Not every situation calls for complete honesty, especially when it comes to sparing someone’s feelings.
So, what would you do if your partner casually told a loved one that you didn’t enjoy a dish they’d cooked, knowing it might hurt their feelings?
In the following story, one person deals with this very thing. Here’s what happened.
Today, my partner’s mother brought over some leftovers from Thanksgiving, as neither of us could attend.
I waited for my partner to come home from work, then tried the food. I had a bite of one of the dishes– a kind of rice which is made to taste almost burnt– and said it was not for me. It is not offensive to the taste or anything, just not something I’d sit and have a bowl of unless expected to by social obligation (like if I were a guest).
A bit later, my MIL called to ask how we liked the food. My partner told her that I didn’t like it, which made her sound audibly disappointed over the phone.
Here’s where they disagree.
After he hung up, I told him that he should’ve told a white lie that we both liked it and there was no need to make her feel bad. After all, he’s expressed privately plenty of times that he doesn’t like my mother’s cooking (she doesn’t use a lot of seasoning), and it’s not like I would run and tell her that.
Additionally, if she served this dish at her home, I would eat it– it’s not a strong enough dislike that she should know not to give it to me in the future. He said that it was not a big deal and that he didn’t want to lie.
In my view, it’s a little white lie to preserve her feelings, and he certainly isn’t morally opposed to lying in general. If he’d said, “I’m sorry, babe, she caught me off guard, and I just told the truth without thinking about it,” that’d be one thing. But he’s doubling down on it and says that I’m the one in the wrong.
AITA?
Eek! It’s easy to see both sides of this, but he really didn’t have to tell her the truth.
Let’s check out what advice the readers over at Reddit have to offer.
According to this comment, there are no winners here.
This person thinks he saved her from years of food she doesn’t like.
Here’s a great perspective to consider.
This person looks at it from a different angle.
This is nothing to fight over. He knows his mother better than her, so it’s probably best to trust his judgment and move on.
If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.
