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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

wibu or was DH re roast beef...

165 replies

therealsantaisagrinch · 20/12/2011 08:59

Apologies if this turns into a long one but don't want to drip feed...

background: DH works varying shifts, I am a full time funded PhD student plus I have a part time job so we are both full time workers out of the home. We have dd who is 2, plus my DS (DH's DSS) who is 12 and DH's DD (DSD) who is 16 living with us so its a pretty full house. I would say that I do about 95-99% of the cooking....

Last week I bought a nice joint of beef and decided to either cook it as a roast at the weekend or the next evening that most of us were around. DS went to his dads on Friday and is back late Tuesday. On Saturday night DH was working and DSD went to a party (I went and picked her up later that night) and DD is around every night but in bed by 7... DH was also due to work a late shift on Sunday.

So, I decided to cook up the joint on Sunday and then do an actual roast with it on Monday evening (last night) after I had gotten back from work and DD was in bed. I chose to cook it on Sunday along with some baked potatoes (DSD and I had them on Sunday) to save time on Monday. I also cooked some extra baked potatoes for DH and DSD to have on Monday as neither were working/at college. When DH got back from work I explained to him that the joint of beef in the fridge in the foil was for Monday for a roast and asked him not to touch it but that there was baked potatoes etc (in fact the fridge was full of food!). I repeated this a couple of times as he doesn't always listen/remember what I have asked and all seemed fine...

Monday I went to work as usual, dropped DD off to nursery etc and at about lunchtime I had a text and phone call asking how long to re-heat the potatoes etc and a general chat... later I had another phone call about something or another and the odd text... I finished work, picked up DD and got home at about 5:45... then after about 5-10 mins DH announced that he had had some beef in a sandwich at about 4pm so that was his portion!

I was furious! I told him he was out of order and reminded him that I had specifically asked him to not touch the beef so that we could have a nice roast together that night (we don't eat together often) and that he had totally disrespected my wishes. I was so angry with him I went upstairs to get some space from him and yes, I actually had a small cry. After about 10 mins he came up and tried to apologise but didn't really apologise as he still didn't see that what he had done was wrong. I was so upset that he had totally disregarded what I had asked and had ruined what was going to be a nice sit down roast together that I had to leave the house to get away before I said too much. I gave dd a kiss and told DH he had to put her to bed as I was going out for a little bit. He was angry with me for the way I was reacting and he said it wasn't a big deal etc... if I had wanted to eat a roast with just me and DSD I would have done that on the Sunday but I wanted to eat with my husband!

I actually only went and sat in the car for an hour, and then came back in and ran a bath. Whilst I was in the bath DH cooked some fishfingers, chips and a fried egg. I got out of the bath and went and sat in the bedroom to read as I was still upset and DH called me on the mobile and told me to come downstairs for food and got annoyed that I was still upset... I went down and ate the food and we watched TV together but DH still maintained that he had done nothing wrong.

I went to bed before DH and strangely slept through until DD woke me at 6, then when DH woke for his shift at about 6:45 he started having a go at me, telling me I need to control my temper and to get a grip because all he had done was eat some beef. I hadn't said anything at this point, it was DH bringing it all up and in my opinion trying to make out that I was the only one in the wrong and that it was all his fault...

so.... apologies for the length again, but was IBU at being upset, or was DH BU for eating the beef?

OP posts:
slavetofilofax · 20/12/2011 10:32

Fig, did he know that she wanted a sit down roast with all the family there, or did he just know that beef was to be eaten on Monday.

There is a subtle but significant difference.

BluddyMoFo · 20/12/2011 10:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

samandi · 20/12/2011 10:34

YANBU. I would be very annoyed if I'd gone to the effort of shopping for, preparing and cooking a nice family meal and someone ate half of it beforehand too. Especially when time is probably quite scarce.

DoesNotGiveAFig · 20/12/2011 10:36

When DH got back from work I explained to him that the joint of beef in the fridge in the foil was for Monday for a roast and asked him not to touch it

I would take from this that there would be a roast meal prepared monday. I would also take from this that the beef was to be used for the roast. I would also respect the wishes and not touch the beef in a "fridge full of food".

A beef sandwich is not a roast, is it?

SantasBigSack · 20/12/2011 10:36

He did not know she wanted a family meal. He is not a mind reader. He only ate his share. I would find it very oppressive to be in a home where I could only eat what I was told to eat.

BluddyMoFo · 20/12/2011 10:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ephiny · 20/12/2011 10:38

Sorry but this sounds ridiculous to me, and I feel a bit sorry for your DH, you sound very hard work to live with.

