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?

No I would not. If one person asked to taste it, I would put it on their plate with my fork or a side spoon instead. Im weird about people touching my food.

I don’t think it’s weird to offer a taste to close friends and family but it’s certainly not expected or the norm either so YANBU

DH and I swap a bite each, but I wouldn’t dream of asking for someone else’s or offering mine!

I much prefer meals where the serving fishes are put on the table

.

Yuck. DH is the only one who ever has a taste of mine and even then I’d cut a piece and put it on the side of his plate. Apart from germs there’s also the issue of cross contamination in the case of allergies.

@MrsStrowman was it kefir? Which is fermented milk. Ive never tried it, some love it some hate it it seems.

@GhoulMythicalMoooaning no not kefir which I agree is an acquired taste it was called milkis, I guess more like a lighter sour cream soda. This is how we ended up passing it around 😂

Anyone that touches my plate, including DH or a D.C. is highly likely to get my fork in the back of their hand.

No way! With my DH is fine, but not with anyone else.

I don't really like sharing dishes either. Maybe this is because I grew up in a large family where if you didn't get the food onto your plate pronto, someone else got it onto theirs. Dog eat dog. I'm also the one with the heaped plate at at a buffet. In case I miss out.

Nope, I don't share my food. One thing that used to annoy me when the dc's were younger and trying the food. THey would want what was on my plate (I did begrudgingly share whilst slowly teaching them to leave other peoples food alone).

I order food because I want to enjoy it. If I was interested in the food that was on someone else's plate I would order that. But no I want to enjoy the food that is on my plate. Any fucker who comes near my plate with their fork will get my fork in their hand (except young children). I have only had to do this once, a friend of a friend who thought I was joking and he was the big man and me the little woman who should share. Even his missus was sitting there telling me to share ffs.

That is weird, I purchase my food, I want to eat my food, if people want a taste of mine, they can order their own.

Next time we will get tapas

I don't like this practice as my comment above indicates but for those who are making "icky" comments about it, in my experience no one sticks their forks on each others plates, instead everyone at the table separates off a bit of their dish onto a side plate (before we start eating) and others take a bit from the side plate before anyone starts eating. There is no icky cross contamination of forks. Just to clarify, again I am not in favour of the practice.

YANBU. It’s unhygienic and grosses a lot of people out! Fine if it’s what you want to do but definitely not if it isn’t. I don’t understand the concept either, what if they like their ‘taste’? They’ve already chosen their meal! What is there to gain? I’d hate this and would decline, I order what I want to eat and there’s no reason to go eating bits from everyone else’s dinner too.

Any fucker who comes near my plate with their fork will get my fork in their hand (except young children). I have only had to do this once, a friend of a friend who thought I was joking and he was the big man and me the little woman who should share. Even his missus was sitting there telling me to share ffs.

Urgh I hate this concept of ‘sharing’ unless it’s the same person you share bodily fluids with. It’s just so tense. Gotta be aware how much you eat and what you leave for the other person, can’t just relax and enjoy eating it. Plus with some dishes there might be a specific really nice bit that you want to eat and only have a chance at, or some things are so small a ‘bite’ it literally a quarter of the item. Plus people sticking their forks in their mouth and then into the food so you have their mouth germs all over it 🤢

Plus it’s totally rude to request someone else’s food, it should be offered if the person wants to, but asking for someone else’s food is just plain bizarre and rude.

Yanbu but I love eating “family style” when out with friends. We just order stuff off the menu that looks good and share everything. With my Western friends, we’ll have serving utensils but I don’t bother with my Asian friends.

We get to try everything and no one gets left with a crap main dish. I think it works nicely. Guess germs will be a problem if a major epidemic goes round

That's very odd, my husband and I only offer to each other.

I'm a foodie and we often share food (if I'm with other foodies) so we can taste various dishes but we are all happy to do this. If someone does not want to, then no one would think any less of them unless they tasted your dish and would not let you have some of theirs Waiters are happy to give you spare cutlery for this.

My food is my food. Strange behaviour some people have.

Anyone that touches my plate, including DH or a D.C. is highly likely to get my fork in the back of their hand

Totally agree. Hold offending hand down with fork and saw with the knife

No sharing, gross. Might do with dh but not generally. Different if it’s in an Indian restaurant say where lots of main courses an side dishes turn up in separate containers and people can serve themselves a bit from other people’s choice once they’ve helped themselves to as much as they want

I would share a taste with my husband or children if they wanted but other than that the list of people I would be willing to do this with is very small. My mum and two of my closest friends. Other friends and other people just no it’s weird. My and my best friend sometimes offer one another a taste if we go out just the two of us but more often than not we order the same thing to prevent the food envy haha but no I think a group of people all offering one another food is a bit weird.

I’m also weird about people touching my food and dirty crockery etc. I wouldn’t be able to eat my dish if other people put their fork, or spoon in it. I have a friend, who is a self confessed foodie, who loves tasting other people’s dishes, but she wouldn’t ask me as she knows it turns my stomach. I do, however, think some people who be offended by my inability to share food, but that’s just tough.

No. I would hate that!