We’re driving 5 hours; ILs asked us to bring food

[Anonymous]

Op, your post doesn’t make any sense. You can’t cook a bunch of meals and safely bring them on a five hour road trip and have the meals be good people want to eat.

Your suggestions on your post are the way to go. Your in laws are elderly and may be experiencing cognitive decline. Stop engaging and say you will do a grocery run when you get there and will be happy to cook on their kitchen. If they aren’t happy with that, eat breakfast at your hotel and eat out and do takeout the rest of the time.

Do not cook meals att your house and bring them on coolers. That’s dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, your post doesn’t make any sense. You can’t cook a bunch of meals and safely bring them on a five hour road trip and have the meals be good people want to eat.

Your suggestions on your post are the way to go. Your in laws are elderly and may be experiencing cognitive decline. Stop engaging and say you will do a grocery run when you get there and will be happy to cook on their kitchen. If they aren’t happy with that, eat breakfast at your hotel and eat out and do takeout the rest of the time.

Do not cook meals att your house and bring them on coolers. That’s dumb.

Sounds like OPs post made total sense….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, your post doesn’t make any sense. You can’t cook a bunch of meals and safely bring them on a five hour road trip and have the meals be good people want to eat.

Your suggestions on your post are the way to go. Your in laws are elderly and may be experiencing cognitive decline. Stop engaging and say you will do a grocery run when you get there and will be happy to cook on their kitchen. If they aren’t happy with that, eat breakfast at your hotel and eat out and do takeout the rest of the time.

Do not cook meals att your house and bring them on coolers. That’s dumb.

Agreed. Treat ILs like you treat kids. "You get what you get and you don't get upset." I'm sure whatever OP comes up with food-wise will be reasonable.

[Anonymous]

OMG! Stop talking about this with them. Stop with the question and suggestions and reports.


ILs: “So what are you bringing?”
You: “We’re still figuring it out. Looking forward to seeing you there. I’ve got to go take Billy to practice. Talk to you later.”

[Anonymous]

Go to Costco, but lasagna and garlic bread, throw away the packaging and freeze. Put in a cooler with ice and tell them that’s all you had room for in your car. You could also go to wegmans and buy a bunch of their big chocolate chip cookies and pass as homemade. Oh and by go I mean go to Instacart

[Anonymous]

Why can’t you cook at their house? I don’t get it. When we visit my parents, we do help out by grocery shopping and cooking. My parents eat low-salt and low-fat, so take-out and prepared foods don’t work if there’s a home-cooked alternative.

[Anonymous]

^ and BIL and his spouse can pitch in with groceries and cooking as well.

[Anonymous]

Why is this hard? Buy a few items at a grocery store near the place. You don't have to buy a ton, just some key items. Boom, here ya go. If they want to "make all homemade" on vacation, then let them labor and waste their time. You go swimming and relax. Don't let them guilt trip you that they're slaving away in the kitchen all day. This is what they want to do. You have a game of mini golf to play. You'll set the table later, though.

[Anonymous]

Buy burgers and dogs and grill them.

Make potato salad or pasta salad and bring it in a cooler.

Why is this so complicated for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, your post doesn’t make any sense. You can’t cook a bunch of meals and safely bring them on a five hour road trip and have the meals be good people want to eat.

Your suggestions on your post are the way to go. Your in laws are elderly and may be experiencing cognitive decline. Stop engaging and say you will do a grocery run when you get there and will be happy to cook on their kitchen. If they aren’t happy with that, eat breakfast at your hotel and eat out and do takeout the rest of the time.

Do not cook meals att your house and bring them on coolers. That’s dumb.

Agreed. Treat ILs like you treat kids. "You get what you get and you don't get upset." I'm sure whatever OP comes up with food-wise will be reasonable.

No stop being a control freak

Find out what they want to cook and help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy burgers and dogs and grill them.

Make potato salad or pasta salad and bring it in a cooler.

Why is this so complicated for you?

OK, great. Sounds like that takes care of exactly one meal for a party of 10 for a multi-day visit where three meals a day are required. Now what? Hmm? Why is understanding that not just one meal is needed so complicated for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why can’t you cook at their house? I don’t get it. When we visit my parents, we do help out by grocery shopping and cooking. My parents eat low-salt and low-fat, so take-out and prepared foods don’t work if there’s a home-cooked alternative.

And you’re cooking for a party of 10 for these visits? Cooking for 10 for 3 meals a day for at least 3 days? Or oh wait are you only cooking for your immediate family and your parents. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop suggesting things and asking for their feedback.

They want food - you supply whatever you want. Given that you’re visiting family, I would do as much takeout/catering as possible so that you can visit and not be in the kitchen.

This. Stop discussing it with them. Bring whatever you want, buy whatever you want there...grocery run/delivery. Stop asking them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why can’t you cook at their house? I don’t get it. When we visit my parents, we do help out by grocery shopping and cooking. My parents eat low-salt and low-fat, so take-out and prepared foods don’t work if there’s a home-cooked alternative.

Then the in-laws can make the home made food they desire for the guests they have invited.

[Anonymous]

Totally costco. Maybe bring some containers that you can move things into that make it look homemade, but their prepared food is the way to go.