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?

Nope. I'd do it with DH, DSis or DM who gives me no choice in the matter but no-one else. Certainly not a table full!

My MIL does this - she wont order a pudding then drools and looks at everyone else's food expecting people to share with her - or usually just dives into your food before you take a bite.

It annoys the hell out of me. I'm going to use the 'fork in the back of the hand' next time.

i do it with my sisters and parents my mum always used to do it so we still do but noone else

Nope, no way.

I would do this with my children when they were younger if they wanted to taste some but nobody else, including my (greedy) partner.

I had an eating disorder for many years when I was younger and it's had a significant impact on my attitude to food. If someone dips into my food then that's the end of my meal, it's like having my appetite switched off.

I'm a sharer. Wouldn't expect everyone to but didn't realise it was weird to offer to share food in some circles.

Seems weird to be freaked out about it to me. But hey.

Maybe it's a middle class thing to not share? Assume you are, OP, and the people concerned about naff manners.

I do it with mezze or Curries, that type of thing but then we tend to order so that people can all dip in. But that's with bowls in the middle, which I am happy with - a plate in front of me, or anyone else, no.

I will share with my OH and with my daughters (unless it’s a bigger party at an Indian or Chinese where there is a spread to be shared by everyone in which case I don’t mind).

I absolutely will not give my food to anyone who a) is too cheap to order a starter, b) too cheap to pay for what they actually want - if you wanted mussels you should have ordered it, not expect to ‘taste’ your way through half of mine - or c) just thinks they’re entitled to have a bite off every plate!

My MIL has an irritating habit of trying to share everything she's eating. The other day she'd bought a small pastry for breakfast but was insisting we all tried it. It reminds me of a film I once watched about eating disorders. Different topic I know!

Also both inlaws try to put food on my plate or pass me a bowl of food from the centre of the table when they think I should have more. I know they are trying to be nice but i'm not two and I find all the interference and attention stressful!

I don’t like it but I don’t hate it as much as people who just take without asking. MIL (who claims to have a small appetite) never orders a starter. The very first time I met her we’d gone out for dinner for DH to introduce me to them. She took some of my starter and I stabbed her hand with my fork! 😂 she never did it again. X

Depends how close you are. I don't care about other people's forks in my food but it's an intimate thing.. I only share tastes with close friends.

No. No. No.
I don't like to share bites; especially with dh bc he swipes the best which I try to save for last.

ABSOLUTELY no to anyone not related to me as in i gave birth to or married them.

If I'm very good friends and I'm feeling magnanimous, I may share a tiny taste, but probably not without alcohol.

Sorry. I can be wishywashy. But never work friends. What next?! They will want to share their food with me?! That line shall not be crost.

Very warped way of looking at a nice meal out. “Hey all my protein is gone”

Try to touch my food, you will die 😈 I have no wish to share anyone else’s drool, germs or snot, Thankyou.

Boak. I’m a vegan and every single time I’m out with friends, someone will ask for a taste of my food. They then think I’m weird when I ask them to use their clean spoon, instead of their fork, that they’ve just used on their meat dish. 🤢 Leave my good the fuck alone.

Tonight I went out for dinner with my husband and we both couldn't decide which starters we wanted out of 2 so we ordered them both and ate half then swapped. We share bodily fluids sometimes and so that's fine, anyone else (apart from my kids) NO.
If someone was at the table and said they had always wanted to try my dish then yes with a clean spoon/fork.
We take very elderly MIL out to lunch often and she trays to 'feed' the children from her plate. It has always made me gag and they are now 9,7&5, they try really hard to be polite and I end up getting cross and she gets pissy.

This

I'd do that in a restaurant with a few close friends if the dishes look unusual. But just between friends. Hubby gets to my plate before I lift my fork and knife. Does my head in!

I will only ever share with my DP or best friend, and even then it’s decided before we even order that we’ll share or try each other’s. No way would I be letting anyone come near my food unarranged until I’ve finished. If im done and there’s some left then people can try it but never before. Yuck.

And the whole sharing pudding thing makes me twitch

Just get a whole thing and leave some

That's a waste of food and money. My ds hates it when I nick one of his chips, but I don't want a whole portion. He and my husband put sauce on their chips as soon as they get them so I won't nick them ;)

We sometimes give a taste of our puddings.

But I am not keen on the places that are set up to share. I generally order something because I want to eat it ALL not share it. Also I don't eat red meat and ds and dh do, so they'd eat mine but I wouldn't want theirs.

If im done and there’s some left then people can try it but never before

It'll have gone cold by then - you'd be safe from me!

Just after my daughter got married we went out for a meal with my daughter in laws family. I was really surprised when before we even got to try our own food every single person offered us to try food from their plates and they also wanted to try ours! I had never seen this before and was actually a bit gobsmacked about it. When we got home, I rang my daughter to say thank you for the lovely evening, she then said that she had forgotten to warn us about her wife’s family always tasting everyone’s food. Still now every time we eat out on our own it amazes me that lots of people find this normal.

Only do this with my hubby which we normally discuss whilst choosing from the menu as in if you order this and i order that then we will go halves.feel its quite an intimate thing to do

When dining with one close person - DP/family member etc I always do this. But not in a group. 5 people trying your meal wouldn’t leave you with much either. Perhaps suggest tapas or meze next time you dine with this group, will solve the issue.

I am a fussy eater and so do allow dh to have bits of my food I have ordered if I don't want it. EG I don't like tomatoes unless cooked so if I get salad with uncooked tomatoes I ask him if he would like them but that is before he has put fork in mouth.

My ds hates it when I nick one of his chips, but I don't want a whole portion

So because you don’t want a whole portion you think it’s okay to steal some of DS’ chips

Either get a portion to yourself and accept you’ll be leaving some or keep your hands to yourself!