So far, very few comments.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine....html#comments

We are close to a couple who live about two hours away. When we visit them, we never eat in (maybe breakfast). The restaurants are nice but expensive, and after driving a couple of hours, I am not thrilled about getting back in our car. It seems a little rude. Am I being too sensitive? We love them but wish we could get them to just stay home and cook a meal once in a while. They have a great kitchen.


M.A. / Methuen

Houseguests cant demand that their hosts cook for them. Thats way out of line. You can, however, mention that the driving and expense of restaurants gets old. (Dont feel as if youre poor-mouthing if you do. It doesnt matter if you can afford the restaurants; the point is that youd rather not spend your money that way.) Then you propose alternatives. The most obvious one€‰€”€‰given your admiration of that kitchen€‰€”€‰is that youll bring some food and do a bit of cooking yourself. €œInstead of going to Chez Fancypants, how about I make a pot of chili when we get there?€� you say, the advantage of something like chili or soup being that youll also have leftovers for lunch the next day or two. Breakfast and lunch are meals that dont need to be cooked, merely €œfixed,€� so you can also suggest bringing cold cuts and fruit and so on. In short, €œLets not eat out so much€� is a reasonable request. €œFix dinner for us€� is not.

When you make these suggestions, your friends may very well volunteer to cook dinner at home or stock up on Lunchables before your visit. Thats great, if they do, but that isnt your goal. Your goal is to drive and spend less for meals, because thats achievable. Making your friends version of hospitality match up perfectly with your own€‰€”€‰not so much.

(end)


Lenona.

On 3/2/2016 9:01 PM, wrote:
> So far, very few comments.
>
> https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine....html#comments
>
> We are close to a couple who live about two hours away. When we visit them, we never eat in (maybe breakfast). The restaurants are nice but expensive, and after driving a couple of hours, I am not thrilled about getting back in our car. It seems a little rude. Am I being too sensitive? We love them but wish we could get them to just stay home and cook a meal once in a while. They have a great kitchen.
>
>
> M.A. / Methuen
>
> Houseguests cant demand that their hosts cook for them. Thats way out of line. You can, however, mention that the driving and expense of restaurants gets old. (Dont feel as if youre poor-mouthing if you do. It doesnt matter if you can afford the restaurants; the point is that youd rather not spend your money that way.) Then you propose alternatives. The most obvious one€‰€”€‰given your admiration of that kitchen€‰€”€‰is that youll bring some food and do a bit of cooking yourself. €œInstead of going to Chez Fancypants, how about I make a pot of chili when we get there?€� you say, the advantage of something like chili or soup being that youll also have leftovers for lunch the next day or two. Breakfast and lunch are meals that dont need to be cooked, merely €œfixed,€� so you can also suggest bringing cold cuts and fruit and so on. In short, €œLets not eat out so much€� is a reasonable request. €œFix dinner for us€� is not.
>
> When you make these suggestions, your friends may very well volunteer to cook dinner at home or stock up on Lunchables before your visit. Thats great, if they do, but that isnt your goal. Your goal is to drive and spend less for meals, because thats achievable. Making your friends version of hospitality match up perfectly with your own€‰€”€‰not so much.
>
> (end)
>
>
> Lenona.
>
Are you sure that your hosts enjoy cooking? They may have a "great
kitchen," but some people are embarrassed about cooking for guests while
others enjoy it. I also have some friends who do not want to cook when
they have guests because they prefer spending the time visiting. I do
think it would be appropriate to suggest that you opt for less expensive
restaurants.

MaryL

On 3/3/2016 11:43 AM, MaryL wrote:
> Are you sure that your hosts enjoy cooking? They may have a "great
> kitchen," but some people are embarrassed about cooking for guests while
> others enjoy it. I also have some friends who do not want to cook when
> they have guests because they prefer spending the time visiting. I do
> think it would be appropriate to suggest that you opt for less expensive
> restaurants.
>
> MaryL

Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)

True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.

Jill

On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:

> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>
> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>
> Jill

Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going to
dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more.
They just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.

