Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Woman Bothered By Daughter’s BF’s Eating Habits, Gets Told To Just Ignore It
A smiling boyfriend with a beard and curly hair, wearing a brown jacket, sitting at a dinner table. Daughter defends her BF.

Woman Bothered By Daughter’s BF’s Eating Habits, Gets Told To Just Ignore It

25

ADVERTISEMENT

When you’re young and spending time with your significant other’s family, it can be difficult to fully relax and be yourself. There’s a lot of pressure to make a good impression. So it usually falls on the older generation to help their guests feel welcome.

But one woman says she can no longer tolerate her daughter’s boyfriend at the dinner table. Reddit user w8136 explained that whenever he joins them, he grabs a full plate of food, cuts it up, pushes it around, and never takes a single bite.

Now, she wants to stop inviting him over; however, that would really upset her daughter.

RELATED:

    This woman can’t stand her daughter’s boyfriend and his strange eating habits

    Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

    So she wants him to stop having dinner with their family

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    But her daughter won’t accept that

    Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: w8136

    ADVERTISEMENT

    People shouldn’t make themselves the center of attention at someone else’s table

    If you’re invited to dine with your significant other’s family and, upon arrival, you find out that, for one reason or another, there’s not really much you can eat, ideally, you should try to avoid it becoming the main focus of the night and just keep things on the down low.

    Better yet, you could prevent this from happening in the first place.

    According to Olivia Pollock, etiquette and hosting expert at Evite, if you have strict dietary limitations or severe dislikes, it’s perfectly fine to remind your host at least a week before the event to give them time to plan.

    A conscientious host would even ask in advance, but sometimes they are too busy, stressed, or think they already know everyone’s dietary limitations from other social gatherings.

    So, when you RSVP, feel free to remind your host that you’re vegan, kosher, or allergic to nuts. You can also offer to bring your own dish if that seems appropriate.

    However, the fact that the girl’s boyfriend isn’t making any adjustments and goes from one dinner to the next, expecting he can simply repeat the same routine, definitely gives the impression that he doesn’t respect the time and effort her mom puts into preparing the meals.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Young people aren’t really thinking about table manners, though

    His behavior may be explained by his age, though. According to one survey, over half of Gen Zers think table etiquette is no longer relevant.

    Looking more specifically, the study found that 77% of Gen Z diners didn’t care if people put their elbows on the table, and 60% couldn’t care less about how someone holds their silverware.

    However, other generations aren’t as forgiving. If we look at the general population, just 32% believe table etiquette is no longer relevant.

    The results revealed that other diners are, indeed, mindful of how everyone is behaving: 48% of respondents said they’re irked by loud chewing, while 37% are annoyed by someone picking food off other people’s plates without asking, and another 37% are bothered by people using their phone at the table.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Also, while 49% of the people surveyed said they wouldn’t date someone who had bad table manners, luckily for the guy in our story, his girlfriend seems to be on his side.

    Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

    Those who read the woman’s post believe she, as the host, has every right to stop inviting the guy over

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook

    Explore more of these tags

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »
    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    Read less »

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    Rugilė Žemaitytė

    Rugilė Žemaitytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, my favorite part of the job involves browsing the web for the cutest cat pics, the funniest memes and eye-catching illustrations to brighten up your day!

    Read less »

    Rugilė Žemaitytė

    Rugilė Žemaitytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, my favorite part of the job involves browsing the web for the cutest cat pics, the funniest memes and eye-catching illustrations to brighten up your day!

    What do you think ?
    Suzie
    Community Member
    2 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "We don't waste food in this house. Take what you want but eat what you take. Otherwise, I will send it home with you in a to go container but we will not be throwing away food for no reason."

    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You don't need to phrase it that way, a quiet word in private to say "we recognise that you struggle to eat, we don't want to pressure you, so please do not feel obliged to take large portions, or order meals you don't really want, we won't be offended, just eat as much or as little as you please" would be much more effective. Don't make it about the food wastage, that will only make him feel a lot worse than he already does. And yes, he already does.

