Vegetarian wife of 6 years constantly complains that husband eats meat despite him going out of his way to make separate meals: 'I make dinner 6 out of 7 days a week'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Sep 16, 2026 4:30 PM EDT

Should your spouse keep the same dietary preferences as you?

It can be hard to eat together as a family if you all have different needs. But this is part of what it means to be a family. You make compromises for each other. But if one of you has a strict preference or need, then that should be accommodated. Choosing vegetarianism is a valid option, and you don't have to give in just because the people in your family eat meat. Should they give in to your way of life, though? When you're a strict vegetarian, it can be difficult to be around others who are constantly eating animals. It can start to rub you the wrong way or get under your skin. But you don't have the right to control anyone else's food intake, even if you're their spouse.

If you're the one cooking, then you get the say. The husband in this story was the one doing pretty much all the cooking for his household, and even accommodated his wife's extreme meat aversion. He got separate appliances for her and went out of his way to make meals that she would enjoy. This isn't the easiest thing to do when you have different tastes than someone, but you can do anything for love. The problem was, she wasn't on the same page about any of this.

*_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}*

*A man stands in a kitchen preparing food*

Am I in the wrong for refusing to go vegetarian for my spouse?

My wife and I have been married for 6 years and together for 8 years. She has been a Vegetarian since she was 17 (we are both 31 now). Her reasons for being a Vegetatian has always been personal preference and she's noted in the past it doesn't bother her thay I eat meat, even offering to cook meat for me sometimes when we first got together.

To be clear, I am the family cook, I make dinner/meals 6 out of 7 days a week. I prepare her food with extra care so there is no risk of cross contamination. I've purchased her an air fryer and other appliances that are meat free so she can prepare her snacks with peace of mind. 95% of the meat I cook is either stove top or microwave (ie chicken nuggets etc)

She has confessed recently that she always assumed I would just become a vegetarian. This obviously did not happen, though I do not eat red meats at home and I dont eat pork at all (just personal preference). I do quite a bit of meal prepping and the chicken or salmon I cook can have a distinct smell that, unfortunately, makes my wife. queasy. I WFH and my wife doesnt work, so there isn't really a time for me to cook without her around.

This has become a point of contention more and more, resulting in increasingly escalated confrontations. We don't have a large house and it can be difficult for her to escape the smell. I usually try to confine my cooking/meal prep when she is sleeping in the morning or outside, but this doesnt seem to he enough. I will unfortunately not be going Vegetarian. AITA?

When you're the one with the dietary restriction, you've gotta take care of yourself. You can appreciate when people help you, but you're the one in charge of your eating. You can't expect the whole world to bend to your will. In this case, that's what the wife was expecting. She wanted to live in a world where her preferences took precedence, and everyone did what she wanted. But this is not what marriage is. The husband in this story was bristling against that; it might have spoken bigger truths about their marriage. Keep reading to see what happened here, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.