The ideal way to eat beef—rare, well-done, or somewhere in-between—is a heavily debated topic. And as one Redditor learned, challenging someone's stance on the matter can set off a fierce argument, even among close friends.
The man's "Am I the A**hole" post has gone viral as readers reacted to his uncomfortable situation, caused by a contentious Beef Wellington. His post has amassed over 17,000 upvotes and nearly 3,000 comments since it was shared Thursday.
While food safety experts (such as the USDA) typically advise against eating undercooked meat in any capacity, many believe that the taste benefits of rare beef outweigh its risks. As food science professor Suki Hertz explained to Thrillist, the most dangerous part of a raw piece of beef is its surface, which can harbor pathogens. As such, cooking the outside of the cut will, in most cases, render it safe for consumption—even if the inside remains pink.
The anonymous 35-year-old Redditor, u/Kitchen-Vegetable734, explained that his friend, "Brandon," challenged him to make Beef Wellington—a traditional British dish consisting of a beef tenderloin wrapped in a mushroom mixture and then puff pastry.
"He said he would pay for the ingredients if I'm willing to make it. I took him up on the offer on the caveat that there's a possibility it might not be perfect," explained u/Kitchen-Vegetable734.
He and Brandon invited six guests to the dinner and sent invitations "well in advance." "However, a few days before the dinner, one of the guests had to cancel," he wrote. "My solution to this was that I would just cut the pieces a little thicker and we would just have a [seven] person dinner. Brandon even agreed to this."
But when word got out about an empty spot at the meal, two of the guests, "Kate" and "David," suggested they bring a mutual friend, "Ava." The Redditor, however, "said no to the suggestion."
"We've known Ava for years. She's a great person and I have nothing against her," he explained. "The thing is...she doesn't eat beef with any pink. If it was burgers or steaks, I could just cook hers the way she likes it, but since a Beef Wellington is a roast, the whole thing is cooked the same."
The couple reportedly asked if the whole dish could simply be made well-done—which the Redditor argued would ruin the meal. They then asked if he could cook Ava's portion for longer. He declined, explaining: "I'd have to cut her piece, then take it back to the kitchen to cook it more after dinner had already started."
"Kate and David are now accusing me of being unaccommodating and excluding Ava, and saying I'm an a**hole," he concluded.
Overall, commenters have sided with u/Kitchen-Vegetable734—but the response was hardly unanimous.
"The entitlement is just baffling to me," said u/dougan25 of Kate and David. "OP is doing a nice thing for a friend and the friend is footing the bill. That's it. There's really no need for anyone else to be involved in any way."
"Kate and David can do their own dinner party if they want to decide who to invite, but they have absolutely no say in this one. This is way rude of them," echoed u/Music_withRocks_In.
"Just tell her to microwave her slice," countered u/Abadabadon. "You sound pretentious about a slice of meat and nobody else in your friend circle is relating to it."
"How hard would it have been to stick her portion back into the oven for three minutes after the rest of the meat rested? Seriously, this is a weird post," echoed u/chaosnanny.
Newsweek reached out to u/Kitchen-Vegetable734 for comment.
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