    Load More Replies...
    DEE RAVEN
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Stop doing dinners. Do movie night and serve snacks

    Min (she/her)
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This! There are plenty of ways to spend time with your family that don't involve wasted dinners and hurt feelings.

    Load More Replies...
    JB
    Community Member
    2 days ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’m with the folks saying talk to *him*, with or without the daughter present. If it’s behavioural, he can be assured that he doesn’t have to eat to be a welcome addition to the dinner table regardless of where it is. So long as it doesn’t make him uncomfortable to just sit there while others eat, his company is all that’s necessary. If it does make him uncomfortable, then they’ll stop inviting the couple for meals out, and for family dinner at home, he can do just about anything he wants for the duration of the meal. Watch tv, read a book, hang out in the garden, go for a walk, play solo jenga. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to have a relaxed meal but remembering that he’s around and not spend hours on it. If it’s cultural, all I can say is things have changed a lot since I lived in Mexico. I certainly don’t see what’s wrong with pointing out a guest’s culture is no excuse for offending their host. ETA The point is to find a constructive, inclusive, solution where OP no longer feels resentful, BF is included in a way that doesn’t make him uncomfortable, and GF doesn’t feel obliged to defend him (which also leads to resentment).

    Alessia Moon
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My last salary was $8750, ecom only worked 12 hours a week. My longtime neighbor yr estimated $15,000 and works about 20 hours for seven days. I can't believe how blunt he was when I looked up his information, This is what I do..... 𝐉𝐨­𝐛­𝐀­𝐭­𝐇­𝐨­𝐦­𝐞­𝟏.𝐂­𝐨­𝐦

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Suzie
    Community Member
    2 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "We don't waste food in this house. Take what you want but eat what you take. Otherwise, I will send it home with you in a to go container but we will not be throwing away food for no reason."

    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You don't need to phrase it that way, a quiet word in private to say "we recognise that you struggle to eat, we don't want to pressure you, so please do not feel obliged to take large portions, or order meals you don't really want, we won't be offended, just eat as much or as little as you please" would be much more effective. Don't make it about the food wastage, that will only make him feel a lot worse than he already does. And yes, he already does.

    Load More Replies...
    DEE RAVEN
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Stop doing dinners. Do movie night and serve snacks

    Min (she/her)
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This! There are plenty of ways to spend time with your family that don't involve wasted dinners and hurt feelings.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    JB
    Community Member
    2 days ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’m with the folks saying talk to *him*, with or without the daughter present. If it’s behavioural, he can be assured that he doesn’t have to eat to be a welcome addition to the dinner table regardless of where it is. So long as it doesn’t make him uncomfortable to just sit there while others eat, his company is all that’s necessary. If it does make him uncomfortable, then they’ll stop inviting the couple for meals out, and for family dinner at home, he can do just about anything he wants for the duration of the meal. Watch tv, read a book, hang out in the garden, go for a walk, play solo jenga. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to have a relaxed meal but remembering that he’s around and not spend hours on it. If it’s cultural, all I can say is things have changed a lot since I lived in Mexico. I certainly don’t see what’s wrong with pointing out a guest’s culture is no excuse for offending their host. ETA The point is to find a constructive, inclusive, solution where OP no longer feels resentful, BF is included in a way that doesn’t make him uncomfortable, and GF doesn’t feel obliged to defend him (which also leads to resentment).

    Alessia Moon
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My last salary was $8750, ecom only worked 12 hours a week. My longtime neighbor yr estimated $15,000 and works about 20 hours for seven days. I can't believe how blunt he was when I looked up his information, This is what I do..... 𝐉𝐨­𝐛­𝐀­𝐭­𝐇­𝐨­𝐦­𝐞­𝟏.𝐂­𝐨­𝐦

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT