# Guy food or wife food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139 "2009-08-20T23:17:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/21 "2009-08-21T11:48:58Z")
Gorge yourself on the chili. Welcome her home with a 21 gun salute, if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/22 "2009-08-21T12:10:29Z")
another vote for both! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/23 "2009-08-21T12:34:05Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Thatā€™s what I do when Iā€™m home alone. Iā€™m perfectly capable of cooking real, good food and Iā€™ll be going back to being on my own most of the time soon, but everyone being out of town is cause for celebration. And that celebration involves eating a dinner of bagel bites and ā€œfancy cookiesā€ at 11:30 pm in front of the TV and watching the freakshows on TLC or the ā€œ100 longest celebrity toenailsā€ shows on whatever channel those are on. This. When my husband went on a trip recently, the kids and I ate frozen fish sticks, Boca ā€œchickenā€ patties, Kraft macaroni and cheese mixed with tuna and peas, frozen creamed spinach, etc. It was wonderful. Dang! I missed ā€œLongest Celebrity Toenailsā€? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/24 "2009-08-21T12:37:50Z")
Iā€™m still trying to wrap my head around the concept of the wife preparing meals for the husband ahead of time before she leaves townā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/25 "2009-08-21T13:19:34Z")
You and me both. In our household thatā€™s about as likely as her asking a hooker to stay with me while sheā€™s gone so I donā€™t get too lonely. **Silenus** , I think it comes down to which of these meal types go best with the man movies youā€™re going to be watching. While Pale Rider, Rio Bravo, Lonesome Dove and The Thing are on, do you want to be partaking of vegetables or venison? Arugula or A-1? Butter beans or bison? Milk or The Macallan? Stay thirsty, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/26 "2009-08-21T13:29:36Z")
Whatever you eat make sure you put at least half that wonderful stew in a wife approved container and freeze it. She will not be happy to come home and see her untouched stew festering after five days in the fridge. By all means indulge your inner junk food genie and live large, sheā€™s gone for the whole weekend! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/27 "2009-08-21T13:50:41Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > Maybe Iā€™m dangerously naive, but why donā€™t you get to eat those things anymore? Why must you eat only things your wife approves of? I have been in a relationship for four years now, and I canā€™t recall a time where my SO forbade me to eat something.:dubious: Only thing I have ever forbidden to be in my house is some truely heinous ā€˜red hot sausageā€™ product that actually lists ā€˜snoutā€™ in the ingredients. The stench of cooking hangs around for days and is nauseating. We took to calling the product ā€˜snoutā€™ There is no snout in my house ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/28 "2009-08-21T14:14:46Z")
Itā€™s not that Iā€™m ā€œforbiddenā€ to eat certain things. Itā€™s that certain things produce byproducts in my system that are forbidden by international treaty. That and the wife has this silly idea that sheā€™d like to be married to me for an extended period, and me dying of gluttony isnā€™t really her idea of a good time. So she cooks balanced meals, with vegetables and salad and everything! The horrorā€¦ Iā€™m eating lots of onions while sheā€™s gone because I usually donā€™t eat them at home. Onion breath is one of my wifeā€™s least favorite things, so if I want to enjoy connubial bliss, Iā€™d better not be going to bed with Vidalia-osis, if you get my drift. Last night was guy food. Meatballs and peppers over rice with beer in front of the Dodger game. Tonight Iā€™ll make some inroads on that wonderful stew. Tomorrowā€¦is another day. ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/29 "2009-08-21T15:37:51Z")
When she takes a trip, I announce a few days in advance that itā€™s going to be a Manwich weekend! She makes a face and shakes her head. We split cooking duties anyway so itā€™s not like Iā€™m ignoring a fridge full of pre-cooked food. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/30 "2009-08-21T15:40:00Z")
**statsman1982** said: > [@](#): > > Maybe Iā€™m dangerously naive, but why donā€™t you get to eat those things anymore? Why must you eat only things your wife approves of? I have been in a relationship for four years now, and I canā€™t recall a time where my SO forbade me to eat something. Because people who live together often make meals that they share. So both partyā€™s food interests must be appeased. Then there are the side effects of eating certain foods, such as killer heartburn (causing 2nd party suffering to the one who has to listen to the moaning and bitching), gas, horrible breath that wonā€™t get you any close time, etc. ā€œIf youā€™re going to eat _that_, donā€™t expect kisses from me for a week. It will take that long to wear off the stench.ā€ **Hazle Weatherfield** said: > [@](#): > > Are there really guys out there who canā€™t cook well enough to sustain themselves and must have their wives plan out/create a weekā€™s worth of meals?! Wish I had a wife to create my meals. Iā€™m single, and canā€™t cook well enough to sustain myself indefinitely. I solve that by not cooking. I either eat out, or out of a box. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/31 "2009-08-21T15:59:41Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Iā€™m still trying to wrap my head around the concept of the wife preparing meals for the husband ahead of time before she leaves townā€¦ Itā€™s like something out of a paper towel or dishwasher detergent commercial, one with the annoying ā€˜duh duhā€™ husband (I know this has been complained about on the SDMB before, so people should appreciate Sarah Haskinā€™s [take on it](http://current.com/items/90569059_sarah-haskins-in-target-women-doofy-husbands.htm)). As for having some say over what your SO eats, I can understand that, to a point. If one of you has allergies, thatā€™s one thing. And food, especially meat, can affect your bodyā€™s odor and taste. I can eat what Iā€™d like, of course, but having a healthy eater as a partner shames me out of some of it. I suppose thatā€™s how it usually works ā€“ the healthier partner has veto power. If they are trying to encourage the other partner to live healthier/longer, it makes sense to make it easier for them to do so by preparing meals for them. