stuff that happened while I wasn't blogging #1

The new boarder started driving me insane.

This guy has slowly gotten pickier and pickier about food. He started off telling me anything was fine, progressed to casually suggesting I cook food that is really common "in my country" (they eat fish, rice, soup and fresh chillies every single day), then started dousing all potato dishes in soy sauce (because potato apparently "has no taste") and finally started spitting things out and throwing them in the bin if he doesn't like the taste - which is pretty rude when you're still in the middle of dinner. He really hasn't come to terms at all with the fact that he is in another country with very different food. Instead he justs wants more and more for the food I make to become more Cambodian. I've had several boarders now and no-one has ever complained about my food - quite the opposite in most cases.

The more picky he gets, the less I feel like cooking. I want to tell him that if he doesn't like it he can cook for himself, but that won't work, because he doesn't know how to cook. The guy can barely make a sandwich. Silent Bob learned to cook from me by helping with meals and can now make a pretty decent dinner. This guy will only help prepare dinner if I ask him to, and has learned nothing about cooking as a result. This is a simple result of him not wanting to ever have to contribute.

How do I know this? Because when he wanted to buy a computer, he was able to research all the information himself, and was totally on the ball as to how to modify the order and upgrade the various components online. When he wanted to get somewhere, he had no trouble accessing maps and timetables and working it all out. But because he does not want to cook, he gives me an irritating blank shrug of a smile every time I encourage him to try cooking. This smile is basically the silent equivalent of "gee, I don't have any idea what that means, but if I smile at you long enough will you take pity on me and stop trying to explain it and just do everything yourself?" It is a completely helpless puppy-dog look, and it's fakeness makes me want to slap him upside the head. I can't stand it when people choose to be useless so that other people will feel obligated to pick up their slack.

In addition to all this picky, lazy crap, he also laughs (with derision, not delight) at anything I do that is out of his ordinary. Let me give you an example. The other day we watched a DVD with a great soundtrack. Right from the opening credits I couldn't help kind of bopping along in my seat. He looked at me with a 'what, are you twelve?' expression and then gave this snorty little half-laugh that was the chuckling equivalent of rolling his eyes. Everything amuses him, but it never feels like he's laughing with you...only at you.

I nicknamed him Cam in the blog previously because I didn't know him and he was from Cambodia. Henceforth he shall be known as the Smarmy Toothpick.

Seven weeks and counting till he goes home.