https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:03:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299099 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 07:06:13 +0000 MrsH 1299099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We eat very different foods - they put cream of something soup, bread crumbs, sausage, and cheese in like everything. This can become really problematic because I can't have gluten - after we started boycotting dinner with them they started to make a small effort. I just always bring something I can eat regardless of what they think. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299097 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 06:56:58 +0000 Ash 1299097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The eating style isn't what differs between us... but the quality of food does. I'm used to home cooked meals (and a huge feast during the holidays) but the in law's food is usually from a box and not your normal spread that I look forward to (spaghetti from Olive Garden?).</p> <p>Dh is used to frozen/prepackaged meals and I like to make the meals from scratch - it's something we struggle with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299095 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 06:45:40 +0000 Andrea 1299095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I deal with this a lot, too, with family. They graze and don't eat at "proper" times. So you'll take them out for a meal and they'll say "I have been eating all day. I don't want to eat now". Drives me nuts. It's not like they don't know we have reservations and the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299072 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:02:45 +0000 mediagirl 1299072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: @scg00387: when we get to the in laws house for our annual week vacation, we go grocery shopping and hide our snacks in our room, too. ;-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299031 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 01:53:36 +0000 PinkElephant 1299031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love eating at my in laws! They have a similar cooking style to hubby and I - home cooked, lots of spices, varied ethnic foods (FIL is Indian so we eat lots of that), desserts...and because he has a big family, there's always tons of food, including yummy party- style appetizers and snacks. </p> <p>I actually don't love to eat with my parents - my mom makes a few dishes I love, but most things she cooks just aren't very strongly flavored - kind of boring. they eat a lot of frozen stir fry sort of meals, and are older so eat small portions. Since it's my own mom, I try to make menu suggestions when I'm visiting, or stop at the store to pick up filling snacks that I like - hummus, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1299003 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 01:00:43 +0000 Kimberlybee 1299003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My inlaws eat fast, usually don't go for seconds. They eat just enough to survive (that's my perception, they probably are really full though). I am a foodie, like to have seconds, and like to talk and linger at the table. So basically, I eat much less than I normally would when I am at my inlaw's. I don't go for seconds because I don't want to be the last one eating and have everyone waiting on me while they clean up. Also, I don't want to look like Ms. Piggy. :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298993 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 00:36:02 +0000 StbHisMrs 1298993@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wanna hear something crazy?</p> <p>Neither set (his parents are both divorced and remarried) of IL's have invited us over for dinner. They've been here for dinner everytime. When we invite them only his Mom offers to bring a pie, his SM doesn't offer. She did however surprise me 2 years ago with buffalo wings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298981 Tue, 24 Dec 2013 00:00:45 +0000 FarmWifeGina 1298981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh my, YES. I'll eat their food, and holiday meals aren't *too* bad, just more processed and a lot more white stuff than I would normally eat. And my parents-in-law will politely eat what I cook, but most of my BILs, not so much. I don't think I cook anything really weird, just yummy, interesting stuff. I have a full spice cupboard that I use the heck out of- I don't think they even owned a container of black pepper before I came into the family. When they visited with some of my younger BILs in tow last summer, my MIL told me that I didn't have to cook them anything fancy (trust me, I wasn't), they'd be quite happy with their standard fare of potatoes and/or noodles and chicken patties (like, the breaded ones you can get in big bags at Sam's Club). Gaaaaaaaaah! My MIL is pretty much the only one who will eat fresh or any interesting take on veggies. Most of the kids are super picky when it comes to veggies, usually based on looks, they very rarely actually try new things. Gaaaaah!<br /> And then there's the part where I have something of a complex when it comes to food and our budget. I plan and budget so that I can buy some "special" foods that I then stretch out and add to different meals for some variety. Feta cheese, that kind of thing. There are certain things that I don't buy too often and when I do, Farmer Man knows better than to touch them if he sees them in the fridge because he knows I have a plan for it and it will disrupt everything if he eats it, lol. But in the IL's house, MIL will go out and buy special (read: junk) food for family get togethers and so on. She will write "do not eat" on the grocery bags and hide everything under her bed or in the back of the closet. Not that it does any good- the BILs still living at home (teens up to mid 20s) know where her hiding spots are and will find it and eat. Then she has to go out and buy more food before the original event. Now, I know teenage boys have legendary appetites, but OMG, I find this HIGHLY disrespectful. Extremely so, I cannot even tell you how much this bugs me. Of course, I was raised with pretty minimal junk food and candy, if it was in the pantry we knew our mom had it on hand for a special occasion and didn't touch it. Basically, we rarely snacked between meals (and we ate what was put before us) and when we did, the only thing we helped ourselves to was leftovers in the fridge or fruit/veggies or buttered (homemade whole wheat) bread. So when my BILs steal my MILs groceries, grrrrrrr, just seems so wrong. I might feel differently about it if they bought some junk food of their own, or ate their veggies, or something. Oh, oh, and then there's the part where they habitually eat and drink (DH does this too) whatever junk food is available just because it's there and it tastes good, not because they're hungry or anything. And they're all freaking skinny and wiry. As a girl who's been on the definite chunky side ever since puberty and who is very conscious of everything she puts into her mouth (in a healthy, Whole30 way, not an eating disorder way), this makes me crazy too. Lol, enough venting? