Pelican Parts Forums - Had to leave the kitchen.

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It's myself, wife, daughter on Thanksgiving. This year we had a three day tapas theme.

Thanksgiving tapas observations and musings. First, we did not experience the usual Thanksgiving meal feelings of, "Oh, man, I ate too much", stuffed feeling. Tapas are small. Intimate. We found that none of the tapas took more than :30 minutes to prepare. We spread the plates over 3-4 hour intervals. During the intermissions we went for walks, and sat on our dock and decks overlooking the lake. We discussed topics of importance relating to philosophy, anthropology, politics, family, travel, art, music, literature, and spirituality. We enjoyed world-class libations and music. We took naps. We bought and installed a Christmas tree. We worked on college application essays with our daughter. We prayed together, reflected and planned. We embraced tapas and its lifestyle of taking time to enjoy time. It was three days of de-shackling the trappings of tradition and enjoying each other with time returned to us by breaking away from the "traditional" Thanksgiving kitchen. We highly recommend this.

Example dish: chorizo and toast with tomato/onion salad

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1480254101.jpg

Our kitchen is usually quiet, and mostly organized until my FIL shows up. he is a loud talker and considers everything a "teaching moment". As soon as he walks in, supreme exectutive power shifts from my strong willed, but fairly quiet wife to him. He needs to assess everything in progress, and seems to have to put his touch on it as well.

I am a big helper in the kitchen.....until he shows up, then I gracefully bow out to save my sanity.

We hosted this year, and I quit counting when there were guests showing that I had not met. Must have been 25-30, kids all over creation, way too loud, but the Cowboys won.

Good time, but it won't happen next year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapper33 (Post 9373797)

I vote you win. HATE turkey, and typically eat very little of it. I like your theme as well.

I could handle all but the FARTING at the table!

Mom urped a little in a restaurant a couple times, discretely.
I provided a plate and cleanup. Helped her to the bathroom.
Glad it was not a heart attack, or worse.
In some Chinese tradition a good loud public burp is a sign of a good meal.
Farting...well...um...meh...

These people are your family.
They all have flaws.
So do you.

It should be a time of connection, and strength.
Once every year. Or less.
Think about that...

Had thanksgiving dinner at the in laws, couldn't have been more enjoyable. No farting either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey (Post 9370839)

To preface I have sensory issues. Sharp loud noises, bright lights, general chaos, stuff like that seriously stresses me out.

Thanksgiving, obviously.

In laws are in town.

I like them but they are loud. Both of them have hearing loss so everything is yelling.

MIL does everything "aggressively". Slams cabinet doors, apparently does not believe in gravity as everything she puts down she slams onto the counter or table as if she didn't it would float off into space.

My FIL eats like a barn animal. One of my biggest peeves, chew with your mouth closed and I don't want to hear it either. And don't fart at the dinner table, that's just not cool. Somehow he always ends up sitting next to me.

The mess is the worst.

I'm inherently lazy AF and don't like to clean so I put effort into not making a mess to begin with.

I find it's less work to not be sloppy than it is to clean afterwards.

MIL is in the kitchen helping my wife prep for the days festivities.

Had to leave as she is destroying my kitchen.

She does that thing where she takes a knife she just used to spread mayo and instead of putting it on the plate or in the sink she just puts it on the counter next to the plate or sink. Now the counter needs to be cleaned. Why?????

She just went to get water from the fridge to take her vitamins. She intentionally started and stopped the water dispenser several times to fill the cup to the brim then promptly spilled water all over the front of the fridge and floor only to walk to the sink muttering something about too much water and pouring half out.

Now they are cutting the Challah bread and my counters look like she ran the loaf through a wood chipper.

I have much to be thankful for and I am and I truly do like them and enjoy their company for the most part but I think it's time to start drinking.

Rant over. I feel better.

Happy Turkey Day all.

WOW! I'm soooo sorry. The similarity is scary. I have the same issues with noise, messiness, and inifficiency...Only it's MY mother and family with the annoying behaviors and barn animal eating habits (Wife's family is in Charleston, SC). My wife and I solved the problem 18 years ago with what is now a long-standing tradition. We leave town every Thanksgiving for the La Quinta Resort and Spa. LG's Steakhouse in Palm Springs is open on Thanksgiving and that's were we have our Thanksgiving dinner...Just the two of us...Uber'ing to dinner sober and Uber'ing out drunk. We don't even get the invites anymore. Not part of the family planning whatsoever.

My daughter got married and had my grandson this year. I thought that would change things. She told me that our desert get-away saves her a lot of grief because she can do Thanksgiving with with her husband's family and not be stressed-out or fell guilty about who gets dissed.

Nice looking forward to Thanksgiving, as opposed to dreading it.

I rescind my previous comment, Craig wins. Best holiday I've had since getting married was the Christmas that we spent in AZ, zero pressure to go ANYWHERE. Just fun with my family.

If random shlit bothers you, take a minute to find out why.

1). Put your foot down: "Sorry, could you stop that please. It bothers me because _x_."

2). Or explore: "I noticed you are a bit fixated on _x_. So let's talk about x, but not for more than 10 minutes. Let it all out that which concerns you. We will listen quietly for that time period. We will acknowledge but not necessarily validate your concerns. We accept you."

You bastard! I had already informed my wife that we won.

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy (Post 9374484)

I rescind my previous comment, Craig wins. Best holiday I've had since getting married was the Christmas that we spent in AZ, zero pressure to go ANYWHERE. Just fun with my family.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snapper33 (Post 9374554)

You bastard! I had already informed my wife that we won. (Green font)

HA! Sore loser!

BTW, Matt you two are welcome to join us next year. Getting a table for 4 at LGs on Thanksgiving is easy peasy. We'll leave the ladies to get a massage and we'll drive up and down Pines to Palms Hwy a half dozen times.