My spouse is very territorial when it comes to her food.  She’s especially protective of a restaurant meal, and the fancier the food, the more defensive she gets.  She fully believes her portion belongs to her and she’s entitled to every bite. 

If I try to nab a taste, it’s like trying to sneak dog food from a Rottweiler’s bowl.  I get bared teeth and growling just for trying.  If I manage to actually steal a bite, and then I get caught, watch out, I’m not just eating out of the dog bowl; I’m sleeping in the dog house, too.

One time, I accidentally ate her whole plate of chicken wings without realizing it.  She has never let me live that one down.

I’m a taster from a long line of tasters, my Mom was a taster, My Dad was a taster, and my Grandparents were tasters.  When you grow up in the “just a taste” environment, it’s a really hard habit to break.  But I can understand my wife’s distress. 

You see, she comes from a long line of non-tasters.  Unfortunately, just as I failed to ask about whether she likes camping, I failed to follow the advice in Michael Webb’s eBook, “1000 Questions for Couples.”  

Among other questions critical to determining lifelong compatibility, Michael Webb recommends addressing the subject of being a taster with the following question:  “Do you always like to sample your partner’s food in restaurants?  Does it bother you if someone always wants to taste your food/drink?”

If you mate answers a resounding “Yes, I love to taste” then you better prepare yourself to behave like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible to score a crumb.

Once this area is cleared up, you can then make way for more really important questions in Michael Webb’s eBook such as “Have you ever done any stupid or dangerous things when you were drunk?”

Yeah, I once got drunk and tried to taste the food off my wife’s plate. After the right hook to the jaw I don’t remember much other than seeing stars circling around.