'Sabotage': Internet Eviscerated Spouse Who Ruined Wife's Elaborate Meal

The internet was appalled by one spouse's behavior after they explained how they ruined an elaborate meal their wife prepared in a popular forum.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/RoyalBeggers33 said that their wife runs a food website and consistently takes photos of meals she prepares, and that recently, they were tired of waiting for photos to be taken and took matters into their own hands as a result. Titled, "AITA for ruining my wife's work and eating the food before she could take pictures of it?," the viral post has received nearly 12,000 votes and more than 3,000 comments in just seven hours.

Writing that they frequently lose their appetite while waiting for their wife to photograph the meals she prepares, u/RoyalBeggers3 detailed how they decided to interfere with one of her photoshoots.

"She [had] cooked an entire feast as her 'next cooking project' and put it on the table," they wrote. "By looking at the whole table setting, I figured pictures had already been taken, right? But no, she said she was going to take a few pictures and I had to wait."

"She went upstairs to get her camera, that's when I grabbed the spoon and started filling my plate from every dish she's made and 'ruining' the look as a result," they added. "I was hungry and unwilling to wait around for 10+ [minutes] to eat."

When their wife returned with her camera, the Redditor said she was infuriated to discover the meal had been destroyed.

"She came downstairs, saw the 'damage' and blew up, almost crying, saying I just ruined her cooking project that she worked hours for," they wrote. "I said I was hungry and couldn't wait but she kept yelling...even said that this was an attempt of me to 'sabotage' her success."

As social media has grown over the last two decades, so has the saying: "phone eats first."

Food and photos of food have remained at the forefront of the conversation surrounding a growing emphasis on sharing what seems like every part of social media users' lives. "Phone eats first," otherwise known as snapping a photo of a meal before consuming it, is a common practice in 2022, and can lead to great success (as well as interpersonal issues).

Though the most-followed food influencers boast upwards of nine million followers, according to Statista, more than 50 percent of Americans report regularly taking photos of their food, with 31 percent taking photos of food they cooked, and another 22 percent taking photos of meals during special occasions.

However, while food photos have flooded social media for decades, BBC reported that a growing number of food influencers can potentially affect what, and how, people eat. As well-followed influencers strike deals to advertise unhealthy foods, people's perception of unhealthy foods can change, leading to worsening diets and food choices.

"With higher engagement and reach metrics for unhealthy food, content producers may gradually shift their content to be unhealthier to stay competitive," Ethan Pancer, a professor of marketing at Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Canada told BBC.

"And with more exposure to unhealthy foods," Pancer added. "Consumer perceptions of what is considered normal eating habits may skew to be unhealthier."

But for those taking photos of food for reasons beyond gaining followers and ad deals, pre-meal photoshoots can play a pivotal role. People operating food websites, like the original poster's wife, rely on crisp photographs of food they've prepared to establish themselves as reliable resources.

In the viral Reddit post's top comment, which has received more than 35,000 votes, Redditor u/km89 eviscerated u/RoyalBeggers33 and cited their wife's extensive preparation as the chief reason they should not have "ruined" the meal.

"What the actual f**k," they commented. "Sounds like this is her job or at minimum an important hobby. Keep a Lunchable and a juice box in the fridge for when you need to act like a child."

Another Redditor relayed a similar message, and told the original poster they did indeed interfere with their wife's success.

"She worked hard on it and you couldn't wait a few minutes while she took pictures. If you can't stand the wait then make your own food," they commented. "You did do it to sabotage her since you KNEW that she hadn't taken any photos yet."

"Apologize to your wife," they added.

Responding to the original poster's inquiry if they were wrong to do what they did, Redditor u/WhereTheWhalesAt was stunned they even asked the question.

"Do you really need to ask? You took something she loves to do, something she is proud of, something that brings her joy, and you told her you didn't care about it," they commented.