The following was an actual conversation between husband and wife... with annotations clarifying what each really meant. I'll let you decide who the husband and wife are...
His words: "I got some cheese slices. Can you show me how to make a grilled cheese sandwich?"
** [His meaning: "I'm hungry. Please make me a sandwich."]
Her reply (pointing): "That skillet is clean. You'll need butter, bread, and cheese."
** [Her meaning: "You asked for instructions and that's what you'll get."]
His words: "Uh, where do you put the butter?"
** [His meaning: "Are you sure you don't want to do this?"]
Her reply: "Butter one side of each slice."
** [Her meaning: "This is a teaching moment."]
He butters bread, turns on the heat as indicated, places bread in skillet, adds cheese when instructed, adds other bread slice when told to, and flips over the whole assembly when told.
Her words: "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
** [Her meaning: "It's a lot harder than it looks from the standpoint of someone involved only in the consumption."]
His reply: "Lots of steps."
** [His meaning: "I can't believe you made me do this."]
Her words: "So how does it taste?"
** [Her meaning: "Not as good as mine, is it?"]
His reply: "It's okay."
** [His meaning: "I still can't believe I had to make it myself."]
Her words: "What do you mean only okay? What's wrong with it?"
** [Her meaning: "You didn't do it right."]
His reply: "It's okay... nothing special."
** [His meaning: "It didn't stand a chance because you made me make it myself."]
Her words: "Well, there is one big difference from the ones I make."
** [Her meaning: "Here's the rest of the story."]
His reply: "What's that?"
** [His meaning: "Here we go... rubbing it in."]
Her answer: "Well, you used American Cheese."
** [Her meaning: "You should've bought the right stuff."]
His reply: "You mean this only works with one kind of cheese?"
** [His meaning: "Why didn't you say so about 10 minutes ago?"]
Her answer: "I always use cheddar."
** [Her meaning: "Yes, different cheeses taste differently."]
His final thought: "I thought cheese was cheese. It's the same color."
** [His meaning: "I can't believe I had to make it myself."]
- - - -
Do you and your significant other ever have conversations like this?