A woman got into an argument with her sister-in-law, and now she wants to know if it’s really that serious.
Taking to Reddit‘s popular “Am I the A–hole” forum, the woman explained that she is renowned amongst her family for her special baked macaroni and cheese. In fact, she wrote that the dish is “the only thing I’m known for at family gatherings.”
However, that famed dish led to her sister-in-law accusing her of “being ‘childish’ over noodles” after they got into a bit of a tiff. Now, even her husband agrees that she made the wrong decision in her response.
Keep reading to find out more…
In her post, the woman wrote that her sister-in-law wanted the recipe, and she turned her down, explaining that she’d “rather keep it a secret.”
“She called me gatekeeper-y and says I’m being ‘childish’ over noodles,” the woman said, adding, “My brother says I should just give it to her to keep the peace.”
The Redditor wanted to know if she was in the wrong, and replies to the post were split.
One person told her that she was wrong, writing, “I don’t understand gatekeeping recipes.”
They added, “Teaching other people your recipes is a great way to connect. I still get messages near the holidays from people I haven’t seen in years that they made my sugar cookie recipe and it was a hit. That makes me feel better than being the only one who knows the recipe.”
Another person agreed that it “seems so childish to not share recipes.”
The comment sparked a debate with one person saying that calling it childish was “wild.”
“Children want things and have trouble understanding ‘no.’ That’s childish,” they argued, adding, “An adult person is perfectly within their right to keep a recipe to themselves. That’s not ‘childish.’ It’s just something they wish to do, it’s theirs and it’s their autonomy and right to do so even if you don’t like it. But because you want it, and they don’t want to give it, it’s childish? Ironic.”
While the Redditor made a point, in a rebuttal, another person wrote, “Children also have trouble with sharing.”
Some users wondered how the sister-in-law would act if she were to get the recipe.
One person hypothesized that she was “probably the sort to insist she’d bringing the Mac and cheese to every event thereafter,” suggesting that she would
Others had a silly solution for the sticky situation.
“The correct move here is to share a different recipe. When the SIL complains you can say something about it being the cook and not the recipe. For years you can joke about that time the SIL tried to cook your recipe. There’s nothing wrong with being evil, it can be a lot of fun,” someone proposed.
Another said that the woman wasn’t in the wrong, but that she would be if if she “[gave] her the recipe but without 1 crucial step or ingredient.”
“Now THAT would be full [a–hole] mode and keep you Queen Of The Mac And Cheese,” they opined.
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