Eating Preferences, or Control Issues?

I ran across a little news blip:

“He's Just Not That Into Your Hamachi

Sometimes, Love Means Having to Say 'Separate Menus, Please'

The Washington Post

Feb 11, 2009

By Jane Black



Cindy Klein knew what she was getting into when she decided to date Ben
 Mann. After all, his previous girlfriend had broken up with him because of 
his eating habits; she had even introduced him to Klein, a holistic health
 counselor, in the hope that he would improve his diet of spaghetti, 
pizza,...
. in today's food-conscious culture, what and how a significant other
 eats is becoming one more proxy for couples' deeper conflicts about control
 and respect. Food obsessives divide the world into two kinds of people: 
those who seek out truffles, sea urchin and single-estate chocolate, and 
those who don't. And when an avid food lover falls for one of the others, it 
can get complicated. Unlike fly-fishing or knitting, what to eat is a 
question that comes up three times a day. The result: Romantic dinners are
 ruined. Tempers flare. And though some couples find ways to make
 compromises, in extreme cases, relationships fall apart.”

So my deep thought? Is this really what we are talking about when it comes to relationship trouble? Whether or not you both eat sea urchin? Maybe today’s problems in relationships are based on the fact that we have accepted these kinds of cheesy issues as reasons to end perfectly fine relationships. Or that the media thinks it is fine to print material like this. I mean really people, sea urchins? It seems that it is more and more common to insist that a couple share every like and dislike. That they morph from two people into a unit, a Brangelina. Yes, food can present a more unique concern in that it is a daily issue, but really, to this extent? Don't many Americans grab a quick breakfast, eat lunch at work, then convene at home for a family meal? Romantic dinners out are not the norm, even before this new desolate economy. And surely a couple can not only compromise on restaurant selection, but their own menu choice as well! It's time we stop harping on the wine selection and appreciate what makes us different as individuals, and how we can incorporate those into being a partnership, instead of just a "couple".

- The Working Wife