'AITA for refusing to cook after my BF tried to 'critique' my cooking?' UPDATED
"AITA for refusing to cook after my BF tried to 'critique' my cooking?"
So, this happened a few days ago, and I’m still trying to process it. For context, I (28F) have been with my BF (30M) for about 2 years. We live together, and I’ve always done most of the cooking because I genuinely enjoy it, and he claims he can’t “even boil water” without setting off the smoke alarm.
The other night, I made one of our favorite meals, and while we were eating, he got a weird smirk on his face. He then said, “You know, I’ve been taking notes.” I laughed, thinking he was joking, but then he said, “No, really. I made a presentation.”
I still thought it was a joke until he got up, connected his laptop to the TV, and opened a PowerPoint titled “Improving Our Home Dining Experience.” I was in disbelief as he went slide by slide critiquing my dishes:
“Slide 1: Too Much Garlic,” “Slide 2: Pasta Consistency,” “Slide 3: More Salt, Less Sass.” The kicker was Slide 8, which was just a photo of Gordon Ramsay facepalming with the caption, “What he’d think.”
I was stunned. I told him if he had such detailed opinions, he should cook himself. He tried to backtrack, saying it was “all in good fun” and that he was “just trying to help.” But I wasn’t laughing.
I haven’t cooked since, and now he’s been living off cereal and takeout. He’s sulking, saying I’m overreacting and “ruining the joke.” So, AITA for refusing to cook after my BF presented me with a PowerPoint critique of my cooking?
Here are the top rated comments
choppedliver65 says:
Make a PowerPoint presentation about how he can improve his in bed performances. NTA.
WebInformal9558 says:
Holy s#^@, what a d%$$. If he can make a Powerpoint about all his complaints about your cooking, he can learn how to follow a recipe like a big boy.
redditlurker1981 says:
I’d make a presentation about how he can move the f%#k out and cook alone in his new bachelor pad. Why are you tolerating this?? Do you want your bar so low the occupants of hell trip on it? Couldn’t he have used that time to learn how to boil water? The weaponized incompetence in this one is staggering.
Ok_Homework_7621 says:
YTA to yourself if you stay with that rude child.
NTA. "He claims he can’t 'even boil wate' without setting off the smoke alarm." If he had the time to make a powerpoint, he has time to learn to cook.
This. I had a boyfriend in college who was a really nice guy but his mom did his laundry. Not let him use her machines but actually did his laundry for him. While she cooked him dinner. One time he said to me, "If we get married, you'll have to do all the ironing because I don't know how." I replied in a deadpan voice, "I'll teach you." Needless to say, he didn't like that.
I was thinking, "Dude, I don't iron my own clothes. What makes you think I'm going to iron yours. If you're bright enough to make it into college you can figure out how to iron something. It's not rocket science."
My boyfriend complained about how I did the laundry (it was clean just not how his mom did it) so now I don’t do it unless it’s just my own. In protest he won’t put my clothes away because he “doesn’t know where they go”. So, I don’t put his away either and when I give the same excuse he goes “but it’s easy”. Umm, ya, it is.
But I guess he learned from the laundry because he won’t say anything about my cooking that isn’t praise. Even if I say I don’t like it he’ll say it’s good.
Two days later OP came back with this update:
Hey, so, it’s been a wild ride since I posted my original story about my (now ex) boyfriend’s infamous PowerPoint presentation critiquing my cooking. I can’t thank you enough for all the support, laughs, and even the outrage on my behalf. Buckle up, because here’s the follow-up you didn’t know you needed.
After reading your comments and taking some time to process what happened, I decided that our relationship needed a serious talk. I sat him down to discuss how his presentation came across as not just unfunny, but pretty disrespectful. You know, typical mature relationship stuff.
Well, what does he do? He smirks and goes, “Oh, I was prepared for this!” He actually grabs his laptop, connects it to the TV again, and presents me with another PowerPoint titled “How to Take a Joke: A Comprehensive Guide.”
Yes, folks, he made a whole slideshow explaining why I needed to learn how to “chill out” and “appreciate humor.” Slide 1 featured a meme of a clown putting on makeup with my name plastered over it. Slide 2? A bullet point list titled, “Why Your Overreaction is Hilarious.” Slide 3 was titled, “How I’m Clearly the Comedian in this Relationship.”
At this point, I was too stunned to speak. But then he pulled out Slide 6: “Things You Can Do While Not Cooking (Because You’re Mad).” The audacity, right? It was as if he really thought he’d win me over with this next-level presentation. Spoiler alert: he did not.
So, I did what any rational, PowerPoint-loving person would do. I made my own. I stayed up all night crafting a presentation called “Why It’s Time to Move On: A Farewell Guide.”
It had everything: flowcharts mapping his incompetence in the kitchen, pie charts illustrating my happiness before and after “The Great Presentation Debacle,” and my personal favorite—Slide 9, a GIF of Gordon Ramsay yelling: "GET OUT!”
This morning, I sat him down and went through my PowerPoint with the same energy he had given me. His reaction was priceless. He started with that same smirk but lost it somewhere around Slide 4: “Top Ten Reasons You’re Moving Out Today.” By the time I got to the “Resources for Finding Your Own Apartment” slide, he was packing a bag.
Now, before anyone worries, yes, he did actually leave. And no, I didn’t even have to threaten him with Slide 12, which was just a photo of me blocking the Wi-Fi router.
So, yeah, we broke up, and I’m single, happy, and cooking meals for myself without any critique except my cat’s judgmental stare. And to those who said I should make a “breakup PowerPoint,” just know your wish has been fulfilled…
I still can’t believe how all of this went down over the course of one single weekend. But I now feel pretty good about myself. Thanks for all of your comments and support!
PS: Oh, and fun fact, some of you were right: he actually is a business consultant, so making PowerPoint presentations is quite literally his day job. I guess he took “bringing work home” to a whole new, unwelcome level..
Here's what people had to say after the update:
I'm not sure if this wasn't the outcome he wanted originally, given his behavior.
Prepare another PowerPoint: “Reasons why we’re not getting back together”, just in case. He sounds like the type to self justify his buffoonery, and attempt to get back with you.
He now has a solid example to utilize in a flow chart for future PowerPoint presentations explaining all the steps of FAFO.
The outcome was priceless. His behaviour was disgraceful.