The romance — or not — of food

Taste differences can mean trouble

By Culinate staff

October 26, 2011

It’s true that vegetarians and omnivores sometimes hit it off, and it’s even more true that the modern American family is full of competing picky eaters. But as Lois Smith Brady recently noted in an essay about romance, incompatibility in the kitchen is a dealbreaker for many couples.

“In marriage and relationships, even on first dates, someone’s diet has become like their clothes or religion. It tells you something about how they feel about the planet, their bodies, their communities and their children,” wrote Brady. “Whether you are vegan, eat dessert, are willing to drive hours for blue eggs from a favorite farm, eat loudly or silently, read the labels on food or ignore them, tip well or try to sneak out without tipping — it all can convey how adventurous, generous, fussy, lonely, considerate or strange you might be.”

And sometimes you might even break up over garlic.