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AIBU?

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AIBU for hating people wanting “a taste” of my food?

434 replies

HereComesAuntySocial · 22/01/2026 13:06

I went out for brunch with a friend which we do quite often, we usually order different meals. .

Every time we go anywhere she takes ages to decide what she’s having and questions me about what I’m going to order and makes suggestions when I just want to choose my own bloody food!

When we get our meals she will start eating her own then eyeing up mine and ask me if she can “have a taste?”
I don’t understand this at all, It’s often something she’s likely to have had before, I don’t see the point in just trying a small amount of a meal because what if you really like it? Is it not disappointing knowing then you can’t have more or having food envy wishing you’d ordered the same?

Sometimes she offers me a taste of her food first (just the wording of this is really winding me up) and I know it’s so she can then dip into my meal.
If I refuse she keeps on at me but I’d had enough today so I said no firmly and told her I just wanted to eat what I’d ordered.
She laughed and said “well I’m still tasting yours” and before I could stop her she’d stuck her used fork into my smoked salmon and scrambled egg.

I lost my temper and pushed her fork away with mine and then said I actually didn’t want my food now and she could have it.
I was really angry and she seemed taken aback and said it was a complete overreaction and it’s normal to try each other people’s food when eating out.

Unfortunately I have experienced this before and I’ve been out with groups of friends where people have asked to taste each other food and I just think it’s so unhygienic and puts people under pressure to say no.
I also really hate people staring at what I’m eating and commenting on it with things like
“oh that looks nice? What’s in it? What does it taste like?“
I had to stop eating my lunch in front of other people at work feeling like I was expected to start offering it round.
I fell out with a colleague once who was hanging around quizzing me like he’d never seen a chicken baguette before, he got highly offended when I said he reminded me of a seagull waiting to dive bomb me.

Another food crime is people who don’t ask and just take food off your plate, I find that men are the worst offenders who ask if you are planning to finish your meal or wait until you are taking a small break from eating and lunge at it before you get a chance to stop them.
My BIL used to make comments like “you can’t possibly eat all that” or “where do you put it all?”It made me feel like he was trying to shame me into not finishing so he could eat the rest so I refuse to eat with him now unless it’s unavoidable.

I know some people say they love the experience of sharing food and it makes it more enjoyable to try different things, I have friends who start offering round “a taste” of their meals before they have even tried it themselves, I just find it weird!

Whilst all these are annoying scenarios to me, nothing is as bad as people who order a small meal or nothing at all claiming they aren’t hungry but then they change their mind and ask for some of mine - or worst still start helping themselves. There is a special place in hell for those people - especially when it’s a pudding I’ve been looking forward to, fuck off Janice we will not need “two spoons” 😂.

AIBU to get so pissed off about this or was Joey right when he just made it clear he doesn’t share food?!

OP posts:
Gribouille · 22/01/2026 22:24

ScrimMN · 22/01/2026 21:30

I hate this as well op.

I’ve got coeliac disease and once mil stuck her used fork from her gluten containing meal right into my gf meal to try it.. I couldn’t eat it after that

I'm not coeliac but really sensitive to gluten. Hate it when they want to share my food, but I can't share theirs, thus leaving me with - less food, you motherlickers! 😡

But luckily I'm old and don't take this shizzle any more...

EnergeticEggPlant · 22/01/2026 22:14

You aren’t unreasonable at all, that’s gross. I have a friend that would you would go and see and if you were having a drink…tea, coffee whatever really but more so a squash, she would take a slurp of it before giving it to you to make sure the strength was ok. So gross 🤢

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 22:13

ScrimMN · 22/01/2026 21:30

I hate this as well op.

I’ve got coeliac disease and once mil stuck her used fork from her gluten containing meal right into my gf meal to try it.. I couldn’t eat it after that

l hope you told the greedy disgusting witch that.

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 22:11

Gribouille · 22/01/2026 22:07

He has been... re-educated... 🤫

Smile He'd have been under my patio. It's a miracle DKitten is still alive

Gribouille · 22/01/2026 22:07

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 21:29

And you're still married to him?

He has been... re-educated... 🤫

Mirabellas · 22/01/2026 22:00

stop looking at my chicken taco like it's the last lifeboat on the Titanic!

🤣🤣

Owly11 · 22/01/2026 21:36

I think this must be about you for the simple reason that you seem to be surrounded by people who want to taste your food and this is not normal. I don't think I have ever met anyone that has asked to taste my food and can't believe that so many are trying to taste your food. You must be giving off some kind of weird energy. As for your friend diving in when you said no - you must be not saying no firmly enough. You really need to work on your boundaries.

Alpacajigsaw · 22/01/2026 21:35

Very annoying behaviour on their part. That would drive me nuts too. Also - smoked salmon and scrambled egg - surely she’s tasted that before, there’s only so much variation you can have in it after all

ScrimMN · 22/01/2026 21:30

I hate this as well op.

I’ve got coeliac disease and once mil stuck her used fork from her gluten containing meal right into my gf meal to try it.. I couldn’t eat it after that

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 21:29

And you're still married to him?

