to think putting salt on your food before you taste it is rude?

[KirjavaTheCat]

FIL comes to stay every couple of months and this is a habit of his. I cook, I place the meal in front of everyone at the table and before we've all picked up our knives and forks he's shaking salt onto his food.

He hasn't tasted it, he doesn't know if the seasoning is to his taste or not, he just goes ahead and does it.

On Saturday I made everyone cheese and pepperoni omelettes for breakfast. As he went to pick up the salt I stopped him and said, 'you should try it first, pepperoni tends to be quite salty' so he tried it, and lo and behold he didn't want any.

He's wasted food before, declaring he couldn't eat anymore because it was a bit salty. After he'd shaken a load on before tasting it

AIBU to find this really rude?

YANBU - it is a bit rude to salt before tasting, as it risks ruining the food if it were already salty enough. It's not rude to taste and then add half a tub of salt if that's how you like it.

It's a pretty small thing to get het up about though. I wouldn't really be offended by it, just amused.

However, if you salt before tasting and it turns out to be a horrible mistake as it's now too salty, tough shit, eat it and smile, it's your fault you ruined someone elses' food.

I'd be fucking furious if someone poured salt on something I'd cooked and then didn't eat it because it was too salty. They might go home wearing their dinner.

My Dad told me this story about how Henry Ford would interview candidates - It could be made up but I googled it and pasted:

Henry would take the person out to lunch. He’d say how the place was great, and the candidate could order anything he wanted. The food would come out.

Test 1: Henry would watch to see if the candidate put salt on the food before tasting it. If the candidate did this, Henry would assume the candidate was set in his ways.

Test 2: Henry would ask for the salt. If the candidate handed Henry only the salt, Henry assumed the candidate was very literal. If the candidate handed over the salt and the pepper, Henry assumed the candidate liked to give people choices.

Is there any science to these tests? Probably not.

Are the tests interesting observations/assumptions about human behavior? Yes.

Doesn't everything end up tasting of salt instead of tasting of food

no. I actually don't really like the taste of salt, I would never put it on chips, for example. So I wouldn't eat food that, to me, tastes salty. But veg cooked in decently salted water taste a lot better (but not saltier) that veg cooked without salt at all. I'm sure that irritating smug woman from last year's GBBO could tell me the science of it, but all I know it that a presence of salt makes veg, at least but maybe other foods too, taste better - but not salty.

However, I do like salted caramel.

In 45 years I have never seen anyone 'pour' salt over a meal without tasting it first.

They'll usually sprinkle it on and if that sprinkle renders the meal inedible, you'll most likely find it was far too salty to begin with and therefore inedible to everyone sat around the table.

If the candidate handed over the salt and the pepper, Henry assumed the candidate liked to give people choices.

I would assume that the candidate was either deaf or that they assumed that he (Henry) didn't really know what he wanted.

On the desert side hasn't salted caramel been the thing for a while now? Salt is good

WorraLiberty My dad used to always say the traditional Scottish way to eat porridge was with salt instead of sugar.

I used to think, 'well you eat it then.'

I've no idea whether that's the proper way. He wasn't Scottish, so he probably didn't know either.

I like salt on savoury food though.

It's rude.

And in my experience it always those with a......limited palate that do it.

It is daft to salt before tasting, but its clearly a habit he has. Really it's none of your business.

I think it is much more rude to tell a grown adult how to eat their dinner.

And in my experience it always those with a......limited palate that do it.

Smug alert.

in SE Asia it is very common to add salt to fruit.

So how is it rude then if they have a limited palate?

Surely if you think their plates are limited, you'd understand why they felt the need to do it and not see it as rude

limited I'm definitely a sugar on porridge kind of woman!

Only eating salty savoury and sweet deserts is a bit boring. There's lots of crossovers you know derek? Try salting some sweet things and there is a whole extra dinner course to be rude over

palates - not 'plates'

Limited plates at meal would be the host's fault and very rude indeed.

YABU.

What's it to you, how someone else prefers his food seasoned?

I love that posh Brittany butter that comes with huge crystals of salt in it, you can crunch through them whilst eating your toast.
DROOOOOOL.

Try salting some sweet things and there is a whole extra dinner course to be rude over

What about pepper on strawberries? Or balsamic vinegar? That's supposed to be nice too, but I can't bring myself to do it.

And yes scots traditional put salt in porridge- my grandad used it and it's bleurgh.

Derek lets go the whole hog and run around adding salt to other people's meals

I mean if they think they have the right to tell other people how they should eat, it makes perfect sense

My limited palate and I are ok with that.

I eat porridge with salt. It's the only way to have it. Oats, water and salt. Yum. Perhaps a dash of Marmite XO too.