Chewed Out, by Rani Jayakumar

"There's gravel in the oatmeal," he said, grimacing. Mom plopped on another helping. "Eat!" she commanded. The meals she served often included corn on the cob, jerky or raw vegetables, and they often left something like dirt in the mouth. By forty, his teeth worn down from chewing, he needed dentures. With them, he could eat leather, or rocks, if he had to. But when he got married, he never once complained about his wife's cooking.