my husband won't eat chinese food.?

Question

My husband refuses to eat chinese food. He thinks he will get 'sea gull' meat or something ridiculous. I am a vegetarian, so I only order veggies meals, and he won't even try that. I even tried white rice and steamed veggies, you can SEE that there are no rodents or anything cooked up in it. How can I help him overcome this issue and go out to dinner with me. (I am a vegetairan and have a gluten sensitivity, so it kind of hard for me to eat out).

I don't think this is really a problem for either of us, but I think he is not only missing out on good food, but I dont get how he eats at any fast food chain around, but suddenly has 'high' standards regarding chinese food. Thanks for your suggestions.

Answer 1

This is a common prejudice that many Americans have about Chinese (or any Asian) cuisine. I've the same thing from people in my office, they swear they've heard stories of cats, rats, etc. in Chinese restaurants. It doesn't help when urban legends abound and I've even seen "pictures" of rats circulating in e-mails that claim they are evidence of local restaurants serving up rodents. It's ridiculous. I just say, think about it, why would a restaurant go through the trouble of catching wild animals (just how many cats are you going to find around your establishment?) when they can just by chicken in bulk, which is cheap and ready to cook? It just doesn't make sense! And why are only Asian restaurants suspect? Nobody thinks Italian, Indian, Mexican, or other type of ethnic restaurant is serving cats and rats.

Answer 2

I had the same problem. My husband was in the Vietnam War and wouldn't touch any Chinese/Oriental Food. So I started cooking it at home. Although we are not vegetarians I would make different dishes and wouldn't mention they were Chinese dishes. He ate them and one day I came home carrying obvious Chinese Food from a Chinese Restaurant he at first wouldn't even try it, then he looked again and said this was the same stuff I had been fixing at home. He ate just about everything but the rice. Break him in slowly.

Answer 3

My office mate for 20 years almost created a international incident in TaiWan, when he rejected several dishes at a formal banquet. At that point he lived on meatloaf and Cap'n Krunch. Eventually, he learned that he liked anything with shrimp, especially Kung Pao Shrimp (I would have never guessed that!!) I can only suggest patience, and an occasional reminder that a life without any experience is, in some sense, a wasted life. My office mate died last month, but he had learned to love (no!), but to enjoy some Chinese food.

One practical suggestion is tofu - in all it's amazing varieties. As an omnivore, I am amazed how much I've come to love TOFU. Try all of the gorgeous tofus on your husband.

Answer 4

He needs to have a better reason than that.
I have a son who has sensory issues and what you are describing has nothing to do with this, nor allergies. It is only about what he is afraid might be in the food???
Going to any restaurant one is more than likely reciveing DNA of all sorts before the food gets to you. One will never be sure if a cook didnt sneeze on your food or the waiter didnt scratch before serving you.
There is more at risk "just eating out" than the thought of there being species of animals other than chicken in your food.
I am sure you love him and although you cannot force him to change him, maybe you could learn to cook it at home and have him try it?
Sounds like he is being a bit narrow minded; Or paranoid.

Answer 5

Some of my husband's family refuse to eat any Asian food. So it's so difficult for me to invite them over to my house since I'm Japanese.

I think one of the biggest reasons why they don't like Asian food is because they associate Asian food with the status of many Asian countries as the third world countries. The third world country means poor and the Asians eat poor food that has lots of germs. And also because they are poor, they eat any kinds of animals. So because of the image, some Americans refuse to eat any Asian food.

But actually Asian food in the US isn't really authentic Asian food. Usually Asian food's flavor is well adjusted to American's tastes. And the meats they use is also the meats that many Americans can eat. If they serve the " authentic" Asian food that many Americans don't like to eat, their restaurants are going out of business. So I'm sure many Chinese restaurants in the US don't really serve weird stuff.

Well, my husband didn't really eat some Japanese dishes that I made before( which was 11 years ago) because when he saw the vegetable dish that I made, he believed that the dish wouldn't taste good and the dish looked weird. But now, he eats the dish and actually he really loves the dish now because he trusts my cooking and he now knows about the dish. Back then, we just started going out and he thought that I was a bad cook and he didn't know a lot of home style Japanese dishes so he was scared of eating them. So your husband might be like my husband that he doesn't know Chinese dishes so much and he is just " scared" of trying them.

Some Chinese vegetable dishes are easy to make. So why don't you try to make some Chinese dishes and introduce the dishes to your husband? If you are cooking, he knows what kind of stuff are in the dishes and I'm sure he can feel safe to eat them.

Answer 6

Tell him to grow the hell up.

Ask him if he'd die for you. Ask him if he'd kill for you. If he says "yes" to both, then trying Chinese food is certainly easier than killing or dying.

Have him try the sweet & sour chicken. If he likes spicy food, go with General Tso's. Orange peel beef is also very good for the un-adventurous.

If none of the above works: Go to a Trader Joe's if you have one. They have many Chinese dishes ready to heat up, and you can introduce him in a controlled environment. And, if he STILL refuses, you can get stuff for yourself.


Besides, how does he know he wouldn't like seagull meat until he's tried it? It also totally sucks to have not tried something because you were afraid, ended up liking it, and hating yourself for not enjoying all that time.

Answer 7

i have to say to each, their own. i was afraid of chinese food for the first half of my life. i thought i didnt like it b4 i ever tried it. the names were mysterious, as someone else mentioned. that and the fact that some things looked like bugs to me (bean sprouts, what a goofball i was about it), but i was not introduced to chinese food at all growing up. once i did try it tho, i LOVED it! yum, even thought about picking some up tonight. your husband might find he really does like chinese food and the suggestion someone made about starting with sweet and sour chicken, etc i think is a good way to go. also, making it yourselves so he can see just what the ingredients are is another way to ease him into it. good luck to you both. im sure you two are a fantastic couple!!

Answer 8

I don't see anything wrong with your husband. I know a few Chinese people who don't like North American foods nor North American style Chinese foods.

Answer 9

Chinese food is rather mysterious, but at restraunts you can order pork or chicken that is really quite good. Chinese food is good, but he might want to stay away from stuff with weird names. You don't know what you're going to get!

Answer 10

I don't see how this is a problem. So he's quirky and doesn't like Chinese food. He wouldn't be the only person.