Who the heck are these people with never enough food for guests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many people eat less as they age, so they might forget what it’s like to want to eat more frequently.

Others are the type who are still strict calorie-counters with a 1970s/80s mentality and can’t understand why half a grapefruit isn’t enough to tide you over from the time you get up until the time you have dinner. There have been many threads on here about parents/IL’s (typically the mother) having disordered eating and expecting their children and grandchildren to follow along.

Very true, many older people only eat once or maybe two times a da
Y

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me, my sister surprised me by cooking a meal for the family displacing all the ingredients I had for Christmas Day!

I was so happy she volunteered, but so embarrassed when I realized she had used the ingredients I was planning on using right before cooking.

When she volunteered, why didn’t you ask what she was planning to make, or show her what ingredients you were saving for today?

No, her sister should have asked if she could the ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Old people just get so weird about food in all kinds of ways. I’m living with my 76 year old dad, who likes to eat, and I eat what and when I want without much fuss, but he gets so much anxiety about food in the fridge. If there’s more than one night of leftovers he really gets antsy about there being too much. It’s almost like he gets overwhelmed if he opens the fridge and sees a lot of food. If I put restaurant leftovers in the fridge he is weird about it and asks me if he should throw it away if it’s been in there longer than a few hours. Every time I go to the store he tells me not to get too much because we “don’t have that much room” (there’s plenty of room).

Oh my goodness! I thought my dad was the only one! He's in his 90s but gets totally overwhelmed at any food in his fridge that isn't his. If I buy milk (he doesn't drink milk), he might ask after one day how long it's going to be there...

[Anonymous]

WASPS never have enough food. Ever.

[Anonymous]

My brother and I talked about this tonight. His ILs are the extreme of no-food/no-plan. My ILs are the extreme of there’s plenty of food and always a plan, but it’s very formal—everyone eats all meals and snacks together, seated at the table. No “free-form” breakfast or even snacking. There’s no veering from the set menu, or even mentioning other ideas for food. We honestly don’t know which is worse.

[Anonymous]

MIL is like this and totally controlling about food. When we stay with her she dictates the menu (with little regard to what people actually like) and meal times and expects the kitchen to be closed otherwise. Last time we had dinner with her she prepared 3 small chicken breasts to feed 6 people - her, me/DH/BIL (all healthy, active adults who like to eat) plus a tween and a teen. She acted shocked when I offered my chicken to my hangry kids who scarfed down their small portion in a few bites, like it hasn't happened a million time before. On occasion she makes dessert, but insists that it hs to be eaten directly after dinner when everyone is still seated at the table. I declined once and said maybe I would have some a bit later in the night and was told a strict "No!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother was like this - she'd have a thing of like, cheese, crackers and grapes, and if anyone was hungry she'd wave it off and be like "We'll serve the meal soon," and "soon" could mean two hours later.

That seems normal to me … fast metabolism 45-year-old

Really, that's normal? So half a grapefruit for breakfast, then the cheese and grapes for lunch, then wait to eat dinner? No honey, that's not normal.

Sounds reasonable to me. Are you fat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother was like this - she'd have a thing of like, cheese, crackers and grapes, and if anyone was hungry she'd wave it off and be like "We'll serve the meal soon," and "soon" could mean two hours later.

That seems normal to me … fast metabolism 45-year-old

Really, that's normal? So half a grapefruit for breakfast, then the cheese and grapes for lunch, then wait to eat dinner? No honey, that's not normal.

Sounds reasonable to me. Are you fat?

I eat about 2,000 calories a day, maybe 2,500. I weigh 112 lbs

[Anonymous]

Lol my ex’s mom once made a special breakfast for all 3 of us, it was a single serving tub of Greek yogurt divided three ways!

[Anonymous]

When my husband and I were in our 20s we bought our first house, a fixer upper which promptly had a plumbing emergency rendering it unliveable. We had to live with the in-laws for 10 days while repairs were being made. We both spent our days at work so we weren't hanging out there all day. They did not offer us so much as a sandwich during those 10 days. Now that I am a parent myself it seems even more unbelievable to me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I seriously can't imagine it. My parents and in-laws always have more than enough and getting food from their kitchens at non meal times is never an issue. I would be so outta there if I had to deal with this bs.

My biggest fear is not having enough food when hosting. I actually always have leftovers to eat or share. My kitchen is open 24/7.

[Anonymous]

My in-laws. Every meal has just enough food for one small serving of everything. I've never seen a snack in the house. I guess it's healthy, but it's not fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother was like this - she'd have a thing of like, cheese, crackers and grapes, and if anyone was hungry she'd wave it off and be like "We'll serve the meal soon," and "soon" could mean two hours later.

That seems normal to me … fast metabolism 45-year-old

Really, that's normal? So half a grapefruit for breakfast, then the cheese and grapes for lunch, then wait to eat dinner? No honey, that's not normal.

Sounds reasonable to me. Are you fat?

I eat about 2,000 calories a day, maybe 2,500. I weigh 112 lbs

DP here. I weight 102 lbs. I assume anyone who pretends these starvation diets are normal are actually the ones who have weight problems...or some kind of extreme food issue. No, unless you are ill, half a piece of fruit plus some cheese and a couple of grapes is not enough food for an adult. Heck, it's not even enough food for a toddler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think sometimes it’s older people. My parents always had a ton of food 24/7. My brother in his 30s is currently staying with them and my mother called me, shocked, because they ate dinner on Christmas Eve at 2 and he was hungry again at 7. She couldn’t believe he could eat again because my parents were so stuffed.

I told her this was normal and how they used to be. They really don’t remember. I also gently reminded them how I took the kids out to eat mid day when we visited because they needed lunch and couldn’t go from breakfast to dinner.

If you are visiting relatives, always have your own car. My advice and hard lesson learned.

This is why I refuse to visit my in-laws ever again after the first time. They insisted we stay with them and insisted we not rent a car, and implied that it would be insulting to them if we did not stay with them and allow them to take care of all of our needs, including transportation. So we were stuck in their house with no car for a week, and aside from no food there was NO COFFEE OR ALCOHOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother was like this - she'd have a thing of like, cheese, crackers and grapes, and if anyone was hungry she'd wave it off and be like "We'll serve the meal soon," and "soon" could mean two hours later.

That seems normal to me … fast metabolism 45-year-old

Really, that's normal? So half a grapefruit for breakfast, then the cheese and grapes for lunch, then wait to eat dinner? No honey, that's not normal.

Sounds reasonable to me. Are you fat?

I eat about 2,000 calories a day, maybe 2,500. I weigh 112 lbs

DP here. I weight 102 lbs. I assume anyone who pretends these starvation diets are normal are actually the ones who have weight problems...or some kind of extreme food issue. No, unless you are ill, half a piece of fruit plus some cheese and a couple of grapes is not enough food for an adult. Heck, it's not even enough food for a toddler.

I'd be dizzy with hunger and low blood sugar. I'm not overweight. I do exercise a lot. But my husband would be fine with it - he eats only two meals a day, and just doesn't get hungry for many many hours after eating. He's not starving, he's just really not hungry. It's weird. And also annoying because my teen is always hungry and my husband will just let him starve or gorge himself on junkie snacks if I'm not home to feed him.