Padma Lakshmi Shares Relatable TikTok About This Crime Against Leftovers
Who doesn't love leftovers? Whether they're from an evening out at your favorite restaurant or made up of the remaining components of a big holiday meal, something about knowing that there's a clamshell box or Tupperware container filled with food from last night's dinner sitting in the refrigerator just makes the day a little bit better. As an added bonus, the Institute of Food Technologists reports that some dishes will actually taste better on day two due to flavor-enhancing chemical reactions that occur once the cooking process is finished. Score!
Even some of the biggest culinary stars are fans of leftovers, like Padma Lakshmi. The "Top Chef" host revealed to EatingWell last year that she typically reaches for leftovers when lunchtime rolls around. She has even admitted that, during the holiday season, she gets more excited for the turkey pot pies she'll make using the leftovers from her Christmas dinner than the actual Christmas dinner itself (via Parade).
That being said, Lakshmi is also familiar with what is arguably the biggest travesty that leftover lovers face. She reminded her Instagram followers of it over the weekend when she re-shared a relatable TikTok video created by user @official_azz. In the video, the TikToker can be seen lifting up the lid of a to-go container before letting out a blood-curdling scream. Meanwhile, the text overlay reads, "Coming home and seeing that someone ate the food you've been thinking about all day." Is there anything worse?
Leftover lovers know this pain all too well
As a leftovers connoisseur herself, it's no surprise that Padma Lakshmi related to @official_azz's hilarious TikTok video. "You know the pain!" she captioned the clip when sharing it to Instagram on Saturday, March 26. Based on the responses to the post, her followers certainly do. "This is quite actually the worst feeling," one person wrote. "I have cried over this before," admitted another.
Some, like user @stewiechrisj, shared their own tale of woe. "The hurt is real. My brother once ate my Chinese leftovers. I wrote my name on the container Padma. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. I [clap emoji] WROTE [clap emoji] MY[clap emoji] NAME [clap emoji]. AND HE STILL ATE IT. It was 25 years ago and I still have not gotten over it," the Instagrammer said. Meanwhile, the official Instagram account for the streaming platform Hulu, where Lakshmi hosts the program "Taste The Nation," said what we can only assume several other people were thinking: "This is a crime...there, I said it!"
While we can certainly agree that getting your leftovers stolen should be a punishable offense, we don't advise calling in law enforcement when the situation arises.