Mealtimes are supposed to bring people together, but differing expectations can leave a bitter aftertaste.

When a boyfriend’s desire for culinary praise clashed with a girlfriend’s taste for honesty, things got heated in all the wrong ways.

Read on for the full story.

AITA if my boyfriend made a meal and asked me how it was and I said “fine”

So my boyfriend made chicken breast with some white rice, a salad with garlic, and we had some pickles and beetroot on the side (from jars).

We sit down and he says, “How is it?”

And I said, “Fine, there’s nothing special, everything tastes as it should.”

He got upset and said he added extra garlic in the lettuce and soy sauce on the breast (we both said we couldn’t taste that).

Her boyfriend is used to a different type of discussion when it comes to preparing food.

I said I’m not used to making comments about food like he is in his family.

When we eat with his mother, everyone has to say something along the lines of “How delicious… this is so tasty… yumm” at every meal.

In my family, we probably find that behavior a bit fake.

We just sit down and talk about other things, and if there was something new in the food, then that would be a normal question to ask — how it was.

He still thinks she could have been more enthusiastic.

So he got really upset because I should’ve just said, “It’s great” or “It’s good,” instead of a normal and not very enthusiastic, “It’s fine, everything tastes as it should.”

He proceeded to pick his plate up and left to eat in the office.

But she doesn’t see why she should have to change her way of doing things.

I don’t feel like partaking in a family tradition I don’t feel is natural. I feel like I’m forced to say something I don’t care about or don’t believe in.

It’s chicken breast and white rice… I mean, AITA for not making a bigger deal out of a simple meal?

Is he overreacting, or should I just be fake and oblige and say “It’s really tasty…” every single meal?

Looks like she won’t be paying their compliments to the chef anytime soon.

What did Reddit have to say?

She needs to learn a thing or two about gratitude, according to this commenter.

Sometimes being in a relationship means telling your partner something they want to hear.

This user provides a needed comparison.

The word “fine” has negative connotations for many people.

Maybe honesty isn’t always the best policy.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.