Not to offer a taste of my plate at a restaurant?

[chardonm]

Interested in hearing people's opinions. Am I a little rude in not offering people a taste of my plate?

I do it with DH, but when there is a group of say 5 people, I don't want 5 peoples' forks into my plate. Conversely I do not want to taste everyone's dish either.

Is this considered rude? Should one always offer?

I'm confused, did someone actually ask you for a taste? Or is it just something you think you should do?

I don't think it's usual to offer or ask for a taste of other people's food, but if someone asked, I'd probably feel awkward declining. It depends on how well I knew them. I definitely wouldn't being giving tastes to 5 people.

Sorry, to answer your question, no, you definitely shouldn't offer. That's just weird.

I would only offer if they hadn't used their forks yet. Otherwise, it's gross.

Depends on the restaurant. Chinese, Indian or Thai food we always share.

Maybe my circle is weird? I was recently at a restaurant with 6 people (3 couples) and everyone was offering a taste of theirs to everyone (not indian or Chinese food, just standard pub food). I didn't offer as I just wanted to eat mine and felt awkward.

They sound like a bunch of weirdos to me.

I never offer people a taste of my food, and have never really met anyone who does either. It is my food and I want to eat it, so the last thing I want is a bunch of people dipping into my dinner and probably nicking all the nicest bits. Sod that!

No way! That sounds horrible. Half your dinner would be gone before you ate it and why would you want to eat what other people ordered and not what you chose? Yuk

NOPE. I don't want herpes either.

That's just weird and annoying. I'd refuse because I don't eat heavy carbs so if everyone had bit of my protein I'd have nothing to eat. Let them order more food if they want it.

YANBU. If they want what’s on your plate they need to order what’s on your plate.

Apart from the hygiene angle I’m with Smiffy on this one.

I feel you OP - bloody plate sharing is the bane of my social life! My friends are "foodies" and to be fair they always pick amazing restaurants for all of us to eat out at. But... it seems to have become a done thing for everyone to share a little of their dish to maximise the experience. The problem for me is that I am trying to stick to a pescatarian diet so I usually order either a fish or vegetable dish, while the rest of my friends order meat based dishes so I end up sacrificing some of my food but never want to try anyone else's food. On the other hand, I generally find restaurant portions more than enough so I view it as easy portion control

dp and I will sometimes do this if we've ordered different dishes and I've occasionally done it with dd if we've gone out for lunch, but I'd never do it when I've been out with a group of friends. That sounds really odd.

Worse still...people who refuse a starter when everyone else is having starters then asks for a taste of everyone’s plate. MIL does this. Drives me bonkers. Just order a flipping starter!

Bloody hell if I'd offered a taste of my starter to the three people I was out with last night there would nothing left.

I don't offer tastes and I don't do the sharing of takeaways either. I am Smithy through and through.

I do this with DH but no one else.

I also do this with DH but no one else; if 5-6 people tasted my meal I wouldn’t have much left and also not keen on so many forks that people have eaten with being in my food

Nope. Nope. Nope. I would have told them they were a bunch of weirdos. I don’t even do this with DH or kids. Obviously at Chinese/Thai/Indian etc we share but that’s different as the dishes are put in the centre and you use the cutlery assigned to each dish to put it on your own plate/bowl, it’s not like you are swapping and eating off each other’s plates.

Eww, I’d only do that with my partner

No way. I’d give anyone who asked for a taste of my food short shrift. Unless I’d finished and there was still some left.

Everyone who knows me well knows I won’t share my food. I just make a joke out of it and say I am like Joey from Friends. Truth is I am a bit phobic about the shared saliva thing but I don’t always tell people that. Am also a bit territorial over what I have ordered. Just own it and be thick skinned if people think you are being mean.

XPs family do this. It disgusts me. Think forks swooping across table to dive into my plate or, actually worse, loaded forks of their food shoved into one’s face. No thank you. I like what I’ve ordered.

One of my biggest fucking pet peeves ever. My mate always wants to try my food - why not just order it yourself in the first place!

It depends who you are with. My foodie friend and I always order different dishes so we can share them. My family do this as well. However, if I was out with a group I wouldn’t ask or offer.

Nope it’s not rude. In fact I think cross-eating of any kind is the naffest bad manners. I never let people take food from my plate and don’t even like sharing side dishes.

Is this actually a thing?? I've never heard of anyone doing this before! I might share a pudding with DH if neither of us fancied a whole one, but no way would I be offering or agreeing to give 'tastes' to my dinner companions. Weird. Very weird.