Girlfriend Stops Cooking After Boyfriend Serves Up a Case of Diarrhea

Most people learn to cook chicken safely in high school home economics, but one grown man apparently missed that lesson.

After moving in with his talented chef girlfriend, he happily outsourced all cooking duties to her. When she insisted he take over one night a week, he resisted, arguing that her food was simply better.

The result was a disastrous meal of raw chicken that landed his girlfriend with days of violent illness. His biggest complaint? She stopped packing his lunch for him.

Now, read the full story:

This post is a masterclass in entitlement and what the internet has dubbed “weaponized incompetence.” The boyfriend clearly views his girlfriend’s talent as a free service he is entitled to, rather than a shared household chore.

He resists learning, makes dangerous mistakes, and then complains that he is being “punished” because she won’t continue to cater to him like a mother. The fact that his biggest complaint is the loss of his packed Tupperware speaks volumes about his expectations in the relationship.

He is not upset that he poisoned his partner; he is upset that he lost his personal chef.

Weaponized incompetence is the strategic failure to perform basic tasks so poorly that the partner stops asking them to do it. The goal is to offload responsibility onto the more competent partner.

In this case, the boyfriend’s inability to cook a simple piece of chicken safely, despite being told exactly how to check for doneness, suggests a deliberate lack of effort. He even admits he doesn’t “feel the need to get as good as her,” which translates to: I don’t feel the need to try.

This dynamic is a major source of stress in relationships. According to a 2023 study by Pew Research Center, even in relationships where both partners work full-time, women still shoulder the majority of household labor, including the mental load of meal planning and cooking.

The girlfriend’s frustration is completely justified. She isn’t just tired of cooking; she is tired of the emotional labor of teaching an unwilling student and the physical risk of eating his poorly prepared food. As Dr. John Gottman, a renowned relationship expert, states, “A lack of shared responsibility and a refusal to contribute fairly to household tasks is a major predictor of relationship dissatisfaction.” 

The boyfriend’s refusal to learn, coupled with his dangerous mistake, confirms to his girlfriend that he is not a partner, but a dependent.

Check out how the community responded:

The entire community was unanimous: YTA (You’re the [Jerk]), with many users immediately diagnosing the issue as weaponized incompetence.

Redditors were appalled that the boyfriend’s main concern was the loss of his packed lunch, not his girlfriend’s health.

Many users pointed out that cooking skills are easily acquired and that the boyfriend’s resistance was a sign of entitlement.

The girlfriend is not punishing her partner; she is protecting herself from salmonella and emotional exhaustion. The boyfriend needs to stop viewing his girlfriend as a domestic service provider and start acting like an adult partner who contributes equally to the household—and learns how to use a meat thermometer.

Do you think the girlfriend should try to teach him again, or is it time for her to walk away?