[Danielle G.]

AIBU 30.08.2024​

AIBU, which stands for 'Am I Being Unreasonable', is the perfect platform for sharing your thoughts and opinions! So, for today's AIBU discussion, we have this story from Reddit/_DixonUranus_:

Am I being unreasonable for serving leftovers at my dinner party?

'My roommate, Dave, has been dating this girl, Lisa, for a few months. Lisa is an amazing cook, and whenever she comes over, she whips up these incredible meals. The thing is, she always makes way too much food, and they leave a ton of leftovers in the fridge.'

'Now, Dave never eats the leftovers. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every few days, I have to go through the fridge and clean out all the old food Lisa leaves behind because it just sits there until it starts to go bad.'

'A few weeks ago, I decided to throw a small dinner party for some friends. I’m not much of a cook, so I was getting stressed about what to serve. I thought, why not ask Lisa to help out? She’s always cooking at our place anyway, and I’ve always complimented her food.'

'So, I casually mentioned it to Dave, asking if Lisa might be cool with cooking for my party. Dave seemed a bit taken aback but said he’d ask her. The next day, he told me Lisa wasn’t comfortable with it because she didn’t want to feel like she was being taken advantage of. I was surprised but told him no problem, I’d figure something else out.'

'The night before the party, Lisa comes over and starts making dinner for her and Dave, as usual. I’m in the kitchen, hanging out with them, and mention that I’m still trying to figure out what to serve at my party the next day. Lisa doesn’t say much but continues cooking, and I notice she’s making a LOT of food – way more than just for her and Dave.'

'After they finish eating, they leave the leftovers in the fridge. Given the history of these leftovers going uneaten and just taking up space until I have to clean them out, I get an idea.'

'The next day, I take out the leftovers, heat them up, and serve them at my dinner party, along with a bean dip I made. My friends loved the food and kept complimenting me on how great it was. I just smiled and thanked them without giving too many details.'

'That night, Dave comes home, orders pizza, and goes to bed without even checking the fridge. Two days later (after Lisa has already come and cooked another dinner), he notices the leftovers are gone and asks me what happened to them.'

'I tell him I used them for my party. He gets super mad and says I had no right to take the food Lisa made. I argued that it was just leftovers, and since they never eat them, I figured it was better than letting them go to waste.'

'Now, both Dave and Lisa are mad at me, saying it was wrong to "steal" her cooking for my party. I think they’re overreacting because it was just food that was going to end up in the trash otherwise.'

'So, AIBU for serving my roommate's girlfriend’s leftovers at my dinner party without asking?'

 

[relljube]

Asking is better than explaining. However, they are inconsiderate sods by expecting you to clean up their rotten leftovers every time she cooks. Say "sorry I didn't think to ask" and then build a bridge.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

No I don't think so. If it was just going to sit there to go bad,it was a good idea. They should think about all those people out there that have nothing. They would be thankful for it.

 

[MariaG]

In this day and age, it is completely and utterly wasteful and environmentally inconsiderate to toss left over food instead of eating or composting.
If someone made use of my left overs, I'd be flattered. It means I did something right.
In my house, EVERYTHING is consumed and NOTHING tossed out. I plan my week, shop to a list, and cook to make use of everything. My budget is very strict. If I had a garden, I would compost, but I don't so I cannot.
This must be costing the woman a fortune in wasted ingredients. Maybe she should have been invited to the dinner party and asked to bring one of her amazing creations. Perhaps that was the real problem... angst because there was no invite.

 

[Mindygirl12022]

These days when so much food is wasted, it's only common sense to serve leftovers, perhaps made up a different way. Like left-over roast meat and vegies. You could make a nice curry and rice with this. The main point though that his friend made about asking first is completely correct. Along with doing the right thing recycling food goes the good manners that we can all have if we wish. I'm sure that the lady would say 'YES'.

 

[Noon]

If it was only going to be thrown in the garbage, why waste it. GF & Dave should take it as a compliment that your guests enjoyed it. Tell her if she only wants it to be thrown away then she needs to make just enough for tea that night. They are being sil