Eating Food One Dislikes to Honor Parents
Question
Whenever I visit my parents, my mother makes lots of food. Some of it I like and some not. My mother expects me to eat even the food I don’t like. I have told her already what my likes and dislikes are, but she still insists that I eat things I dislike. Am I required to eat food for which I have extreme dislike in order to keep the mitzvah of honoring my parents?
Answers
There is no Halachic obligation to eat foods that you dislike. I realize that I am not familiar with the personal dynamics of your family, but I think that you need to continue explaining to your mother in the most respectful way possible that there are certain foods that you do not eat. Personally, I would suggest that you tell your mother just how much you enjoy the foods that she makes that you do eat and how delicious they are, and how much you look forward to eating them. Hopefully, at some point, the message will get through and your mother will stop insisting that you eat foods that you do not like.
In any event, what is important is that you do your best not to get visibly upset at your mother and that you never raise your voice or tone to her.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team