Thanksgiving is stressful for me. Not because I worry about all the food to make or getting the kids ready. (That is a stress, but not my main one). Thanksgiving is stressful because I love food. Food is life. This year we will be having dinner with my in-laws. While I really do love my in-laws and think they are great people, sometimes the food is a little too different for my tastes.
To eat or not to eat?
I spend a lot of time worrying about what will be served at the in-laws functions. I watch all the food get laid out and know exactly which dishes I probably won’t enjoy. Do I take them anyway? Do I scoop up a little and nibble at it to make it look like I’m not totally disgusted by it? Do I dish up a whole serving and force it down? Do I eat something before dinner so that I don’t embarrass myself when my stomach growls AFTER dinner? Do I just eat a lot of bread and hope for the best?
I have to be the example.
I am an adult. I have to eat my veggies and finish what I take because that is what I preach to my kids. I can’t be a hypocrite. I can’t demand they eat all the food Grandma dishes up for them and then throw away that same food off my plate. I can’t skip over the veggies because Grandma has an addiction to pepper. I have to eat those same stupid green beans that my kids do. Like my kids, all I want is dessert!
My own dishes go uneaten.
I also know that my tastes are different than my in-laws and if I make something, it is usually not as popular. This means I am stressing about what to make! I can make food taste good but it will never be pretty. Every time I make something for an event I know it will be passed over because it’s hideous. Do I make something anyway and just take a lot of leftovers home? Or do I try my hardest to make something that doesn’t look like I dropped it on the floor?
Send help or dessert!
I wish I could grow up and force down food. I wish I wasn’t so picky, but being picky has saved me from eating something gross for so long; I can’t stop now. I know what I like and that’s three layer dessert. Three layer dessert that will be sitting at my family’s house because they don’t eat gourd mush. So if you feel any sort of pity for this poor picky eater, please send help. Or dessert!
