Woman Breaks Up With Boyfriend Who Tried To Force Her To Accept Coriander

A woman from Taiwan recently broke up with her boyfriend of five years — and it was all because of coriander. Yes, the polarising green herb that, to some haters, tastes like soap. 

Taking to an online forum, the woman shared she had been seeing her (now-ex) boyfriend since they were in university, and she had always thought their relationship was very stable. 

Throughout the years they were together, the woman’s boyfriend often praised his mother’s cooking and showed her photos of his home-cooked meals. This year, he invited her over for dinner during the Mid-Autumn Festival so she could meet his family. 

The woman was excited to finally meet his parents, and even prepared gifts for the visit. While they were on the way to his place, her boyfriend told her his mum had specially prepared “all her favourite dishes”. 

However, as soon as she stepped into the house, she was hit by an overwhelming smell of coriander — the herb she hates the most. And that’s when everything started to go downhill. 

She has never been able to tolerate the taste of coriander, and that was something her boyfriend definitely knew, she explained. 

“Anyone who can’t eat coriander will know the nauseating feeling [the smell gives you],” she wrote. When she got to the dining table, she realised everything, bar one vegetable dish, was completely covered in coriander. 

That was when her boyfriend’s mum told her: “He told me you love coriander, and specifically told me to add more of it. Eat up, okay!”

Needless to say, the woman was stunned. 

She was shocked to find out her boyfriend had lied to his mother, and that she was put in such an awkward situation during her first meeting with his family. She tried to stay polite at dinner and quietly picked out the herb, but on the inside, she was furious. 

A huge fight broke out in the car as he was sending her home. 

The woman questioned her boyfriend (who loves coriander, btw) about the reason behind his actions. 

His response? He wanted her to “try accepting coriander”, adding that he found it “weird” she won’t eat it. 

That was her last straw — she broke up with him on the spot and blocked him from contacting her. 

Later, as she reflected on her decision in her post, she penned: “Was it really worth giving up a five-year relationship over coriander? Yes. Absolutely.”

She revealed that she had always been considerate of her boyfriend’s food preferences. She’s a lot less picky about food than him, only avoiding coriander and bitter gourd.  

When she cooked for the both of them, she would always avoid ingredients he didn’t like, which includes nearly all green vegetables, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, eggplants, bean sprouts, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and certain types of mushrooms and melons. Now that’s a long list.

“Cooking was always a challenge, but I still did my best to make what he liked,” she wrote, adding that “one should always enjoy themselves while eating”. 

She was heartbroken and angered by the fact that he chose to make light of the one thing she truly couldn’t stand. 

She hadn’t told her family and friends about what happened as she, too, found it “extremely absurd”. 

Though her decision to give up on a long-term relationship may seem rash, the woman received an overwhelming amount of support from other netizens. 

Many said her ex shouldn’t have forced her to eat something she hates, with the majority agreeing that he did not “respect her basic preferences”. 

The coriander might have been her tipping point, but they believed it was a reflection of how little respect he had for her. 

“He sounds controlling — trying to force you to accept something you dislike,” remarked one netizen, while another echoed: “The coriander is not the issue here, he sounds self-centred and inconsiderate.”

Do you think she made the right decision?