Why do people get offended when you add salt/pepper?

[Walking Tourist]

I don't really care for salt and pepper. My mom retrained my taste buds a while ago. She gradually reduced the amount of salt that she used in cooking. One day, I went to Kentucky Fried Chicken and didn't like the food.
When I came home, I said to my mom, "You know, I used to like Kentucky Friend Chicken, but, today, the food tasted as if the cook had an accident with the salt shaker."
"No, honey," said my mom. "The cook did not have an accident with the salt shaker. You're just not used to salt anymore."
"Whatever could you mean, Mom?" I asked suspiciously. And then she told me about how she had retrained everyone's taste buds because, at the time, my parents had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. "You never noticed," my mom added, with a somewhat devious look.
It turned out that my palate had been permanently retrained. As for the pepper, well, I've never really liked that.
I don't like ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard, either.
Oh. Another salt story. There used to be a public service announcement about people who salted food indiscriminately. A woman sat on a chair while food passed her by on a conveyor belt. She salted everything! Eventually, she salted the tea!!!
I don't really care if someone else were to add condiments or salt or pepper...
Just taste the food first!!! And don't salt the tea!!!!!!!

 

[Oom]

And don't salt the tea!!!!!!!

Exactly, you wouldn't go out and drink salt water would you?

 

[Timeless]

What the hell? Who's the dead man that hit me with the salt shaker?

 

[MacGuffin]

Not offensive to do so but it's pretty stupid to do it before you taste it. I agree with Edison:

“Thomas Edison is reported to have tested anyone he was thinking about hiring. He would invite them to have a bowl of soup with them. Anyone adding salt without first tasting the soup failed his test. He didn’t want anyone making decisions based upon unfounded assumptions.”

Normally I side with Tesla, but I agree with Edison there.

Then again, I don't have a salt shaker in the house at all. Just some sea salt in an container next to the stove for cooking.

 

[miss fortune]

I understand if they're offended if you salt and pepper before tasting it first, but afterwords, everyone has their own tastes

 

[MacGuffin]

I usually piss on mine after tasting it.

Don't judge me!

 

[Randomnity]

Salt and peper are like part of the 'Cooking 101' class. It's a basic and essential part of cooking. So..if you pride yourself on being able to cook well and someone clearly 'disagrees' with that by adding that very basic thing that every cook should have done to their dish....

Salt and pepper definitely don't need to be on most things. It can detract from the other flavours, particularly if someone is sensitive to salt/pepper. Since some people like the taste, it's easiest to add individually, so it shouldn't really be offensive to do so.

That being said I would probably get a little annoyed if someone really loaded up on the salt or pepper on a dish that was already seasoned (ie veggies, potatoes or eggs don't count).

 

[Edasich]

I add salt to everything that's savoury, and before I try it too. I know it's stupid lol. And after I've tasted it, I normally put even more on. And continue to put it on as I eat.

Flatmate 1:Oh, the dish already has lots of salt in it
Flatmate 2: She puts salt on everything
Flatmate 1: Oh.

 

[Edasich]

One time I made the bad mistake of asking this little take-away place that's run by a really nice family if they would mind putting a bit more of this salty sauce on my noodles. I really upset the mum who was the cook. I felt so bad. And after that they always put extra sauce on my food when I went there.

 

[cafe]

It's never occurred to me to be offended by someone adding salt to food I cooked. I sometimes feel a little apologetic for not making it how they like it, but not excessively so.

Years ago, I was eating dinner at my sister-in-law's house. I like a little salt on my veggies, so I started to salt them. The lid fell off the salt shaker and ruined the food. Turns out my sister-in-law did not approve of her husband salting his vegetables and was attempting to teach him a lesson. :rolli:

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

... I would kill for some fried chicken right now....salted.

 

[Oberon]

My wife used to get highly offended when I would put hot sauce on my food.

I was like... "c'mon, it's not your food, it's mine."

 

[Donna Cecilia]

Because many people has no idea about how the right spices can make wonders for your meals. When I add the four peppers´mix to my meals, my family looks at me as if they were shocked.

I have my personal arsenal of spices (curry, the four types of pepper, paprika, oregano, basil, ginger, cinnamon, among many others) and I sneak into my house´s kitchen while my mother leaves the food in the oven, or the cooking pot, and add the appropriate spice to it.

The fun thing is, that she gets everyone´s praise for the meals she makes with my secret help.

 

[Quinlan]

Usually when I'm cooking I only add the bare minimum of salt so that other people can add to suit their own needs.

Why is it surprising that people might have different tastes?

 

[sciski]

I don't exactly get offended, but do feel disappointed. It's because when I cook, I try really hard to make the most pleasing dish possible. It's an act of love. Somebody adding extra salt, pepper, sauce, spice, etc just kinda seems to negate all the effort, especially when accompanied with "This has no taste".

All this with the cognitive understanding that yes, others have different taste buds, and yes, it's their food, they can eat it however they like. Also, I know that by adding salt, they're not saying "This dish sucks". Still, I feel disappointed. Hey, I feel how I feel, just like you taste how you taste. *shrug*

Of course, I could just learn to cook better too. :> However, I am trying to reduce our salt intake, so that makes it a bit harder... the guerilla tactic may be the way to go.

Donna Cecilia, I'd love to hear some cooking tips from you.

 

[spin-1/2-nuclei]

I have extremely sensitive taste buds so whenever someone doesn't put salt or pepper on the food I prepare I'm usually a little shocked. I have noticed that other people sometimes get offended if someone adds anything to their meals (even like cheese or lemon or whatever) so I always make a point to tell people to feel free to do whatever to what I've made.

 

[Rebe]

salt and pepper make everything better!

ideally, they, the cook, would have been able to made it into perfection instead of you, the eater, tampering with it

 

[durentu]

I take pride in my cooking and I do put forth efforts to make it as good as I can. I entertain sometimes and I have a rule: Take 3 bites just the way it is. Then you are allowed to alter it to you liking.

For people who splash hot sauce, drown it in ketchup or dust it in salt and pepper immediately shows that you lack decency. Through these acts, you reject someone's hard efforts to provide you with a meal. Do him the honor of trying it as it is for a few bites. If you don't, it's really insulting. More deeply, it tells me that this person cannot ever find happiness in life, because this person is not willing to accept the universe as it is: including the meal in front of their face.

"Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you who you are." -Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

I've understood this quote at a very young age and it shows to be very true. Not only in it's telling of which culture you are from (sometimes right down to which block/street), but more about your philosophy and values. Especially in the western countries where we have some backward mental disorders like anorexia and bulimia. There is a marked difference between the person who lives off TV dinners vs someone who eats steak and pie for breakfast. Some who will eat blood sausage and those who will vomit from the very mention of it.

When someone cooks for you, you owe them some respect.


edit:
Non-religious, or non-health related, vegetarians/vegans are just insulting to me on principle.

 

[ObeyBunny]

Why do some people get offended when you add salt/pepper to your food lol

Because you (the table guest) are implying that you think their food was prepared improperly- that they lacked enough skill to even tell if something lacked enough spice.

But at the same time, the kind of people who get offended at things like that are simply looking for a reason to stick their nose up at something. My grandmother was like that. If you complemented her on her new dress, she would fire back with “What?! So you’re telling me that I dressed like trash before this!”

 

[OrangeAppled]

I wouldn't be offended, but I admit I would think that the person's palate is very narrow, which is why they have to drown food in salt, hot sauce, ketchup, whatever.

I personally like minimal salt in my food. I like to taste the other spices & flavors instead of just a salty taste. Ultimately, I'd prefer a chef to leave the food less salty & allow those who want salty food to add it themselves.