You each gave an account of a recent meal. Please state again what you had and who prepared it.

“You each gave an account of a recent meal. Please state again what you had and who prepared it.” is a practice question about mismatched answers for a marriage-based green card interview at a USCIS field office. A real officer may ask it in other words, ask something else, or skip it. Practice can help you explain your own facts. It cannot tell you what USCIS will decide.

What is the officer checking with this question?

The officer may be asking for a clearer description of a shared event after hearing different details. A meal can include several dishes, different portions, or food prepared by more than one person. The purpose of clarification is to establish what each person remembers about that meal, not to make both descriptions use the same words.

What might the officer ask next?

• Which day and meal are you describing?
• Did you both eat the same dishes?
• Was any part of the meal ordered rather than cooked at home?

The next question usually comes from the words in your answer. If you name a person, a place, or a month, expect a question about it. The guide to green card interview follow-up questions explains how to practice past the first answer.

How do you prepare to answer it?

First identify the particular meal being discussed. Recall what you personally ate and which preparation you actually saw. If your spouse handled part of the meal while you were elsewhere, distinguish that from your direct memory. Correct an earlier mix-up if you realize you described another day, and explain the change honestly. Do not adopt your spouse's version just to remove a difference; say when a dish or detail is no longer clear to you.

Answer from your own memory, in your own words. Do not learn a script or a sample answer. If your spouse remembers a detail differently, first check whether you mean the same event. Ask your lawyer about any concern with your forms or documents.

Can you practice this question out loud for free?

Yes. Choose "Answer it now, free". The officer asks this question first. You answer out loud, and the officer follows up on what you said. You can try 3 questions free, and you do not need documents. Feedback comes after the session, not while you speak.

More mismatched answers questions

• You mentioned moving in together in a particular month and year. What was the address of that first shared residence?
• Your application lists a different address than the one you just gave. Which is current, and when did you move?
• How do you communicate with each other day to day if you do not share a fluent common language?
• The lease or mortgage shows only one name. Explain how both of you live at that address.
• Walk me through a typical weekday morning in your household, step by step.
• What medications, if any, does your spouse take regularly?
• You gave different dates for when you decided to marry. Can you clarify the timeline together?

Read the mismatched answers topic guide, or see all 91 interview questions.