A 31-year-old woman turned to Reddit after a food dispute with her 44-year-old landlord. In a post she shared on the r/Advice subreddit on September 6, the woman said she received a “snarky text” from her landlord after she did not cook for him and his pregnant wife.
Describing her apartment, the tenant wrote in the post, “My unit has its own bathroom, bedroom, and living area, but there is a shared kitchen upstairs that we both use.” Recalling details from her lease, she wrote, “In my lease, it states that any food or drinks purchased by my landlord's family is off limits to me, and I am responsible for feeding myself as well as cleaning up any messes made while preparing meals.”
The woman noted that she had her own mini fridge and a small wardrobe she used as a pantry, adding that she had her own pots, pans, utensils, and spices. Giving insight into how her landlord and his family were, the woman wrote, “My landlords don’t cook at all. They mostly eat frozen food, prepackaged noodles, TV dinners, etc.”
According to the post, this rule had been emphasized to her multiple times. The situation began one evening when the woman made shrimp alfredo from scratch.
She wrote, “I had some extra, and since the family was home, I offered them some. My landlord and his wife enthusiastically accepted and helped themselves. Their daughter is picky, so she didn’t have any. They let me know it was very good, and I didn’t think much of it; I don’t mind sharing, and I like feeding people.”
Recalling another incident, she said she made oven-baked salmon and cilantro rice for dinner one afternoon. “I finished cooking, cleaned up the kitchen, and took my meal downstairs to enjoy, and I thought everything was fine, until halfway through my meal, I got a snarky text from my landlord basically telling me that if I’m going to play in their faces, they would have reconsidered the lease,” she wrote.
Explaining the situation further, the woman wrote, “Basically, he said that because his wife is pregnant and really likes salmon, I should have shared it with her. He said he had seen what I had made, and because I had made 2 pieces of fish, I could have at least given her one. He said that they opened their home to me, and that next time I should be more considerate.”
The tenant stated that she does not have the budget to make extra food for them every time. Later, she questioned Reddit users, “Should I just give in and share with them? I know it sounds like a terrible idea, but I think they might just make life terrible for me if I don’t.”
The woman later added an update to her post. She stated, “These people are for sure crazy, and I’ve decided to ignore them. I’m going to continue cooking my own meals, and they can get over it. I did get a little lock for my mini fridge and pantry just in case, and I have a ring camera set up downstairs too. I’m also going to make garlic short ribs and mac and cheese for myself tonight because it turns out I am a bit petty.”
The Reddit post has drawn almost 1,100 comments as of publication. One user suggested, “Run like Forrest Gump on crack.” Another user commented, “I’d not answer the text. Get a hot plate and an air fryer and make it work in the basement. I also wouldn’t have offered them food, ever. But when it comes to a shared living space, I’ve always been of the opinion that if you don’t share, I don’t share.”
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the details shared in the post. The account above reflects the story as described by the original poster on r/Advice.
