Woman says boyfriend 'got upset' when she didn't praise him for cooking food

Published April 21, 2025 6:00am EDT

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A home-cooked meal led to a food fight between a couple — and a psychologist shared insight aimed particularly at one person of the pair.

Describing her relationship dilemma in a Reddit forum, a user asked if she was wrong "if my boyfriend made a meal and asked me how it was, and I said, ‘Fine.’"

She wrote, "My boyfriend made chicken breast with some white rice, a salad with garlic, and we had some pickles and beetroot on the side (from jars). And we sit down and he says, ‘How is it?’ And I said, 'Fine, there's nothing special, everything tastes as it should.'"

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This apparently did not suffice.

"He got upset," the woman reported, "and said he added

A woman claimed in a social media post that she and her boyfriend (not pictured) got into a spat after he cooked a meal for her — and she did not compliment him appropriately. Others had plenty of thoughts about the feud. (iStock)

She shared that in her boyfriend’s family, "everyone has to say something along the lines of ‘how delicious' ... ‘so tasty’ ... 'yum’... at every meal."

She added that her family approaches meals differently — and that they'd regard that type of commentary as "a bit fake."

The woman said her boyfriend "picked up his plate and left to eat in the office. I don't feel like partaking in a family tradition I don't feel is natural," she added.

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"I feel like I am forced to say something I don't care about it or don't believe in. It's chicken breast and white rice."

Many Redditors took to the comments section to reveal thoughts about the couple’s food fight.

"If my husband

"If my husband makes a meal and it’s either new or from scratch, I tell him ‘thank you’ and that it’s really good," wrote a user (not pictured) in the social media thread. "Unless it isn’t good. I’ll be honest, but that’s really rare." (iStock)

She added, "Unless it isn’t good. I’ll be honest [in that case], but that’s really rare."

Said another user, "I feel like I relate. My making dinner.’"

"If someone puts effort into cook[ing] for you, they deserve some sort of gratitude."

Instead, added the same person, "What you said was a deliberate snub."

Another person on Reddit wrote, "If someone makes you food and then asks you about their food, the first thing out of your mouth should be a compliment."

"What you said was a deliberate snub," commented one Reddit user about the food feud between the couple (not pictured). (iStock)

Yet another person told the woman who shared her story, "You even come off as condescending in the way you write. Why does it matter that things were out of jars etc.? If someone puts effort into cook[ing] for you, they deserve some sort of gratitude."

A clinical psychologist based in California who specializes in relationship issues essentially agreed with the above sentiments — and had some thoughtful words of advice for the woman in question.

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"I can understand your perspective, especially if you didn’t grow up in a family that made a big fuss over meals," Kathy Nickerson, Ph.D., told Fox News Digital, addressing the woman. "To you, saying, ‘It’s fine,’ might feel neutral or even positive, because nothing was wrong."

Nickerson added, "But here’s the thing. In relationships, feelings matter more than facts."