Man refuses to take GF to eat at nice places because she 'eats like a kid.' AITA?
"AITA for refusing to take my girlfriend to nice places because she eats like a kid?"
My girlfriend is an incredibly picky eater. Like I said in my title, she eats like she is 10 years old.
In fact I'll give a short list of things she refuses to eat; Unflavored water, fish (excluding fried shrimp), anything with bones, cheese other than sharp cheddar, spinach, onions, garlic, pasta without red sauce, eggs, spicy food, aioli, ketchup, potatoes (other than french fries), pastries with fruit, citrus, sausage or any 'non-American' food.]
This compares to me, someone who grew up in multiple different regions of the US and lived in abroad for a few years, so I'm a bit more adventurous when it comes to food.
Whenever me and my girlfriend go out somewhere nice she ends up getting the same meals usually either a burger or chicken tenders and fries. We could be going to an authentic Nepalese restaurant and she will get the french fries and white rice.
To me it's kind of embarrassing to go to a restaurant where there is a dress code and for her to order chicken tenders and fries. It especially bothers me that since I typically pay, I end up paying 15 bucks for chicken tenders that I could get from the freezer section at Walmart for 5 bucks.
Recently in our area a very nice dinner place opened up and my girlfriend has been dying to go. I took a look at the place and the menu and saw that it looked nice but the food was kind of pricey. She said she was probably gonna get chicken tenders as per usual. I asked her what's the point of going then if I can toss some tenders in the air fryer for her and not spend a ridiculous amount of money on it.
She asked why I had an attitude about this and I told her that I thought it was a waste of time and money to go to a nice place to get little kid food. She interpreted this as me calling her a little kid. I clarified that I wasn't calling her a child, however it is kinda childish for her to eat the way she does. I also said that if she's gonna order food we can make at home there's not aby point in us going anywhere.
This lead to an argument about me thinking I'm better than her. Aita?
Here's what people said to OP:
OrangeCubit writes:
YTA - why would you go to an authentic Italian restaurant when you can cook a frozen pizza or make some spaghetti at home? Why bother going out for indian when they sell frozen butter chicken in the frozen good aisle?
ATotalMunch OP responded:
Because I want an authentic Italian meal. Chicken tenders isn't an authentic Italian meal and from an authentic Italian restaurant
PilotEnvironmental46 writes:
Probably not the popular opinion but I think NTA. I don’t see the point in taking her to an expensive restaurant with a very specific type of cuisine and her getting fries or chicken fingers. Why is she dying to go there anyway??
StacyOrBeckyOrSusan writes:
I wondered this as well. Plus, most upscale restaurants I know don’t serve chicken fingers or fries.
PilotEnvironmental46 writes:
It must be the kids menu. No other explanation
beansareso_ writes:
Yes YTA. Eating out at a nice restaurant isn’t just about the food, it’s also about the atmosphere & having fun together. Unfortunately it sounds like you’re so caught up trying not to be embarrassed by her that you can’t have fun. I doubt the waiters even give a second thought.
Grapefruit_Salad writes:
Yes! Thank you! As someone who stayed picky into their early 20’s, I have now expanded my diet to include much more types of foods. If my parents took us to an Asian restaurant when I was a kid, I would have white rice with salt.
Today, that grosses me out. But I noticed that I am really sensitive to flavors and textures. It took me many years to start eating a wide variety of foods, and there are still some I won’t eat.
If the gf wants to go to a fancy restaurant, why can’t OP be happy to go out on a date? If she enjoys chicken tenders, that is what she likes. Would he rather her not enjoy her food, barely eat it, and then he has to pay for a barely-eaten meal?
I had an ex that picked on me about my eating habits too. I understand it’s frustrating, but not everyone has the same ability to enjoy the same foods as everyone else.