim and makes us feel like little piggies! 🐖🐖🐷🐷🐽🐽

We conclude you’re either a “foodies, or you’re not!

We both definitely are!!

This thread has made me both cringe and laugh out loud!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Biscuitmuncher

Astitchintime I was at a hotel type place miles from anywhere and it was catered. So there was no choice and a long taxi to civilisation

Sounds utterly horrific!

I’m not a fussy eater as I will eat most things but I haven’t got a big appetite.
Like everyone though I’ve got my favourites but I wouldn’t describe myself as a foodie.

I’m small so I get full quite quickly.
Over the last few years portion sizes in restaurants have got so large that I find it off putting.

It amazes me to be honest, just how much food some people can put away.
No wonder there’s an obesity crisis.

JenniferEccles

I’m not a fussy eater as I will eat most things but I haven’t got a big appetite.
Like everyone though I’ve got my favourites but I wouldn’t describe myself as a foodie.

I’m small so I get full quite quickly.
Over the last few years portion sizes in restaurants have got so large that I find it off putting.

It amazes me to be honest, just how much food some people can put away.
No wonder there’s an obesity crisis.

I could have written this post.

Went on holiday with family members who dont eat much so we felt obliged to be same or felt like greedy pigs(we arent) but all food was paid for(even theirs) and you could eat as much as you liked(Did not pig out but we like to try a bit of different foods) but felt like we couldnt...

May as well be dead if you don’t enjoy your food 🤣

JenniferEccles

I’m not a fussy eater as I will eat most things but I haven’t got a big appetite.
Like everyone though I’ve got my favourites but I wouldn’t describe myself as a foodie.

I’m small so I get full quite quickly.
Over the last few years portion sizes in restaurants have got so large that I find it off putting.

It amazes me to be honest, just how much food some people can put away.
No wonder there’s an obesity crisis.

I agree.

I'm not at all fussy, I just don't eat much and fill up easily - I'm quite small, preferring to stay trim. Why anyone cares what I eat baffles me.

Chestnut

I'm afraid fast eaters would put me off my food, depending on their table manners. If they were 'gobbling' the food down, talking at the same time and generally looking pretty gross then I would probably leave half my plate because it makes me feel rather nauseous seeing that. Even more so if they are fat as well. I think I'd rather eat with the picky type so long as I had enough food on my plate.

Ouch at “fat as well”

If you intend to stay with them in the same type of hotel another time, I would politely mention when the visit was first talk of and before bookings were made, that I need rather a lot more food than they, and could you please order and pay for your own meals.

Tizliz

My Parkinson's means I have very little appetite, eat slowly and have trouble cutting up my meal. I dread going out but I can't insist my OH stays in so I have to cope. I hate to think other people think badly of me.

Tizliz please don't think I'm laughing at your illness, I'm not, but years ago I used to help transport people in the community with Parkinson's to their monthly get together and was invited to their Christmas parties. One year I was sat next to a gentleman whose tremors were quite pronounced. The first course came around - soup. The poor chap had a heck of a job trying to control the soup on his spoon, even with some help. I laughed when he called over to the organiser - "Haven't you got the idea yet that f*****g soup is the last thing that should be served to us, half of us will be wearing it home!"

I am like this, love thinking about and planning what I'm going to make for dinner or have for lunch, Dh hpwever had no interest at all in food, and huffs and puffs if I ask for ideas. I've now said if he doesn't like what I've cooked he can make himself something else, rather than insist he tells me what he would like

My sympathies to Biscuitmuncher! I miss my old school friend who also liked her food and cooking. RIP. Another friend invited me to some posh place for services rendered but proceeded to chop all the food on plate into small bits then down the knife and used a fork American style. On another occasion, I went to trouble over a meal in my own house only to have same habit and no comment on the medley of flavours presented. Same person went to a resort on our recommendations but ignored choice of restaurants to eat out in and availed of small cafe in apartment block every night.

WelshPoppy if you can't laugh you will cry. Not offended

Revolting table manners are the most off-putting to culinary enjoyment. Inability to hold spanners correctly, shovelling in massive quantities of food, talking with mouth full, not knowing what a napkin is for or how it should be used (sleeves, anyone/), scraping cutlery on the plate - I could go on. A "picky eater" any day. Depending whether one is at home or at a restaurant, one could either offer to help demolish untouched food, or ask for a doggy bag before it congeals!!!

Just a thought!

Witzend

nanna8

What I find annoying is going to restaurants with people who order a meal and then just move it round their plates and leave half of it after complaining that something perfectly fine is ‘too tough’ or ‘too salty’ or whatever. Some seem to make a habit of this.

Dh’s aunt was like this. We used to take her for a pub lunch, but everything was too hot/too cold/too tough/too sloppy/they don’t know how to make pastry any more, you name it.
In the end we stopped taking her out - I’d take something very simple/basic I knew she liked, to cook at hers.

However she was very anti/suspicious of anything that wasn’t fresh meat/fish/veg, so given that she was always ‘starving!’ and I was expected to have it all ready within about 20 minutes, I used to decant M&S e.g. tinned minced beef or steak into a Tupperware, maybe add a few mushrooms, and pretend I’d cooked it.
She never twigged!

Love it ! 😀