Dads Disastrous Dinner Dilemma: AITA for Refusing His Culinary Catastrophes?
"Facing family meal disasters with dad's cooking skills, AITA for refusing his culinary attempts? Tensions rise as burnt dishes continue. What to do?"
A 28-year-old woman refused to keep bailing her dad out every time he “takes over” the kitchen, and now her family’s dinners are basically a live experiment in chaos. This isn’t just a little “oops, forgot the salt” either. Her dad’s meals routinely come out burnt, undercooked, or somehow both, and he acts like everyone else is the problem.
It all started when he promised to cook for special occasions, then made it worse every single time. He even ran a catering business years ago, so the confidence is real, but the results are not. At her sister’s birthday dinner, his lasagna ended up scorched, so they ordered takeout. For the upcoming barbecue, she suggested splitting dishes to avoid another disaster, but he got offended and insisted he’d cook everything himself.
Now the question is whether refusing to let him “handle it” makes her the AH, or if the family is finally done eating the evidence.
Original Post
I (28F) am facing a dilemma with my dad (55M) when it comes to family meals. Every time there's a special occasion or family gathering, my dad insists on taking over the cooking.
However, without fail, his dishes end up burnt, undercooked, or just plain inedible. Despite our gentle suggestions to let someone else cook or at least supervise him, he gets defensive and insists he's the best chef in the family.
For background, my dad used to run a small catering business years ago, but ever since he retired, his culinary skills seem to have taken a nosedive. Last weekend, for my sister's birthday dinner, he promised to make her favorite lasagna but ended up burning the entire dish, leaving us to order takeout instead.
This has been causing tension in our family, with my mom and siblings dreading his cooking attempts, but he remains oblivious. Recently, we planned a family barbecue, and I suggested we assign different dishes to everyone to avoid any mishaps, but he got offended and declared he would cook everything himself.
I'm at a loss on how to handle this situation without hurting his feelings or ruining family gatherings. So, AITA?
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This is similar to the AITA fight over excluding dad for food allergies at the family dinner.
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That sister’s birthday lasagna, the one that turned into an order-from-the-menu rescue mission, sets the tone for what’s been happening for years with dad in charge.
When mom and the siblings already dread dinner, OP is basically trying to prevent round two of burnt food and defensive speeches.
The barbecue plan gets messy fast, because OP’s “everyone brings something” idea hits dad’s ego like a slap in the oven mitts.
And once dad declares he’ll cook everything himself again, the family’s next meal feels less like dinner and more like a countdown to another disaster.
Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.
He might be convinced he’s the best chef in the family, but the lasagna evidence says otherwise.
For another family dinner blowup, see whether you can refuse to contribute when your sister takes over.
