Having roommates can be a whole thing, but when you’re young and in college, on your own for the first time, there’s a lot of learning – and teaching – to be done.
OP was in exactly that situation with a house full of young people. For the most part it was going ok, even if the kitchen could get crowded around meals.
I was living in my first apartment, a complex for college students. The complex give us a separate bedroom and bathroom. But the kitchen and dinner room were common.
There was one kitchen per floor. As you expect, dinner time was crowded, but we managed.
There was one person, though, who would put their 3-minute rice in the microwave and then walk away, leaving someone else to take it off the heat and finish the task.
Quickly, I notice a guy, he always did the same thing. He came, prepare a quick meal, put it in the induction hob and left.
I notice him for two reasons, first, I find it odd to leave the kitchen while cooking. If you cook a long meal, I get it, but a quick meal?
The second reasons was because he left for an unreasonable time. His main meal was a 3-min rice, but he usually left for 20 to 30 min.
So while I was cooking, then eating in the kitchen area, I often stop the pan and evacuate the water to not have the rice turning bad.
OP did it a couple of times, but when he asked the guy about staying and watching his own food, he shrugged and said “someone will do it for me.”
After multiples times, I try to tell him that whatever he did, his rice was only cooking for 3 minutes, and since his activities take him 20 minutes each time, he should take care of his meal. But he shut me off, telling me to mind my business.
I told him that he wasn’t nice, but I will indeed stop taking care of his meal now. And his meal will turn bad.
He smirks, telling me there are a lot of people in the floor and someone will do it anyway.
So, OP stopped doing it. When he saw someone else doing it instead, they warned them the guy wouldn’t be grateful.
Few days later, I can see his pan with rice again. And someone else decided to take care of it. That person end up sitting in my table to eat and ask about the rice without owner when everyone was eating. So I told her about the guy who constantly left other cooking for him.
She tells me I was being mean and we should help each others. I told her I won’t stop her from cooking for him, but he will be ungrateful. She didn’t like my answer and stay silent.
Soon enough, everyone got tired of helping the guy out and one day, decided they wouldn’t.
I saw her taking care of his meal multiples times after that. Then, one day, she caught the man fleeing the kitchen and run after him. She came back and sit right next to me.
She wanted to vent about how the man was a brat. I laugh, I say, “I told you”. This scenario repeat 5 times. But the last 2 were easier since 3 persons were telling the same thing.
At some point, someone ask the dude what he was doing to ditch his meal every day, video games. XD
After our team of 5 were formed. I notice one thing, basically no one was helping to anything in the kitchen, the only one who did was us 5. (we were 20 per floor, it wasn’t a big building, only 100 room for 5 floors)
So with us not helping him anymore, his rice will finally turn bad. I talk to the other about it, and we decided to see the show.
They – mostly OP – waited over two hours for him to come back and find his absolutely scorched rice.
We came the earlier possible, cook, eat and just hang out in the kitchen. Then, come the man, as usual, he put water in his pan, add the 3 minutes rices and left. The time we came back was random, but mostly around 20–30 minutes, the worst was 1 hour.
We waited, 3 minutes passed, and he wasn’t there, as expected. Others started to come and make their meal, sometimes they ask for the abandoned rice. So we just explain that the owner was in his room playing video games. They all shrugs and continue their business, nobody even try to help.
Oh yeah, he put the induction hub at max temperature too.
After 30 minutes, we expected him to come, but he didn’t. Feeling interested in science (I never saw overcooked rice before, well, not that overcooked), I approach the pan to look at the rice. I take a fork and dig a little. They ask what it’s look like, I answer the rice look completely fine if untouched, but disintegrate in a fine powder in the water with my fork.
At 40 and 50 minutes, he still wasn’t there. Most people have finished eating and return to their room by now. 2 of the group decided to leave too.
At 1 hour, someone check the state of the rice and say all the water was evaporated. It was proposed to stop the induction hob to not risk a fire. But we decided not to, mostly because we were there.
The others 2 decided to leave, having better thing to do. I think about it myself, but hey, I am patient and petty, and I want to see his face in front of that pan. I was then waiting by myself.
At 1 hour 30 min, I check the rice, as expected, the bottom was dark.
At 2 hour, one of the 4 saw me alone in the kitchen. The conversation was I follow :
– OP ?
– yes ?
– What are you doing alone in the kitchen ? Wait, are you still waiting ?
– yes
– He didn’t get his rice yet ?
– No, he didn’t
– What the… but I took a shower and watch the TV ! This rice cook since when ?
– It’s been 2 hours now
– No, that impossible.
– I use the chronometer of my phone.
– the induction hub is off, right ?
– No, I didn’t put it off, but I open the window for the burn odor
She approaches the pan, and declare the rice burn. She quickly left the kitchen, exited.
At 1 hour 10, she came back with the 3 others and snacks. Everyone wanted to see the state of the rice, someone try to dig with a wooden spoon and declare the pan damaged.
He couldn’t dig at all, the rice has melted and now be a part of the pan. I don’t know much about it, I never got a dish burn that much, but I agree that cleaning it will be a challenge.
At 2 hour 15, I check the rice, not a single grain was white anymore.
He was more confused than upset, and no one else really had much to say to him about it.
At 2 hour 30, look who came ! THE MAN ! He finally shows his nose in the kitchen. We look at him with anticipation. He looked at us a little puzzle, but go to his pan.
He looks at his rice and then, he froze. He didn’t move for a while, he tries to take his pan off the induction hub, but burn himself with the metallic handle. We all look at him amused. He looks at us, still chocked, and ask where was his food. We told him in his pan. He said there is no way, he always finds his rice around. We told him no one touch his food. Didn’t he put the rice in the pan himself ?
He argued that usually, he just has to put his rice and go to his room. When he comes back, someone has been taking the rice off for him, but sometimes with everyone moving around, he finds his rice in odd places like on the oven.
But he didn’t see any rice in the kitchen. We told him that indeed, that what happen, but he told each of us to mind our business, so neither of us touch his food today. I think that when he realizes who we were.
He looked alternatively to the pan and us. He looks at the pan again, then ask us what he will eat now. We answer that we don’t know, he can still make rice again, but he has to stay nearby because we will not help him anymore. He looks at us, and try to touch the pan again, he success to move it using his shirt in the handle.
He put it in the sink with cold water, he tries to clean it, but quickly look at us again and ask how he should clean that. We don’t know, really. He looks at us in despair, he said he only has one pan. We laughed, I left after that, I know that 2 people stay, but I saw what I wanted.
The lesson finally sank in, though, because now he waits for his rice and turns off the heat himself.
Let’s see if Reddit thinks this one was worth the wait!
The top comment applauds OP for his patience.
This person says the pan is a total loss.
While this commenter thinks they let things go on a bit too long.
They think they’ve got this boy pegged.
Or maybe they just should have eaten it.
We all have to grow up sometimes.
At least enough to take our rice off the stove.