When it comes to food, you can’t get any more mundane than a potato. People know what it is, what it tastes like—it can quite literally be considered the symbol of vegetableness. Right up there with carrots and cabbage.
But what’s interesting about the potato is that the same mundane piece of cultivated vegetation is also one that has inspired things like the potato cannon. Oh, yeah, some factories make french fries using them. It’s wild.
It gets better, though. The potato has inspired this one guy to make a lasting impression on his girlfriend’s parents. All he needed to do was claim he’d never heard of potatoes when served one during dinner.
Chaos and mayhem ensued.
More Info: Reddit
Who knew a vegetable as mundane as a potato could inspire so much chaos and a good story to tell strangers online?
Image source: sethoscope (not the actual photo)
So, anonymous Reddit user u/NotKnowPotato has shared a story, a “Today I [Goofed] Up” one, about his attempt at impressing his girlfriend’s parents during a get-to-know dinner. So, it was paramount for him to make a good first impression.
OP chose to go the comedic route. After all, it’s a great way to break the ice and establish common ground, right? Especially when it comes to joking about potatoes, how could you go wrong?
He found a way.
And by story, we mean this guy who decided to pretend he'd never had or even heard of potatoes during a "meet the parents" dinner
Image source: NotKnowPotato
Everyone was served baked potatoes. OP, having engaged comedy mode, looked like the vegetable had piqued his interest. He seemed confused, astounded, even. “This looks very interesting. What is this?”
Dumbfounded by the question, the mother explained what it was, and OP continued with his scenario: “A 'potato,' oh, interesting. Never heard of a potato, looks pretty good.”
Now, everything could have been all fine and dandy, but OP had just passed the point of no return because the parents didn’t get it, and he couldn’t just admit it. He’s in too deep. Gotta stay committed. It’s no longer a joke.
At first it was a lighthearted joke, but it soon turned into a commitment—wouldn't want to embarrass yourself, right?
Image source: NotKnowPotato
Image source: Zeetz Jones (not the actual photo)
A short back and forth about potatoes—how OP had never eaten, let alone heard of one—the girlfriend grew hella embarrassed, and the parents were growing very untrusting of his every word regarding the spud. He was, however, 100% committed to the narrative. In fact, the more the parents grew suspicious of OP, the more he committed.
And it spiraled out of control.
The more committed OP was, the more untrusting the parents grew, culminating in shouting and being booted from the parents' home
Image source: NotKnowPotato
The parents, moreso the father, grew very annoyed, first asking if OP was messing with them (he “wasn’t,”) which grew into irrational yelling. It escalated so quickly that the boyfriend soon found himself being asked to leave. All because of a very committed joke about potatoes.
He couldn’t back away now. Next thing you know, he is now texting his girlfriend that he seriously doesn’t know what a potato is. “The only way I can ever get out of this is for them to buy that I don't know what a potato is,” concluded OP.
People online liked it, though, and nearly 47,000 upvotes makes it hard to call it a screwup, despite being posted on the appropriate subreddit
But, let’s be fair, did he really screw up? Folks online were more than entertained and impressed with the genius of OP’s commitment. Some even suggested one-upping his own idea and then creating this entire backstory of how his parents always tried to keep him away from potatoes and then being all melodramatic. And if things were to reach a break-up point, OP should have also not known the meaning of a breakup. Profit.
Also, the post got nearly 47,000 upvotes with over 70 Reddit awards and that surely counts for something, right? Whatever the case, here’s the post in context and below is the direction you need to go to tell us your thoughts and perhaps potato dating stories in the form of comments!
Want to make sense of complicated human dynamics? Visit our Family Dynamics Hub for expert-backed guides on toxic behavior, setting boundaries, and emotional healing.