OK, maybe it was a little bit thoughtless of him to eat the beef, but he didn't intend to upset you and he did apologise! Your reaction is completely out of proportion, if you're behaving like this regularly I think you need to take a serious look at your stress levels and wellbeing, it can't be good for you.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 20/12/2011 10:39

I don't think a single person has suggested the OP's reaction was reasonable, bluddy! Confused

Observing that she's not necessarily the sole source of problems in the relationship is not the same as saying she did nothing unreasonable.

SaggyOldClothCatPusss · 20/12/2011 10:39

I'm sorry, have I missed something? You cooked it all on Sunday to reheat for a 'nice' meal on Monday? Why would you do that to beef. Also - jackets with a roast? wrong wrong wrong.

slavetofilofax · 20/12/2011 10:40

I'd rather have a beef sandwich than a roast. Much yummier.

In fact if I were the dh, I'd have wanted a roast beef sandwich, and then still looked forward to my roast potatoes, veg and yorkshire pud with gravy minus my share of the beef.

Double yummy.

Bloodymary · 20/12/2011 10:40

Well I do think you went over the top OP
Having said that I do know the feeling, my exP had food issues due to his upbringing. He would happily snack (whilst reading the paper) on a couple of cooked chicken breasts that I was going to build dinner around. Grrr.

SantasBigSack · 20/12/2011 10:40

So she reacts hysterically and thats his fault too?

Megatron · 20/12/2011 10:43

Sorry but I think YABU. I understand what you wanted (and it sounds lovely) but I think your reaction was way, way, way, OTT. He ate some beef you told him not to, he didn't poison the cat. Pain in the arse, yes but it's hardly the crime of the century.

There are a ton of things to get wound up about in daily life, my DH pisses me off frequently but I'm afraid if I had a tantrum like you had, he would laugh at my childishness. As would I if it were the other way round. Save the histrionics for things that are really important.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 20/12/2011 10:44

santa - where are you getting that from? Confused

No: there's obviously a problem here. With luck she will come back. Sounds like some of us think her DH did something a bit rude and annoying; others think what he did was fine. We all know she got very upset. Clearly there are problems here above and beyond what the OP is about.

Personally I don't see how taking the piss out of her for getting upset and angry is helping her or her DH.

Laquitar · 20/12/2011 10:46

Me too Bluddy.

I ate all the pistachios that dh bought for xmas (i even had a thread about it). Dh just laughed (not in a bad way) he didn't sulk for 2 days. And what whith using the words 'disrespectful' etc? He just ate a sandwitch.

BluddyMoFo · 20/12/2011 10:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DoesNotGiveAFig · 20/12/2011 10:48

HOW is it not disrespectful to IGNORE a specific request from your partner? And no-one has said her reaction was proportional, but a few of us can actually understand why the incident has upset the op.

Megatron · 20/12/2011 10:49

I agree Laquitar, the world 'disrespectful' is bandied about everywhere on here these days. Though I also agree with some other posters that there appears to be something else going on here as it's not usual to get so upset of some beef.

Amateurish · 20/12/2011 10:50

Yabu and completely ridiculous. Reverse AIBU?

Laquitar · 20/12/2011 10:51

Grin Bluddy

SantasBigSack · 20/12/2011 10:52

I dont think anyone is taking the piss out of her on this thread.

Obviously something else is the matter. That much is obvious. But does that have to be because the DP is not pulling his weight? Its the week before Christmas. She is studying a PHD. As I said near the beginning of the thread, I remember that stressful feeling, trying to do everything, trying to not look like a failure. OP needs to step back, assess her situation and see what can relieve the stress. Yes the DP should help where he can but he cant do her work for her. Id like to know what he does do around the home. If he is just sitting on his arse eating a sammich, Id have made HIM sit in the car for the NIGHT!

I hope she comes back too.

DoesNotGiveAFig · 20/12/2011 10:53

He did not know she wanted a family meal. He is not a mind reader. He only ate his share. I would find it very oppressive to be in a home where I could only eat what I was told to eat.

He knew full well she was going to be preparing a roast with the beef. There was a fridge full of other food available. The OP specifically asked he didn't touch the beef. The OP does 90% of the cooking. It is not unreasonable that she would be telling everyone what they'd be eating for a certain meal.

Comparing this incident to the OP's DH only being "allowed to eat what they were told they could eat" is ridiculous.

BluddyMoFo · 20/12/2011 10:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DoesNotGiveAFig · 20/12/2011 10:54

It is disrespectful to ignore a specific request.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 20/12/2011 10:54

santas - no, it doesn't have to be the DH. I wish she'd come back and let us know. He's just one possible issue among many - but I think obviously she assumes he's the issue, doesn't she? So that needs tackling, even if it turns out that the argument is actually cming from stress about something unrelated.

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