Idiots in the Kitchen. Thoughts?

I have a flatmate. He's a type who believes he knows everything, and won't take a shred of advice unless it comes from his parents or someone with a damn Phd.

So, recently, he's gone towards cooking most of his food at home and its been decent, albeit the chili scent is overpowering at times. However, lately, he's gotten away from traditional Sri Lankan cooking and towards Italian, Japanese and other styles.

But...

In his attempt to do this has left our kitchen in shambles. He's wasted countless ingredients since he's convinced himself he can cook anything now, apparently.

Has anyone here ever met people like this? Super stubborn and willing to argue over everything, for the sake of being right?

God it bothers me to no end....

i have someone like this in my college class and it's the most frustrating thing. he lives about 3 roads down from me so we travel on the same bus, we sit next to each other in class so we always get paired together for group tasks etc. it's just awful. stubborn, argumentative and unwilling to cooperate people are one of my worst pet peeves.

*le sigh*

PH.d doesn't mean anything unless your degree is in that field or similar. My mom is like that. Watery tomato sauce over overcooked pasta or wet green beans even though i bought her a slotted spoon. I worked in kitchens and did some subbing for line cooks and did some pastry experience and bakers asst, but i still not the master of the kitchen.

But i can cook a lot of dishes not native to my people or common here. Mostly asian and coastal Mediterranean... well non catalan/spanish med.

It's great you have a PhD, but this doesn't prove that you're any smarter then someone else and can make you look a bit full of yourself. Usually unless someone asks for your help, I wouldn't give out advice openly or even if he does ask for advice, some people don't really want it. Contradictory I know, but people are unique like that so I wouldn't take it too personally.



Most people do it. I've done it myself before because I can be a bit of a debater, usually hate when I'm wrong as well. I don't usually care all that much, sometimes I'll debate and other times I'll just walk away. The biggest thing is learning not to sweat the small stuff. If I find someone wants to keep arguing with me, then I give up and walk away or better yet I just avoid the argument all together by keeping my mouth shut.

You have to keep in mind that you're living with this person and they share the space with you. You can't keep him from cooking in what is partly his place, but you can talk to him about the messes he makes/using ingredients that aren't his. Basically if he uses all of something he should buy more or if he makes a mess he needs to clean it up before other's use the kitchen. If he doesn't then you can always do what me an my old roommates did in college, put his dirty shit in a box and tell the person next time they will be in the trash. She left all of her things out to rot basically, they even had mold on them (-_-')... never did it again after that luckily.

Oh and be warned that if you have to talk with your flatmate about things like this, he will probably have complaints of his own at some point so don't get upset if he does.

Every single person is like that. Period. Why? People hates to accept they are wrong, so we're constantly lying us to ignore the fact we're imperfect and our conception of the universe is imperfect. It's because our brains works in that way or otherwise our ancestors wouldn't have survived and reproduced with massive lack of confidence and so.

Anyway, even if by nature we're like that, we can always think in a practical/scientifically way to tackle that nature. But yeah, we're just not gonna do that with every single thing because it's tiresome. As long someone isn't going on the life without thinking on important and relevant stuff, it's ok, just leave it be, even if it can yet annoying sometimes (but that's part of the life, too, *chuckles*).

If you don't like his cook, then cook yourself, lol. Or ok, more diplomatic, just don't waste too much on ingredients considering he'll waste em'. Just contribute your part and leave it on that.

Stubbornness is other thing: it's the capacity of having a strong and kinda inflexible force of will (in my opinion).

you will be surprised about how many of those kind of people exist in the world. I know a few myself and they give me headache just trying to have a normal conversation. Whenever you say something they'll need to google it and if you ask them something they will act all high and mighty. But with a bit of patience you will get used to it and figure out how to deal with this kind of people. Though it is hard and sometimes they still do give me a lot of headaches it has become better with time hah

i was like that when i was younger, and i had a guy i roomed with who was like that when i first moved out of my parents house... I just kinda got to lazy to argue, and i moved out of that appartment after only a few months, so i have no idea how to make him stop argueing, other than tell him if he wastes shit, hes gotta pay for it.

I used to have a roommate who cooked every night he got home. Every... single... night. And he'd glare at you if you wanted to use the kitchen when it was his "kitchen time".

He also left the kitchen a mess, and accused everyone of stealing silverware that wasn't his in the first place but would use everyone else's stuff.

Some people just don't know kitchen/roommate etiquette.

Well my oldest brother acts like a know it all at times, but he never really cooked so no to that. I know other people like that, but luckily I never had the opportunity to live with them lol. I will test our some cooking, but before I do I read up online or always ask my dad, who is pretty good cook, about the food item.

Well, for one thing, I don't have a PhD......Otherwise, he'd probably hang on every word. That's how he seems to function. Gotta be SUPER knowledgeable to break that damn stubborn shell of his....

He deludes himself to no end lately. Cooks food, cleans a little bit, and then afterward, the remaining mess is MY fault.

Urge to strangle....so high.....

My bad lol

At this point I know quite a few people either with a PhD or trying to get one.... believe me they are smart, but not all of them are smart when it comes to social interactions. They have all brains and no people skills or even can lack a bit of common sense. They can also be a little full of themselves, but not everyone is like this just what I've run across.

Just suffer through with him as a roommate and when the lease is up move out or hopefully he moves out. Finding a good roommate/flatmate is hard. The only person I'll ever live with is my boyfriend, otherwise I'm sticking with my own place with nice neighboors (even neighboors can be a pain in the ass though so it never really ends lol).

SO TRUE! Afterall their PhD is in a special area and not always necessary in the area of more common knowledge

I used to be like that... Thinking I knew everything about the kitchen and could prepare anything. I liked helping my dad cook as a kid, and now a good 1/3 of the time make said dinner.
Well, I think it was when I was 15 I screwed up and made a large part of dinner inedible. I mean, you could technically eat it, but you'd have to give it down and you would gag it back it immediately.

It isn't often I do that anymore, though it does still happen on occasion. Like 4 times afterward.

As for cocky arrogant people in general, never liked them. Stayed away from those with huge egos of themselves believing they are always right... Mostly because I knew a guy who liked to rub his successes in people's faces. He was indeed a talented guy, but he wouldn't shut up about it. He also kept talking about how he slept with a bunch of girls in high school... Which was false because all the girls I knew disliked him from levels of displeased to complete shunning and loathing.

Me and some other old pal of mine (who was short like I am) were apparently one of the "girls" he slept with at one point because "midgets need love too" (that's apparently what he said about us) and I ratted him out on that. Didn't stop being some sort of boasty show off though, and he was like that all through high school.