SO AWKWARD. How do you handle situations where they don't like your cooking?

As the title says, has there ever been a time where people don't like your cooking/baking?

Today I cooked (they wanted me to, encouraged me actually), and one of my family members didn't like my food... it made dinner sooo awkward because it was so obvious. I didn't know how to handle and I feel like never cooking for my family again.

Generally, I cook for myself only, sometimes my boyfriend & friends. I've generally had positive feedback too! So it was really awkward as I didn't know how to handle the situation. My family's really traditional with food, and I'm very westernized with my meals, so I understood why they might not like it... but still, doesn't help the awkward!

So - what are your stories? I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one who has encountered this!

Practice makes perfect, don't be embarrassed. I'd tell them to give me tips. I know it's kinda sad cos you tried and everything but things will get better. My parents had this tendency to criticise everything I do lol... So I usually get alittle upset. But hey. I'll live.

I force them to eat more and tell them it's full of my love for them muhahahahaha

I'm naturally awkward around extended family but to combat this I just act like a complete moron

if it's too bland I give them hot sauce, if it's to salty I give them more hot sauce, if it's too spicy I give them more hot sauce and a glass of milk lol

Yes. Me and my sister made summer rolls for a german friend and her family. It was their first time eating summer rolls and the taste was unusual to them, so they didn't really seem to enjoy it.

It never happened to me and I feel gifted because of it... Plus, I always ask the person for preferences first. Everyone has different taste in something. I'm quite a bit of a perfectionist. I rely a lot on my experiences and knowledge as former private chef...

But the worst it could happen to me is if the person is strict on the taste. Like "It's really good but I would have preferred if BLAH BLAH BLAH and it would have been sooo perfect!". Always a big BUTT somewhere out there... I mean... "but". It's good to hear the criticisms and accept them. Something we learn for the "next time". No "but" from those I'm very familiar with.

Well whatever, not everyone will like every dish you make. Like my mother usually like my food but sometimes I make things with goat cheese which she hates and she won't eat it no matter what but it's just preference not a personal insult of your skills. I just won't take it personally, next time maybe just make something different and they'll like it.

my mom seems to criticize everything that i cook. even before she tries it, she will say something negative first like "what is this? doesn't look good." or "why does this look gooey?" or "why does it look like this?" she will always say something negative first before trying it. i feel a lot of negative vibe from her. sigh..

sometimes whens he asked me to cook something for her, i will go like "nah, i don't think i want to because it will never suit your taste." haha! i remember i made cheesecake, she said so much negative comments about it and last year's christmas, i made some cheesecake for other ppl, then she will go like "how come i don't get to eat it?" then i will just say "nah, you don't have to as you won't like it anyway." haha!

Haha, something like this happened to me a few years back at a family party. I was still pretty inexperienced with cooking and I decided to make something anyways..in the end no one touched it. I ended up having to eat it everyday over the course of a few days so it wouldn't go to waste, those meals were quite depressing! Things have changed though, now I pretty much cook and help out during the holidays and family get togethers.

Ehhh, my Asian old folks don't like eating western food much. That's why I don't cook for them at all. 

If they persist on me making them meals, then I must research how my culture food are made. :/

Find one person who might like it and convince them to eat it all

sweetfantasy09 - LOL sounds exactly like my mom, but I don't take it to heart cause its more like a habit for her.

make light of the situation or play the guilt trip card. if you have the kahoonies, pick the food back out of the trash and finish it while you know someone is watching. tears would be some good added effect.

Well Dad doesn't eat anything I cook unless it's something my mom specifically told me to make. Other than that Mom is my biggest critic, yet she is also my biggest admirer (contradicting much!?) Anyway the family is guinea pigs to my food experiments. Most of the time fruitful and other times failures! And man are they honest about feedback. My friends and other relatives tend to sugar coat criticism or no feedback at all and just head nobs (if that even counts)

My partner when we first lived together hates my cooking. I obviously now have improved a lot. I remember once I made a dish, that in all honesty was pretty rubbish, and he told me also as well. I was a little offended, having spent a lot of time making it and he was trying to justify his comments, telling me no negativity intended just feedback for future improvements, blah blah blah whatever. I gave him the silent treatment for 3 days, and he felt soo awful about it, he was being super nice to me, buying me things, literally begging to step in the kitchen and cook again, cause I stopped cooking, but I was being really cruel, I was milking it for all it's worth

Eventually he worked out my scheme, it was fun while it lasted, well for me at least, and ever since, he has NEVER EVER criticize my cooking, he knows he'll get the silent treatment, so to him its better to just swallow and smile :)

When I first started cooking, I was no good at it so my parents never liked my food. I just got better at it over time and sometimes they eat what I make. They tend to stick to Asian food and I do a lot of western cooking so I don't get offended that they don't like my food.

I don't get offended when people don't like my foods, I just learn about their preferences and think what to cook that they would like more. It's not really much cooking but one time I made ham and lettuce sandwiches and I also made curry chicken sandwiches. I noticed the people who were more adventurous ate the curry sandwiches and the ones that like simple foods ate the ham sandwiches. So now I have an idea about what to serve each set of people next time.

I buy take out. Everybody knows I can't cook. :(

I don't really care if people don't like my food.. I'm 16 soon and I cook what I like x3 If they don't like my food they can eat something else and not try to eat it up. I totally understand people for not liking some kinds of foods. BUT if I don't like food that people have cooked for me, I find it really hard to tell them... most because I used to like almost all types of food before, but as I've gotten older and know what my stomach can handle and not(I've also sent the food I like less in a not like category), my mom is critizising me a lot because I don't like as much food as I used to... She doesn't even believe me when I say I like salad -.-

Oh well, sorry if my english is wrong sometimes ;)

Learning to cook involves making plenty of mistakes.. trying different seasonings/methods.. i think that's the fun part.. if you cook for a group.. usually go with a recipe you know well .. you're brave if you try to experiment them .. but they should appreciate the effort! 

Well... I never want to know, I can't take criticism hahaha. But I try to learn from it and get better (and avoid the recipe next time LOL).

I'd just do what I always do at embarrassing times... Make fun of myself... "OTL