This 28-year-old woman has a recipe in her family for pasta sauce that has been passed down through multiple generations.
Ever since she was a kid, her mom taught her how to make the sauce, and it’s become a special part of her life.
“I make it for all sorts of occasions—birthdays, family gatherings, and even just nights in with friends,” she explained.
“Everyone raves about it, and I take a lot of pride in keeping it close to the original. One of my closest friends, Emily, recently asked me for the recipe.”
“She’s been experimenting in the kitchen lately and thought it would be fun to try making it herself. At first, I kind of laughed it off, saying something like, “Oh, maybe I’ll teach you someday,” but she kept pressing.”
She didn’t feel like forking the recipe over because Emily isn’t an experienced cook, nor is she Italian. It also made her feel strange to give out a sentimental piece of her family like that.
Her mom always acted like the recipe should remain in their family and not be shared, which contributed to her hesitating to give Emily the recipe.
So, she ultimately told Emily that she didn’t feel good about giving her the recipe since it belongs to her family.
“She got pretty annoyed, saying it was just sauce and not some “huge family heirloom,” she said.
annapustynnikova – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
“She pointed out that I’d shared recipes with her before (which is true, but those were random ones I found online, not family recipes).”
“Now things are awkward between us. She’s been short with me ever since and even made a snarky comment at a dinner party about how I “gatekeep sauce.”
Some of their mutual friends wish she didn’t refuse to give Emily the recipe since now there’s drama, but other friends get where she’s coming from and are sympathetic to her wanting to keep this piece of her family private.
She’s left wondering if it was rude of her to decline to give Emily the recipe for her family’s special pasta sauce.
What do you think? Do you have any family recipes you won’t share with anyone?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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