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298955 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 23:34:45 +0000 boots 1298955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My FIL doesn't eat vegetables (really), and in general makes much unhealthier choices than I do. Other than that though it's not too bad. I don't think we've ever had too much of an issue with anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298944 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 23:24:02 +0000 jhd 1298944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>They don't like anything I make. And MIL never takes me up on any offers to bring something. So I just show up , bring nothing, and stick to the foods I like. Thankfully she usually has plain stuff like green beans &amp; mashed potatoes. DH &amp; I don't eat pasta salad, deviled eggs, etc that she fixes for SIL. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298908 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 22:50:26 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 1298908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My IL don't snack much and don't really eat dinner. They typically eat a HUGE lunch pretty late in the day. I prefer to eat smaller meals and a few snacks throughout the day, so I was always starving at dinner time because I ate a smaller lunch and no snacks. It's also expected that if you do eat a snack, you offer to share, which wouldn't be a big deal except there are 10 of them, so you only get a bite or two of your snack. </p> <p>Now, I bring snacks with me and keep them in our room to eat and I make DH go to the store with me and buy a couple things I know I can make a small dinner for me out of, even if it just a bowl of cereal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298709 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 20:49:58 +0000 Sapphiresun 1298709@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. My IL's don't eat lunch, and I don't much care for my MIL's cooking most of the time. She makes and freezes her Christmas dinner in early December, and then just warms it up in the microwave. Same for birthdays, she'll pick up a storebought cake a few weeks in advance, and freeze it. So strange to me.</p> <p>I usually pack a jar of peanutbutter, a bag of flat outs and some fruit in my suitcase when I come visit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298691 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 20:38:04 +0000 mrsbookworm 1298691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope! My family has always been the type to have appetizers and drinks during holidays. My in-laws are more no-frills. You don't get offered anything to eat or drink until the meal. They also don't really eat vegetables. I've learned that when I host, to just make small sides of veggies since DH and I will be the only ones eating them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298673 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 20:30:40 +0000 immabeetoo 1298673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: I do the same thing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298564 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:52:10 +0000 Mrs. Taco 1298564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@grizz: KFC on Easter for invited guests? That's rough.</p> <p>My ILs definitely eat a lot different than I do. Mostly comfort food with 3 sticks of butter per dish. My MIL will think her tuna salad is healthy because its tuna...disregard the jar of mayo in it. Luckily, we live pretty far so when we visit my husband uses the 'I want to go to my old favorite restaurants' line and we eat out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298563 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:50:05 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 1298563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Lol, I need snacks and meals. My ILs don't snack, so I used to bring cereal bars and eat them in hiding! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298507 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:56:42 +0000 Corduroy 1298507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We flew in for a week so we couldn't exactly bring a dish from home. I always invite MIL to go grocery shopping with us when she visits so she can get what she wants to eat. Whenever we visit they always say they have everything we need and we won't need to shop for a month. </p> <p>For lunch today they offered me leftover salad. We got here Friday and the salad was here before us. How many days can they keep a dressed salad? So my usually paleo self had a third bagel for the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298490 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:36:17 +0000 nana87 1298490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>our major eating issue with my in-laws is that dh and I like to eat dinner usually between like 6:30 and 7:30, and my fil sometimes won't come home from work until 9! By that point we're starving and grumpy, plus we usually go to bed by 10:30 or 11 and I get major heartburn if I eat that soon before bed. My in-laws are night owls though! you'd think that when we're visiting he'd make an effort to compromise, but no...super annoying! </p> <p>fil also has a bunch of dietary restrictions because of a health condition, and I'm a vegetarian, so it can be hard to find things that work for both of us. usually we have separate main courses, but dh is usually the one doing the cooking when we're with them so he always has me covered :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298489 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:33:20 +0000 Beyond2 1298489@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have this problem too! I cook comfort food and use all real ingredients. My ILs cook very light and experiment a lot. We just don't jive :-/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298485 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:28:51 +0000 PawPrints 1298485@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hah, this is funny to me because I'm at the in-laws right now and we are not going to be eating dinner tonight. I'd honestly give any family a lot of leeway during the holidays - the host (particularly the mom) can feel a ton of pressure when people are staying over and more people are coming over for Christmas dinner, it can just be a lot easier the days leading up to Christmas to say "everyone for themselves" and not do a formal dinner meal. I don't mind one bit. We have pretty different food styles, but I just offer to make a couple of dishes that I like that I can keep in the fridge and heat up whenever I'm hungry. I feel like if my mother in law were required to put a formal dinner on the table every night leading up to Christmas she'd go crazy. With so many people milling around it can just make more sense to do the grazing thing, even if you are normally a family that does a formal dinner every night (like we usually are). