Relationships can be comprised of two people who have their differences- and that’s just fine, because what fun is it to date somebody who is 100% exactly like you? Dating is a gateway to experiencing new things. If you’ve never gone hiking before and your significant other has, guess what you’ll be trying? You might be somebody who has a penchant for adventure and the person you’re dating has been a couch potato, but now is their chance to break free from the sofa and see some really great things they’ve been missing out on, with help from you of course. Have you ever considered dietary differences? Like when a vegetarian dates a carnivore- will the vegetarian throw their ideology out the window for the sake of love?
Not likely. This is a more radical difference than comparing self-interests and hobbies. Dietary preferences are often a lifestyle with dedicated, disciplined regimens followed by the devotee. This doesn’t make you incompatible. However, it requires compromise and a willingness to allow the other person to live their lifestyle without it threatening yours.
In most cases of cross-dietary dating, the carnivore is also somebody who eats fruit, vegetables, and fish. They don’t adhere to poultry and beef alone, so in a way, they’re already going to share some of that common ground with a vegetarian. This doesn’t mean the carnivore should expect their vivacious vegetarian to try and sample a bite of various meats for the sake of appeasing them and forging a common ground. You might not believe this, but these dietary-different-daters are more compatible than you could imagine.
Date nights really only change when you make it all about the restaurant. You’re going to have to put in the effort to research restaurants featuring selections you can both enjoy. As some of these dietary preferences have grown in prominence in mainstream culture, so have the food establishments catering to all types of tastes. The emergence of vegan and gluten-free dining has risen dramatically since 2010, as even traditionally gluten-free foods now include a label denoting their lack of the wheat-based ingredient. What we’re saying is: it isn’t that hard to find a dining establishment with agreeable options for the two of you.
Let’s take that a step further and talk about some minor compromise. If you’re the carnivore, or the all-eating-omnivore, you can take a chivalrous step forward and order a meal they can also eat and share with them. In addition to sharing two meals, you’ll also be a sweetheart for showing a willingness to compromise your primary preference and share a meal with them befitting of their lifestyle.
The other half of that compromise? If your partner lives a more restrictive lifestyle, they should be encouraging of you to get what you want and not worry about ordering something to appease them. If you’re a hamburger connoisseur and you absolutely have to try the hamburger at a restaurant you’re both visiting for the first time, they will be completely understanding of your choice and make sure to vocalize this so you don’t feel guilty about adhering to your personal preference.
If you’re cooking at home, it’s easy to prepare meals for both lifestyles. Yes, you’ll have to cook two separate meals, but there’s nothing more romantic than putting in the extra effort to cater to your lover and make them a meal worthy of their love. Even if you’re not particularly skilled in the kitchen, they will appreciate your attempts to show them you’re completely committed to making both of you happy when it comes to culinary cuisines.
Date nights are not all about eating, and that’s where it becomes clear to see how your dietary preferences do not define your relationship. Will anything change about movie dates? If, for some strange reason, you actually order the hot dog at the movies, then you might think twice about ordering the pungent meat amalgamation. Movie nights are traditionally comprised of buttery popcorn and candy, so there’s no advanced planning required.
There’s more to your romantic adventures than movie nights. You can also visit museums, breweries, wineries, sporting events, carnivals, concerts, and a variety of tourist traps that will require scant more than your attention and certainly not your dietary preference. Sure, meals will come into play eventually, but you’re not visiting the museum so you can observe natural history while devouring a gourmet meal.
You’ll figure out early on if the relationship is going to work long before concerns about eating come into play. When the right people match up, they’ll fall all over each other trying to make each other happy and that means accepting their food preferences. It’s not uncommon for an omnivore to eventually skew their eating preferences to better match their partner’s, a decision not made out of compromise, but an amended palette preference based on a newer variety of foods they may not have had prior to this relationship. Likewise, the vegetarian or vegan lover in your life will insist on you eating what makes you happy and not worrying about them, because a relationship is all about wanting to please the other person to no end. We do advise you try to learn this about each other in the beginning, or Thanksgiving will get real awkward, real fast, for reasons beyond Aunt Florence’s customary fruitcake concoction for which no dietary preference exists.
