Why Every Meal I Make for My Mom is Secret Revenge

A woman shares a secret act of revenge against her mother, rooted in a painful childhood memory. Growing up, her mom would punish her with overly spicy food, knowing she couldn’t tolerate it. The emotional manipulation left a lasting impact.

But at 16, when she started cooking dinners, she found a way to subtly fight back by preparing pasta, a dish her mom despises. Over the years, pasta has become her go-to meal whenever they share a table, using her mom’s own guilt tactics against her. While she acknowledges the pettiness, this small act feels like reclaiming the power her mom once held. read the original story below…

‘ Why Every Meal I Make for My Mom is Secret Revenge’

This is something I’ve never told anyone—not my husband, not my friends, no one. But tonight, it happened again, and I just can’t help but feel a little proud of myself. I know it’s petty, but I’ve been holding onto this for years, and it feels good to finally let it out.

Growing up, my mom had a very specific way of punishing me, and only me. She never touched my siblings, but for some reason, I was the “bad kid” in her eyes. She wanted my dad to spank me when I misbehaved, but he refused. He told her flat out that if anyone laid a hand on his kids, he couldn’t stay in the marriage. My dad had his own rough childhood and wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.

So instead, my mom came up with her own way to punish me: spicy food. Whenever my dad was at work and it was just the two of us, she’d serve me meals loaded with spice, knowing full well that I hated it and that it made me sick. If I asked for something else to eat, she’d start crying, saying things like, “Don’t you love me? After all the effort I put into cooking for you?” It worked every time. I’d feel so guilty that I’d eat it anyway, even though it left me miserable with stomach cramps and worse.

But everything changed when I turned 16 and started cooking dinner twice a week. That’s when I realized I could get back at her in the most subtle, satisfying way. My mom hates pasta—she claims it’s slimy and can’t stand the texture. So, one night after she’d screamed at me over something trivial, I decided to make pasta for dinner. And I didn’t stop there. I loaded it with sauce and even baked it so the top got crispy, which she despises. When she tried to refuse, I pulled her own guilt trip on her: “What did I do wrong? Are you mad at me, Mom?”

Since then, pasta has been my go-to meal for every dinner we share. She can’t call me out because my dad, my husband, or someone else she doesn’t want to look bad in front of is always there. Watching her choke down chicken alfredo while trying to keep a straight face is my private little victory every single time.

I know it’s petty, and maybe it makes me the bad guy, but after everything she put me through, I honestly don’t care. This is my way of reclaiming a little bit of power, and I fully intend to keep it up until she stops eating my cooking—or until she cuts me off entirely. Until then, I’ll keep enjoying the show.

These are the responses from Reddit users:

JustMissKacey −  lol. Make chicken n**dle soup 🍲Mmmm pasta that’s been soaking in broth lmao

mimisburnbook −  I’m sorry, i support this petty and contained yet brutal revenge

StnMtn_ −  You can cook extra for us please.

EllieCrown2 −  I kinda love this

UglyPuta- −  This is on her, now she’s got no other choice but to eat her karma

Queasy-Flower-9258 −  That was very satisfying to read, thank you.  I have a question, has your mother ever confronted you in private in regards to what your doing and or acknowledging what she did? I don’t mean to apologise but that she knows what you’re doing and why. I’m just looking to satisfy my appetite for drama 😋

frankvagabond303 −  Have you tried using an even slimier n**dle like rice noodles? You could make a nice pad Thai. It doesn’t have to be spicy. Also, you can buy the frozen family size bag of the 1 pan stuff at the grocery store, if you don’t want to try from scratch.

rainwolf42 −  I did this with my aunt. She’s a germaphobe so I legit licked every utensil she ever used when I made dinner and told her the day I moved out.

panlevap −  May l recommennd Carbonara next time? The half raw egg will surely correspond with your mother’s afinity to slimy textures. I mean yummy textures.

Shelly_895 −  You should also post this on pettyrevenge. This is awesome.

What do you think of her creative (and spicy) approach to handling past grievances? Have you ever found your own subtle way of reclaiming power in a relationship? Share your thoughts below!