How do you tell a loved one they can't cook?

Or you could buy the ingredients for pizza and everyone could participate in making them. I used to make pizza and it's amazing what a variety of toppings and taste combinations can be found that aren't the usual standard ones.

 

TURKEY pizza. For the traditionalists.

I'd put cranberry sauce on that.

(I'd put cranberry sauce on anything.. I recommend brie off the top of my head.)

 

Oh dear, that does sound like a serious situation...

I usually either bring pasta salad (you can make a huge quantity for fairly cheap) and/or a pie. I'm bringing a pie to my cousin's on thursday, but his food is usually ok. Maybe you could suggest to everyone else to eat first,then they won't be hungry and everyone can just pick at stuff. =\

 

Turkey and chocolate sauce. It's what the Aztecs ate (and we served it one year at a local SCA event - very tasty).

One thing I tried that worked was mandarin oranges baked with parmesan cheese. That was a yummy combination.

 

I can't cook either. I finally gave up trying to follow recipes, and now everything is out of a can or refrigerated/frozen and goes into the microwave. Unfortunately, the closest stores to get groceries now don't carry the nice tv dinners, raw vegetables, fresh fruit, or even ground beef. I can't even make eggs the way I like them.

 

America is weird.

 

lol I learned how to cook because I developed a fear of my children being at my funeral discussing how I couldn't cook

 

And the rest of the world is normal?

 

No, but it doesn't bother us as much to be called weird

Not being able to buy fresh vegetables? That is a damn shame.

 

I'm sure my mother wouldn't allow pizza for Thanksgiving.

That sounds familiar though I'm a stickler for fresh vegetables. Frozen broccoli is the worst of them all . Also, is it a grocery store you go to or a mart? I thought grocery stores had to have fresh foods in order to be called a grocery store.

And even though I'm American, I wouldn't be surprised if America is the weirdest place in the world.

 

Since you have nothing better to offer than the food you scorn, just eat it, and enjoy the company. And maybe someday treat your mother and yourself to a cooking class together.

 

Did anyone ever mention the possibility to her? She might surprise you. I know my own grandmother was actually relieved when we started doing Chinese food or pizza for some of the holidays - it really cut down on the amount of work involved and we had more time and energy for the fun stuff.

After all, it's the family togetherness that's the main point of holidays, right? The food is important, but secondary.

 

DON'T.CALL.ME.NORMAL!

Oh, and: 'cheese' in a spray-can!! -that's weird!



My grandma one year decided she didn't want to slave over a hot stove all day... she invited us all to a Chinese buffet for x-mas lunch instead -and we're not even Jewish

 

Why should being/not being Jewish matter?

 

It's an ancient joke that Jewish people (who don't celebrate x-mas) go for Chinese that time of year.

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dukfZs3RGhw[/YT]​

http://www.jewfaq.org/xmas.htm

 

There used to be a real store with real food that I could walk to, about 4 blocks away, but they closed 4 or 5 years ago. That left a small business convenience store, but even buying refrigerated items like milk or burritos is a risk there in terms of freshness. After a year or so, another store opened up that at first stocked only canned goods, but eventually added refrigerated and freezer cases, but the selection for everything is limited.

I could take a bus or train to a real grocery, but they're huge football field size stores that you still have to walk 2 or 3 blocks to get to. So those tire me out quickly, especially when I usually only buy no more than $20 worth of stuff. The cost of transit fare has to be added into all that, since a round trip is more than $3. Then of course, it all has to be carried home in one hand since the cane is in the other one, so I have to be aware of the total weight of everything or I can get overly fatigued before I even head home.

There's no way I can stock myself for even a week without multiple trips, which just means more money and more fatigue. A single trip to a big store leaves me exhausted for the rest of the day due to all the walking.

 

You should look into using a backpack to distribute the weight more evenly, or at least a bag that you can put on your shoulder as opposed to carrying in your hand. I have reusable bags that go on my shoulder and I find I can carry more and get less fatigued that way.

 

I have a small wheeled canvas trolley I use for the smaller shopping trips. For the large ones, I have the store deliver the order (they charge a $10 fee, but it's worth it to me to not have to worry about running out of something essential because it was too heavy or wouldn't fit in a standard-size bag). And it's nice not to have to argue with the clerks about double-bagging the heavy stuff (since bags aren't remotely as strong as they used to be).

@Kestra: Some stores freak out if people take backpacks past the front entrance - they're absolutely sure anyone carrying a backpack means to shoplift so they forbid people from bringing them. That's the main reason I quit shopping at one of the stores in town - the automatic assumption that if you need a non-standard way of carrying your stuff, you're a thief.

 

Yeah, backpacks always have to be checked with the clerk here. I have one with little wheels on it I used to use, but it was always a pain in the ass due to having to check it, then ask for it back, and pack it with groceries. I tend to avoid going to more than one store on a shopping trip, as you have to also leave those bags with the clerks. I've been having to do this sort of thing since 1995, which was the last time I had a car, and I can't drive anymore. I'm used to the inconveniences, it does give me a reason to get out of the apartment (otherwise I'd be here 24 hours a day instead of 23), and it's a little bit of exercise a few times a week.

I'm just crabby today because when I went out this morning, someone almost rapidly backed into me while I was walking through a parking lot. If they're close enough I can touch the vehicle with my cane, they're too close. I got the bum knee in 1990 due to some dumbass hitting me when I was in a crosswalk and knocking me 30 feet onto my back, so I'm very wary around vehicles. I average about one close call every week due to driveways and having to cross at least one street. And that's just to walk 3 blocks.