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/32 "2009-08-21T16:00:46Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Are there really guys out there who canā€™t cook well enough to sustain themselves and must have their wives plan out/create a weekā€™s worth of meals?! Thatā€™s not the issue. I happen to be a very good cook. Not in my wifeā€™s class, but pretty damn good if I do say so myself. See **Irishman** ā€™s first comment for why my wife leaves me meals when she travels, or at the very least thaws certain items. Sheā€™s trying to make sure I eat healthy even when she isnā€™t there, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/33 "2009-08-21T16:03:30Z")
If she made you all that food, youā€™re going to have to eat at least some of it. To show appreciation for the work she did in making it, if nothing else. I view cooking for your spouse or partner as a caretaking gesture. You could alternate meals, maybe, or eat a little of her food and a little of the guy food in the same meal. I agree with the poster who said freeze what you donā€™t eat, if you can. That way you can enjoy it later, and maybe tell your wife, ā€œThis was so good, honey, I wanted to save some of it for later.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/34 "2009-08-21T16:16:11Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Iā€™m still trying to wrap my head around the concept of the wife preparing meals for the husband ahead of time before she leaves townā€¦ My wife would do soemthing like this, if she had any cooking skills at all. She can do the bare bones college basics, and thatā€™s about it. That being said, she wouldnā€™t do it out of a feeling of obligation, or because I would expect it. She would do it so that she knew I had some food that wasnā€™t garbage, and it would make HER happy. Womenā€™s Lib means that a woman gets to CHOOSE if she does those things, and some will choose to do so. Living in Western PA has floored my wife, with all the women she knows at work who wonā€™t let their husband do laundry, or cook, or give the little oneā€™s baths and such. Floors her, and me too. But if itā€™s all consenting, and everyeone is happy, no harm done. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/35 "2009-08-21T16:29:38Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > Maybe Iā€™m dangerously naive, but why donā€™t you get to eat those things anymore? Why must you eat only things your wife approves of? I have been in a relationship for four years now, and I canā€™t recall a time where my SO forbade me to eat something.:dubious: Iā€™m not silenus, but when in a relationship and living with someone, you may not eat certain things because they make you flatulent and you donā€™t want to torture your spouse. I would only eat most of those items if I wasnā€™t going to be around my wife and son. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/36 "2009-08-21T18:12:49Z")
When my wife is away, I eat Iams PreBiotic Cat Food. I read about it in a Google ad. I slather on some Becel Omega3plus fats, and keep the resulting concoction in a facility for secure, monitored storage of critical biological material until I am ready to consume it. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/37 "2009-08-21T18:35:35Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Iā€™m also surprised at how many women would actually make sure there was food prepared for their husbands. Huh? What is this, the 50s? Are there really guys out there who canā€™t cook well enough to sustain themselves and must have their wives plan out/create a weekā€™s worth of meals?! Yes, there are guys out there who canā€™t cook well enough to sustain themselves for a week on something other than junk. My husband has the following challenges when cooking: 1. He doesnā€™t have a good grasp of nutrition, so he usually assumes a pizza is just as healthy as baked or roasted chicken with salad. 2. He doesnā€™t have a good grasp of meal planning and, even were he to pull out a recipe book, would probably get so hung up on the details of preparing the meal, he wouldnā€™t eat. If he prepares a meal on his own that requires any sort of recipe, he will actually pull out a ruler and measure how large heā€™s chopping an onion. That said, if I just point out nutritious convenience food to him (packets of frozen, baked fish; edamame that can be microwaved, etc.), heā€™ll generally eat that first or heā€™ll at least have our son eat it first. But I never go away for a week without expecting that Iā€™ll come back to a garbage can full of pizza boxes or takeout containers. To answer the OP: eat your guy food for the first few days, then, as suggested, eat your wifeā€™s for the last two. Itā€™s annoying to go through the effort of making sure healthy food is in the house if NONE of it has been touched. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/38 "2009-08-21T18:51:13Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Iā€™m also surprised at how many women would actually make sure there was food prepared for their husbands. Huh? What is this, the 50s? Are there really guys out there who canā€™t cook well enough to sustain themselves and must have their wives plan out/create a weekā€™s worth of meals?! Why yes, there are. I married one of them. There are only three food preparation utensils he is competant to operate unsupervised: the microwave, the toaster oven and the telephone. Iā€™m fairly certain there are utensils I use commonly that he could not identify by sight and certainly couldnā€™t locate in the kitchen. To be fair, this is because he has no interest whatsoever in learning how - and his parents comprehensively failed at teaching him the rudiments when he was at a teachable age. If I leave town without him I donā€™t prepare meals, though. Mostly because it would be a waste of time and food šŸ™‚ Heā€™s going to live on Boston Market, frozen pizza and possibly delivery food no matter what I leave ready for him to eat. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/39 "2009-08-21T18:51:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Itā€™s not that Iā€™m ā€œforbiddenā€ to eat certain things. Itā€™s that certain things produce byproducts in my system that are forbidden by international treaty. That and the wife has this silly idea that sheā€™d like to be married to me for an extended period, and me dying of gluttony isnā€™t really her idea of a good time. So she cooks balanced meals, with vegetables and salad and everything! The horrorā€¦ But youā€™ve said you know how to do this yourself. Presumably being married to her is important to you too. And if you donā€™t feel like it, will a week really kill you? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139/40 "2009-08-21T18:55:38Z")
Why not eat everything? You can eat the ā€œguy foodā€, while your buddies and the strippers can indulge in the food the Mrs left. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-food-or-wife-food/507139.md?page=3)