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.
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
But her daughter won't accept that
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: w8136
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.
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
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.
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
