MiL a-salted a birthday cake

[CurtainWitcher]

DD's birthday get-together for a few family members in the garden.

I made a lovely (if I do say so myself) big, decorated Victoria sponge, which is DD's favourite.

DH handed a slice to MiL, who immediately asked for salt. She then shook salt ALL over it, before eating it.

It's not the first time she's salted sweet food. She says it's the only way she can "bear it".

Aibu to suggest she doesn't ask for cake, if she's going to cover it in salt?

If she made a song and dance about it, maybe she’s trying to say that your food is bland or overly sweet (ie she doesn’t like your cooking)

I know some cake recipes add a pinch of salt in, but I’ve never heard of someone throwing salt over a cake like it’s a bag of chips! Can’t imagine it tasted pleasant.

I can’t believe you’re so offended by salt OP - #firstworldproblems.

Your mother in law is a flavour philistine, big deal.

But you could easily choose not to be insulted by it. She clearly has unusual tates, so it's not your cooking it's her.

I wouldn’t be insulted. But I wouldn’t understand her eating it. Just eat something not sweet.

My partner doesn’t like crisps because they’re too salty. He doesn’t insist on eating crisps by adding sugar to them, he just chooses not to eat them. He’s not an attention seeker though so I’m guessing that’s the difference.

@UnfinishedSymphon

Oh come on, it's totally weird, if this happened in your garden I'm sure you'd be exchanging WTF looks with other people....I know I would! It wouldn't bother me, I'd just think it was fucking strange

No. I have friends and family on the autistic spectrum, and as a teacher, it’s one of my areas of expertise. So I try to avoid ignorant gawping and judgement when someone else does something that seems weird. I’d be more concerned about the effect on her health of consuming so much salt. Has anyone suggested she gets checked out?

My son puts soy sauce on pretty much everything - that's how he likes his food.
It doesn't matter to me.
You sound like you'd be just as insulted if she said No to cake.

And I am the daughter of a mother with very strange eating habits and it really messed up my relationship with food for a long time.

Surely someone insisting that you eat food to their taste rather than their own is more likely to mess up someone's relationship with food than accepting that someone likes different things to you and leaving them to it?

If she needs help and support because her eating habits are unhealthy, then that should be dealt with as appropriate, but complaining about someone salting their food because you wouldn't like it is quite different.

10/10 for your salt puns though OP, even though I disagree with the perceived rudeness of adding condiments to food!

I think it is very strange, but there's nothing immoral about it. Some people just don't enjoy sweet things. If you really can't bear to watch her eating it that way, could you offer her an alternative like cheese and biscuits?

i voted yabu for decorating a victoria sponge

Not sure whether or not this is offensive/weird, but if this what she does to all sweet food I'd be worried for her health, not good for her at all. How much salt is she consuming? Pretty sure craving salt is a sign of something wrong or a deficiency??

I add salt to icecream it makes it taste better

My FIL asks for vinegar to smother his vegetables in. It gives me the absolute rage. Mind you, almost everything he does gives me the rage to be honest.

It's a strange thing to do, I agree.
If I was her I would have asked for a packet of ready salted crisps instead, and the salt pot, and be done with it TBH😎

That’s really weird. Why are MILs so weird?! I’m sure I won’t be that strange when I’m one.

Salt in cake is just utterly wrong. You should probably report her to someone!

Is she doing other things you find odd or out of character?

Well, I wouldn't put salt on a sweet cake, but it's up to her; she's the one who#s eating it. She's not pouring salt all over the whole cake so that everyone else has to eat it that way; it's her own slice.And it's your dd's birthday, not hers, so it's not as if she's being ungrateful for something that was prepared specially for her. Come to think of it, there are some good desserts nowadays based on mixing salt with the sweet: e.g. salted caramel sauce. Not saying that she's turning her cake slice into a marvellous new recipe(!), or that most of us would like it; but it may not be quite as outrageous as it first appears. Anyway, I'd say live and let live.

Can't believe how everyone thinks this is ok and that it's just a preference (I blame Postmodernism ). It is NOT ok. It's bloody disgusting and would probably turn most people's stomachs if done right in front of them. Would it also be ok for her to smother it in ketchup and eat it in front of you?

You baked a lovely-tasting cake. I'd be offended too, OP.

WHO THE FUCK DOES THIS??

It IS disgusting. Can I ask if she is English?

The reason I ask is that my DH is West Indian and he does similar things like putting salt in orange juice: he said it made it taste sweeter so I tried it. Yuk! It's just salty orange juice!

YANBU to ask her why she does this. She is family after all so just dress it up as idle curiosity.

If she again says it's the only way she can bear sweet food then ask why she just doesn't leave the sweet stuff and reassure her it won't offend you if she refuses certain foods.

As long as you don't make any rude judgements out loud it's fine.

@CurtainWitcher

DD's birthday get-together for a few family members in the garden.

I made a lovely (if I do say so myself) big, decorated Victoria sponge, which is DD's favourite.

DH handed a slice to MiL, who immediately asked for salt. She then shook salt ALL over it, before eating it.

It's not the first time she's salted sweet food. She says it's the only way she can "bear it".

Aibu to suggest she doesn't ask for cake, if she's going to cover it in salt?

Very strange, and a little rude to the person who worked hard on their creation. But does she salt everything else?

I put salt on watermelon and cantaloupe. I’m told I’m strange. I know a couple of women who peel lemons, salt the sections and eat them.
To each their own - I think the world would be a very boring place if we all were exactly alike and did everything exactly the same.

Yes it’s definitely odd but that probably wouldn’t have bothered me as much as the comment. If she doesn’t like sweet food maybe she should have declined a slice of cake instead of the remark about being able to bear it. I do like a salt and sweet mix and I always use salted butter in all my baking so maybe she has a point but salting it like a bag of chips is too far imo! My mum smothers everything in salt, pepper, chilli sauce or curry sauce which I’ve discovered is the only way she tastes food lol!

Sweet and salty is a thing. Why not let it be. She is happy, . Why does it bother you?.

Her blood pressure will go through the roof. She should stop doing this.

How someone else eats your cake is not your responsibility unless it's your children!

It would be rude to even think of saying so to her!

Honestly if a cake tastes better with salt on it the simplest answer is it was a shit cake and everybody else was too polite to say anything.

Weird to me but each to their own.