On 3/3/2016 2:01 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
>> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
>> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>>
>> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
>> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>>
>> Jill
>
> Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going to
> dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more.
> They just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.

Good idea! Or ask for a suggestion of a carry-out place where you could
pick up some items.

MaryL

On Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 10:01:55 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> So far, very few comments.
>
> https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine....html#comments
>
> We are close to a couple who live about two hours away. When we visit them, we never eat in (maybe breakfast). The restaurants are nice but expensive, and after driving a couple of hours, I am not thrilled about getting back in our car. It seems a little rude. Am I being too sensitive? We love them but wish we could get them to just stay home and cook a meal once in a while. They have a great kitchen.
>
>
> M.A. / Methuen
>
> Houseguests cant demand that their hosts cook for them. Thats way out of line. You can, however, mention that the driving and expense of restaurants gets old. (Dont feel as if youre poor-mouthing if you do. It doesnt matter if you can afford the restaurants; the point is that youd rather not spend your money that way..) Then you propose alternatives. The most obvious one€‰€”€‰given your admiration of that kitchen€‰€”€‰is that youll bring some food and do a bit of cooking yourself. €œInstead of going to Chez Fancypants, how about I make a pot of chili when we get there?€� you say, the advantage of something like chili or soup being that youll also have leftovers for lunch the next day or two. Breakfast and lunch are meals that dont need to be cooked, merely €œfixed,€� so you can also suggest bringing cold cuts and fruit and so on. In short, €œLets not eat out so much€� is a reasonable request. €œFix dinner for us€� is not.
>
> When you make these suggestions, your friends may very well volunteer to cook dinner at home or stock up on Lunchables before your visit. Thats great, if they do, but that isnt your goal. Your goal is to drive and spend less for meals, because thats achievable. Making your friends version of hospitality match up perfectly with your own€‰€”€‰not so much.
>
> (end)
>
>
> Lenona.

A good option, although it's still getting back in the car, is to suggest a picnic. These can be very enjoyable. Cold foods and wine.

http://www.richardfisher.com

On 3/3/2016 12:22 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> Kitchens are often just status symbols. A lot of people have great
> kitchens but don't know how to use them. Same with cars and
> motorcycles.
>
> -sw

That's why I keep bringing up the homes on House Hunters. Seems
everyone wants all this fancy stuff (which they can't afford) yet they
rarely cook. You might see someone setting out some crackers & cheese.
Heh.

Personally I don't give a rip about stainless steel appliances and
granite countertops. As long as the appliances work I'm happy.

As for eating out, if I drove 2 hours to visit friends I wouldn't be
thrilled with having to hop right back in the car again to go to a
restaurant. Like Ed mentioned, maybe pick up something on the way to
eat at their home.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 3/3/2016 11:43 AM, MaryL wrote:
>> Are you sure that your hosts enjoy cooking? They may have a "great
>> kitchen," but some people are embarrassed about cooking for guests while
>> others enjoy it. I also have some friends who do not want to cook when
>> they have guests because they prefer spending the time visiting. I do
>> think it would be appropriate to suggest that you opt for less expensive
>> restaurants.
>>
>> MaryL
>
> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on HGTV.
> Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but they don't
> actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>
> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.

Yep. I know people who are going to sell their house so are renovating.
They're going to put in granite countertops. I said that they might want to
rethink this. They don't cook. They assume that those of us who do, would
want them. Granite countertops are not going to change the fact that the
house is in a neighborhood with other 1980's cheaply built houses.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
>> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
>> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>>
>> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
>> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>>
>> Jill
>
> Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going to
> dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more. They
> just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.

I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people staying
over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can only
put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 19:01:52 -0800 (PST), wrote:
>
>> We are close to a couple who live about two hours away. When we
>> visit them, we never eat in (maybe breakfast). The restaurants are
>> nice but expensive, and after driving a couple of hours, I am not
>> thrilled about getting back in our car. It seems a little rude. Am
>> I being too sensitive? We love them but wish we could get them to
>> just stay home and cook a meal once in a while. They have a great
>> kitchen.
>
> Kitchens are often just status symbols. A lot of people have great
> kitchens but don't know how to use them. Same with cars and
> motorcycles.

