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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I'm married to ketchup man

223 replies

ketchupman · 04/07/2021 21:09

Semi light-hearted, first world problem and have name changed 🙄

I married a man who was a self declared 'foodie'. This was great, I like cooking and eating a lot.

Quite a few years in now, it transpires I'm married to ketchup man who slathers it over his food whenever he can. Steak, fancy burgers, anything with potato, nothing is safe from ketchup man. It turns out he didn't do this in the first few years of our relationship as he knew it was a bit odd.

He doesn't understand why I'm irritated by making an effort to cook a nice meal for him only for it to be covered in ketchup (roast potatoes with rosemary got ketchupped tonight).

YABU - it's okay to do this, let the man ketchup a fillet steak without rolling eyes
YANBU - cook him toddler food and don't waste flavour on him

OP posts:
FlatteredFool · 04/07/2021 21:25

Put ketchup in small ramekins then he won't be able to smother his food in it as easily. Dd squirts ketchup all over her chips. I despair. I ramekin whenever possible.

PerciphonePuma · 04/07/2021 21:25

@Guiltypleasures001

My mums married to mashup man

My dad mashes everything on his plate together in to a big beige mound
Then just shovels it in

on Xmas day etc it's heart breaking to see

He really needs to grow up! That's what toddlers do Hmm Why has your mum put up with that?
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 04/07/2021 21:26

DH is also a chilli hound. Everything gets chilli treatment.
Then he says of whatever I cook 'it tastes really nice' and I just wonder if he can even taste what I'm cooking because it must all just taste of chilli!

Ah well. I suppose it doesn't hurt anyone and DH tbf doesn't do it on everything like on roasts etc....

Slimmingstar · 04/07/2021 21:26

My DP loves balsamic vinegar. It goes on pizza, potatoes, stir fry, Indian………

TheCanyon · 04/07/2021 21:27

Ketchup, hp sauce and mayo on everything for my dh. Utterly fucking bizarre, who puts hp sauce on a pineapple pizza?!?!

Original poster
ketchupman · 04/07/2021 21:28

@HelloDulling GrinGrinGrin

@Frownette he tried but he's not the best, he can cook a few dishes on rotation if I am totally incapacitated but therein lies another issue, he thinks his food tastes great. Which I nod and smile and eat without asking to borrow his ketchup of course.

OP posts:
Melitza · 04/07/2021 21:28

What happens if you've run out of ketchup?

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 04/07/2021 21:28

#tramketchupman
LTOP!!

Fluffycloudland77 · 04/07/2021 21:30

It’s up to him what he eats. He’s an adult.

I wouldn’t appreciate dh commenting on what I eat.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 04/07/2021 21:30

Oh vile, if I get just a sniff of ketchup I vom. The thought of kissing someone who's been eating it would release my stomach contents.

MrsTerryPratchett · 04/07/2021 21:30

@TheCanyon

Ketchup, hp sauce and mayo on everything for my dh. Utterly fucking bizarre, who puts hp sauce on a pineapple pizza?!?!
The real question is who puts pineapple on a pizza? Once you've done that you might as well put on HP. It's an abomination anyway.
HandsSpaceArse · 04/07/2021 21:31

He is BU to have hidden this criminal activity from you until it is too late for you to easily break up - this kind of implies he knows his behaviour is not reasonable. I think I'd reduce the family spend by giving him bowls of plain pasta for a bit.

Original poster
ketchupman · 04/07/2021 21:31

@SimonJT ketchup on steak is a crime I'm afraid. The burger was pork and apple - not a plain beef and cheese which I agree is okay. He will also put ketchup on a burger with stilton Confused

OP posts:
Cavagirl · 04/07/2021 21:32

Those saying why does it matter - if you've spent ages slaving in the kitchen making a lovely lasagne/roast/etc and thought about the flavours and spent time on it, then someone - without even tasting it - dumps a load of ketchup on top, they're basically saying "I know in advance this isn't going to taste the way I want".
If someone made you a cup of tea, you wouldn't - without tasting it - add a spoonful of sugar? If someone did your laundry for you, you wouldn't immediately iron it again without even checking if it's creased?
It's the suggestion that something is clearly lacking and he doesn't even need to check it, he knows he needs to make it better, that I would find infuriating.

LCDIT · 04/07/2021 21:32

@HelloDulling

I can introduce him to The Black Pepper Assassin. No matter the meal, no matter the level of seasoning/spice. Grind grind grind.
Grin this made laugh literally out loud!!!!!
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/07/2021 21:32

Are you married to my DS ?

I used to carry a bottle of Emergency Ketchup because often theu didn't have any in the carvery and my PFB ( 259 months old ) cannot enjoy food without it .
(And before anyone says "don't enable him" if I'm paying for a meal at least I want him to like it )

Curiosity101 · 04/07/2021 21:33

Based on your options YABU but YANBU to be annoyed by this. It'd annoy me to if I put effort into cooking a meal and someone slathered it in condiments before even trying it. Especially if they claimed to be a foodie.

I wouldn't stop someone doing it (or cook them 'toddler food') but definitely would be annoyed by it.

Mumoftwo2021 · 04/07/2021 21:34

Totally get it! My partner is the same 😂🤦🏼‍♀️
I cook a lovely meal and it’s gets a coat of ketchup!
I’m like at least taste it first 🤣ffs

TheDevils · 04/07/2021 21:34

Why are people so bothered about what other adults eat?

As someone who suffers from ARFID and has real issues around food I'm so pleased my DH is more understanding than some of you.

MouldyPotato · 04/07/2021 21:35

I've got a back pepper assassin here too. Although in the height of summer he turns into Burger Sauce Man.

MouldyPotato · 04/07/2021 21:38

Why are people so bothered about what other adults eat?

I'm not bothered by it personally. Just find it mildly amusing that no matter what I cook it needs more pepper and burger sauce in the summer. My OH has no AFRID.

FluffyPinkSocks · 04/07/2021 21:38

Oh God, I cant bear the smell of ketchup, it makes me hurl. You have my sympathy, my mil puts it on everything (even on gravy dishes 🤮🤮🤮🤮)

Fromage · 04/07/2021 21:40

I bloody love ketchup but I voted YANBU.

Chips are a vehicle for ketchup, it completes a burger and ain't half nice to dip cheese on toast into.

However, had I taken the time to cook a beautifully flavoured meal and someone obliterated it with ketchup, well, I'd need one of you lot to provide me with a solid alibi.

Original poster
ketchupman · 04/07/2021 21:40

@FluffyPinkSocks gravy and ketchup?! 🤢 That's a line my DH won't cross (thank god!)

OP posts:
DeRigueurMortis · 04/07/2021 21:41

I love cooking an put a lot of time and effort into making nice food.

If DH smothered everything in ketchup I'd seriously LTB.

It's all very well people having food preferences but slathering every meal with a high sugar/high salt condiment suggests he shot his tastebuds (especially if he's pre-salting also).

Seriously what's the point in every meal be overwhelmed by the same flavour aside from the very obvious fact it's really unhealthy.

Food probably does taste bland to him without it because he's over sugar/salting every meal he eats.

So no he's not a foodie.

But he is a adult and thus can decide what he puts in his mouth.

By the same token I'd also let him cook for himself as there's no point in buying nice quality food and carefully cooking it.

He might as well live on chicken nuggets and instant mash given all he's tasting is the ketchup.