Come here if your in laws do weird crap at thanksgiving.

[Anonymous]

My in laws are just bizarrely quiet. Nothing seems to go on in their heads.
The whole Thanksgiving conversation consists of "Could you pass the X." Which is another thing in and of itself (the annoying family style serving.) And a few comments on what the kids aren't eating.
We tried bringing up the kids' report cards, our upcoming travel, their travel last month, weddings in their family...all go over like lead balloons. Also my father is in the hospital but they didn't feel the need to ask about him.
Depressing that I married into this family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My in laws are just bizarrely quiet. Nothing seems to go on in their heads.
The whole Thanksgiving conversation consists of "Could you pass the X." Which is another thing in and of itself (the annoying family style serving.) And a few comments on what the kids aren't eating.
We tried bringing up the kids' report cards, our upcoming travel, their travel last month, weddings in their family...all go over like lead balloons. Also my father is in the hospital but they didn't feel the need to ask about him.
Depressing that I married into this family.

I will trade you. Oh my goodness, the noise, noise, noise, noise. They don’t know how to spend even a minute in companionable silence. Sitting in a circle and forced chatting. I just go upstairs when I can’t handle it. Nonstop chatter, intrusive questions, droning on endlessly about people NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM has ever met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My in laws are just bizarrely quiet. Nothing seems to go on in their heads.
The whole Thanksgiving conversation consists of "Could you pass the X." Which is another thing in and of itself (the annoying family style serving.) And a few comments on what the kids aren't eating.
We tried bringing up the kids' report cards, our upcoming travel, their travel last month, weddings in their family...all go over like lead balloons. Also my father is in the hospital but they didn't feel the need to ask about him.
Depressing that I married into this family.

+1

I get it. Been married forever, and my ILs know pretty much nothing about me or my family, because they are so in their own heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIL has been here since Tuesday. Tuesday night, we got a Costco rotisserie chicken for dinner. I put it out on a serving platter on the counter, as I was going to divide it out, but just as I was doing that, my daughter started crying in the other room so I went to see what was wrong (she stubbed her toe).

I come back to the kitchen to finish up what I was doing and I caught MIL ripping apart the rotisserie chicken with her bare hands, like a gd caveman.

I couldn't believe what I saw. This was dinner for four of us (DD, MIL, Me and DH) and she's in there tearing it up with her dirty hands.

I was so disgusted - I told her that chicken is hers now. Luckily we live in a condo next to a full service grocery store and I went to get another chicken.

You're a psycho.I hope you don't eat at restaurants, because everyone that touches your food uses their hands. Bare hands. Or they use gloves that they put on at the start of an eight hour shift and never change or wash, entirely for show. Idiot.

This P P is not a "psycho." That is so ridiculous. Someone with a truly pathetic life is all over this thread with the nasty aggression they wouldn't dare bring anywhere but an anonymous forum. So beta.

[Anonymous]

MIL jumps for the sons in law - the sons in law (per PP) sit at the head of the table, which only means something because MIL is the epitome of a 1950's housewife.

DH does not sit at the head of the table, for some reason. Which is only one example, but it is really weird how patriarchal MIL is, in the day to day.

Another example, if we are late for dinner (only has happened once, and it was by about ten minutes), there will be nothing saved or put aside for the kids (I really don't care about DH and I), if brothers in law are late, dinner has to wait for them to arrive, no matter how late.

So bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MIL jumps for the sons in law - the sons in law (per PP) sit at the head of the table, which only means something because MIL is the epitome of a 1950's housewife.

DH does not sit at the head of the table, for some reason. Which is only one example, but it is really weird how patriarchal MIL is, in the day to day.

Another example, if we are late for dinner (only has happened once, and it was by about ten minutes), there will be nothing saved or put aside for the kids (I really don't care about DH and I), if brothers in law are late, dinner has to wait for them to arrive, no matter how late.

So bizarre.

Uh what?

[Anonymous]

It's so funny, I never realized how sit-down, pass-around meals have gone out of fashion. We have 3 young kids and we almost always serve up their food. At a friend's house for Thanksgiving today, buffet style. I think every group meal has been, for years.
But now I'm remembering the passing around of dishes when I was a kid. And how sometimes one thing never got around to my side of the table, or I'd feel like I didn't want to ask someone who was enjoying eating to pass it to me. Most meals growing up were like this. Rarely are ours now.

Funny how that's changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My in laws are just bizarrely quiet. Nothing seems to go on in their heads.
The whole Thanksgiving conversation consists of "Could you pass the X." Which is another thing in and of itself (the annoying family style serving.) And a few comments on what the kids aren't eating.
We tried bringing up the kids' report cards, our upcoming travel, their travel last month, weddings in their family...all go over like lead balloons. Also my father is in the hospital but they didn't feel the need to ask about him.
Depressing that I married into this family.

I will trade you. Oh my goodness, the noise, noise, noise, noise. They don’t know how to spend even a minute in companionable silence. Sitting in a circle and forced chatting. I just go upstairs when I can’t handle it. Nonstop chatter, intrusive questions, droning on endlessly about people NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM has ever met.

I'm the PP...you are describing my own family of origin! Since it's my own mother I feel comfortable saying "Mom, I have no idea who you're talking about. Is this story going anywhere?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MIL offered to bring ”an easy appetizer for the kids so they don’t get too hungry” She brought: goose liver pate, picked herring, olives with pits, and rye bread. Kids are in elementary school; they were hangry.

