NEW YORK — If you’ve ever wondered if your spouse is judging you for your snack choices, stop wondering: according to new research, they probably are.
As part of a recent survey of 2,000 Americans, 69 percent of respondents in long-term relationships admit that they judge their partner for eating certain guilty pleasure foods. It goes both ways, however, as 69 percent also feel their partner judges them, and more men actually feel this than women (74% vs 64%).
Fortunately, this seems to dissipate with age. Compared to other generations, baby boomers (ages 56-75) proved to be remarkably lenient, with only three in 10 saying they still judge their partner’s snacking habits.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of GoodCook, the data also suggests that Americans are more forgiving of their own bad eating habits than they are of others.
Do as I say, not as I do
Although half (49%) think eating too much junk food is one of their worst eating habits, one in three (35%) would call that same behavior a “deal-breaker” if a potential partner did the same. Similarly, 49 percent eat too fast on occasion, but 38 percent don’t want their partner doing that.
Generally, out of all those surveyed, 65 percent believe they have what others would consider “controversial food opinions.” For example, although milk chocolate (31%) stands out as the most popular type of chocolate, one in five like white chocolate more. Even wilder, seven percent prefer ruby chocolate, a slightly fruitier pink-hued variant that’s new to the confectionary scene — making it a rarer choice than simply not liking chocolate at all (13%).
On the other side of the food pyramid, one in seven (13%) actually prefer their pizza cold instead of hot, and almost a fifth (17%) would rather reheat leftovers in their kitchen over eating their food fresh.
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Despite pineapple’s status as an infamously contentious pizza topping, it ranked the highest among respondents (35%), edging out barbecue sauce (33%) and ranch dressing (30%).
“Ideas for unusual food combinations can come from anywhere,” notes Chef Anthony Serrano, GoodCook Culinary Chef, in a statement. “Some creations are the result of natural human curiosity, but others come from cultural mashups, such as sushi burritos or mac and cheese tacos.”
The odd couples of food
Speaking of unpopular food pairings, the survey also asked respondents how willing they’d be to try some controversial food combinations.
Two in three people (69%) say they’re willing to give apple pie with cheddar cheese a chance, making it the food with the most positive interest. Meanwhile, bean brownies got the most negative responses, with only one in four (25%) saying they’d try it.
Interestingly, peanut butter and pickle sandwiches stood out as the most divisive choice on the list; 61 percent would be down for it and 21 percent would definitely avoid it, with more men leaning towards the former (65% vs 57%) and more women towards the latter (25% vs 17%).
However, it’s millennials (ages 26-41) who rally around the “PBP” sandwich the most (70%) — which isn’t surprising, given they were also twice as likely to identify with controversial food opinions compared to boomers (72% vs 38%).
“Many viral social media recipes are actually easy to make, once you get past the elevated presentation or unusual twist that makes them stand out,” Serrano says. “The grated egg toast TikTok trend is a perfect example – all you need to do is toast the bread in a classic nonstick aluminum sauté pan and then shred a hard-boiled egg over it with a stainless steel box grater so it looks like cheese. Mastering these trends as well as classic recipes is made even easier with the right tools, so you can take advantage of both the current culinary crazes and traditional seasonal moments to create memorable meals in the kitchen.”