Yep. A truly good cook can make good food even if they have few choices of
foods or cooking tools.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 3/3/2016 12:22 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>> Kitchens are often just status symbols. A lot of people have great
>> kitchens but don't know how to use them. Same with cars and
>> motorcycles.
>>
>> -sw
>
> That's why I keep bringing up the homes on House Hunters. Seems everyone
> wants all this fancy stuff (which they can't afford) yet they rarely cook.
> You might see someone setting out some crackers & cheese. Heh.
>
> Personally I don't give a rip about stainless steel appliances and granite
> countertops. As long as the appliances work I'm happy.

I don't even like the look of stainless steel. I actually prefer white.
Mine are called biscuit. Only reason I didn't go with the white when I
bought the new ones was that I couldn't afford to replace them all at once
and I didn't want a mismatched kitchen.

What I think is funny is that people know that I like to cook so they used
to give me stuff that they thought would make my life easier. In almost
every case, I wound up giving the stuff away, unopened. The people giving
me the stuff do not cook and often had no clue what the item did. Like the
muddling spoon. "Bet you don't have one of those!", marveled the gift
giver. Correct. Because I don't make cocktails. He then looked confused
and muttered something about surely I could use it for something else. I
then replied that it could probably be used for making a non-alchoholic
fruity drink but I didn't make those either. He actually thought it was
something to be used for cooking!
>
> As for eating out, if I drove 2 hours to visit friends I wouldn't be
> thrilled with having to hop right back in the car again to go to a
> restaurant. Like Ed mentioned, maybe pick up something on the way to eat
> at their home.

That's how I feel about going out to eat. If I am out already and meal time
rolls around, that might be different. My parents just loved going out to
eat. They didn't usually venture very far away though. I just kind of
looked at it as a waste of time unless the place had some kind of
outstanding food. And most did not.

If I had people coming from far away, I would likely do something that I
could at least prep in advance like a salad bar and some soup, perhaps in
the Crockpot or even assemble your own cold sandwiches. One doesn't have to
cook to make a meal.

On Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 2:00:45 PM UTC-6, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>
> > Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
> > HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
> > they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
> >
> > True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
> > suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
> >
> > Jill
>
> Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going to
> dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more.
> They just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.

Or if one is deeply offended and wants to sever the relationship, that
bag of burgers could be White Castles with extra onion. By morning, the
house would be a gaseous chamber of horrors. This is passive aggression
at its finest. From now thru 4-2-16, you can get them 10/$5 if you order
online or with their app.
http://www.whitecastle.com/promotions/online-ordering

--Bryan

In article >, says...
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> >
> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
> >>
> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
> >>
> >> Jill
> >
> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going to
> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more. They
> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
>
> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people staying
> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can only
> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.

Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the kitchen
when they're staying over?

while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.

Janet UK

"Janet" > wrote in message
t...
> In article >, says...
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> >
>> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
>> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
>> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>> >>
>> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
>> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>> >>
>> >> Jill
>> >
>> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going
>> > to
>> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more.
>> > They
>> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
>>
>> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people
>> staying
>> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can
>> only
>> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
>
> Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the kitchen
> when they're staying over?
>
> while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.

Ha! Not in *my* kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get two in
there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully orchestrate things or
one person gets trapped at the stove end, unable to move.

And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at. I don't
know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly they just
weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came over at dinner time
and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my mom did let her do this a few
times. But the woman was a horrible cook and everything she made was
inedible. So my mom put her foot down there too.

I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something like that
to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something I'd want to do. It's
all a moot point for me anyway. We have a small house and we don't have
people stay over, except for Angela's friends and they all sleep in her
room. We have no extra room or extra beds. And I don't know of anyone who
might come from a ways off to spend the night. This is is something that I
didn't grow up doing either. My parents always preferred staying in a motel
or hotel when we traveled. We did stay at my dad's sisters house. She was
quite wealthy and had tons of extra rooms. And my parents used to make my
brother and I stay with our maternal grandparents while they went to a
motel. So that scenario is not likely to happen.

