sharing food....reasonable or not?

[DonutForMyself]

I won't say which side of the fence I fall on until I've had some responses!

But essentially, do you share your food or are you a bit territorial about it?

If your DCs want what you have ordered in a restaurant instead of what they have ordered, would you swap?

Would you swap with your DP if they weren't keen on their meal?

If you are having a piece of cake etc would you offer others a bite of it?

I like to get the ratio right of pudding v ice cream etc, so if someone else takes a disproportionate scoop of each, the whole thing is thrown out of whack!

I hate sharing food. I'm veggie so it means everyone is snacking on mine whilst waiting for theirs to turn up! I'm thinking nandos in my student days, I'd order olives, corn and chips, while everyone would order half a chicken. I'd ask for it on a separate plate. The olives would arrive first, whilst I would put them aside to have with my meal, the greedy feckers would pick at them! (And expect me to pay for them)

DH and I like to share - we either swap plates mid way or give each other bits. I wouldn't like sharing with anyone else unless its a buffet, or I can manage to share cake with a friend.

I don't understand why anyone would swap their food just because their DC or DH wants theirs and not what they ordered- erm tough !

I don't mind offering chips if I get lots but I put it on their plate as I cant bear anyone touching my food.
I never and I mean never eat from a buffet or type of meal that involves other people touching the food.ick

Sharing a drink from a bottle would actually make me gag... I would rather dehydrate!

If you are sharing, you must cut the food in half first or you are subject to faster eaters/bigger biters.

DP says he would offer to swap because its more important to him that I (or his DC) enjoy the meal than for him to enjoy it, which is odd because he looooves food. He is a lovely person, it just makes me feel like a right selfish fucker that I'm not like him!

I only share with DD. DP is allowed a taste, bit that's it.

I'd share by nature but as a veggie who is spicy food adverse it is v rare that someone would be able to participate in reciprocal sharing so my sharing would be me going without a meal.

Definitely share.

I do think it is quite mean-spirited to be quite uptight up about sharing food. I know who the real non-sharers are amongst my friends and I don't hassle them to share food, obviously, but I do enjoy eating out more with people who are relaxed about sharing - since a meal is a shared experience, after all. We are more likely to order extras to share and try different things.

I'm a sharer, it's nice to have a taste of something you would not usually order.

But would you swap your meal for someone else's if they didn't like what they'd ordered Heads & Sue ?

No, I hate sharing my food. I order what I want to eat and don't like people taking food from my plate. I don't mind the children doing it though, just other adults. DH always wants to taste what everyone else is having. It really irritates me. Just eat what you bloody ordered!

I would swap with the children, not another adult.

If it's a mutually beneficial agreement for us to share then I would share with certain family and friends. If it's a case of me ordering a starter/sweet and then someone else, who hasn't ordered one of their own, trying to eat mine then they can fuck right off.

Apart from chips or vegetables as side dishes I hate sharing. It always amazes me when people define good manners as 'willingness to share' in the Blind Date feature in the Guardian. I think it's kind of messy and ruins the look of the food. I dread the 'shall we share a starter?' 'shall we share a desert?' converstation. I just want to order my own food and eat it with no chopping up of stuff and passing it across the table. And while I quite like Tapas that does send my blood pressure up because I worry about either being greedy or going hungry It's fine if it's DH because we probably don't feel the need to be polite. It used to really get to one of my friends and he would always say 'Cornflower doesn't like to share' like I was some kind of meanie, but I just don't see sharing as being generous, just messy (have I mentioned that ). Although I am actually quite a messy person.

Oh, and I would, on some occasions, offer someone a taste of something if they weren't too sure if they liked it.

Obviously if someone was going hungry I would share my food with them but I think that is a different thing.

Don't like it, but usually give in to the majority and end up doing it.

Hate it when my dad won't order chips because he'll "just pinch a few" of mine. I get The (suppressed) Rage.

Would I swap my meal for someone else's if they didn't like what they ordered?

I would taste it, and if I liked it, or even if I just thought it was ok, then I would swap with them. I wouldn't want someone to eat a meal they didn't enjoy, as it would spoil their meal/night, and then I wouldn't be happy either. But...if I tasted it and I didn't like it either, then I wouldn't eat it, no.

Always share not that I get a choice we all tend to pick at each others as a family.

Think its really off when people don't share.

oh I share as I like to try a bit of everything particularly if its a new dish so it wont go to waste if I do not like it.

I don't mind sharing, unless you skip, say, dessert, and I'm well up for the whole of mine and then you want half of mine.
Hands off!
Ask for your own.

I would offer bites if they had never tasted it, or wanted to know if that version was good or not, but not to lots of people.

I would swap if I liked their meal and they didn't.

I thought this may be started by one of my friends due to many conversations about this.

I am not a food sharer, I am known for not wanting to share my food. I will (sometimes reluctantly) offer my DCs a taste but then they want half my dinner. Not going to happen. I won't share deserts (unless I am full). I do like them to try something I have if its something they don't eat though, the only time I am willing to openly share. If you aren't my child, then you really don't have a hope in hell. DH does this thing where he pretends to not realise what he is doing and slowly goes to take a biscuit from my plate or something, one day I will rip his arm off. Its been 13 years and he still doesn't get how much I loathe this.

I actually think it stems from being half starved (literally) by my abusive mother up to the age of 4. I am fiercely territorial over my food and have had to ask my friends not to keep commenting on it because I have a genuine reason. Probably the same reason why I am perceived as a 'fussy eater' (which according to MN is such an utter no no that no adult should ever have to put up with). I get shitty about other peoples opinions on my eating, nothing to do with them.

Anyway, rant over, as you were.