A heated debate over specialty hot sauce and whether condiments are communal by default.
I buy specialty hot sauce, high-end olive oil, and artisanal ketchup. These aren't cheap — my hot sauce is $18 a bottle. My roommate Kyle helps himself freely. I asked him to stop and he said "it's just condiments, stop being weird." I started keeping them in my room. Now Kyle says I'm being petty and "creating a hostile living environment" because he has friends over and I have to bring my sriracha out of my bedroom like a goblin. He says condiments are communal by default and I should either buy cheaper ones or share. I say I should be allowed to enjoy nice things without subsidizing his meals. He could buy his own bottle — he just doesn't want to spend the money.
That hot sauce costs $18 because Alex buys it for himself and leaves it in the shared fridge. Not a private labeled cabinet, not a personal mini-fridge, the shared fridge. I use maybe a few drops here and there. He has never once asked me to stop before this case. The first I heard about it was a passive aggressive sticky note. We have shared everything for two years. The hot sauce thing is an excuse. He is mad I ate some of his cheese last month and this is revenge.
⚖️ The Verdict Is In
😤 Side A is right, but handled it badly
56 people weighed in on this dispute.
Official NACOL Ruling
The court finds in favor of Plaintiff Alex with a meager 38% confidence margin, having determined that condiments purchased with personal funds retain personal ownership regardless of refrigerator location, while simultaneously noting that Alex's transition from zero communication to passive aggressive sticky notes to bedroom hoarding constitutes the behavior of someone who has watched too many roommate conflict videos on TikTok. Kyle is therefore ordered to purchase his own $18 hot sauce and develop the emotional maturity to have a conversation, and Alex is ordered to never again reference this case at social gatherings. Case closed.
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