In article >, says...
>
> "Janet" > wrote in message
> t...
> > In article >, says...
> >>
> >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters' on
> >> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens but
> >> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
> >> >>
> >> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I would
> >> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
> >> >>
> >> >> Jill
> >> >
> >> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy going
> >> > to
> >> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even more.
> >> > They
> >> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
> >>
> >> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people
> >> staying
> >> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can
> >> only
> >> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
> >
> > Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the kitchen
> > when they're staying over?
> >
> > while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.
>
> Ha! Not in *my* kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get two in
> there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully orchestrate things or
> one person gets trapped at the stove end, unable to move.
>
> And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at.

Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).

I don't
> know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly they just
> weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came over at dinner time
> and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my mom did let her do this a few
> times. But the woman was a horrible cook and everything she made was
> inedible. So my mom put her foot down there too.

I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-) especially
when their food is something new to me. I've had guests teach me to make
sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new recipes. If they can't
cook they can pour drinks.

Ever since they could stand on a chair, our kids and now theirs help in
the kitchen and it doesn't matter how long it takes or how much mess.
Even tots can scrub potatoes, pod peas, roll pastry, set the table.

> I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something like that
> to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something I'd want to do. It's
> all a moot point for me anyway. We have a small house and we don't have
> people stay over, except for Angela's friends and they all sleep in her
> room. We have no extra room or extra beds.

Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered full
until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold at least
four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the sofas are
long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor; or bring a
tent.
> And I don't know of anyone who
> might come from a ways off to spend the night.

That's really sad.

Janet UK

On 3/5/2016 1:39 PM, Janet wrote:


>
> Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
> us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
> rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
> we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).

Sounds like a lovely evening! I'll bring a couple of bottles of wine if
you invite me.




>
> Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered full
> until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold at least
> four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the sofas are
> long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor; or bring a
> tent.
>> And I don't know of anyone who
>> might come from a ways off to spend the night.
>
> That's really sad.
>
> Janet UK
>

And in the morning when they awake I'd start with a pound of bacon and
eggs to order.

"Janet" > wrote in message
t...
> In article >, says...
>>
>> "Janet" > wrote in message
>> t...
>> > In article >, says...
>> >>
>> >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters'
>> >> >> on
>> >> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens
>> >> >> but
>> >> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>> >> >>
>> >> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I
>> >> >> would
>> >> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Jill
>> >> >
>> >> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy
>> >> > going
>> >> > to
>> >> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even
>> >> > more.
>> >> > They
>> >> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
>> >>
>> >> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people
>> >> staying
>> >> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can
>> >> only
>> >> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
>> >
>> > Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the kitchen
>> > when they're staying over?
>> >
>> > while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.
>>
>> Ha! Not in *my* kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get two
>> in
>> there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully orchestrate things
>> or
>> one person gets trapped at the stove end, unable to move.
>>
>> And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at.
>
> Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
> us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
> rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
> we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).
>
> I don't
>> know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly they just
>> weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came over at dinner time
>> and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my mom did let her do this a
>> few
>> times. But the woman was a horrible cook and everything she made was
>> inedible. So my mom put her foot down there too.
>
> I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-) especially
> when their food is something new to me. I've had guests teach me to make
> sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new recipes. If they can't
> cook they can pour drinks.
>
> Ever since they could stand on a chair, our kids and now theirs help in
> the kitchen and it doesn't matter how long it takes or how much mess.
> Even tots can scrub potatoes, pod peas, roll pastry, set the table.
>
>> I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something like
>> that
>> to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something I'd want to do.
>> It's
>> all a moot point for me anyway. We have a small house and we don't have
>> people stay over, except for Angela's friends and they all sleep in her
>> room. We have no extra room or extra beds.
>
> Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered full
> until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold at least
> four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the sofas are
> long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor; or bring a
> tent.
>> And I don't know of anyone who
>> might come from a ways off to spend the night.
>
> That's really sad.

Sad? Hardly. I hate overnight guests. I am a night owl. They'd likely
only be a bother to me. You might like it. We all like different things.

