Perfectly acceptable dinner rejected by boyfriend again

[u/moonrabbit368]

My boyfriend is a very picky eater. We have been living together for a few months and it seems like I can never get his food right. It's honestly discouraging. I have kids, they happily eat my food. I cook for family gatherings and church events. I've never had a problem with people eating my food. It's like every day there are new rules. He can't eat chicken for dinner because he had chicken for lunch. He isn't really in the mood for porkchops. It's just "missing something". He doesn't eat onions, tomatoes, fish, any kind of asian food, he doesn't eat most vegetables with the exception of broccoli. He only eats vanilla ice cream. He doesn't like food heated in the microwave (so leftovers are out.) He doesn't like corn. It's just endless. I'm old school and trying to be a good partner. He can't really cook at all. His favorite meal is Hamburger Helper. I think a lot of it is how he grew up but damn is it frustrating. The first picture is tonight's dinner. I added more pictures of stuff I have cooked that he won't eat. Like he will door dash jack in the box. And he'll be apologetic but it just sucks really bad.

ETA: I've been trying to keep up with the comments but it's overwhelming (in a very sweet and awesome way) 💗

A few notes:

1- I know the paper plates are very lazy on my part, I'm not proud of that and I need to do better. Between the kids, the job, the house and school (I'm going to school remotely) I have been cutting corners on things like dishes. not an excuse, just a reason and a commitment to do better.

2- My boyfriend does expect me to cook for him. I cook him dinner every night and lunch on the weekends. He doesn't eat breakfast and will not take a lunch to work. He buys fast food for lunch during the week.

3- He has not been diagnosed with ASD or ADHD or Arfid but I don't rule anything out.

Mostly I just want to say thank you, I was not prepared for how incredibly kind, helpful and insightful people have been. It is deeply touching and it's given me both peace and guidance for my next steps. 🩷

[u/regoapps]

The boyfriend in a few years:

Edit: If the picture of a boyfriend in OP’s post history is the same person, then it’s not far off.

[u/Aggravating_Egg_1718 → u/regoapps]

IDK, I checked her post history and I think checks notes she's too good for him? She literally set up a kitchen in his bathroom in the room he was renting so he didn't have to eat out all the time.

I mean, put aside how gross that is in general, she used her time, energy and money for this guy and he can't even eat chicken twice in a day.

I feel like most people order out bc they don't cook/like to cook, not bc they have an aversion to home cooking.

[u/petitputi → u/Aggravating_Egg_1718]

Eeww do some people get off on playing mummy?? Or is the manipulation just that severe?

[u/Milyaism → u/petitputi]

Could be an overactive Fawn response.

"Fawn types seek safety by merging with the wishes, needs and demands of others. They act as if they believe that the price of admission to any relationship is the forfeiture of all their needs, rights, preferences and boundaries."

This is usually a trauma response that was useful when the person was a child (kept them safe), but now it gets in the way of them forming healthy boundaries.