My wife, Megan, always poured her heart and soul into preparing our family’s monthly meals, but instead of being thanked, she received harsh and hateful comments from my relatives. After witnessing her weep repeatedly, I devised a covert strategy to discover the underlying cause for their relentless criticism. What I learned destroyed my heart.
Our family has a lengthy history of having monthly dinners, which was passed down from my grandmother, who thought that sharing meals brought her siblings closer together. As my father grew older, he continued this practice with his own family, and my siblings and I looked forward to it each month. These meals were anything but ordinary—Dad would go all out with decorations, and Mom usually cooked at least three handmade dishes.
Now that we’re older, my siblings and I continue the tradition, taking turns hosting. Megan was excited to participate when Megan and I began hosting. She enjoys cooking and finds it therapeutic, so she gradually took over kitchen tasks. The first time she prepared supper for my family, however, things took a bad turn.
“I knew something tasted off,” Angela, my sister, remarked, pushing her plate away. “It’s just bland.”
Dan, my brother, muttered, “Yeah, the chicken’s dry.”
Even my mom chimed in, “Maybe you could use a bit less seasoning next time.”
Megan’s face dropped. I attempted to defend her by praising the cuisine, but the harm had been done. Later that night, I discovered her crying. Despite my promises that her cuisine was excellent, Megan was devastated. She refused to cook for my family again, but I persuaded her to give it another go.
Megan worked hard to perfect her dishes for the following supper, which included my mother’s favorite roasted chicken and Angela’s favorite red sauce pasta. But, once again, their responses were frigid and harsh. Angela grumbled about the pasta, and my mother quietly threw out the chicken, offering to email Megan the recipe. Seeing Megan’s quiet sobbing was awful.
That’s when it hit me: something wasn’t right. I began to think that their critique was unrelated to the cuisine. Determined to learn the truth, I devised a strategy. Megan and I would pretend that I had prepared the next evening, despite the fact that she had done all of the work.
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