What are your weird family idosyncracies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is one of six kids. All are married, three have kids. Every single freaking person in his family gives every other person multiple Christmas gifts. Like, 3-5 each. And it's all junk. We don't even spend Christmas together. Instead a bunch of junk from Amazon shows up on our doorstep.

My in laws have a similar dynamic (husband is one of five, three with kids)- except they all exchange generic gift cards and cash. Like, what is the point to this? Once I suggested just giving the kids gifts, because they all pretty much give gift cards for the same amount and it all kind of nets out. People looked at me like I was the crazy one 🙃

Exactly! My family is angry at me because I refuse to exchange gift cards in the exact same amount. We also sent one another food gift baskets but even when we bought high end very expensive baskets, the food was awful. People recommend one of the companies all the time and it is still poor quality crap and wasteful wrt the packaging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do most people or kids lick the beaters as a treat after mixing something? Ok maybe like whip cream where you won't get salmonella and not front of company. DHs family never did this. I guess we were uncivilized.

100% even the raw batter

I turned 50 this year and have been eating raw cookie dough since the mid 70's. Zero cases of salmonella in me or anyone I know. I'm thinking that has to be some ultra paranoid hoax.

People don’t realize raw flour can cause all kinds of problems. They always think it’s the eggs that are bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom eats a LOT of peanut butter but doesn’t let like to touch it or smell it when she rinses off the knife. The dishwasher never gets it all off so her solution is to buy plastic knives for peanut butter only and discard them after each use.

This is a great idea for Nutella. My son loves Nutella on bagels. Sometimes he plops a spoonful of it onto a plate or bowl and dips pretzels into it. And I hate the cleanup. It doesn't rinse off so I have to use paper towels to wipe it up and it's just messy and icky. Your mom is a genius, I'm buying plastic Nutella utensils.

(Your mom needs a dog - I put peanut butter knives in the dishwasher and my dog steps in to lick them clean (before I turn on the dishwasher of course).

Y'all might want to consider a new dishwasher. Mine gets peanut butter and nutella off with no issue whatsoever. I don't even rinse stuff before I put it in.

What model and what detergent? Detergents no longer have tsp or something that has affected how well they clean.

[Anonymous]

My SIL is single (never married, no kids). Very attached to her mom and brother (DH). Once in our early 30s, we visited her at her apartment in another state. It was our first time seeing her place. There were framed pictures of my husband all over her apartment (baby pictures, kid pictures, and adult pictures). It was truly the weirdest, creepiest thing I have ever seen. I don’t think she comprehended how bizarre it was.

[Anonymous]

I come from a large family. We never used our front door. It opened into the fancy part of our small home. All our friends and neighbors came around to the back door. It was weird when someone knocked on the front door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I come from a large family. We never used our front door. It opened into the fancy part of our small home. All our friends and neighbors came around to the back door. It was weird when someone knocked on the front door.

I think MIL is trying to make this a thing at our new home. She chooses to go around the garage, through the side gate (and by then the dogs are aware and jumping all over her), through the yard, past the pool and up the flights of stairs to the back deck to get in the back door so it's really quite an effort! We are worried the dogs are going to knock her down or in the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I come from a large family. We never used our front door. It opened into the fancy part of our small home. All our friends and neighbors came around to the back door. It was weird when someone knocked on the front door.

I think MIL is trying to make this a thing at our new home. She chooses to go around the garage, through the side gate (and by then the dogs are aware and jumping all over her), through the yard, past the pool and up the flights of stairs to the back deck to get in the back door so it's really quite an effort! We are worried the dogs are going to knock her down or in the pool.

My ILs knock on the front door and then open the storm door and try to open the front door. They always seem surprised when it's locked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I come from a large family. We never used our front door. It opened into the fancy part of our small home. All our friends and neighbors came around to the back door. It was weird when someone knocked on the front door.

I think MIL is trying to make this a thing at our new home. She chooses to go around the garage, through the side gate (and by then the dogs are aware and jumping all over her), through the yard, past the pool and up the flights of stairs to the back deck to get in the back door so it's really quite an effort! We are worried the dogs are going to knock her down or in the pool.

Annnnnnnnd you haven’t told her to stop this because…?

If you have told her to stop and she continues, simply don’t open the back door. Call through that she should come around to the front. Make her repeat that process a few times, and she’ll be fully trained before you know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

My sister and her family do something similar. She married a small man, and they have 2 petite girls (HS aged. One won't make it past 5 feet and the other is probably only 5'2. and super thing)

They'll host the family for dinner and the food is gone instantly. No surprise. DH is tall, and our boys (also HS. both over 6'0) will eat triple the amount of the girls. But they say stuff like "I can't believe there's no left overs. I bought a 3lb sirloin!"

It was mildly annoying at first, but now we just let the boys have a second dinner at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

Lol. I would order the same meal as him just out of spite. Not allowed? Ha, watch me order that meal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

My sister and her family do something similar. She married a small man, and they have 2 petite girls (HS aged. One won't make it past 5 feet and the other is probably only 5'2. and super thing)

They'll host the family for dinner and the food is gone instantly. No surprise. DH is tall, and our boys (also HS. both over 6'0) will eat triple the amount of the girls. But they say stuff like "I can't believe there's no left overs. I bought a 3lb sirloin!"

It was mildly annoying at first, but now we just let the boys have a second dinner at home

Nailed it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

Lol. I would order the same meal as him just out of spite. Not allowed? Ha, watch me order that meal

I do! LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We share all of our food. If we go out to eat at a restaurant, we are all passing bites of our dinner around the table to each other. I've come to understand that this isn't completely normal, most people eat the dinner they ordered.

That's my father's pet peeve! He doesn't want to eat with people who do that. He wants to eat his dinner and be left alone. No sharing whatsoever.

I hate sharing because as the youngest in a large family my food was often taken. My mother was the worst about it.

This reminds me of the "every man for himself" families - usually large, where there is barely enough food to go around, but whomever the cook is (usually the mom) for meals, is oblivious and just seems to think that the guests "loved her food so much, and she made just enough!" UGH. DH still has food issues from growing up that way, meals were always stressful, and supplemented with cereal and/or chips after dinner.

We grew up not sharing, and had bread and salad (from the garden) with each (varied starch, varied meat, varied veggie) meal. Not sure if that is an idiosyncrasy. DH ate the same starch and veggie each meal, and rotated between two or three different meats, one for each meal. (We grew up working poor, DH did not).

DH does not like it if I order the same thing at dinner, it is not allowed, because of the presumption that it will be shared, yet we never share. Same with his family.

I think sharing your meal, or at least food, could have it's own thread! Apologies for the sidetrack, I just find upbringing and food dynamics interesting.

Lol. I would order the same meal as him just out of spite. Not allowed? Ha, watch me order that meal

I do! LOL.

Good!

My luck, my DH would start ordering things I hate just to mess with me lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I come from a large family. We never used our front door. It opened into the fancy part of our small home. All our friends and neighbors came around to the back door. It was weird when someone knocked on the front door.

My mom is plastic knife lady (why did everyone here validate her?!) and also has a front door that’s off-limits. There hasn’t been a key for years and at one point the entire door had to be replaced because everything got stuck from disuse.