Husband Blames Wife for ‘Ruining’ Hibachi Dinner After Chef Mocked Her Face

A tired woman went along with a hibachi dinner she didn’t want. The chef spent the evening asking why she was not smiling. Her husband, however, had other ideas.

Writing on Reddit's r/AmItheAsshole, the 52-year-old woman said she is the sole provider. Last week, she almost lost her job for something she said she didn’t do.

A former colleague's mistake landed on her desk. Meetings, calls, emails, and the quiet fear of being fired followed. She planned to spend Friday night on the couch.

One Reddit commenter noted that hibachi restaurants are typically expensive, a special occasion treat for most. Her husband had other plans: his favorite hibachi place. She resisted, but he insisted, promising, "all you have to do is sit there and eat." She caved.

They were seated with a group of six strangers. The chef arrived and began cooking. Within minutes, he stared straight at her and asked whether she was alright. She said yes. He asked again. She said yes again. He commented that she did not appear to be in good spirits.

She said she has what’s often called ‘resting face’. She smiled and assured him she was alright.

The chef turned to the group of six, grinned, then came back to her. "Are you mad?" he asked. She said no. He leaned in: "are you suuuuure you're not mad… are you mad at meeee?" The group laughed.

One of the women in the group then spoke. "Oh, don't worry about her, she's just…" A burst of noise swallowed the rest. All eyes on the woman, who was already raw from the worst week of her year.

With a red face and tears close, she told her husband to box her food. She was going to wait in the car.

Her husband hissed at her to sit back down. "Nobody's making fun of you," he said. "Just eat your dinner."

She remained seated the entire time. The room fell silent. Voices ceased. Everyone packed their bags and began leaving early.

In the car, he said she had ruined dinner. She wanted to know what the woman had really said. At last, he said that he had not heard the woman either, but maintained that she overreacted.

They ended the night arguing over something neither heard.

On Reddit, one user wrote: "This is misogyny at its most culturally accepted. You don't owe the hibachi chef a smile. The other person at the table was awful and your husband was being anything but a supportive partner. NTA."

Another commenter pointed to the double standard directly. "And to think none of this would have happened if OP were a man," they wrote. "The chef wouldn't even dare to poke fun at her if that's the case."

She went to keep her husband happy, but he handed her the blame for everyone else's fun instead.