Reddit users defended a man who refuses to buy Wagyu beef for his in-laws — people who eat only well-done steak.
“AITA for buying lower grade steaks when my in-laws visit and serving my [own] mom and dad Wagyu?” asked a Reddit user by the name of “Late-Enthusiasm3751” in a post on the “Am I The A-hole” subreddit on Thursday, March 2.
The man explained that he and his wife live far away from both sets of parents. They visit with them a few times a year.
While Late-Enthusiasm3751 said his wife’s parents are “lovely people,” he said they’re also very different from his own parents in one big way: their tastes in food.
“My mom and dad love food,” wrote Late-Enthusiasm3751. “They will buy pounds of garlic and leave it in a rice maker for a month to make black garlic. They plan their vacations around amazing restaurants.”
On the flip side, the man said his wife’s parents have a less refined palate.
“Boiling chicken drumsticks is fancy for them,” he wrote. “And they refuse to eat steak that isn’t well-done.”
The man learned this when he visited their home for dinner and was given a well-done steak, without being asked if that was his preference, he said.
“It took me years to convince my wife to try a medium-rare steak,” he wrote. “Now she loves them.”
On one occasion, he said he bought “beautiful prime steak” for his wife’s parents when they visited.
Despite his hesitations, he “made theirs medium-well.”
“Her dad took it back to the grill and destroyed them,” he said. “So now I buy select grade [uniform in quality] meat.”
On the contrary, Late-Enthusiasm3751 said he buys “excellent quality Wagyu” about once a year, when his own parents visit.
The expensive steaks, however, have caused conflict between Late-Enthusiasm3751 and his wife, he said.
“My wife says I’m being an a-hole by not treating both families the same,” he wrote. “I don’t think I should waste money on great food for them when I know how they will treat it.”
Fox News Digital reached out to an etiquette expert for comment on this situation.
On the AITA subreddit, people on Reddit can reply to posts and indicate the poster is “NTA” (“Not the A-hole”), “YTA” (“You’re the A-hole”), “NAH” (“No A-hole Here”) or “ESH” (“Everyone Sucks Here”).
Users can “upvote” responses they think are helpful and “downvote” ones that are not.
The majority of Redditors who replied to the post took Late-Enthusiasm3751’s side in this case, agreeing it would be a waste of money for him to cook Wagyu beef well done.
“I might get down voted, but honestly I do not see the point in paying for really expensive steak for someone who is going to want it served as burnt offerings,” wrote Reddit user “OverRice2524” in the top-upvoted reply.
“They certainly won’t understand the difference. NTA,” this user added.
Wagyu beef is Japanese-style beef, according to Furious Grill, a website.
Of the four main breeds of Wagyu cattle — Japanese Brown, Japanese Black, Japanese Polled and Japanese Shorthorn — Japanese Black is “prized for its intensive marbling” and is the most commonly used beef, said the same source.
Wagyu beef is more expensive than other types of beef due to the “selection, care, feeding and obsessive efforts of Wagyu breeders” to ensure a tender steak.
“They can create special feeds out of grasses, forage, rice straw, corn, barley, soybean, wheat bran and sometimes even beer or sake,” said the site, adding that “some breeders would even massage their cattle to release muscle tension.”
Due to the aforementioned marbled fat content, Furious Grill said that it is not recommended to cook Wagyu beef above medium. “Anything past medium results in a dry, less flavorful steak.”
Another top-upvoted comment on Reddit suggested that Late-Enthusiasm3751 find a different item to splurge on during his in-laws’ visits.
“[Try] drinks, desserts or even an experience that would be meaningful to them (and more importantly, make your wife feel heard, validated and like her family is important to you),” wrote Reddit user “catsndogspls.”
Reddit user “KindCompetence” had a slightly different take on the post, saying that nobody was really in the wrong in this situation.
“Stop having steak with your in-laws. You can’t feed them Waygu (and I understand why) but your wife can’t accept you being snobby about meat and giving her parents meat [that] you know is lower quality on purpose,” this Reddit user wrote.
“She’s right, it’s disrespectful to serve food you see as insulting,” the person added.
Instead, KindCompetence suggested that the original Reddit poster come to understand that “steak is not an in-law meal” — and “find one that you can make with ingredients you respect and that they will enjoy.”
“You’re only an AH if you demand that someone wins the steak fight, instead of putting all of that energy into finding another showpiece meal you can all enjoy each other’s company over,” said KindCompetence.
