To not want to eat Chinese - help me to see if I’m being unreasonable

Why "excited"? Does anyone really get excited about having a takeaway? I mean, I like a good takeaway occasionally, but I don't remember ever getting actually excited about it.

Just get different takeaways 🤷‍♀️

You are both being unreasonable... you for saying Chinese is bland and boring (hello MSG!), and your partner for saying you should eat something you don't like. If he desperately needs Chinese, he should get it when you're not home, or like you said, order from separate restaurants.

She was clearly joking!

Aside from pizza and the occasional home-made lasagna (not made by me, I should add), I only ever eat "English" food, and even then I don't have a wide variety of it. The blander the better, as I can't do spices on any level.

Anyway, some 31 years ago now, when I was 16, I was staying with my sister (she'd have been 24) and she really wanted a Chinese takeaway, but said there was too much to order for one person. She went on and on at me to have some, tried every which way to up-sell it, to the point where I told her outright that if she was to order me anything, I was unlikely to eat it.

She ordered it anyway. She then hit the roof when I left practically all of it, telling me how much she'd paid for it, and how mad she was I wouldn't eat any more than I had. My sister is a narcissistic bully by the way, and in that moment I vowed I would never, ever be coerced into having a meal just because someone else wants to enjoy it. In what world is it acceptable to tell people what they will eat?

And you're literally the eighth person to answer that question. RTFT?

I think we all need a "menu off" on a new thread 😂 I've had two amazing Chinese takeaways on UK holidays, and ours do nothing similar!

I don't know if anyone told you, but there's no need to repeat a point that six people have made before you.

There isn’t really a cuisine where I couldn’t find something on the menu but I have personally found more variation in Chinese restaurants/takeaways than others. Some I just really don’t like. There is one near me that is so heavily salted I can’t eat it. It took us quite a long time to find our preferred local Chinese and it doesn’t deliver to us so have to collect. My parents have an amazing one near them- it’s much better than our preferred local. I’ve had a look at their menu and there are loads of tofu options, curries, aubergine and mushroom based dishes.

In your shoes I’d be willing to try a meal from a different restaurant to see if it’s any better.

I just went to check out menus and the szechuan veg has gone! I know they would still cook it if we asked but still...

But I've literally never seen a Chinese that offers stuff like that. I can only get sad boring vegetables in bland sauce.

I apologise 😳 I meant Buddhas delight

YANBU. I don’t like Chinese food, I’ve tried lots of it, both local rubbish and “authentic” places and I just don’t enjoy the flavour profile.

I'm with you OP dont like Chinese food apart from chicken fried rice and starters like ribs, wings, prawn crackers. I just don't like the chunks of vegetables, noodles, bean sprouts, baby corn and water chestnuts are vile. And the sauces are all very sweet and illuminous looking and black bean sauce looks bleurgh. So I always end up having chicken fried rice or char sui fried rice which thankfully I do love so can always find something to eat.

It's more about sitting down and having dinner together than whether you're eating the same food. YANBU

I find it insane how many people are suggesting OP wastes time, money and (lets face it a lot of) calories on eating something she doesn't like, just so manbaby can share a portion of crispy beef.

there is literally nothing stopping him from having 'the option he would prefer'
He can order a chinese just for him on a day OP is out. He can have one for lunch at work. He can go for a chinese with his friends or family. He can have a chinese while OP has an Indian. So many different options.

Whining "it's not the same if you don't share one" is utterly pathetic.
Does he think the 8.4 million single households in the UK (not to mention all the people living individually in houseshares) never have takeaways?

If me and DP are getting a takeaway, and don't want to eat the same food, we order from different places to be delivered at the same time. It's not rocket science, or a problem.

We do have free delivery on Just Eat though, which is worth it even if you only get one takeaway a week.

@Watermoves

He needs to grow the fuck up. You're a grown adult & if you don't like it, you don't like it. It's no big deal to get separate takeaways every now & then. Why is he making it a thing??

I say to my husband and kids, (often 😂) "I can't wait for a takeaway". We normally have one every few weeks on a weekend. We eat it together but I wouldn't expect to eat the same cuisine! We have no deliveries in our tiny town but about five takeaways, so it's only a case of walking up or down the street to pick up everyone's order.
Does he feel embarrassed that you think his meals unpleasant? Or judged? Bizarre! That's the only thing I can think of if you eat together.

That's a weird thing for him to say. Is he controlling about anything else?

I'm vegetarian too and I'm not keen on our local Chinese takeaway, but I think another Chinese takeaway in town is great. I like their fried tofu and mixed veg and a satay noodle dish which is rather like a curry. So it's probably worth shopping around if you haven't already. Also, I've realised that I love Malaysian food! If there's a Malaysian takeaway near you, definitely have a look at the menu.

It's easy to see which posters live in larger cities, isn't it?

Totally depends on the restaurant - a sichuan hotpot or clay pot aubergine is definitely not bland or boring. Xinjiang-style restaurants are also delicious. Even dim sum restaurants are usually pretty nice, though further towards the “refined” (bland) end of the spectrum.

@Watermoves He said it’s not the same eating a takeaway alone

I wish I could somehow instill this idea into my own head. I would be a lot thinner.

I’m sure there must be some decent dishes on the menu. My veggie dd opts for the mushroom foo yong (omelette) or a tofu based dish - there’s about 2 dozen vegetarian options at our local one. We don’t have Chinese takeaway very often because it’s not that nice compared to homemade Chinese food and I can cook it quicker than going to fetch a takeaway if I have ingredients.

if he likes Chinese and you prefer Indian try making this:

indo Chinese sauce

1 pepper sliced
1 onion sliced into petals
1 chilli cut finely
1 inch ginger grated and same amount garlic

saute veg add the ginger, chilli and garlic, add 100ml water and a veggie stock cube, 50ml dark soy sauce, a heaped dessert spoon medium curry powder, heaped dessert spoon sugar, juice and zest of one lime and a star anise.

Mix a heaped dessert spoon of cornflour with a little water and chop 10g coriander.

taste sauce after 5 minutes adding more sugar or soy if preferred, add the cornflour mix gradually to achieve desired consistency. This is your sauce.

for a vegetarian option, roll firm tofu in a little soy sauce then toss in 2 tablespoons corn flour. Heat a pan until medium hot, add oil generously then add the coated tofu, cook until golden then put into the sauce (you can also prepare pork, chicken or even mushrooms this way)

Yeah, that and the one about buying ingredients to cook your own Chinese ‘takeaway’. Surely the whole point is the NOT cooking?

Gotta love Mumsnet😆