Clueless dude "thanks" his friend by gifting him a box of frozen meat that's been expired for 6 months: 'This feels kind of tacky'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Oct 12, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

There is a right and a wrong with gift-giving. Most of us want to give a gift that adds positive value to our friends' lives, rather than just getting them a gift so we can say we did. But that can be a tough nut to crack, especially when you don't exactly know what they want. Most people do not straight-up say they want a particular gift because most adults feel coy about asking for a gift at all. If your friend says, "I really love Bill Durham" in casual conversation and you remember that and get them a DVD of Bill Durham for their birthday, it will make you seem like the best friend ever. 

Most people will say that they'd be grateful for any gift they received, but that's not really true. If your friend wrapped a singular string cheese and gave it to you for your birthday, you'd probably rather they hadn't gotten you anything at all. It seems passive-aggressive and odd to get someone something that is not worth gifting, especially a condemned item.

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  • Raw frozen meat with ice crystals
    via Adi H

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The dude in this story feels super embarrassed about the gift he got his friend. He bought them frozen meat as a thank you for helping him with his birthday brunch, but didn't realize the meat was all expired by the time he bought it. Still, he gave the gift to his friend and girlfriend, explaining that because the meat was frozen, it wasn't actually rotten. His friend's girlfriend had to explain to him that just because the meat was edible, it didn't mean it wasn't uncouth to give as a gift.

  • Am I the bad guy for giving my friend expired meat as a thank-you gift?

    Recently I hosted a big brunch to celebrate my birthday. I needed some help taking orders and making coffee, so I reached out to a long-time friend who works in the restaurant industry. The
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • event itself was kind of chaotic, but overall it went really well. My friend refused any payment, saying it was his contribution to the party and that he was happy to help. So far, so good.
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • To thank him, I wanted to find a meaningful and original way to show my appreciation. I recently started working for a large company that produces meat, and employees can get special
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • discounts on frozen products that aren't usually available in stores. I thought it would be a nice idea to order some and make a special gift box for my friend.
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • A hand holding a gift box
    via Lia Bekyan (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I received the meat yesterday and spent the whole evening driving around to drop off orders for my parents, my sister, and finally my friend. The problem, when I opened the boxes, I realized all the meat was expired, by
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • anywhere from 3 to 6 months. My mom told me not to worry since it was all frozen, and frozen meat can last up to a year safely. I didn't overthink it and decided to bring it anyway.
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • When I stopped by my friend's appartment, he wasn't there, so I handed the box to his girlfriend and explained that some items were past their "best before" date but that it was frozen and totally fine. The next day, we received a long message from his girlfriend.
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • Here's a part of it: "It's hard to know how to bring this up, but let's just be honest: we were told the meat was past its date when we got it, and after checking what to thaw first, we saw it really was - by months! Some are even six months expired. I know the
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • intention was good, but honestly, this feels kind of tacky, especially as a thank-you for helping at your birthday brunch. Offering expired meat is definitely... original, but probably not the most appreciated gift. We'll pass next time."
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • Later, my friend called me and we talked things out. They threw away the meat. I apologized, but the whole situation is still very awkward. AITA?
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • A man with his hands on his face
    via Guillaume Issaly (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • TL;DR: I gave my close friend a box of frozen meat as a thank-you gift for helping at my birthday brunch. I realized last minute that the meat was expired by a few months but brought it anyway, thinking it was still fine because it was frozen. His girlfriend was upset, and my friend thought it was weird. I apologized. AITA?
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • Remarkable_Dust3450 YTA and your moms kinda wrong.. expired meat if frozen first will not be good after thawing past its expiry date, as that will have been frozen for years by that point. Meat that was packaged and dated and then frozen after sale, well you dont know when it was frozen, for all you know that couldve expired before it was frozen.
    via u/Remarkable_Dust3450
  • Timely-Profile1865 Did you get it from Apu at the Qwick E mart?
    via u/Timely-Profile1865
  • mt_thoughts INFO. Was the expired date the original "refrigerate or freeze by" date on the refrigerated meat? Or was the expired date the date you should use it by from the freezer? If it's the first one, what you gave them was perfectly fine and would have a 3-12 month shelf life in the freezer depending on the type and cut of meat. If it's was second one, then you are the AH and should have not given it.
    via u/mt_thoughts
  • While it's safe to eat past the frozen expiration date, the quality continues to erode and the person is now left with deciding whether to waste time and other ingredients on cooking with the expired meat in the hopes that it still tastes ok. Plus, if they work in the restaurant industry, they are more likely to have an issue with it.
    via u/mt_thoughts
  • BeanCounterQC OP Just to clarify: The company is a huge meet producer with over 10k employees, which has super strict health and safety inspections, etc, etc. Pretty much everyone at work orders meat from there. There iss absolutely no health risk. All the meat was delivered that same day and was still frozen when it arrived at my friend's appartment.
    via u/BeanCounterQC
  • Haunting_Shelter8003 YTA - Not everyone is good with that. I'd have asked first. My husband will toss that the day before that day cause he's scared of it. Me, I can care less. If it's not freezer burnt I'll eat it.
    via u/Haunting_Shelter8003
  • LadyJustice The NTA. this is something to laugh about later, if anything. not something to needlessly bring up. your friend helped without expecting anything in return. you gave him something in return anyway. if they didn't want it, all they needed to do was throw it away. no reason to bring it up or say they'll "pass next time" on doing something that they were willing to do in exchange for nothing anyway.
    via u/LadyJustice

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expire reddit stories gifts presents present birthday brunch friends expired gift reddit story friend frozen food reddit thread Reddit meat thank you
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