My husband has started charging me for his 'premium' leftovers.
By @fayeactually · Relationships
He's decided that if I want to eat the leftovers of a meal he cooked, I have to pay a fee. It's not about the money, he says, it's about the 'artisan quality' of his cooking. I'm starting to lose my mind.
The full story
My husband and I have always shared everything, including food. It's just how we are. We both cook, and whoever doesn't cook helps with cleanup, and leftovers are always fair game for whoever is hungry. This has been the system for six years. About two months ago, he got really into gourmet cooking. I'm talking a sous vide machine, a pasta maker, a dehydrator for making his own fruit leather, the works. At first it was great! I was eating restaurant-quality food multiple nights a week. But then it started getting... weird. It began with him 'reserving' certain leftovers for himself, putting little post-it notes on the containers saying 'HANDS OFF.' Annoying, but whatever, if he wants to save the thing he's most proud of for his own lunch, I get it. But last week, it escalated. I went to grab a container of his sous vide short rib and he literally intercepted my hand. they said, 'Ah, that's a premium leftover. That'll be five dollars.' I laughed. He did not. He was dead serious. He explained that some of his dishes require so much effort and expensive ingredients that they can't just be 'common property' in the fridge. He has now instituted a 'leftover fee' for his top-tier meals. He even made a little laminated menu that he stuck to the fridge with magnets, listing the prices. 'Aged Risotto: $4.50.' 'Hand-rolled Gnocchi with Pesto: $6.00.' He says it's not about making a profit, it's about me 'respecting the craft.' He told me I can eat any of MY leftover cooking for free, of course. Last night he made this incredible ramen with a 24-hour pork broth. I was practically drooling. He packed up the single remaining portion, looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'This one's an eight-dollar item. Due to the broth complexity.' I told him he was being absolutely ridiculous and we got into a huge fight. He thinks I'm being disrespectful to his new passion, and I think he's turning our marriage into a transactional café. This can't be my life now, can it?
How people voted
- Totally Cooked — 27% (26 votes)
- It’s Complicated — 40% (39 votes)
- You’re Fine — 33% (32 votes)
Readers are split: “It’s Complicated” leads with 40% — 97 votes and 4 comments so far.
What people are saying
@emilyy — I'd start leaving him Venmo requests for my half of the groceries he used to make the meal.
@jade — My ex-wife tried to make me pay for using the 'good' towels. We are divorced now.
@jaredactually — hope he's enjoying the couch.
@paigeyy — A man provides for his family, full stop.
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