So hopefully, you now have a better picture and don’t think of my like an asshole anymore, that doesn’t let any other idea being ok ;⁠-⁠)

I didn’t have this picture of you to begin with, I only offered advice because it seemed your partner thought so, haha.

This could be a language / cultural thing, but if I was doing something I’ve done a hundred times and someone asked me, “why are you doing it that way?” I would also be frustrated and defensive. Even though it’s a simple question with no implications, it can feel like the other person is saying you’re doing something wrong.

Let’s look at your tomato example. They’re washing tomatoes without even really thinking about it, and are asked, “why are you doing it like that?” (again, not a directly confrontational question, but can be perceived as such) Now slightly defensive they have to justify a behavior they did not think about before starting. The response is probably going to be short and… not happy.

I know you’re asking the question to find the best, most efficient way. You know that, and your partner probably knows it too, but when it happens in the moment (especially if they’ve already got a disposition towards those questions) it can be hard to look past your preconceived assumptions of the question.

So instead of seeing them wash tomatoes with hot water and asking “why are you doing that”, maybe you can ask, “is it better to wash them with hot water? I normally use cold because xyz”.