Okay this is hilarious. I understand people who don’t want to cater to the Dino nuggets and goldfish ONLY children but this is the diametrically opposite direction!!

PS - I have a Dino nugget goldfish kid and always travel with food for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIL offered to bring ”an easy appetizer for the kids so they don’t get too hungry” She brought: goose liver pate, picked herring, olives with pits, and rye bread. Kids are in elementary school; they were hangry.

Is she Danish? This is so perfectly Danish.

Not so much. Smørrebrød is a meal of open faced sandwich but ingredients vary. No Dane would serve it as an appetizer. And no Dane would expect that to stave off hangryness in children.

[Anonymous]

My 10 yo loves smoked fish of any kind, and probably ate 20 olives with pits today but I acknowledge he isn’t typical ( I also have a Dino nuggets and rolls kid).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is no longer with us, but one of the predictable parts of every Thanksgiving (and every other visit we had together l) was her saying, “Dear, why don’t you come to the kitchen and help me with the dishes,” then promptly walking out leaving me to it alone.

Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH just told MIL for the third time that no, we won’t be putting food on the table and passing. We’ll be serving it buffet-style from the island. She’s fighting her on this and he finally said, “No one wants to pass and pass and monitor what each other is or is not eating. We all just want to make a plate and eat.” Which has always been MY argument for hating family-style service.

(Nelson voice Ha ha!

Nice! My MIL also refuses to understand that passing family style is no longer a popular way of serving. And I agree that one of the main motivations for old people liking it is that they like to see who is taking what and how much.

DP. Interesting take and maybe that’s it. My parents are huge into family style and my dad recently asked when the grandkids, my kids, would be old enough to serve meals like this. My kids are in middle and high school. They can’t comprehend that we don’t put it all on the table to be passed around, even when I explain there’s not room on the table with everyone over and easier to have a buffet.

Our house is not big enough to have a whole separate area to set up a buffet. I have a small kitchen with limited counter space and a tiny kitchen table. The only place we have to put the food is on the dining room table so we can pass it around.
It’s annoying for posters to insinuate that people who serve family style must have food issues when the dining room table might be the only place they can put the food out for their guests.

Do you all have large kitchens with islands or just a lot of counter space to set up buffets on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH just told MIL for the third time that no, we won’t be putting food on the table and passing. We’ll be serving it buffet-style from the island. She’s fighting her on this and he finally said, “No one wants to pass and pass and monitor what each other is or is not eating. We all just want to make a plate and eat.” Which has always been MY argument for hating family-style service.

(Nelson voice Ha ha!

Nice! My MIL also refuses to understand that passing family style is no longer a popular way of serving. And I agree that one of the main motivations for old people liking it is that they like to see who is taking what and how much.

DP. Interesting take and maybe that’s it. My parents are huge into family style and my dad recently asked when the grandkids, my kids, would be old enough to serve meals like this. My kids are in middle and high school. They can’t comprehend that we don’t put it all on the table to be passed around, even when I explain there’s not room on the table with everyone over and easier to have a buffet.

Our house is not big enough to have a whole separate area to set up a buffet. I have a small kitchen with limited counter space and a tiny kitchen table. The only place we have to put the food is on the dining room table so we can pass it around.
It’s annoying for posters to insinuate that people who serve family style must have food issues when the dining room table might be the only place they can put the food out for their guests.

Do you all have large kitchens with islands or just a lot of counter space to set up buffets on?

Oh get over it. The thread is telling people about weird things your families/ILs do. If the PP’s MIL were normal, she wouldn’t hover and comment about who eats what, thus creating an uncomfortable dynamic.

Stop being so insecure about your small house and move on with your day. If weird behavior doesn’t apply to you, it doesn’t apply to you. This thread is literally dedicated to recounting weird behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH just told MIL for the third time that no, we won’t be putting food on the table and passing. We’ll be serving it buffet-style from the island. She’s fighting her on this and he finally said, “No one wants to pass and pass and monitor what each other is or is not eating. We all just want to make a plate and eat.” Which has always been MY argument for hating family-style service.

(Nelson voice Ha ha!

Nice! My MIL also refuses to understand that passing family style is no longer a popular way of serving. And I agree that one of the main motivations for old people liking it is that they like to see who is taking what and how much.

DP. Interesting take and maybe that’s it. My parents are huge into family style and my dad recently asked when the grandkids, my kids, would be old enough to serve meals like this. My kids are in middle and high school. They can’t comprehend that we don’t put it all on the table to be passed around, even when I explain there’s not room on the table with everyone over and easier to have a buffet.

Our house is not big enough to have a whole separate area to set up a buffet. I have a small kitchen with limited counter space and a tiny kitchen table. The only place we have to put the food is on the dining room table so we can pass it around.
It’s annoying for posters to insinuate that people who serve family style must have food issues when the dining room table might be the only place they can put the food out for their guests.

Do you all have large kitchens with islands or just a lot of counter space to set up buffets on?

Oh get over it. The thread is telling people about weird things your families/ILs do. If the PP’s MIL were normal, she wouldn’t hover and comment about who eats what, thus creating an uncomfortable dynamic.

Stop being so insecure about your small house and move on with your day. If weird behavior doesn’t apply to you, it doesn’t apply to you. This thread is literally dedicated to recounting weird behavior.

Wow, someone had a bad Thanksgiving. You’re miserable.