A thrifty father stirred outrage and debate on Reddit when he served his family food from the trash can. Some habits seem hard to shake, no matter how gross they may be. Here is the full story.
He Grew up Dumpster Diving for Food
OP is an adult man who grew up in a low-income family with his younger sister. When he was 6, his mother moved out of the house and to a different city. That left OP and his sister to live with their alcoholic father.
OP found out later that their mother sent money back to the dad for child support, but very little of it went beyond the dad’s booze purchases.
By the time OP was 16, he was on his own and had to take care of his sister.
With almost no money, OP learned how to dumpster dive and pull out discarded food that was still safe to eat. It wasn’t glamorous, but at least they didn’t starve.
He and His Sister Are Now Successful
Today, OP is in his late 30s with his own family. Both he and his sister have built solid careers and make good money.
But even though money is no longer an issue, OP still can’t stand to waste anything. And wasted food is the biggest sin there is, in his book.
The problem is that OP and his wife don’t see eye to eye on the issue of food waste. She constantly throws out what he considers perfectly good food just because the “best by” date has passed.
And OP’s wife likes to shop at Costco, which only worsens matters. She buys in bulk, which almost always results in some food going bad before they can eat it.
Wasting Food Causes Tension
So, food is a constant tension between OP and his wife. He thinks she’s completely wasteful, and she thinks he’s controlling and wants to put them all in danger by having them eat old food.
It all came to a head recently when OP came home from work and found a pile of food in their trash can outside.
A pack of lettuce, a loaf of bread, and potatoes were there. OP checked them out; while the bread and lettuce expired, they were not moldy or wilted.
And the potatoes had eyes, but OP couldn’t find any green or rotten spots.
“Don’t Feed Us Garbage”
So OP rescued all of the food from the trash and took it inside to clean it up. Then he used that food, plus some fresh chicken, to prepare supper for his family.
That evening, OP’s wife thanked him for the meal and commented on how good everything tasted.
That’s when OP sprang the news on her. He said he was glad the meal tasted good to her because he made it with the food she had thrown out.
OP’s wife was disgusted and furious, saying he had no business feeding garbage to his family.
“You Could Have Given Us Food Poisoning”
But OP reminded her she had just been saying how good the food tasted. And he told her for the millionth time that wasting food was a big problem.
His wife wouldn’t back down, though, and said OP could have given them all food poisoning or worse.
No one got sick, though, and OP can’t see how he’s wrong for trying to make the most of what they have. He admits he was trying to prove a point, but his wife said he crossed a line and was being abusive.
Redditors are mixed in their opinions about this situation.
He May Need Therapy To Help With His Abandonment and Control Issues
Many of them agree with OP’s wife and think OP crossed a line and put his family at risk. Some of them think he may need therapy to help with his abandonment and control issues.
Others wholeheartedly agree with OP and think that throwing away good food is completely unacceptable. They applaud him for taking a strong stand.
She Called the Police Because He Was Doing His Job! But He Was in the Right
The post His Childhood Trauma Resurfaces as He Serves Family Dumpster Delicacies, Igniting Food Poisoning Debate With His Wife! first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
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Source: Reddit