ENS

Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.

Lesson Info

Type
Social Post
Level
3 / B1
Published
Title
AITA for Wanting Normal Food?
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/smposts/aita-for-wanting-normal-food/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: Read the Comments, Why Did They Post?, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice

Language: Words That Go Together, Everyday Expressions

Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions

Answers

Do you prefer homemade food, ready-made food, or a mix of both? Why?

A split-screen illustration contrasts homemade food in a tidy kitchen with a man eating fast food alone in his car.
Eating outside the home.

Vocab List

AITA (abbr.) — Short for “Am I the asshole?” It is used online when someone asks if they were wrong in a situation.
bother (v.) — To make someone feel annoyed or upset.
from scratch (phrase) — Made from basic ingredients, not bought ready-made.
hide (v.) — To keep something where other people cannot see it.
store-bought (adj.) — Bought from a store instead of made at home.
sneak (v.) — To do something secretly, often because it is not allowed.
effort (n.) — The work or energy used to do something.
ungrateful (adj.) — Not showing thanks for what someone has done.
value (n.) — A belief about what is important or right.
asshole (n.) — An offensive word for a person who behaves badly, selfishly, or unfairly.
Reading

I’m 35, and my wife is 33. We’ve been married for five years. Over the last year, she has become very serious about food. She cooks almost everything from scratch now: bread, granola, cookies, pasta sauce, and even crackers.

Her food is good. She is a good cook, and I know she puts a lot of time and effort into it. That is not the problem. The problem is that sometimes I don’t want a homemade version of everything. Sometimes I just want normal store-bought food, like frozen pizza, cereal, or snacks from the supermarket.

My wife does most of the cooking and grocery shopping, so she thinks it makes sense to do things her way. She also says she doesn’t want junk food in the house because it goes against her values. If I want unhealthy food, she says I should eat it outside.

That really bothers me. Now I feel like I am hiding food at work or eating fast food before I come home. I’m an adult, not a child sneaking candy.

When I bring this up, she says I’m being ungrateful. I do appreciate her cooking, but I also want some choice in my own home. So, am I the asshole for wanting normal food at home?

AITA for Wanting Normal Food?

Level 3 Social
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

A split-screen illustration contrasts homemade food in a tidy kitchen with a man eating fast food alone in his car.
Eating outside the home.
Poster
Phil

I’m 35, and my wife is 33. We’ve been married for five years. Over the last year, she has become very serious about food. She cooks almost everything from scratch now: bread, granola, cookies, pasta sauce, and even crackers.

Her food is good. She is a good cook, and I know she puts a lot of time and effort into it. That is not the problem. The problem is that sometimes I don’t want a homemade version of everything. Sometimes I just want normal store-bought food, like frozen pizza, cereal, or snacks from the supermarket.

My wife does most of the cooking and grocery shopping, so she thinks it makes sense to do things her way. She also says she doesn’t want junk food in the house because it goes against her values. If I want unhealthy food, she says I should eat it outside.

That really bothers me. Now I feel like I am hiding food at work or eating fast food before I come home. I’m an adult, not a child sneaking candy.

When I bring this up, she says I’m being ungrateful. I do appreciate her cooking, but I also want some choice in my own home. So, am I the asshole for wanting normal food at home?

Read the Comments

Read the Comments

  • frizzybanana

    You are not wrong for wanting some choice at home. You can appreciate her cooking and still ask for a few store-bought foods.

    This comment

    c. Supports his wish for some store-bought choices
  • catman

    If she does most of the cooking and shopping, you should also help more before calling your food "normal" and hers something else.

    This comment

    a. Challenges the way he describes the food
  • shade64

    This sounds more like a values problem than a food problem. You both need a house rule that feels fair to each of you.

    This comment

    b. Suggests making a fair house rule
  1. a. Challenges the way he describes the food
  2. b. Suggests making a fair house rule
  3. c. Supports his wish for some store-bought choices

Speaker: American Male  Duration: 1:29  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

I’m 35, and my wife is 33. We’ve been married for five years. Over the last year, she has become very (1) about food. She cooks almost everything from (2) now: bread, granola, cookies, pasta sauce, and even crackers.

