Man sparks debate after refusing to share food with pregnant friend

‘Call Emma out and remind her that you repeatedly said no,’ one user on Reddit writes

Man refuses to share food with his pregnant friend (Getty Images)

People are normally split on whether or not they like to share food with their friends around them.

In a recent Reddit post shared to the popular “Am I The A**hole?” subreddit, one man explained that he had recently discovered that he had a gluten allergy and had specifically picked a place to eat with his friends that provided options that fit his dietary restrictions.

There was one couple in his group of friends, named Emma and Via, who had recently gotten pregnant. Via was the one who was pregnant and due to her morning sickness wouldn’t be eating anything. However, the group did offer her a few bites off of their plates so she could still eat something.

“I didn’t agree to this though, since if they were going to be sharing with each other, I couldn’t take part. I explained me not feeling ok sharing since I’d just be giving food without getting any, and all my friends seemed to completely understand, as well as agree that was very fair,” he explained in his Reddit post.

When the group’s food arrived, Via then asked if she could have a bite of his food, which he declined because he wasn’t getting any food in return. “Via told me her pregnancy cravings were kicking in, and all she was asking for was a couple bites so I should’ve just given that to her. I told her again, I’d already explained I didn’t want to share since my food was all I had,” the post continued.

Then Emma chimed in, telling him to give half of his food anyway but he once again declined because of the higher prices of gluten-free menu items. Via responded that “being on a diet” didn’t mean he couldn’t share his food when everyone else was able to.

“This is where I may be the a**hole because I told Via she chose to get pregnant, and she chose to go through all of the issues that come with it. I didn’t choose to have a glucose allergy, and I didn’t want to go hungry because she wanted to eat off everyone else for free,” he wrote on Reddit.

AITAH for not sharing my only plate with a pregnant woman?
byu/YuriPumpkinSpice inAITAH

Via began to cry before leaving with Emma without paying their portion of the bill. Emma later messaged him to let him know that he simply could have told Via “no” when she asked for a bite of his food.

The post ended where he explained feeling guilty about his comments resulting in the couple leaving. “I just wanted her to stop trying to leverage her pregnancy against me as a way to get the only food I could eat,” he wrote.

After posting, many people turned to the comments to express that Via was likely only trying to obtain a free meal and clarify that the Reddit poster did tell her “no” more than once.

“Call Emma out and remind her that you repeatedly said no and that she could have simply told her partner to STFU or taken her to get something to eat instead of sitting back quietly,” one comment read.

Another commenter agreed, writing, “You did say no- immediately after arriving?! In fact, you said it several times?! Via kept asking and asking, after you said no and the other people jumped in to further explain your no?! Via proved that she was there to grift food and not actually pay for any of the things she grifted off peoples plates?!”

“She and her partner should not participate in outings like this that they obviously can’t afford?! Those were crocodile tears to distract from them switching and ditching their way out of the restaurant without paying for their food and beverages or contributing to the food Via grifted off of other peoples plates?! Your very reasonable no – that was a full sentence in and of itself – was not respected and your response was appropriate.”