Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
He's Just Not That Into You...And Your Meat
()
Can we now add eating habits to the long list of modern relationship deal-breakers? The New York Times published a pre-Valentine's Day article this morning discussing the difficulties couples face when their diets are dramatically different:
Ben Abdalla, 42, a real estate agent in Boca Raton, Fla., said he preferred to date fellow vegetarians because meat eaters smell bad and have low energy. Lisa Romano, 31, a vegan and school psychologist in Belleville, N.Y., said she recently ended a relationship with a man who enjoyed backyard grilling. He had no problem searing her vegan burgers alongside his beef patties, but she found the practice unenlightened and disturbing. [...]
June Deadrick, 40, a lobbyist in Houston, said she would have a hard time loving a man who did not share her fondness for multicourse meals including wild game and artisanal cheeses. “And I’m talking cheese from a cow, not that awful soy stuff,” she said.
In my house, we have a pretty strict policy of "eat whatever Mommy makes you and like it," but that isn't to say some culinary compromises have been made. My boyfriend's tastes run to steak, potatoes, and Doritos, while I have weird addictions to things like falafel, anchovies straight from the can and Sriracha sauce. We both agree on pasta, fresh green veggies, fish, and Costco potstickers.
Support for LAist comes from
Overall, though, he's a pretty good fit for me food-wise. I make sure he has a balanced diet (otherwise he'd happily live on microwavable burritos and corn dogs), he makes sure I have fun with recipes like Sloppy Joes and chicken Kiev. We also love going out to dinner together and experiencing new restaurants, and our mutual love of shows like "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef" means that we can talk about food with each other with enthusiasm and interest.
I've dated some picky eaters in the past, guys who wouldn't eat any meat other than chicken and hated the taste of pretty much everything except cereal and peanut butter. Let me tell you, for a girl who passionately loves food and cooking, watching your boyfriend dump freshly-cooked vegetable stew into the sink because you forgot you had put some ham hock in it for flavor. That's not disappointing, that's heart-breaking. We didn't last.
Perhaps less emotionally traumatizing, although no less difficult, is figuring out how to share meals with somebody who has a serious food allergy. I'm not nut-crazy, but I do enjoy using peanuts, cashews, and walnuts when I cook -- a no-no when the guy you're with swells up like a balloon after inhaling even the merest whiff of peanut.
Food choices might just be as important to a relationship as finances or sex, when you get right down to it -- what else permeates and shapes our daily life so much as our meals? For me, experimenting with flavors and ingredients (ranging from veal liver to tabbouleh) is a passion and a vocation -- and sharing that passion with the person I love is integral to the happiness of our relationship.
I'm gonna pull a Julia Allison and turn this one over to the crowd: do you have a different point of view about the role of food in your relationships? Are you a veggie or a meat-eater? What are your policies on dating members of the opposite taste?
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist