Dear Blake,
I was deeply hurt after going to a barbecue at my oldest daughter’s home. It was to celebrate my granddaughter’s fourth birthday. My daughter’s husband is from Thailand. He barbecued beautiful dishes of shrimp and something that looked like a gigantic crawfish. While my daughter is accustomed to and enjoys this food, she and her husband are aware that I, my husband, her sister and her niece are not accustomed to it. We simply do not like the flavor and texture.
When I asked my daughter if there were any hot dogs they could grill, at least for my 9-year-old granddaughter, she got angry and said she eats what her husband cooks. I felt our part of the family was not even being considered. I was hurt for my youngest daughter and my other granddaughter, who had literally nothing to eat that they would even remotely like. Am I wrong for feeling ignored being invited to a barbecue where my daughter knew all the food being offered were things we wouldn’t like?
Signed, Alice
From San Diego, California
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Dear Alice,
Cuisines vary from all over the world. However, you should not be forced to eat anything that you feel can make you gag. You should put them in a position where they are extremely reluctant to eat something you are suggesting. Here are some ideas. Tell them to come over for a special dinner with something you are preparing, and then inform them that fried roaches supply a lot of protein. Or, invite them over to eat food that’s still alive which includes Fruit Bat Soup, Frog Sashimi, and Squirming Octopus… and then demand that they a eat second helping. Or this idea. You can tell them that you’ll be serving baked tarantulas, and tell your daughter and her husband that if they want to, she can use the spider’s legs like Q-Tips to clean their ears. But if none of those have the desired effect, this last idea should work. Tell them you want them to stop by for dinner and you’re using a catering service owned by cannibals. And as they sit down, tell them your next door neighbors are currently missing, which coincidentally was only a few hours before the food was delivered. I hope this helps.
Blake