Germany is much different about eating what someone offers than America (maybe). In Germany, when you go visit someone, that person usually makes cookies, cake, or a full meal (I can only speak for Germany, I haven't lived in any other European countries)
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to visit a couple who recently had a baby. The woman spent tons of time preparing this huge creamy cherry cake thing. If I would have said no, it might have sent her crying. Seriously, it is super offensive to turn down food.
In addition, you never ever serve yourself at someone else's house. They give you the piece/portion. In addition, in Germany, it is even more of an important cultural tradition to finish everything on their plate.
So, yesterday, despite my current attempts to stay away from sugar (for mood and caloric reasons), and to eat lower-carb, I was almost quite literally held at gunpoint to eat a caloric-sugary-bomb.
It is sort of upsetting. I'm going to go for a long jog today.
There are times, though, in life, when you don't have complete control over what you eat, I find. And I am already an outsider here, I don't want to be more of an outsider by rejecting their gifts and cultural traditions.
I'm sort of caught in a pickle.
I do tell my soon-to-be mother-in-law "no thanks".... I also tell my boyfriend "no thanks" when offered food - but I find it is an entirely different story with others. There it becomes entirely impolite and I risk being excluded. You can't simply say "Well, if they don't like me because I won't eat something, then we weren't meant to be friends". This is much deeper. It is also rejecting someone's gift that required their hard work and thoughtfulness.
Anyway, this happened to me yesterday. Maybe others struggle with this as well.