What do you say to the Aunt or Mother-in-law that comes for Thanksgiving and criticises every dish you make?
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The remains of Pergamon as seen from a Bergama town square.
The next day the flags would be raised half mast to commemorate Atatürk
Question by Annabo: What do you say to the Aunt or Mother-in-law that comes for Thanksgiving and criticises every dish you make?
Lol its not easy to stay friendly when people complain that you are not cooking the turkey as they would,or you didn’t make sweet potato pie but made pumpkin pie.
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
24 Responses to What do you say to the Aunt or Mother-in-law that comes for Thanksgiving and criticises every dish you make?
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So sorry we won’t be seeing you next year!
Tony M
September 30, 2013 at 3:19 am
If you love them, you can just be quiet. If you don’t care much, you just tell tell how rude and ungrateful their are. lol
Cister
September 30, 2013 at 3:47 am
i’ll come to you next year
fmahon69
September 30, 2013 at 4:04 am
Well ask the Aunt and mother in law to each bring one dish such as a pie or their stuffing etc…
If you are feeling up to change then you could invite the turkey compainer over to work on it together. You could learn a new method or even combine styles.
I know it’s hard as you take rpide in your meals and while I know you have good food and your way, they may have some good pointers for you as well. Take advice you never know what you my incorperate into your style/recipes.
cowgirl_power82
September 30, 2013 at 4:22 am
Tell them in a simple yet stern way that this is the way that you handle Thanksgiving and considering what the holiday is all about, they should be thankful that you are doing all of the work and are opening your home to them. Offer to them that they can host next year.
Z B
September 30, 2013 at 4:45 am
say”your welcome to have my recipe if you like”
mwahaha
i love doing things like that to people
or say “thanks for the tip but i get my recipes from a cookbook”
celinachanel
September 30, 2013 at 5:10 am
volunteer her to make it next year
joshuajava
September 30, 2013 at 5:48 am
“Well perhaps you can show me how you prepare it next year when you host Thanksgiving?”
Also i say kill her with kindness Give thanks for such wonderful guests & the supportive people in your life (trust me, she knows shes being rude & will feel awful)
Or if you can’t stand to be nice perhaps a cheekily poke her belly & suggest maybe she should steer clear of the pie entirely? 😉
ShannonOfDoom
September 30, 2013 at 6:41 am
Sweetly smile and say I know you’re so much of a better cook than I am can we come to yours next year. Then add a note in next years diary on the day before thanksgiving to remind yourself to buy some laxatives, then make sure you go to hers when she’s preparing the meal and slip laxative into the gravy 🙂 mmmmmmmmmmmmm then let the rest of the day take it’s course. Remember to act really attentive whilst she’s cooking and act like you’re learning so much.
KuriousKat
September 30, 2013 at 6:59 am
This is not easy to answer. I would normally be very straight and say something like, “I never criticized your food when I came to your house” or “why don’t you relax and take a drink and sit down”, or “if only you were as good at taking advice as you are giving it”, but sometimes it’s more complicated than that.
This has something to do with the older generation not wanting to let the younger generation go their own way in the world. You have to make them see you as an equal so that they don’t think it’s normal to give advice you didn’t ask for.
I wouldn’t claim to be all that popular, though!
Ste
September 30, 2013 at 7:55 am
I hope to do as well as you, in the years to come.Especially with your help and experienced.
mother of 1
September 30, 2013 at 7:56 am
say “if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.” and then take it away from her LOL. Or say this is the way I like to do thanksgiving, if you like next year we can have it at your house and you can fix the meal, if not you are more than welcome to make a dish for the meal
Jen
September 30, 2013 at 8:33 am
Bye
mark
September 30, 2013 at 8:51 am
the inlaws are monsters… whichever way you cut it, they look down on you, they deride your efforts and criticize every chance they get… why? because they can…
you held out the olive branch, and they sneered at you, shred the leaves off it, and beat them with it. (metaphorically)
tell em theyre not welcome, and youll rather invite some street people in.. its thanksgiving and theyd at least be grateful…
some people dont know how to be nice and polite… your food may well be awful, but id have the good manners not to say it to your face.
(im English) at the end of the day, its your house, your table.. and therefore your rules… and its easy for me to say… my MIL is hundreds of miles away and never visits…
fivetoze
September 30, 2013 at 9:27 am
This is a day of Thanksgiving not a day of complaining.Also throw in “my parents raised me to be a gracious hostess so I will ignore that remark”. Tell them that you are so sorry that everything is not to there liking but that you just can’t please everyone.Tell them that next year they can bring the dish or dishes that they didn’t care for. You would be quite happy to try their version. Or they can cook the entire dinner at their house.
Believe me it is not about the food, it is a power trip.
Ann S
September 30, 2013 at 10:06 am
tell her you are going out to eat this year
Homer
September 30, 2013 at 10:18 am
You could always Thank them for coming this year and share your recipes that you will be experimenting with next year, say:
Oyster Sauce and Thai Chili Sauce encrusted Turkey Tofu
Braised Parsnips with a Roasted Red Bean Sauce
Oyster Bake done in the Earth (like they do in Hawaii or New England)
You get my drift…………..or just ignore them and keep passing the food around, asking everyone if they want a second helping? Encourage your ungrateful guests to “drink up” commenting on how everything tastes better with a little liquid encouragement! Suggest that the Peptol Bismol was on sale this week, Thankfully, just in time for your Thanksgiving Feast! We have extra toilet paper too because of the Sunday coupon section. You could also mention that next year you and your family are going to a resort in which a world reknowned Chef will be cooking your meal and unfortunately, you will be out of town. ;You could leave some strange spices out on the counter top for all to see, like Fish heads, bison broth, a plastic outside wrapping of Sweet Breads, (make sure they see the picture of the goat), all kinds of fun things come into my head, all of which are subtly cruel and send a quiet message of “maybe you should cook at home”, kinda thing. It will be fun, memorable and should be mentioned at least 10 years, based on the life expectancy of your guests (God Forbid) This should do the trick. Or, get them at the start with your opening prayer, asking the Lord for forgiveness of your time while cooking this most laberous dinner, while raising a family and working full time, praying that your guests will be appreciative for those who have no food, everyday, around the world. If that doesn’t do it, seriously, go to that resort next year.
chef_renee64
September 30, 2013 at 10:43 am
I’d just ignore them or suggest having the holiday feast at THEIR house next year. Let them do all the cooking and cleaning while you get to enjoy the holiday.
busybaker
September 30, 2013 at 11:04 am
if you don’t like it, Denny’s is around the corner.
Jen-Jen
September 30, 2013 at 11:18 am
Tell her to “GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY.”asnd do not darken your door again.
Thev sad old git.
jumping jack
September 30, 2013 at 11:27 am
i’d say….if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything…but i’m blunt
jodi h
September 30, 2013 at 12:27 pm
How heartbreaking! Your holiday is dinner is screwed up before you even baste the turkey the first time. Smile and try not to spit in their pumpkin pie. You little sweetheart!
Ooh! Brainstorm! If they bring something, hopefully it will be in a heirloom porcelain dish that you can accidently break when you wash it to send it back home with them! Nah that’s hateful.Just fart on their dinner napkins.
saraparker
September 30, 2013 at 12:28 pm
ask them if next year they can come and cook with you.
tio
September 30, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Give her several take out meals and say in that case order yourself something in
Baps .
September 30, 2013 at 1:28 pm