'AITA for not properly warning my acquaintance that the dish they ordered would be stinky?'

"AITA for not properly warning my acquaintance that the dish they ordered would be stinky?"

Recently I went out with a friend (A) and an acquaintance (A's friend who we'll call B) to eat Korean food. While my A and I are both Australians and B is from Ireland, I am half Korean ethnically and a part of the reason why we were eating Korean was because my friend was curious and wanted me to give some recommendations for what he and B could try lol.

I suppose that this was mentioned to B because while I was driving them to the restaurant he asked me when I had moved from Korea among other things and when I explained to him that I grew up here...

I only had Korean heritage and he made a comment about how I wasn't really Korean, then and asked if I even knew anything about Korea. Since I was focused on driving I just said something about how I'd grown up with the culture but I didn't really focus on it at the time.

Anyways when we arrived at the restaurant and read the menu I tried my best to give them some pointers and explain some Korean cultural stuff as well (like why our chopsticks are metal) but eventually B settled on a dish called 청국장 (cheonggukjang) which if you don't know is this soybean stew which is REALLY REALLY stinky.

Like, even my grandmother refuses to make it because she can't handle the stench. When I warned B that the smell might be too overpowering, he asked if I "had even eaten the dish before" - so I explained that although I hadn't eaten it personally the stew was pretty notorious for its stench and that I wouldn't recommended it, especially for a westerner like B.

I guess the last part might have come off as pretentious? Because B made a comment about how I should stop "acting Korean" and that he could handle it. I figured he wouldn't listen so I was just like "don't say I didn't warn you" and shifted the conversation.

Unsurprisingly (at least for me) he couldn't eat it at all and had to send it back and order something else. I won't lie, I was a bit amused, but I was also trying to avoid the stench so I didn't say anything and tried to be polite for the rest of our meal.

The mood was petty much spoiled though and when we finished, he said that he wanted to take the bus with A instead of being driven home by me and we parted ways.

After I got back home A told me that although B was a bit of an ahole I should have been more assertive when explaining to B that he wouldn't like it, and that he might've thought I was egging him on.

Also, apparently B is pissed off because he thinks that I was trying to "bait" him into eating Cheonggukjang and made him waste money, and that I was being petty after his comment about me not really being Korean. So should I have tried more harder to dissuade B from ordering the dish?

Here's what people had to say about this one:

ScaryScallion6484 said:

NTA. You literally warned him twice and he acted like a smug jerk both times. Like, what were you supposed to do—wrestle the menu out of his hands?? He already had a chip on his shoulder from the second he questioned your identity and clearly just didn’t wanna listen to someone he decided wasn’t “Korean enough.”

That’s on him. Honestly, the audacity of trying to blame you for his fragile ego and bad decisions is kind of wild. He played the “I know better” game and lost. Not your fault.

fruitluva said:

You’re NTA. Both A & B are ahole. B for being an arrogant prick and he disrespect your background. A for not backing you up whilst blaming you. Everyone here are adults, who can make their decisions and you’ve given suggestions. Which was rudely ignored. I wouldn’t take A out again. Also, they were given free rides. I’d be so grateful.

Appropriate_Sky_6571 said:

NTA I hate that smell. It’s god awful. My mom made it nearly every morning and I had to wake up to that smell. Your friend is an idiot. I took great joy in your story lol.

Stormschance said:

NTA. From what you explained I think if you’d been more assertive, B would’ve been more determined to have the dish.

UteLawyer said:

NTA. You warned him. What more did they want you to do? Tackle him and wrestle away his menu? He had already decided you didn't know what you were talking about so I don't see how you could save him from himself.

Bunnawhat13 said:

NTA, to anyone but yourself. Why are you hanging out with these people?

fruskydekke said:

NTA. Hopefully, B learned a lesson that day.

losingconsciousness said:

NTA this is ridiculous. You could not have been more clear. This guy is just stupid.