Man Finds Note From Neighbor Who Points Something Out After 10 Years

A resident of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has shared how he received a peculiar note from a neighbor critiquing his cooking—despite them never having tasted the food.

The note, which was anonymously left on the door, offered Terrence advice on his clam chowder recipe.

“I cooked the clam chowder Friday night and didn’t notice the note until I was taking out the trash the next afternoon, so it was left sometime between those two junctures,” he told Newsweek.

The note began with an enthusiastic greeting and praised the scent of Terrence’s clam chowder, before quickly offering cooking advice: “Noticed from the smells in the hall tonight that you were cooking clam chowder—yum! Don’t worry, I wasn’t bothered by the odor… But I did want to let you know you use WAY too much parsley.”

The neighbor, signing off as “Your ‘foodie’ neighbor,” also mentioned a previous recipe he smelled involving a saag dish, advising a new place to buy mustard leaves.

Initially, Terrence assumed the note was about the volume of the bebop jazz he plays while cooking. “I’ve only seen angry notes of complaint left on doors,” he explained. “I didn’t expect to have my cooking critiqued and get some anonymous culinary advice.”

After taking a few minutes to read the note, Terrence was taken aback by the contents.

“Once I processed what it said, I was shocked at the audacity, and a little annoyed,” he said, and despite the critique, Terrence remained steadfast in his own cooking skills.

“The only way this would change the way I cook clam chowder is that the next time I may use even more parsley and fan it directly into the hall,” he said. “I don’t enjoy having a ‘backseat driver’ in my kitchen, especially when it’s someone who hides behind a note. I have been cooking chowder the same way for a decade and have no intention of changing it.”

Terrence shared the note on Reddit’s r/Apartmentliving subreddit, where it quickly gained attention from people who shared their reactions.

“They just want some,” quipped Redditor MooglePomCollector.

Others suggested that maybe this person was looking to connect.

“This person definitely wants to be a friend. Even though they sound a bit obnoxious, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a small bowl of your next batch,” said Happydivanerd. “I have neighbors who look out for me and let me know if I have packages delivered or someone sketchy near my door. So I let their nosiness work for me.”

Redditor Boubonic91 agreed: “This is a person who is socially awkward trying to be friends. I know they’re being a bit critical, but they certainly don’t mean any harm.”