Hello, I am new:) how can I get my boyfriend to like Asian food?

[CometoMee]

I joined here from google. My boyfriend is white and I am Asian. I love him so much but his taste in food is too simple and plain. He likes his pizza only with pepperoni. The last time we ate Asian food, he didn't finish it. He didn't like it. I felt bad but I didn't say anything. Then, for our second year anniversary, we went to an Asian restaurant and he ordered BBQ ribs from there. I didn't say anything but I wish he would have ordered something else.
That's the only problem in our relationship is that his taste in food is plain. I love him so much and I also like American food so I don't mind at all but I just feel like maybe I can get him to try more Asian food in a way? Does anyone know or have any tips on how to do that? Thanks. I'm sorry for the amount of details.

[Curmudgeon]

You will want to start with the "American Food with a Chinese flavor" type of fast food restaurants, the ubiquitous "Panda Express" comes to mind.

Start with dinners. The more exotic Dim Sum things like Chicken feet will probably not be appealing at first. :D

More questions:
1. Does he like or dislike seafood? Beef? Pork? Make your suggestions accordingly.
2. Does he like to "play with chopsticks"? As a child, I did because I could be a messy slob and my parents could forgive or at least would not object.

[CometoMee]

He dislikes seafood. Only likes crab legs and shrimp

[Curmudgeon]

Then definitely beef or pork dishes.

[Curmudgeon]

Or chicken ones. But yah, a lot of younger people are just not into fishies.

[blondfrog]

Force it down his mouth.

[CometoMee]

Lol 😂😂😂

[blondfrog]

But seriously tell him that he should try it. If he refuses I am white and I love Asian food. I can be your boyfriend lol.

[CometoMee]

What kind of Asian food do you like? 🤣

[Hangry22]

I don't think you can and you should. This is just 1 flaw that you find in your relationship and it's not a major problem. I hate many types of food too. And if someone forcing me to eat it, i won't like it. Respect his wishes. If he thought the same, he wouldn't have allowed yo got to an Asian restaurant

[Hangry22]

*you
*go

[CometoMee]

He took me there because he let me pick any restaurant for once. He usually gives me a list of restaurants or offers suggestions and I respect his suggestions and pick only from there.

[Hangry22]

Alright i understand. But it may not work out. If you don't like a certain food, you will not like it even if forced

[CometoMee]

Yes that's true. I just feel like he is unwilling to try is all. I took him there to try it but he ordered ribs. I didn't tell him anything because I don't want to cause problems.

[Hangry22]

If he has never tried it, you can cook something close to his taste like others have said. Maybe trick him and say it's a new dish you're trying

[razelove]

Get a new goal or a new boyfriend, you can't change people to fit into your view of normal just because you want it. I like more Asian food than my wife does, she's not going to change her mind, and that doesn't bother me at all. Just because she's Asian doesn't mean she has to love blood pudding, or anything else. Just like me being white doesn't mean much, except it's easier to apply for colleges than if you're Asian.

[CometoMee]

I don't like this comment. You make it seem like I am trying to change him but I'm not. I was just asking for advice on how to introduce him to new food. I already said that this is the only issue we have. Our relationship is great. I feel so lucky to be with him and he tells me the same thing

[razelove]

But you arrreee
"My boyfriend is white and I am Asian. I love him so much but his taste in food is too simple and plain. He likes his pizza only with pepperoni. The last time we ate Asian food, he didn't finish it. He didn't like it. I felt bad but I didn't say anything. Then, for our second year anniversary, we went to an Asian restaurant and he ordered BBQ ribs from there. I didn't say anything but I wish he would have ordered something else."
You're literally saying you want to change him, and you don't have to like it, we don't have to like each other, it's just the truth.

[CometoMee]

Well I already said I wasn't going to do that.

[Jamie05rhs]

My opinion is no, you can't. He likes what he likes and you will have to accept that. Plus, you need to realize that people's food preferences are not totally their fault. A lot of it is due to genetics.

For example: I personally like some Chinese Food, Japanese food, and Thai food. But there is some other Chinese food that I do not like (and it actually makes me physically sick.)

[CometoMee]

I agree:)

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks. :)

[Static_In_The_Attic]

Like they saying goes you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it & the same thing goes when it comes to food & your boyfriend.

[razelove]

Give me some duct tape and a hose... that horse is drinking lol

[Static_In_The_Attic]

@razelove duct tape, the handy man secret weapon. Duct tape works for everything.

[nodnol32]

Tell him that you like different cuisines. Get him to the different kinds of Asian foods once at least for eg, Indian-Pakistani, Middle eastern, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean etc. If he doesn't ever feel like having those ever again, at least you tried.

[ChefPapiChulo]

Depends who’s making it. I’ve had terrible (westernized) Chinese food cause the chef sucked. And I’ve had good (westernized) Chinese food because the chef wasn’t a complete asshat. I would personally like to try **authentic** Asian food from a competent chef. But again the focus is more on who makes it, than the type of cuisine itself.

[Avicenna]

Well, Asian food is a really broad category. Which cuisine (s) in particular?

[CometoMee]

I like all types but my favorite is Chinese

[Avicenna]

Yeah, Chinese or Japanese is your best bet, I guess. I'm a big fan of Indian and Thai, and it's often hard for me to find a girlfriend that likes them (I cook a lot of Thai stuff myself).

[Dweezil]

I grew up in a ethnic Sicilian household. I was used to eating things that many Americans would hesitate to try like tripe or octopus.

I pity people like your boyfriend. He doesn't know what he is missing. Probably due to what his mother fed him as a kid.

Talk to him. Tell him you know he would enjoy many different etnic foods.

Maybe try one new dish a month.

If you like to cook try cooking for him. Maybe if he helps you cook he will enjoy the meal more.

[SomeGuyCalledTom]

Cook delicious Asian food for him. "Be so good they can't ignore you" as the saying goes...

[SomeGuyCalledTom]

And maybe at first, you can cook dishes that use base ingredients he already likes. If he eats a lot of beef burgers, then start with a beef-based dish. If chicken is more his thing, then do a chicken based dish. Find the pathways of least resistance to stimulating his taste buds.

[Anonymous]

It will take time, he isn’t used to it, so you’ll need to see if he will try some things a little at a time but you’ll to tell him you want to broaden his food tastes since you were brought up with Asian food

[Iron_Man]

Take him to a nice American Chinese restaurant we have tons of them in Miami and they’re really good

[SilverRain92]

Cook him Kungpao chicken. Or bring him to China for 1-2 months

[killerboots]

Get him to eat you out lol jk. Try mix Asian food with the food he likes to eat