Man Who ‘Can’t Cook’ Offers To Pay His Female Neighbor to Prepare Meals for Him

What’s a single guy who doesn’t know how to cook to do? Well, he might think about asking his neighbor who does know how to cook—and who is always making delicious-smelling meals—to cook a little extra for him. If he offers to pay her, it’s totally fine, right?

Maybe. Or maybe not. The question was brought up on Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole?” forum from said single guy.

For even more background, the man is 31 and lives alone in an apartment complex. “Due to losing one of my part-time gigs, I don’t have as much money for takeout anymore,” he explained. “I’m getting really sick of eating cheap fast food or box mac and cheese. I’m gaining weight and I never feel great.”

Well, we can certainly understand that. So what’s the solution? He explained in the post that he has a female neighbor who he exchanges hellos with, but that’s about the extent of their relationship.

“I can always smell her cooking in the hall and it always smells amazing,” he wrote. “I’ve even complimented it a few times. So I got the idea that I’d offer to give her some money each week to cook a little extra and bring it over to me (or I can pick it up from her!) at night. She’s cooking anyway and then I’d have varied presumably delicious food.”

Brilliant, yes? However, the neighbor didn’t think so.

“She said it was rude to ask, and that she isn’t a housekeeper for hire and I should get a housekeeper if that’s what I want,” the man wrote. “She also called me ‘a stranger’ even though we have talked in the halls before.”

“Overall she made me feel like a big jerk and really embarrassed for even asking her, and a little mad because she was acting like I was being creepy,” the man continued.

He went on to explain that his question was merely innocent and couldn’t understand why she had such a bad reaction. She cooks every day anyway, and everyone could use some extra money, so what gives?

And so goes the question: Am I the a**hole?

The response the man got toward one side was overwhelming—and that side was that he was, indeed, the a**hole.

“You’re assuming a lot,” someone pointed out. “You’re assuming this woman has nothing better to do than to plan a menu, shop, cook and serve you for a few extra dollars? Enjoying cooking for oneself does not mean she wants to turn it into a business. Watch some YouTube videos on easy one meals, learn to feed yourself.”

“I think this deserves a spot in the Food A**holes Hall of Fame,” someone else wrote. “With Subway Guy and Lasagna Guy and all the others.”

“Why couldn’t you just ask her ‘Hey I’m not a good cook but I’ve smelled some great food coming from your place, would you mind sharing some easy recipes with me if that’s not too much trouble?’” another person proposed.

The man later edited his post, admitting he can see more clearly now and wants to apologize to the woman.

You can read the entire forum here!

What do you think—do you think he was innocently asking to do them both a favor? Or do you think it was totally inappropriate to ask?