I have been married for three years now. We usually eat dinner at home every night to save money. I do all the cooking because I genuinely enjoy preparing food for my husband after he finishes work.
Or at least I thought I did. Last week, I was looking for a spare pen in the study room. I opened the bottom drawer of his wooden desk.
Right at the back was a small black notebook with my name written on the cover. Naturally, I opened it out of curiosity. Inside were pages and pages of neat handwriting.
Every single entry listed a date, the dish I cooked, and a score out of ten. Some entries even had harsh comments written in red ink next to the numbers. He gave my steamed fish a four out of ten because he claimed the soy sauce was too salty.
He gave my chicken curry a three out of ten and wrote that it lacked depth. There were weeks where my average score barely hit five. What hurts the most is how he always acts when we eat.
Every time I ask him how the food is, he just smiles and tells me it is delicious. He cleans his plate and thanks me for cooking. Not once did he tell me my cooking was disappointing to my face.
Instead, he kept his complaints locked inside a secret notebook like some kind of restaurant food critic reviewing a stranger. I stood in the study room holding that little book and felt my face burning with embarrassment. I had put so much effort into planning meals after working long hours myself, only to find out I was being secretly judged and graded behind my back every single night.
When he came home from work, I placed the black notebook right on the dining table before dinner. He went completely pale and tried to explain that it was just a personal habit to help him track his digestion.
But I could not bring myself to touch the food I cooked for him that evening. Now every time we sit down for a meal, I keep thinking about what score he would give today food.
Should I stop cooking for a partner who secretly grades every meal in a hidden notebook
What would you do if your partner hid something this important from you?
