My [24F] boyfriend [25M] told me that snacking on mozzarella cheese balls might be a dealbreaker, what should I do?

A 24-year-old woman is facing a conflict with her 25-year-old boyfriend regarding her love for mozzarella cheese balls. While she enjoys snacking on them daily, her boyfriend finds the shape of the cheese uncomfortable and compares it to inappropriate imagery, leading him to suggest it might be a dealbreaker.

She’s torn between respecting his feelings and maintaining her own enjoyment of her favorite snack. She’s asking for advice on whether her boyfriend’s reaction is a red flag, and if it’s unreasonable to stand her ground on this issue.

‘ My [24F] boyfriend [25M] told me that snacking on mozzarella cheese balls might be a dealbreaker, what should I do?’

Hey reddit! So I’m in a very weird situation and I don’t know how to proceed, I’m hoping to get some insight from people who don’t know us personally because this is really embarrassing for me. So to preface, I’m a cheese lover. I absolutely adore cheese and it’s my favorite snack.

My #1 cheese has got to be mozzarella, specifically ball-shaped mozzarella. The texture and flavor are so good, especially with a little salt sprinkled. I buy those Belgioioso packs of mozzarella balls and they have been my snack of choice since I was a freshman in college they were easy and convenient to keep in my mini-fridge for a quick, cheap, and easy bite.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for 3 years now, and we recently moved in together. He’s known about my love for cheese since our first date (he took me to a restaurant and we ordered like three charcuterie boards lol).

I don’t think he knew what he was getting into with my snacking, and he probably didn’t expect to see me eat mozzarella balls on the daily. I thought he was fine with it but now he’s making an issue out of it and I don’t know if I should stop. His specific issue is the shape of the cheese.

He tells me that seeing me eat yk.. ball-shaped cheese makes him uncomfortable. He says that it is l**d and that (and I quote) “seeing me pop a wet cheese ball in my mouth makes him think of me having another man’s balls in my mouth”… yeah.

I was really confused and I told him that I don’t think this is that big of a deal and that it’s literally cheese but he told me the imagery still grosses him out. I thought we could work through this but after a while, he said it might be a dealbreaker if I don’t stop, afterwards he left for work.

During the argument, he said he doesn’t care if I eat mozzarella cheese but he just wants me to eat it string or shredded instead. I know this is so high maintenance of me but mozzarella balls are just my favorite snack. The texture, the taste… it’s just so good. I like shredded cheese and string cheese but they just aren’t the same.

I’m thinking I should maybe buy the smaller mozzarella balls that Belgioioso sells and hope they won’t bother him, but if I feed into this could it reinforce this mindset he has? I don’t know what to do. I want to make him comfortable but this feels really controlling and unnecessary (not to mention I don’t really want to give up on my favorite snack.)

He’s a great guy and I know this post isn’t doing justice, but I just want to know if this is a red flag from him or if putting my foot down on this is unreasonable. Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers me some advice.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

NArcadia11 −  I would consider a partner who got s**ually jealous over a cheese snack a dealbreaker personally

zephyrseija2 −    He says that it is l**d and that (and I quote) “seeing me pop a wet cheese ball in my mouth makes him think of me having another man’s balls in my mouth”
I would break up with a man just for having the unearned confidence to say this collection of words literally ever.

ROBYoutube −  He sounds absolutely unhinged. What the f**k.

DucksAreFriends −  If you’re chewing and swalling those balls he should be glad they aren’t his

LordCqt −  Red flag. He’s so weirdly insecure that he’s offended by you eating cheese. Real men would pound those suckers back right with you
btw what are his thoughts on bananas, popsicles and corn dogs?

No_Needleworker4158 −  Guy sounds like a weirdo tbh. Equating Mozzarella balls with another man’s testicles is the stretch of the century. He needs therapy

EmiliusReturns −  This is a f**king weird thing for him to get hung up about.
Rest assured you are not the issue here.

kingsickening −  You’re a grown woman that went through college and you’re settling for and defending a man that won’t let you eat cheese balls wtf?

mela_99 −  Mozzarella before men.

meow_haus −  This is bizarre and offensive controlling behavior from him. He’s essentially s**t-shaming you for eating cheese. MASSIVE red flag. What will he want to control next?