Breakups are really hard, but they are also an inevitable part of life.
Though we all wish that every relationship could end in ‘happily ever after’, sometimes that just is not the case, and tears and hurt feelings come into play.
Looking at such a deep bond, it is not unusual to wonder why people break up. In the beginning, everything feels dreamy and nice, but unfortunately, with time, love may fade, and it may weaken the foundation of a relationship.
It is difficult to sustain or build a relationship on a weak foundation.
Couples may try hard to fight their way through the differences but may still not sustain them. It is not always only the lack of love that causes people to break up.
There may be many reasons couples in love can call it quits - and did you know that food can be one of them? Allow us to take you through some of the few scenarios we have come across.
The salad dressing
Last month, actress Olivia Wilde’s separation from actor Jason Sudeikis was the topic of much tabloid speculation.
It all started when the couple's former nanny spoke to the Daily Mail about their split and claimed she was fired without severance.
The nanny, who cared for the couple's two kids made a series of claims.
However, the detail that seems to have attracted the most attention is the fact Wilde left Sudeikis and took “her special dressing” with her to prepare salads for her reported new partner Harry Styles.
The claims have not been verified, and Wilde and Sudeikis released a joint statement denying the allegations.
The fact that a salad dressing was at the heart of a split had sparked a flurry of memes online where people called for Wilde to reveal the scandalous recipe to the world.
🚨olivia wilde gave us her salad dressing recipe which is from nora ephron🚨 pic.twitter.com/LYxracNCC7
— ilana kaplan (@lanikaps) October 19, 2022
A day later, Wilde finally decided to give a glimpse of what her special dressing might possibly be.
On Instagram stories, she posted a single page from Nora Ephron’s novel Heartburn that detailed a vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, Grey Poupon mustard, and olive oil.
She did not confirm if the recipe was, in fact, the rumoured one that led her to her relationship with Styles, so the official recipe remains a mystery for now.
The cheesecake
Earlier this month, former model Sonia Booth shocked the nation when she revealed that her husband and former Bafana Bafana player Matthew Booth had been cheating on her.
Sonia unleashed a series of posts on her social media accounts where she revealed a timeline of her husband’s alleged extra-marital affair with Bongani Mthombeni-Moller.
In one of her posts, Sonia told a story about a cheesecake that Matthew had seemingly baked for his alleged side chick.
“Two weeks ago, I noticed cheesecake ingredients in the fridge and the boys got excited. On the 3rd of Nov (the eve of Nate’s bday) @matthewboothza bakes… at night, I was fast asleep already. In the morning we all got excited salivating over the cheesecake thinking it was for Nate’s bday.
“Imagine our shock and surprise when it disappeared from our fridge, the entire cake, not even a taste nor 3 slices nyana for me, N & N. We laughed and felt sorry for ourselves,” she joked. The recipe was never revealed in this case, but if you find yourself craving a slice, here’s how to make it at home.
Maggi noodles
Let’s move from extra-marital affairs and focus on divorce cases that also recently happened. Did he have to divorce her or not?
In what may be described as a freak case, a couple ended their marriage on account of our favourite fast food - Maggi! Sounds unbelievable?
Principal district and sessions court judge ML Raghunath recalled what he described as the “Maggi case,” named for the brand of the noodles involved, during a press conference at a court in Mysuru, a city in the Indian state of Karnataka, on May 27.
“The husband said his wife did not know how to prepare any food other than Maggi noodles. It was noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Raghunath said, withholding details about dates and names. “He complained that his wife went to the provision store and brought only instant noodles.”
The carrot cake
In another unlikely scenario, there were no cheating allegations nor one being served the same meal every day but that of a man who missed her ex-wife’s carrot cake.
While most divorcees don't actively seek reminders of their ex, one man's ex-wife supposedly made a carrot cake so good that he was still craving it more than twenty years after they split.
Now the viral recipe, dubbed 'Divorce Carrot Cake', has cake lovers in a frenzy online, with most people even declaring it "the best carrot cake recipe in existence."
The heirloom recipe was shared on Reddit by the man's daughter, who explained her dad "sheepishly asked me to make it for his birthday, despite the fact they've been divorced for over 20 years."
She credits its enduring popularity to an unusual ingredient that keeps it moist and gives it "a nice tang!"
The recipe has had hundreds of comments and thousands of likes since it was posted. Get the full recipe below.
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup oil
½ - ¾ cup honey
3 eggs
560g crushed pineapple (drained)
2 cups carrots, grated
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
½ cup walnuts
Raisins
Cream cheese frosting
Two packages of softened cream cheese, cut into cube
½ cup softened butter, cut into cubes
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
Lemon juice to your taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease and flour two cake pans.
Combine dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, and baking soda) in a medium bowl.
Combine oil, honey, eggs, and pineapple in a large bowl.
Mix dry ingredients and any remaining items into the "wet" bowl.
Pour into cake pans. Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 1 minute.
Add vanilla, then slowly incorporate powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to prevent lumps.
Once smooth, taste and adjust as needed with lemon juice.
Once the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest and cool completely. Then decorate with tangy cream cheese frosting.
Have you checked out the latest IOL Food & Drinks digital magazine? Read it here.