The table of conflict

They had been friends since childhood, they called themselves the 4 musketeers. When they started studying different careers, they decided they would meet once a month to have dinner together and if any of them formed a couple, the girlfriends would have to join the gatherings too. Osvaldo went to live with Lili, Aníbal lived with Paula, Mario with Julia and Roberto with Rosa. This time they would meet at Osvaldo's place, who had moved to a bigger apartment. Of course each one had to bring something for dinner. Aníbal brought store-bought empanadas, Mario brought pizza and Roberto bought a dessert. Lili, as lady of the house, made a roasted rump cap with Russian salad. And of course there was no shortage of wine or beer.

By midnight they were a little tipsy and some complaints started coming out. Roberto said his girlfriend only knew how to cook noodles and fried eggs, to which she replied I work just like you do, you come home and sit down to watch TV and I have to cook. Aníbal cut in «isn't the kitchen the kingdom of women, though». Paula jumped in that was back in the day when women didn't work, now it's shared, Mario jumped in we men don't know how to cook and Julia told them «you're just lazy, aren't the best chefs men anyway». The mood was getting heavy and then Osvaldo said let me tell you the story of the rump cap, since I like it so much Lili makes it very often.

One day when I was home I went to watch how she made it, it caught my attention that she'd cut off the ends and I asked her why she cut it, «I don't know, that's how mom does it», she'd never asked. I reasoned it out: on one end it's very thin, on the other very thick, and they're cut so it cooks better. She answered maybe, I don't know. When my mother-in-law came I asked her the same question and she answered I don't know, that's how my mother does it. I thought, no one gives me an answer. Finally the grandmother came and she's the one who gave it to me, she cut it because her baking dish is small and otherwise it doesn't fit.

Everyone laughed and that broke the tension. Osvaldo thought how many things we do just repeating old clichés without ever asking why.