While not all of us have the brain, resources, and commitment to become the Count of Monte Cristo, revenge can take many forms. The most delicious examples often involve making someone eat their words.

One netizen started taking a culinary course and noticed that one woman would never eat the sushi she made. As they learned, she was taking sushi-making classes just to get back at her soon-to-be ex-husband. She neither liked eating sushi, nor making it, but he absolutely loved it. So she decided to make him as jealous as possible right after leaving him. We got in touch with u/mdlapla to learn more.

The best revenge stories involve some planning and preparation

Image credits: Antonio Batinić (not the actual photo)

A woman maliciously complied with her nagging husband’s constant demands to make him sushi

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: mdlapla

OP shared some of their thoughts with Bored Panda

Bored Panda got in touch with u/mdlapla who witnessed the story and they were kind enough to answer some of our questions. We wanted to know if there was any follow-up and OP thought people liked malicious compliance stories as much as they do. “I never heard about the sushi lady after that,” they shared with Bored Panda.

“I think that people enjoy MC stories because of several reasons. Do you know that feeling when, a couple of days after a big argument you realize what your perfect answer should have been? I think that MC stories give you that feeling of saying or doing that thing at the correct time, so people who do MC get a nod, like a “well done, I’m proud of you” vibe. Also, sticking it to the man, the boss, some bully, or someone who’s mean always gives a certain sense of satisfaction and people relate to other people doing just that.”

“The main thing is that this world is often unfair, and people want to cheer for the little guy, they want a story that gives them some kind of hope that, by doing the right thing, you can make life easier/more meaningful/more satisfying/just a little bit better.”

Being constantly told to make dishes you hate has to be draining

While we know unfortunately very little about this woman’s marital life, the commitment to take a sushi class is an indicator that she has some deep-seated resentment. She mentions her husband’s comments and having to get non-sushi items in restaurants. While we don’t know the frequency that this happened, it’s pretty easy to imagine that he would regularly decide where they would eat and completely ignore her culinary preferences. Every social dinner and even at home, she would probably be reminded that her partner does not care at all about her preferences.

This is just speculation, but it does seem likely that this attitude was present in various other parts of their life as well. The husband bulldozed her ideas and preferences, doing what he wanted and letting resentment simmer. Certainly, the decision to get a divorce and to set up a jealousy-generation plan is not an afterthought. Anyone who has made sushi will know that it takes some precision and patience, which this woman seems to have. While the satisfaction of shouting and insulting someone is short-lived, a well-executed plan can stay with you forever, a funny story to tell and a reminder to others that they shouldn’t mess with you.

Many readers noted that not only did this husband know his wife hated sushi, but he still insisted she prepaire it. If anything, this would make her revenge not only proportional but a perfect fit for the genre of “malicious compliance” stories. He was right in a way, she perhaps did learn to enjoy making it, not for any culinary reasons, but that every new bit of skill she acquired was a direct moment of revenge on his, presumably, constant nagging, dismissals, and lack of love. This way, she can feel like she has “conquered” sushi, by taking a dish she dislikes and using it against a man she potentially dislikes even more.

Image credits: Luigi Pozzoli (not the actual photo)

Humans love hearing about people getting back at those who have wronged them

Many readers loved the story because, let’s face it, it’s pretty easy to see why this husband is unlikeable, and who doesn’t enjoy a tale of revenge? After all, from the aforementioned Count of Monte Cristo to a whole host of modern Hollywood films, revenge is a tried and true genre of entertainment. It taps into the part of our brains that feels an almost innate desire for justice. After all, society can’t really function if wrongdoers, however, we define that, aren’t punished. Conversely, we tend to enjoy bad things happening to people who deserve it, even if it’s just an annoying man being denied sushi.

We don’t know if this woman is seeking a divorce over the sushi comments or some other misdeeds from the husband. This could just be her revenge, or perhaps there is a lot more going on. Infidelity and abuse are sadly common reasons why someone would want to get out of a relationship, both of which would warrant some sort of punishment. Researchers believe that seeing a guilty party, perhaps someone who has hurt you, go unpunished for a long period of time can actually have a negative, long-term psychological effect on a person.

Regardless, this woman was taking the right approach, by leaving a person she no longer liked and also crafting a beautifully-rolled bit of revenge. Not only will she come away with a new skill, but she will know that her soon-to-be-ex might not be able to look at another piece of sushi without remembering her. She will forever have the satisfaction of being the one who got the last laugh. While revenge is a dish best served cold, this one was positively frozen. Readers had a field day with fish-based puns and shared their own stories of culinary revenge.

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)

Readers enjoyed her revenge, served up on a platter

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