to not want to go on holiday with DH as he’s taking Pot Noodles?

As if this is the entirety of Italian food 😂 I ate very well in Italy and I don’t like pizza and don’t eat much pasta. Pasta is not even eaten as a main course in Italy. They have a wide ranging menu. And the charcuterie is out of this world.

OP you’re just going to have to leave your husband to his sad noodles and get on with it, at least you have your kids to take out with you. I’m afraid I couldn’t be married to someone who hates eating out but i imagine he’s always been that way and he’s not going to change now. My dad is the same and I doubt he’s had anything more adventurous than a burger or a roast chicken in his life.

Sounds like he's one of these strange people who are not interested in food. Eat to live rather than live to eat!

Is he Irish 🥴

I was just about to ask the same thing 😂

Oh god don't get me started, this ended my last relationship, I would get all sorts of grief as I had our evening meal ready at 7 or 7:30pm.
Apparently that was was very late for an evening meal?

He's just anxious around new foods. That's why he would rather a taste, than committing to paying for a dish he might not like.

It would get annoying being out with someone like that for every meal but at the same time, ld be fucking devastated if I was starving, ordered, and it was horrible😆

I have a friend like that who goes away and will only order basic chicken, chips, pizza etc. If he orders something 'familiar' but it arrives looking different/with extra or unknown ingredients, he genuinely looks like he's turning green. Once he's turned off food he feels sick and cant eat.
My parents make fun of him and roll their eyes for not eating the local food but honestly, its just not worth it if you have a weak stomach for new foods.
I tend to avoid trying very new flavours in public, I gag when I hate a taste and make the ugliest face. Nobody wants that to happen in public.😅

Christ LTB!

Yes, that will make all the difference! 😁

What adult eats dinner at 5pm?

Is he Irish 🥴

What do Italian people who are neurodiverse or not like "foreign muck" eat?

I'm so amused your family trundles around Italy with pot noodles, kettle and tea bags, and thinks Walmart = American cuisine. Have fun on your holiday!

You both need to compromise. He can sit and be pleasant/have a bit of bread and a drink while you enjoy your meals out, and you can let him enjoy his Not Foodles in the hotel without being rude about them.

Food issues are so complex and deep-seated, you can't shame or bully someone into changing their tastes. I used to be snotty about fussy eaters, but I've learned so much about people's sensory and psychological relationship with food in recent years, I am much more laissez faire now.

So you knew he had problems and food anxiety. How is spouting about Italian cuisine going to help him.

YABU.

Leave him to feel comfortable, or... Make his holiday a misery.

Sorry but just had a laugh! Watching
'The Force : North East' and the lad who was in the police cell was given a pot noodle! 🤣🤣

He eats dinner at 5pm? Is he a child? How is he even home from work in time to eat dinner at 5pm.
🤣 Because everyone works a 9 -5..

Italian food is way more than just pasta and pizza. Much of Italian food is simple dishes using local ingredients of the highest quality. Beautiful fish, fruits, cheeses, cured meats and vegetables.

@Astridastro Oh I understand non 9-5 work. Mr Monkey works in retail and used to work in transport.

I grew up on a farm where work started at 5am and in summer would not often finish until gone 9pm in summer, but 3.30pm in deepest winter

My parents still didn't have dinner at 5pm.

I would honestly not holiday with my partner if that was his behaviour. I adore the sights but also engaging in the culture and food. Especially as Italian food is widely enjoyed.

I think the thing that's a bit sad is that meals are about far more than just food - it's the social aspect which is just as important really. For example, I love going out for dinner with DS on holiday, he still is thrilled by restaurants (especially in Italy where they love kids) and will happily chat away about the day or what we're going to do the next day which he wouldn't do if we were just mooching around the hotel room. It's a big part of the holiday for me and I'd feel quite bereft without it.

In my experience restaurants in Italy (maybe Venice excepted) are very accommodating about what you want to eat - just a starter? Fine. You want to share a pizza? Fine. Your little brother can only eat plain roast chicken? Fine. You walk into a restaurant in Rome, famous for its offal dishes, and explain that you are both vegetarian? (Slight consternation, followed by immediately and solicitously pointing out at least five things on the menu you can eat). Fine. There’s no reason why your DH couldn’t come out with you and try this or that even if he did feel too suspicious to order a dinner (DONT let him pinch all your food though).

Can he at least take the "Pot Pasta"? You can get carbonara and bolognaise. That would be a nice compromise.

😂

Personally I would consider it a very big problem. I can't imagine dating someone like this for very long.

It is not just about eating out, although that is something I enjoy. I also love cooking and trying different cuisines and eating with friends. I would despair of someone who was so restricted in what they will eat and who just consider food to be fuel rather than an enjoyable experience in its own right.