CantThinkofaNam · 22/01/2026 21:29

I actually do not know a single person like these uncouth people OP. Even my own family doesn’t, my 3yo doesn’t even do that.

Gribouille · 22/01/2026 21:25

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 20:54

@Gribouille , I'm a slow eater too. I get asked 'Aren't you enjoying that?'

Yes, @BettyTurpinPies ! And have had waiters ask if there was a problem with the meal... Just can't eat fast... Some people say 'Oh well, it's supposed to be good for your digestion', but it's because my digestion ain't great that I have to eat slowly. I also stop when I've had enough, or suffer the consequences.

And like some previous commenters, food wasn't plentiful growing up... I like to make, say, a bar of chocolate last... to know that it's there... I'm not leaving it because I 'don't want it', looking at you, DH...... 👀

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 20:54

@Gribouille , I'm a slow eater too. I get asked 'Aren't you enjoying that?'

BettyTurpinPies · 22/01/2026 20:52

I only have one friend who wants to share and I'm OK with that, but I always seem to have colleagues commenting on my lunch.

'Are you going to eat all that?' (about a tub that will last me several days)
'What's that, rabbit food again?'
'I couldn't eat all that, a quarter of it and I'd be stuffed'
'Ugh! What's that?'
'I don't know how you can eat that!'
...

It's hard to keep myself from answering.

cupfinalchaos · 22/01/2026 20:49

Most restaurants now seem to have sharing plates. I don’t eat meat, so if my friends and I order a variety of dishes to share, they can eat them all whereas I can only have the veggie ones and have to share those too.
Also I don’t want their forks that have been in their mouths poking around in my food!

Restaurants have got so lazy now not only with ‘sharing dishes’ but also with bring out the dishes as and when they’re ready, not at the same time as used to be the case. Much easier for them!
Even top London restaurants are doing this now.

BashfulClam · 22/01/2026 20:44

I don’t share, I order what I want. Once I went to the take away with my friend and she said ‘let’s just share it! ‘No thanks I want a whole portion!’ I don’t even. Like sharing tapas as o order the things I really like and there are only a small amount on each plate.

My husband is picky but eats like a Labrador, it disappears so fast, he then starts stealing my chips. I told him it’s not on as he has had a full portion and now he’s reducing my portion. The 3rd of 4th time he tried I stabbed him with my fork. He looked at me in amazement and started laughing and said that was the moment he knew he wanted to marry me. Someone willing to stand up for their boundaries. I grew up with food poverty so I am protective of my food. If I am not going to finish something I will offer as I hate wasting things. Offering is different though as I’ve eaten what I needed/wanted.

Cherrytree86 · 22/01/2026 20:41

SheilaFentiman · 22/01/2026 20:36

Has anyone ever contracted either of those from tasting someone else’s food?

@SheilaFentiman

yes, I know a couple of people

SheilaFentiman · 22/01/2026 20:36

Cherrytree86 · 22/01/2026 20:34

You can get glandular fever and Epstein Barr virus from
saliva , the latter can paralyse you. I don’t want ANYONES spit in my food.

Has anyone ever contracted either of those from tasting someone else’s food?

grumpygrape · 22/01/2026 20:35

I have had other Brits ask in a French restaurant what the meal I had was. Not annoyed at ‘foreign food peeking’ !

Wouldn’t have shared though 😂

Cherrytree86 · 22/01/2026 20:34

You can get glandular fever and Epstein Barr virus from
saliva , the latter can paralyse you. I don’t want ANYONES spit in my food.

MrsClatterbuck · 22/01/2026 20:25

The only person who I would share with is my DH or maybe sister. Dh will sometimes give me something of his plate and I do the same to him. He is also OK with me taking food he doesn't like and isn't going to eat. Like salad coleslaw or mushroom stalks.
I have never tbh ever had someone ask for food of my plate thank goodness.

BillieWiper · 22/01/2026 20:12

ginasevern · 22/01/2026 18:32

I don't think I could ever eat with her again, lovely or not!

Yeah I know. I'm a bit wary!

Gribouille · 22/01/2026 20:02

I hate this because I'm a reeeeally slow eater, and people say 'Are you going to finish that?' and Yes, I am, as fast as my digestion will allow, so stop looking at my chicken taco like it's the last lifeboat on the Titanic! 🤬

Anyway. Don't ever double-date with her, OP - she'd go in for a snog with your partner, 'just to try', before you went home to complete the deed...

😳

PollyBell · 22/01/2026 20:01

GanninHyem · 22/01/2026 19:50

Taking food off your plate, especially without asking is awful behaviour. The nerve of her calling you selfish.

I do think you're being weird about people saying your food looks nice or asking what it tastes like though, surely that's just normal interactions at a meal out isn't it? No one is allowed to even look at your food? Wild. I think you just need to avoid eating around people.

I get sharing if that is the intent like we share Chinese dishes and I will happily say to someone if they want someone of my chops or you like avocado do you want mine or whatever but people deciding themselves to try what i ordered in a lean over and just try or demand to do it is rude

5128gap · 22/01/2026 19:54

You and she clearly have very different ideas about what sharing a meal together looks like. Personally I'd meet her for a walk or the zoo or yoga in future, because you're not a good fit as lunch buddies.