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298455 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:47:36 +0000 Dandelion 1298455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My inlaws are weird, but not that extreme. My MIL does do a lot of instant/boxed stuff, though, I prefer fresh ingredients. My FSIL is a vegetarian, though, and my MIL doesn't ever think about it. For this week, my FSIL asked my MIL if she could bring something for Christmas dinner, and my MIL said don't bother. But, then I interjected and told FSIL to bring whatever she wants, I'll eat it with her. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298442 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:40:15 +0000 skibobrown 1298442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have problems eating w/ my in-laws. (Husband is included in this as well -- he doesn't get how his mom and stepdad or his dad eat the way they do). Mom and stepdad are the worst offenders. They will only eat very standard american fare. I've never even seen DH's stepdad eat any food that is green in color. No veggies! He eats like a small child who is a picky eater. No spicy foods can go anywhere near their palates. Our funniest story is that DH's mom and stepdad refused to go anywhere near a bottle of Newman's steak sauce -- even though it looks and tastes exactly like their beloved A1, just because the label on the bottle looked unfamiliar to them. </p> <p>DH and I on the other hand are more in the foodie camp. We eat all kinds of foods from cultures all over the world. We love spice. We love incorporating fresh veggies into our meals. Eating with either of his parents is a challenge to say the least! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298434 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:38:00 +0000 NorCalWayfarer 1298434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Aaaand this is why my family invites the ILs over for Christmas dinner -- so we can make dinner the way we want it. We just tend to host everything now and MIL enjoys not having to cook. When she offers to bring something we say she can just bring wine or maybe dictate a baguette from our favorite bakery in our home town (although one year she messed that up too). Oh the holidays.... :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298431 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:37:04 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 1298431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No dinner?!! That's crazy!</p> <p>I fortunately like my ILs cooking even though they use more bacon grease than I do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298427 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:34:05 +0000 fussygal 1298427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My ILs are also very meat and potato heavy but I usually like their meals. My only gripe is that they don't regularly have vegetables BUT they know I like them and eat pretty healthy, so they always try to at least incorporate a salad. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298259 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 15:14:09 +0000 lamariniere 1298259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is a huge issue for me, especially since we lived with my ILs for 9 months last year. My ILs are big meat and potatoes people. My MIL thinks potatoes are vegetables. I swear she has like a 20 kilo bag of them in her cellar at all times. </p> <p>I'm a fairly healthy eater (used to be vegetarian) and make a ton of from scratch/home cooked meals. About half of MIL's food is processed. </p> <p>I survived by trying to eat small portions of her food and offering to cook. However, she's the kind of person who has the pork roast in the oven at 8:30am with the timer set so that it cooks itself before anyone has a say in the matter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298246 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 15:08:01 +0000 MoonMoon 1298246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like fresh produce, more whole foods than not, and eat vegan/vegetarian. I also like a wide variety of foods from different cultures. My in-laws are definitely meat &amp; potatoes, American style, processed food types. But to their credit, they eat what I make or bring, and are usually game about trying a new restaurant with us or whatever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298224 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 14:59:20 +0000 Alivoo01 1298224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm very open when it comes to food so no problemos in the food department here. Meanwhile, my parents aren't too big on some of MIL's Khmer foods. But if MIL is making something I don't like or I have a preference, I can tell her and she'll accommodate! Love her!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298221 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 14:58:50 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 1298221@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My in-laws have better eating habits than my family, but my parents (well, my mom) make sure we eat well-rounded meals when we're all together. We often offer to contribute and make something on the healthier side. The hell you can't bring a dish with you - is she the Meal Nazi? Bring something you like! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/do-you-and-your-in-laws-have-the-same-style-of-eating#post-1298217 Mon, 23 Dec 2013 14:57:05 +0000 mrs. wagon 1298217@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope!</p> <p>I always plan to go out so that I can order what I want, or pre-eat, or plan time afterwards to pick something up! </p>