Her food is good. She is a good cook, and I know she puts a lot of time and effort into it. That is not the problem. The problem is that sometimes I don’t want a homemade version of everything. Sometimes I just want normal store-bought food, like (3) pizza, cereal, or snacks from the supermarket.

My wife does most of the cooking and grocery shopping, so she thinks it makes sense to do things her way. She also says she doesn’t want junk food in the house because it goes against her (4) . If I want unhealthy food, she says I should eat it outside.

That really bothers me. Now I feel like I am (5) food at work or eating fast food before I come home. I’m an adult, not a child sneaking candy.

When I bring this up, she says I’m being (6) . I do appreciate her cooking, but I also want some choice in my own home. So, am I the asshole for wanting normal food at home?

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Do you prefer homemade food or store-bought food? Why?

    A:

  2. Q: Should the person who cooks and shops decide what food is kept at home?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Do you prefer homemade food or store-bought food? Why?

    A: I usually prefer homemade food some store-bought snacks are nice sometimes too.

    because / so / but / and

    I usually prefer homemade food but some store-bought snacks are nice sometimes too.

  2. Q: Should the person who cooks and shops decide what food is kept at home?

    A: The person who cooks should listen too, both people live in the home.

    and / but / because / so

    The person who cooks should listen too, because both people live in the home.

  3. , the poster doesn't sound grateful.

    Also, / For example, / Still, / To me,

    To me,, the poster doesn't sound grateful.

Discussion Questions
  1. Should couples always eat the same kinds of food at home?
  2. Do you prefer homemade food or store-bought food? Why?
  3. What foods are best when they are homemade?
  4. What does the poster mean by normal food?
  5. What advice would you give the poster?
  6. What advice would you give his wife?
  7. Should the person who cooks and shops decide what food is kept at home?
  8. What foods do you think are worth making from scratch?
  9. Have you ever eaten something secretly? Why?
  10. What are you grateful for?

Discussion Questions

  1. Should couples always eat the same kinds of food at home?
  2. Do you prefer homemade food or store-bought food? Why?
  3. What foods are best when they are homemade?
  4. What does the poster mean by normal food?
  5. What advice would you give the poster?
  6. What advice would you give his wife?
  7. Should the person who cooks and shops decide what food is kept at home?
  8. What foods do you think are worth making from scratch?
  9. Have you ever eaten something secretly? Why?
  10. What are you grateful for?

Answers AITA for Wanting Normal Food? / Level 3

Read the Comments:

  1. frizzybanana: c. Supports his wish for some store-bought choices
  2. catman: a. Challenges the way he describes the food
  3. shade64: b. Suggests making a fair house rule

Listening: (1) serious, (2) scratch, (3) frozen, (4) values, (5) hiding, (6) ungrateful

Why Did They Post?: He wants to know if he is wrong for wanting some store-bought food at home.

True or False:

  1. True. He says that over the last year, she has become very serious about food.
  2. False. He clearly says her food is good and that she is a good cook.
  3. True. She says if he wants unhealthy food, he should eat it outside.
  4. True. He says he feels like he is hiding food and adds that he is not a child sneaking candy.

Multiple Choice: c, c, b, a

Put Events in Order:

  1. Over the last year, the wife became very serious about food and started making almost everything from scratch.
  2. The poster started feeling that he still wanted some store-bought food at home.
  3. The wife said she did not want junk food in the house and told him to eat it outside.
  4. The poster began hiding food at work or eating fast food before coming home.
  5. The poster asked if he was wrong for wanting normal food at home.

Vocabulary:

  1. put: time and effort into it
  2. go against: her values
  3. make: sense
  1. sneak: candy
  2. be: ungrateful
  3. appreciate: her cooking

Everyday Expressions: 1. b; 2. b; 3. b

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Reason. 3) Opinion.

  1. but
  2. because
  3. To me,

eslnewsstories.com