On Sat, 5 Mar 2016 18:28:49 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
>"Janet" > wrote in message
et...
>> In article >, says...
>>>
>>> "Janet" > wrote in message
>>> t...
>>> > In article >, says...
>>> >>
>>> >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>>> >> ...
>>> >> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>> >> >
>>> >> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters'
>>> >> >> on
>>> >> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest kitchens
>>> >> >> but
>>> >> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like that.)
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I
>>> >> >> would
>>> >> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Jill
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy
>>> >> > going
>>> >> > to
>>> >> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even
>>> >> > more.
>>> >> > They
>>> >> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
>>> >>
>>> >> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people
>>> >> staying
>>> >> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You can
>>> >> only
>>> >> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
>>> >
>>> > Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the kitchen
>>> > when they're staying over?
>>> >
>>> > while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.
>>>
>>> Ha! Not in *my* kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get two
>>> in
>>> there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully orchestrate things
>>> or
>>> one person gets trapped at the stove end, unable to move.
>>>
>>> And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at.
>>
>> Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
>> us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
>> rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
>> we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).
>>
>> I don't
>>> know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly they just
>>> weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came over at dinner time
>>> and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my mom did let her do this a
>>> few
>>> times. But the woman was a horrible cook and everything she made was
>>> inedible. So my mom put her foot down there too.
>>
>> I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-) especially
>> when their food is something new to me. I've had guests teach me to make
>> sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new recipes. If they can't
>> cook they can pour drinks.
>>
>> Ever since they could stand on a chair, our kids and now theirs help in
>> the kitchen and it doesn't matter how long it takes or how much mess.
>> Even tots can scrub potatoes, pod peas, roll pastry, set the table.
>>
>>> I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something like
>>> that
>>> to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something I'd want to do.
>>> It's
>>> all a moot point for me anyway. We have a small house and we don't have
>>> people stay over, except for Angela's friends and they all sleep in her
>>> room. We have no extra room or extra beds.
>>
>> Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered full
>> until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold at least
>> four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the sofas are
>> long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor; or bring a
>> tent.
>>> And I don't know of anyone who
>>> might come from a ways off to spend the night.
>>
>> That's really sad.
>
>Sad? Hardly. I hate overnight guests. I am a night owl. They'd likely
>only be a bother to me. You might like it. We all like different things.

When we have overnight guests it's generally people we haven't seen
in a while, like my sister and her DH and their dogs. We really enjoy
having them, and we sit up until all hours yakking and drinking wine.

We have a couple of spare bedrooms, so there's no problems about where
everyone is going to sleep.

