"I can't cook" or "I don't know how to sew"

[HYHYBT]

My washer's agitator is slightly taller than the tub. I put clothes in loosely, and not higher than the water level will be. (And new items that might bleed get run by themselves; I'll open the lid and see how colored the water gets. Nothing I've had in the last 20 years or so has kept bleeding past the first couple of washes, and anything that did I'd be unlikely to keep.)

[Dreamstalker]

I like to say that my junior high graduating class was one of the last to actually have Home Ec as a requirement and I'm probably right. My mom is a private chef, so I learned a lot of what I needed to know before actually taking the class (I was doing a lot of the grocery shopping at age 10, which nowadays would be met with a call to CPS).

I lost all inclination in preparing and cooking food when I would find most of my ingredints gone by the time I needed them, shared kitchen shared fridge doesn't equal shared food.

This. Especially in college when I was sharing an apartment. Yes, the grocery store was practically next door, but...that's MY food! I'm not leaving the oven on while I run grab a replacement for something you ate...no, I don't trust you to watch it. Oh, my [food item] is 'yucky'? It's MINE. (one of the advantages to being addicted to Asian food, anything I bought at the Japanese grocery would remain untouched)

My sewing ability extends to buttons (which also probably means I can sew on a patch if needed) and basic 'attaching stuff', which is good enough I guess. I can also change a tire, check fluids (although I haven't actually done either in quite awhile) and replace a windshield wiper. I guess dad figured that if I wasn't going to learn how to drive I should at least be able to do something useful that's car-related.

[Aethian]

Our class was the last with Home Ec as a year long requirement too. I think a couple of my guy classmates still have and still fit in the swim boxers they made for a final project. Mom just recently found my folder of notes for the cooking side...she said they looked like my great grandma's...no measurements.

In our school run, drivers ed, which is no more... We were taught how to check fluids and change a tire. Nothing like having the tire roll away from you and hit three people cause your idiot car mate wanted to see if it would bounce.

[Signmaker]

I had a friend of a friend coerce me with a 6-pack of craft beer, to come over for a day and put together a set of pre-fabbed shelving for him. I assumed it was because the units would be heavy and cumbersome, and he needed the extra pair of hands.

Turns out, he didnt own a screwdriver, and considered Ikea-level assembly akin to advanced carpentry. I'm talking "tab A into slot B" stuff being completely outside his realm of understanding.

This grown man makes six figures doing software design.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I work in a petrol station and it always annoys me when I see ignorance about cars in people who bloody well ought to know stuff about the car they're driving. Some examples of stupidity:

1. The woman who thought it would be a good idea to jump start her car in the tanker bay.

2. The driving instructor who didn't have a clue how to use a petrol pump.

3. The guy who filled his petrol car with diesel who thought that starting the car was the only way to move it (luckily, he came and asked first and I was able to set him right by suggesting that he push it instead).

4. The teenage girl who tried to buy two stroke oil for her car.

5. Ditto for the grown man in the Audi.

6. The various customers over the years who manage to put more fuel on the ground than in their cars; I still don't understand how you can do this and not notice!

[wolfie]

3. The guy who filled his petrol car with diesel who thought that starting the car was the only way to move it (luckily, he came and asked first and I was able to set him right by suggesting that he push it instead).

4. The teenage girl who tried to buy two stroke oil for her car.

#3: How did he manage that? My understanding is that auto diesel nozzles (as opposed to high-volume truck nozzles, which are bigger) are the same size as the old leaded gas nozzles, and that unleaded gas nozzles are smaller to fit through a restrictor in the neck of cars that need unleaded (to prevent misfueling with leaded gas). The nozzle shouldn't even have fit into his car.

#4: For a Trabant, an early Subaru, or a rotary-engine Mazda ("total loss" lubrication system), I could understand that.

If someone clueless drives a certain model of Jeep, it should be fun telling them they need a CJ-5 (or CJ-7) rated oil Note that such an oil does not (and never will) exist. There is a CJ-4 rated oil - it's the 10th (J) revision of the SAE spec for motor oil for diesel ((C)ompression-ignition) 4-stroke engines.

[crashhelmet]

#4: For a Trabant,

Trabis... Oh, I have such vivid and joyful memories of those pieces of crap. You could literally kick its locked door and make it open.

[HYHYBT]

This grown man makes six figures doing software design.

Yeah, but shelves are *hardware*.

#3: How did he manage that? ... The nozzle shouldn't even have fit into his car.

idiots are resourceful. Alternately: it could have been modified. Dad has a 1979 pickup (yard truck these days, or would be if it would move) where the previous owner, back when "regular" was still readily available, didn't feel like paying the extra cents per gallon for the fuel his then-new truck was designed for and required by law to use. He jammed the restrictor down the filler neck, so any hose will fit, though you have to fill it slowly because of the blockage. Other legally mandated emissions pieces are missing entirely, which is part of how it got demoted from road vehicle. It's also why it's now dead; nobody who knows what they're doing will work on it.

