Opposites attract, right?

While the above is definitely not a picture of me and Will, we are just as opposite as our dog Anni and her “boyfriend” Charlie. When we met, I thought we were the complete opposite, and struggled to list one thing that we had in common. But something about our differentness made us incredibly compatible and so, three years later, we are engaged to be married.

Of course, spending as much time together as we have, we’ve met in the middle on a lot of things and realized similarities on a lot of others.

But for as similar as we have become, we also have a major difference – food.

Will is a die-hard carnivore who also does not eat of lot of different foods. I could not be more on the opposite end if I tired. I eat primarily a vegetarian diet and am alway up for a new food. Trying new foods is one of my hobbies.

Long story short, as a young child he contracted a very serious case of salmonella and it makes sense that after a year of throwing up everything he ate, the only thing he didn’t associate with sickness afterwards was what he couldn’t eat while he was sick – meat.

Too me, it’s not a big deal. I’m so used to it I don’t even blink but other people are always shocked. They go out of their way to try and offer him something that he will like but I see now that this just makes him more embarrassed because everything they offer are also foods he’s not comfortable with. I didn’t really start to understand this feeling until I started making an effort to cut back on my meat consumption. People are always asking why I didn’t have any of the main course, how come I didn’t finisht he sausage links served with the oatmeal. I go into many food-centered situations knowing there won’t be a protein option for me or that my choice will be limited to one item. I plan ahead but a hostess or server often doesn’t understand that I don’t want to eat like they would. It wasn’t until I felt this predicament that I started to understand how Will feels in these situations.

It’s funny that our opposite habits lead us to the same feeling of isolation when it comes to group meals or restaurant outings. Different, but the same.

Do you eat like your significant other? How do you adjust to their individual tastes that might be different than yours?

I usually make meals at home and Will eats out. Sometimes we go to restaurant’s that cater to both our needs and then I eat with him. We don’t worry too much about or different tastes but we’ve also had plenty of time to get used to it. Will plans to get a grill at our next house and I think that will increase the number of meals he eats at home. He really is a very good cook.