Food mooching.
How do you respond when you sit down to eat and another person asks for a bite?
Is this appropriate behavior? Do you enjoy sharing your dinner platter with others?
When I sit down to eat, I want to eat what is on my plate. This is mine – that is yours, don’t ask. Eat your own stuff.
I recognize that there are couples who are deliberate about collaborating on food choices at restaurants so as to each share half a plate. If that’s your thing, I think that’s cool, but it is so not me. Please don’t ask me to share.
I know entire families whose forks are constantly on each other’s plates, cutting up chunks of meat and eating freely.
No. Just no.
When it comes to parenting, sharing food is a whole other issue. I often give my kids whatever they ask from my plate just to keep them from bugging. The loss of food is worth the silence it buys. I’m not talking about that.
I’m talking about adult on adult food mooching – do you do it? Do you approve? Or do you inwardly cringe and then purposefully “sneeze” all over your food when a known food moocher walks in the room?
Clothed with Joy 
Funny! My sister and I are complete opposites, she hates sharing and i’m the one usually passing my plate around forcing people to try my dish.. everyone’s different! (-:
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the truth.
LikeLike
I don’t think it’s ever really happened to me. But I don’t think I would say yes, unless it was like a french fry or something like that. Don’t touch the entree or you DIE! Anything that requires like touching of utensils or something just isn’t going to happen.
LikeLike
It is definitely a weird family-culture thing…You should hear the fights that break out btw my children if somebody touches someone else’s plate. It gets ugly.
LikeLike
Some kids don’t even like their foods to touch their other foods.:)
LikeLike
Some adults either, (cough) my mother (cough)…
LikeLike
Note to self if I ever get to eat with you. 😛
What’s ironic about this is I grew up in a family that DID NOT EVER share food. Ever. We never ate or drank after one another. Ever. I think both of my parents were sickened by the thought. So I don’t like to eat after other people, or allow anyone to eat after me (unless I’m done with it, then they can have it if they want it). BUT, if I’m dating someone, that’s a whole other matter. I figure if we’re kissing each other anyway then we’re already swapping germs, so why not share food, too. So I make an exception with dating. In fact, I find sharing food with a woman I’m dating pretty romantic…..
LikeLike
It is such a turnoff for me. I don’t mind the germs, I’m just serious about my eating. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
My friend and I meet for dinner every month. We order and share 3 apps, one dessert and 2 fancy drinks! Works for us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t mind sharing a taste, especially if the other person has something yummy. But on the subject of food mooching, I can’t stand when someone eats the stuff I’m cutting up or prepping to cook.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am an unapologetic food moocher. Watch out!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lol! I do not mind sharing certain foods. Like a commenter said “when dating” is ok with me. BUT! I draw the line at chocolate. There will be war if my chocolate is even glanced at. Haha. Maybe not war, but it’s mine. ALL mine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yeah, chocolate deserves its own post. 🙂
LikeLike
I have the opposite problem. I hate when everyone wants you to taste their food. Hey, if I wanted what you got I’d have ordered it. I don’t like mixing meals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. I am not a fan of tasting other people stuff either. I just like to eat my own food, that’s it.
LikeLike
Oh, I love this idea – fake sneeze on food. I usually don’t mind my husband snitching the occasional bite off my plate. I figure he’s going to have to help me finish it anyway.
LikeLike
That’s what I’m thinking too: Usually women can’t finish all the food on their plate anyway.
LikeLike
I don’t have that problem. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Morgan – What kind of women do you hang out with? When I go on a dinner date with a guy for the first time, I look at my food and then look at him and say, “Just so you know, I’m gonna eat all of this.”
LikeLike
When I go out to eat at a restaurant *I* don’t even eat everything on my plate! Too. Much. Food.
LikeLike
They must give you bigger portions in the south. 😉
LikeLike
If it’s dessert, I will find a way.
LikeLike
That picture- Ahh! Thanks for making me make a chart to count down my next US trip now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
AND, I can share food with forks but the sharing with hands in India…grosses me out every time.
LikeLike
Ugh. Ew.
LikeLike
Great post! 🙂 I usually offer other’s bites of my food (they usually don’t want it) but my husband always puts some of his food on my plate at a restaurant so I can taste it. In a group we’ll order one fancy dessert and a bunch of spoons, so we all share!:)
LikeLike
I do approve of sharing dessert. 🙂
LikeLike
I used to be completely against sharing food, until I realized that my wife and I can order totally different things, cut both in half, and get two meals instead of one! Now we do it all the time! But here’s my hard and fast rule: you have to share before you start eating… if the food is already half-eaten, then no way, Jose!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, this post made me think of the Friends episode where first Joey doesn’t share food when he goes out with Sara…
And then he’s not even sorry…
And for the record, my friends know that “Becky doesn’t share food!” And it’s driving me bonkers that my 4yo can’t help herself and MUST HAVE whatever’s on my plate. Oy.
LikeLike