[Gerrinson]

Oh, yes, one of our friends moved into a spare room at my BFF's house. It turns out that the age of 21 her entire understanding of 'doing laundry' was to leave a basket full of dirty clothes on the washer and then come back 3 hours later to find a basket full of clean and folded clothes on the dryer. For some reason, that didn't work after she moved in with him.

Mommy clearly did her no favors by always doing the laundry for her.

[Racket_Man]

I had a friend of a friend coerce me with a 6-pack of craft beer, to come over for a day and put together a set of pre-fabbed shelving for him. I assumed it was because the units would be heavy and cumbersome, and he needed the extra pair of hands.

Turns out, he didnt own a screwdriver, and considered Ikea-level assembly akin to advanced carpentry. I'm talking "tab A into slot B" stuff being completely outside his realm of understanding.

This grown man makes six figures doing software design.

I used to be the master of putting together Ikea/Sauer (???) put-together-yourself type pieces. Heck at one time most of my selves and bookcases and entertainment centers were that kind of furniture. at one point after my Aunt moved into a new apartment one of my BILs tried to "put together" a couple of 5 drawer dressers for her. Even with the instruction (pictures and words and sentences) he only got one sidewall partially assembled. I got there and it took me 20 minutes to completely assemble one.

Yeah, but shelves are *hardware*.

I was both a hardware and software person BUT even with software design there should be a WRITTEN plan to follow.

[draco664]

Apparently, pointing out to someone that them having no home-making skills is sexist and misogynistic.

At our recent family Christmas gathering, I suggested to my cousin (who was bemoaning the fact that she couldn't find a man) that not being able to keep house was not helping her chances. (She refuses to cook, can't use a washing machine, and doesn't clean. And she's proud of the fact that she hires a maid to do all that for her) I was a chauvinistic arsehole for daring to suggest that she bring something to any potential relationship besides her sparkling personality.

[Ginger Tea]

Oh, my [food item] is 'yucky'? It's MINE. (one of the advantages to being addicted to Asian food, anything I bought at the Japanese grocery would remain untouched).

Having someone in the house with food allergies or some other exemption meant I was safe to buy those knowing there was one less mouth out of the few who would steal to take it.

I'm sure I posted before about one woman finding her £50 Sainsbury's shop vanish whilst she was at work, one guy has a fridge freezer in his room and helped himself to it and had the bare face cheek to deny any knowledge, I think he thought no one would notice one item each, but made the mistake of taking all one persons food.
The same guy also had his food nibbled from whilst it was in the oven by the guy who finally moved out, so given his track record of food stealing I didn't mind, I had issues with the former housemate and my food, but it was humorous to hear that he put 15 potatoes in the oven and 6 carrots and when he pulled it out the meat had been cut and x amount of potatoes and Y of carrots had vanished.

But the worst offenders where when I moved in, not in eating food, but not doing the dishes, I had bought my own pots and pans so there was no way I was going to touch that skanky frying pan, in the end I think it got thrown away.
One guy got pissed of another leaving his stuff in the sink for days on end put his pile in the downstairs bathroom, we had a relatively quiet sink situation for years then the last year the former housemate would leave his stuff for up to a week in the sink, the times I was tempted to throw it in the bin.

As I mostly eat ready meals now, my washing up consists of forks and the odd spoon, I bought a few packs so I wash a dozen forks at a time and still have 4 spare, plates are paper as I need the odd microwavable safe one for those Chicago town pizza's.

[Dreamstalker]

My second roommate in college (grad student) was a slob. She would leave cooked rice in the shared fridge for weeks and never clean anything. I think she thought that since I had a relatively light courseload, I would clean up after her. Er, no. I found a few of my (supposedly unbreakable) dishes broken in the cabinet and there was only one person who could have done it; heaven forbid I approach her about anything though. It got to a point where I would just ignore her filthy dishes and wash my own in my bathroom. I also had my own pots and cooking gear (on loan from my dad, so you can bet those were hidden in my room when they weren't being used).

She was an odd duck; over twice my age at the time, so I don't know if she felt that I as the 'youngest' should do all the work or what.

[kamn]

Dirty confession: I leave dishes in the sink for a day or two.
In my defense, it's for 3 reasons.
1) People leave them in, and never give a clue that they want the area spotless, other than by complaining. While I can acknowledge it, I have to see it as well. The one time I did live with a lady that liked it spotless, it was kept spotless, even though it weirded me out.
2) I do ALL the dishes. Mine or not. Only exception are dishes from people that I know would never do their own (are trying to use me for a dishwasher) and extremely hard spots (burnt food) that I did not help create.
3) I find it better to get to an activity (and this isn't just washing) that takes me a while, than doing it little by little.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I leave dirty dishes in the sink, too. Fact is, if I get home from a late shift, I don't want to disturb my neighbours by crashing around in the kitchen, also I'm normally too knackered to do anything more than microwave some food and eat it. I will however do a little of the washing up the next day, so it's not as tho it's a dish mountain reaching to the ceiling. XD