Entitled boyfriend expects his partner to cook his meals, but when the working mom vents online about his picky eating habits, she realizes he's the problem, not her cooking: 'It's like every day there are new rules'

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 6, 2026 4:00 PM EST

Don't like what's for dinner? Perhaps it's time to cook for yourself…

This boyfriend hid his cooking incompetence behind an ill-refined palette, but when his traditional girlfriend started getting tired of making him uneaten meals, his pickiness was no longer endearing but positively discouraging. 

One of the first meals I ever learned to cook was a microwaved quesadilla. Crazy, I know, but assembling a single tortilla and a handful of shredded cheese was quite the feat for a hungry 5-year-old, but the payout was insane. Melted cheese, warm tortilla, and a full tummy awaited if I could only reach the buttons on the microwave. Determined, I wouldn't let my size stand in the way of a good meal. However, this level of chef mastery is something that some people can never achieve, even well into adulthood. In my family, we'd call that arrested development, and the longer a manchild adult refuses to fend for themselves in the kitchen, the longer they put off their full frontal cortex development. 

Unless you can cook for yourself, can you really even call yourself a functioning adult? 

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  • Perfectly acceptable dinner rejected by boyfriend again
    via moonrabbit368

  • This man is in no position to be commenting on his girlfriend's well-rounded meal prepping. Considering he is incapable of making anything more complex than a Bagel Bites plate, he should not be allowed to make snide comments, impolite nitpickings, and crude jokes about her food. 

    In my experience, that's the kind of ungratefulness that sends you straight to bed with no dessert, but in this case, it sent his hardworking girlfriend instead to the Internet to seek a community of support from strangers. Remarkably, yet unsurprisingly, the resounding conclusion wasn't that her cooking was inadequate, but that her partner was severely lackluster and in need of a wakeup call. 

    Wake up, man! You're 40 years old and don't know how to use the pots and pans in the kitchen. If you're picky, learn to cook. If you can't eat particular foods because you don't like them, figure out what you like. That's not up to your girlfriend, a working mom juggling a career, night school, and a full-grown manchild boyfriend to figure out. Perhaps since he's so critical of her cooking, he can pick up the bag of shredded cheese, throw down a tortilla onto a plate, and manage a microwaved meal fit for a 5-year-old. Time to act your age. 

  • My boyfriend is a very picky eater. We have been living together for a few months and it seems like I can never get his food right. It's honestly discouraging. I have kids, they happily eat my food. I cook for family
    via moonrabbit368
  • Woman making dinner in the kitchen while holding a toddler.
    via kasto

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

  • gatherings and church events. I've never had a problem with people eating my food. It's like every day there are new rules. He can't eat chicken for dinner
    via moonrabbit368
  • because he had chicken for lunch. He isn't really in the mood for porkchops. It's just "missing something". He doesn't eat onions, tomatoes, fish, any kind of
    via moonrabbit368
  • asian food, he doesn't eat most vegetables with the exception of broccoli. He only eats vanilla ice cream. He doesn't like food heated in the microwave (so
    via moonrabbit368
  • Woman making dinner in the kitchen wearing an apron at the stove.
    via Galina Zigalova

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

  • leftovers are out.) He doesn't like corn. It's just endless. I'm old school and trying to be a good partner. He can't really cook at all.
    via moonrabbit368
  • His favorite meal is Hamburger Helper. I think a lot of it is how he grew up but damn is it frustrating. The first picture is tonight's dinner. I added more
    via moonrabbit368
  • pictures of stuff I have cooked that he won't eat. Like he will door dash jack in the box. And he'll be apologetic but it just sucks really bad.
    via moonrabbit368
  • Cheezburger Image 10594117632
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  • PE
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  • Cheezburger Image 10594118400
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  • Cheezburger Image 10594119424
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  • ETA: I've been trying to keep up with the comments. but it's overwhelming (in a very sweet and awesome way)
    via moonrabbit368
  • A few notes: 1- I know the paper plates are very lazy on my part, I'm not proud of that and I need to do better. Between the kids, the job, the house and school (I'm going to school
    via moonrabbit368
  • remotely) I have been cutting corners on things like dishes. not an excuse, just a reason and a commitment to do better.
    via moonrabbit368
  • 2- My boyfriend does expect me to cook for him. I cook him dinner every night and lunch on the weekends. He doesn't eat breakfast and will not take a lunch to work. He buys fast food for lunch during the week.
    via moonrabbit368
  • 3- He has not been diagnosed with ASD or ADHD or Arfid but I don't rule anything out.
    via moonrabbit368
  • Mostly I just want to say thank you, I was not prepared for how incredibly kind, helpful and insightful people have been. It is deeply touching and it's given me both peace and guidance for my next steps.
    via moonrabbit368
  • Hot-Minute722 Stop cooking for him. Let him make frozen pizzas for himself.
    via Hot-Minute722
  • International_Bat585 I would not even factor him into your dinner planning. He's a grown man and if he wants to be that picky he can sort himself out.
    via International_Bat585
  • IrrelevantManatee Stop trying to be a mom to this manchild. Cook what makes you happy, and if he doesn't like it, he should cook food for himself. He doesn't deserve all this care. You definitely deserve better!!
    via IrrelevantManatee
  • ArcticPoisoned I'll be your boyfriend!!!! (I am a 29 year old woman)
    via ArcticPoisoned
  • OP moonrabbit368 This is my favorite comment thread, thank you
    via moonrabbit368
  • Captain_Moose I was about to make the same offer! Imao (33F)
    via Captain_Moose
  • Booch Clawson I'm loving how many women just offered to be your new boyfriend
    via Booch Clawson
  • OP moonrabbit368 I know, it made me really happy. I was just venting and wasn't ready for how kind people have been.
    via moonrabbit368
  • tgs-with-tracyjordan Yeah, send him on his way. How did you prep the chicken in the first pic? I'm keen to try that.
    via tgs-with-tracyjordan
  • OP moonrabbit368 The first pic is boneless porkchops, it's the first time I have made him porkchops and we had a conversation when I was meal planning where he said he would be open to pork chops. I did a rub with seasoning salt and then dredged them in seasoned flour, pan fried them with oil and butter. The children enjoyed them very much. He wouldn't try them though.
    via moonrabbit368
  • Ordinary-Concern3248 No worries. You all can cook for yourselves. Less stress all around.
    via Ordinary-Concern3248
  • Moon Rises Awaken Imo this is on him to figure out, you're trying your best.
    via Moon Rises Awaken
  • ResponsibleBank1387 You learned your lesson. Now, no more cooking for him. You have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Everything you showed was more than acceptable, actually.
    via ResponsibleBank1387

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boyfriend meals cooking traditional trad girlfriend entitled people
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