Hilarious meal train requests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meal trains are nice, and we always participate...but I would never request or allow one for my family. I politely said "no thanks" when people offered to organize them after I had children or when there was a death in my family. I don't understand why people need them. I mean, order takeout if you don't want to eat a bowl of cereal or microwave something for dinner.

Honestly, I find meal trains for new parents far more egregious than a second baby shower. Rallying folks for meals and laundry (wtf?) for weeks on end is far worse than a baby shower. People like parties and are happy to bring a little gift. Cooking and cleaning however is just nuts.

If someone has end stage cancer or their spouse dies, that's a different story. Although I still wouldn't feel comfortable accepting the help. I always contribute (pretty sure you have to when you are included on the email blast/scheduler), but I always feel like it's a bit of an imposition for the recipient---which is why I imagine some people opt for the outdoor cooler.

Totally agree. I have 2 kids and a typical busy life. I’m pretty sure that new parents of one baby (with one or both on parental leave) have more time to cook and clean than I do. I never participate for run of the mill new parents. Every other situation I’ve done one it’s made me feel like a sucker. One time the person had a child hospitalized for a day for a procedure. When I called to find out when I should drop off the food, it turns out they were all out doing an activity with the child. That’s great that your kid has bounced back quickly, but stop the meal train.

[Anonymous]

I was in a moms group in another area and we always did meal trains for families who had new babies. So these were 2nd+ time moms - I don’t think anyone joined when they were pregnant with their first. Most of the times the requests were very reasonable, stuff like no pork, no nuts, etc. But we got a meal train request where the mom (3rd time mom) gave instructions for “no foods that would interfere with [her] reaching [her] breastfeeding goals or that would cause fussiness in an exclusively breastfed newborn.” I had no idea what to even do with that information! I won’t, uh, bring you wine? Wtf.

[Anonymous]

1) I’m going to make all the requested meals sort of like Julie & Julia.

2) I wish a more cleaver person would spoof the request for what a Gen X would ask for... pizza and wine, Mexican and craft beer, cocaine and reefer.

[Anonymous]

That couple is ridiculous but I might try some of those recipes!

I was grateful for many delicious dishes my friends brought over after I had a baby. My standards are pretty low though--I grew up in the rural midwest where potlucks and meal trains always involve some combination of cubed ham, mayonnaise, peas, and tater tots. And a lot of jello salads.

[Anonymous]

I'd be concerned for their baby b/c they seem like they are incapable of taking care of themselves and are total self-absorbed jerks. Poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Pathetic.

When a family member was dealing with cancer their church set up a meal train. Someone thought of the cooler, and the person with a key would take food into the house and put it away. This has happened with every hospital stay and relapse.

Once they were in the clear they returned the favor. I wonder if the family in the post would even consider doing that?

[Anonymous]

A neighbor had breast cancer. She had a late Elem school child the same age as my daughter and a fully functioning husband. Her meal train request for meals was fine. It was the laundry and housekeeping requests that got me as well as the gift card requests. At 10, my kid does her own laundry, cleans her bathroom, emptied the dishwasher, sweeps the kitchen floor, and takes out the trash. Not sure why this kid and his dad were asking neighbors to these things for them. When I dropped off a meal, I was surprised to find both sets of parents in the house. So now there are 5 grown adults and one older child and your asking your neighbors to do your laundry and clean your bathroom?

[Anonymous]

During the recent Fed shut down, my friend mobilized our group to make food donations. She worked with a group (I won't say which one), who provided a list of foods for us to donate to workers who were presumably struggling to feed themselves and their families. Everything requested was organic, etc, etc from Whole Foods. I found it absurd.

[Anonymous]

I had friends who not only requested meal trains (and listed allergies) but also gift cards for Whole Foods. Isn’t the point of a meal train to get hot food so you can eat and not have to spend time cooking? What good will a Whole Foods gift card do? You still have to take time to go shop and these people were not poor. Just entitled.

[Anonymous]

These people sound like a$$holes.

I am sure they would not reciprocate what anyone does for them. Just a hunch.

[Anonymous]

My mom group does a meal train with the request that things be left outside. It is standard with us. However, we just list food allergies and things we can't eat.

We were super crunchy, so when we moved in with infant, we declined the meal train, because we were very specific.

I did it until one lady scoffed at the $40 in organic, grassfed hamburgers I left her family. Look lady, I am dying over here, too. It does not get easier as they get older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom group does a meal train with the request that things be left outside. It is standard with us. However, we just list food allergies and things we can't eat.

We were super crunchy, so when we moved in with infant, we declined the meal train, because we were very specific.

I did it until one lady scoffed at the $40 in organic, grassfed hamburgers I left her family. Look lady, I am dying over here, too. It does not get easier as they get older.

Why would you even feel the need to tell her they were organic, grassfed? Just give her the burgers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meal trains are nice, and we always participate...but I would never request or allow one for my family. I politely said "no thanks" when people offered to organize them after I had children or when there was a death in my family. I don't understand why people need them. I mean, order takeout if you don't want to eat a bowl of cereal or microwave something for dinner.

Honestly, I find meal trains for new parents far more egregious than a second baby shower. Rallying folks for meals and laundry (wtf?) for weeks on end is far worse than a baby shower. People like parties and are happy to bring a little gift. Cooking and cleaning however is just nuts.

If someone has end stage cancer or their spouse dies, that's a different story. Although I still wouldn't feel comfortable accepting the help. I always contribute (pretty sure you have to when you are included on the email blast/scheduler), but I always feel like it's a bit of an imposition for the recipient---which is why I imagine some people opt for the outdoor cooler.

Completely agree and stopped doing them for new parents after I dropped one off to the babysitter because the mom was at the gym and dad was at the Nats game. Arlington parents - you know who you are.

Only exceptions - single parents and parents of multiples.

[Anonymous]

This is completely insane. There is absolutely no reason that your average healthy two parent couple of a new born needs a meal train, help with laundry, etc etc. Meal trains are for when someone is extremely ill, a spouse/parent dies, or the baby is in the NICU for an extended period of time. They should just do what everyone else does and batch prep and freeze things ahead of time and then get stuff delivered. The entitlement of these people is just staggering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meal trains are nice, and we always participate...but I would never request or allow one for my family. I politely said "no thanks" when people offered to organize them after I had children or when there was a death in my family. I don't understand why people need them. I mean, order takeout if you don't want to eat a bowl of cereal or microwave something for dinner.

Honestly, I find meal trains for new parents far more egregious than a second baby shower. Rallying folks for meals and laundry (wtf?) for weeks on end is far worse than a baby shower. People like parties and are happy to bring a little gift. Cooking and cleaning however is just nuts.

If someone has end stage cancer or their spouse dies, that's a different story. Although I still wouldn't feel comfortable accepting the help. I always contribute (pretty sure you have to when you are included on the email blast/scheduler), but I always feel like it's a bit of an imposition for the recipient---which is why I imagine some people opt for the outdoor cooler.

I was so grateful for hot meals after I had my first baby. We didn’t have a meal train, just a few thoughtful friends. I had never really cooked before. I usually just ate at work, ate out, or had snacks at home. I never really even ordered takeout. So, when DH and I came home with the baby, he was still eating at work, but I was subsisting on trail mix, bagels, and potato chips.
Eventually, after six weeks or so, I started figuring out how to cook, how to go out with the baby, etc. But those first few weeks were rough, and I was so grateful for real meals.
I always bring meals to people I know who have babies now. Just because I remember how appreciative I was.