It’s rude to take one look at the dinner I have cooked then get lots of condiments for it.

[Wasail]

I spend time preparing a meal that is tasty and balanced, H takes one look at it, doesn’t taste it or anything, just gets his collection of condiments from the fridge and smothers his dinner.
We are talking things like truffle mayo ( he is a bit wanky with his condiment collection) so things that will fundamentally change the flavour of the meal. And no, I didn’t make fish and chips. ketchup or mayo, not both, would be acceptable in that case.
I think it’s unbelievably rude of him, he thinks it’s perfectly fine.

My son drowns everything I cook in HP sauce.

He likes it

Can't find myself caring 🤷‍♀️

That's a fair point about only 'proper' restaurants not offering condiments to supplement the chefs creations!

Though I wouldn't knock horseradish til you've tried it with smoked mackerel. Then you'll never want to eat either without each other again!

My husband does this, OP, but he takes it a step further and goes poking around the fridge, ending up with grating cheese all over my carefully cooked dinner as well as Worcester sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, mayo, salad creme, basically anything to hide the terrible cooking is how it feels! I don't think it helps he looks annoyed while he's doing it!

Its a little arrogant as the chef to think you have seasoned it perfectly - unless you're heston or nigella perhaps. Do you also dictate how many sugars people have in their tea?

My MIL is fussy about food, doesn’t eat anything with a sauce or gravy or especially mayo, which she has something verging on a phobia about. I’ve now figured out that actually she only positively likes three flavours; salt, cream and chocolate. Once she’s added a teaspoon (literally) to what ever dry version of a main course I’ve cooked it’s really irrelevant what’s under the salt. Same with dessert, once cake is saturated in pouring cream it’s not really important what it started out as. Food just isn’t important to her so it doesn’t bother me now. I did try making very salty soup once to see what would happen (she never tastes before salting) but she didn’t notice. On the plus side she’s never made any negative comments about my cooking. Always thanks me for the lovely food. Just let it go and make food you like, your DH just likes his limited taste range and isn’t interested in anything more subtle.

I can't say it would bother me tbh.
As long as it gets eaten.

It is rude, OP - not the putting on of condiments but not tasting it first to see what is needed.

I don’t think it’s rude but I do think he’s an idiot. He should taste his food first.

Its a little arrogant as the chef to think you have seasoned it perfectly - unless you're heston or nigella perhaps.

Personally, I think it’s a little odd to think the only people who can cook properly are TV chefs.

Whilst I tend to agree a fish roulade with cheese sauce does rather sound like food for convalescence or care home food.

Tomato ketchup is a whole lot healthier than a cheese sauce. Processed tomato is good for prostate health.
Chilli is much healthier than cheese sauce.

haven't RTFT, sorry, but: if he thinks he's being cheffy he might want to know that my chef would probably throw someone's dinner at them if they did that to something he cooked. It's rude.

I would hate this OP. It's like you spent a lot of time and care making something that'll taste great, and they go and smear ketchup (or whatever) on it to mask the taste. It IS rude, and I hate it. My BIL does this with heinz ketchup and it drives me batty enough to refuse to have any in the house anymore.

MIL has been offering my kids if they want to put ketchup on their pasta and it makes me twitchy as hell because I will not be having that in my house after I've made a sauce especially for it.

Family of aliens - they were examples of professional chefs

Family of aliens - they were examples of professional chefs

I know. And you said that it was arrogant for a home cook to think they were able to season a dish correctly because they weren’t a TV chef. My friends and family all cook and can season a dish correctly, it’s not hard.

Im sure they can but you would definitely expect it of a professional as its part of the job requirement.

I've now read the entire thread. Oh dear. It is polite - wherever you are, and probably sensible, to taste food before adding things.

And yes, the reason higher class restaurants don't usually have condiments on the table is because the dishes are created by trained chefs who know what they're doing. Fish roulade sounds like quite a delicate thing. Truffle mayo sounds good with that - but you'd need to check first, if you're a food wanker you really ought to know that.

OP in your position I'd give him boiled potatoes, grilled fish/chicken and plain veg for ever.

He likes a lot of flavour

And without tasting it how does he know what the actual food tastes like? How is it relevant whether the chef has ‘properly seasoned it’ (how insulting to assume that normal folk are too stupid to season food properly!) when you haven’t tasted it?

I agree OP YANBU. I used to get annoyed with my husband putting salt on absolutely everything before tasting. I asked him to please stop and just taste it first. He does now.

He put horse radish, chilli sauce and truffle mayo on it

This would rather suggest he doesn't enjoy your cooking, but rather than offend you by saying so, he adds other strong flavours to drown out the original taste. He's saving your feelings. Plus, you know, it's his meal to eat 🤷🏼‍♀️ Make him cook if it bothers you

You're divorcing him any way aren't you op? So won't have to let his eating habits annoy you for much longer, even though he's entitled to put whatever he likes on his dinner. And if you are still divorcing, stop cooking him dinner!

If he has a shelf devoted to condiments then presumably he uses them on most meals so what's different about him putting it on fish roulade ? Tbf think I would be too.

You could say that about people who add salt and pepper to every meal without tasting it, yet people do. We all like to add condiments, garlic/smoked/herbed salt, pepper etc and different sauces placed on the side of the plate to dip as and when. it doesn't change the quality of the meal imo.

Mine puts HP sauce on mostly everything - I abhor the smell of it more than anything! But HP sauce with roast chicken???

And no, I didn’t make fish and chips. ketchup or mayo, not both, would be acceptable in that case.

You are controlling. And arrogant to think that you’ve seasoned the meal to every single person’s taste. Your DH probably already knows what your meals taste like and he’s just adjusting them to his taste. When my DH cooks, I know that it won’t have enough salt in it for my liking. But I won’t be forcing down food that’s not to my taste just so I don’t offend the chef. I rather don’t eat it.

I think seasoning without tasting is a bit irritating. But my OH squirts tomato ketchup all over what ever pasta dish i cook for him. If it was only salt i'd probably take it as a compliment now !

I used to get annoyed with my husband putting salt on absolutely everything before tasting. I asked him to please stop and just taste it first. He does now.

He’s probably doing that to avoid the arguments 😀 When my DH cooks the family meal, it never has enough salt in it to my liking because the children will share that meal also so he holds back on the salt. Therefore I don’t need to taste it first before adding salt to my plate. I know that I’ll want some (and as an adult I can make my own decisions at how much salt I use in my daily diet).

OP this is one of my pet hates!! At least try the food before you season / condiment the shit out of it. It's rude to the person that's cooked.

YANBU.