Doris

"Doris Night" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 5 Mar 2016 18:28:49 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"Janet" > wrote in message
. net...
>>> In article >, says...
>>>>
>>>> "Janet" > wrote in message
>>>> t...
>>>> > In article >,
>>>> > says...
>>>> >>
>>>> >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>>>> >> ...
>>>> >> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House Hunters'
>>>> >> >> on
>>>> >> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest greatest
>>>> >> >> kitchens
>>>> >> >> but
>>>> >> >> they don't actually use them. (I've got some neighbors like
>>>> >> >> that.)
>>>> >> >>
>>>> >> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook. I
>>>> >> >> would
>>>> >> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over budget.
>>>> >> >>
>>>> >> >> Jill
>>>> >> >
>>>> >> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we enjoy
>>>> >> > going
>>>> >> > to
>>>> >> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them even
>>>> >> > more.
>>>> >> > They
>>>> >> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have people
>>>> >> staying
>>>> >> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there. You
>>>> >> can
>>>> >> only
>>>> >> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
>>>> >
>>>> > Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the
>>>> > kitchen
>>>> > when they're staying over?
>>>> >
>>>> > while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.
>>>>
>>>> Ha! Not in *my* kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get
>>>> two
>>>> in
>>>> there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully orchestrate things
>>>> or
>>>> one person gets trapped at the stove end, unable to move.
>>>>
>>>> And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at.
>>>
>>> Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
>>> us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
>>> rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
>>> we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).
>>>
>>> I don't
>>>> know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly they
>>>> just
>>>> weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came over at dinner
>>>> time
>>>> and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my mom did let her do this a
>>>> few
>>>> times. But the woman was a horrible cook and everything she made was
>>>> inedible. So my mom put her foot down there too.
>>>
>>> I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-) especially
>>> when their food is something new to me. I've had guests teach me to make
>>> sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new recipes. If they can't
>>> cook they can pour drinks.
>>>
>>> Ever since they could stand on a chair, our kids and now theirs help in
>>> the kitchen and it doesn't matter how long it takes or how much mess.
>>> Even tots can scrub potatoes, pod peas, roll pastry, set the table.
>>>
>>>> I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something like
>>>> that
>>>> to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something I'd want to do.
>>>> It's
>>>> all a moot point for me anyway. We have a small house and we don't
>>>> have
>>>> people stay over, except for Angela's friends and they all sleep in her
>>>> room. We have no extra room or extra beds.
>>>
>>> Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered full
>>> until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold at least
>>> four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the sofas are
>>> long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor; or bring a
>>> tent.
>>>> And I don't know of anyone who
>>>> might come from a ways off to spend the night.
>>>
>>> That's really sad.
>>
>>Sad? Hardly. I hate overnight guests. I am a night owl. They'd likely
>>only be a bother to me. You might like it. We all like different things.
>
> When we have overnight guests it's generally people we haven't seen
> in a while, like my sister and her DH and their dogs. We really enjoy
> having them, and we sit up until all hours yakking and drinking wine.
>
> We have a couple of spare bedrooms, so there's no problems about where
> everyone is going to sleep.

I am just not accustomed to having people over. For example, apparently the
high school kids all have sleep overs these days. That's not such a big
deal for me because they *do* stay up all night and they are not depending
on me for food, save for what I might have bought ahead of time if it is a
planned in advance thing. They pretty much stay on the other side of the
house. I just find it weird because when I was a kid, the sleepovers were
mostly done when I was in elementary school. I do remember a very few in
Jr. high. None whatever by high school. We were all too busy working and
stuff.

My brother lives not far from me as does his son and family. I don't really
know any of my other relatives very well and some I am not in contact with
much if at all. There is some post going around on Facebook about how
cousins are our first friends. That just wasn't the case for me. Some of
my aunts and uncles moved away when I was very little. I didn't even meet
their kids until I was a teen at a family reunion in OK and that was only
for a few days. I was close to a cousin who is a year older for a brief
period of time when we lived in Wichita. We would both stay at my grandma's
house on occasion. And her dad moved the family out here for business for
a few months not long after we moved out here.

My mom has a cousin who is a year older than me but she made it pretty
obvious that she thought she was better than me and she never had anything
to do with me save for those times when her parents likely forced her to
stay home and put up with me. When she was living in Seattle for college, I
did try a few times to meet her for lunch or some such thing. Never got a
response.

I do currently have a cousin who I have only met twice who lives in another
part of this state and did invite us to come visit. And I had another who
lived in another part of the state. He's a personable sort with a very good
sense of humor. I did enjoy those visits even if brief. But he and his
wife are now running a BBQ stand at his wife's family's farm in CA.

So I guess in the course of my lifetime, we only had overnight guests like
that a few times. My grandma when both of my parents were laid up at the
same time. She was needed to help out, particularly with care for my mom.
I was not quite old enough then. She came another couple of times to visit
and my other set of grandparents came once.

My mom had a cousin who just sort of appeared with no notice. She didn't
even know who he was. Might have been a distant cousin. She had to call
around to other relatives to find out if he really was related to us. He
was a pain because he smoked in the house and that was forbidden. Didn't
matter what my parents said the house rules were, he violated them. Then
the first night, he complained bitterly about the food. It wouldn't have
mattered what had been served. He made the claim that his taste buds no
longer worked so unless he had almost a whole bottle of Tabasco sauce on his
food, he didn't want to eat it. We didn't keep it in the house so he wound
up using up all of the black pepper that we did have. We didn't keep a lot
of that either as my mom only ever used it for specific things like fried
eggs. I can remember both of my parents asking him many times about his
dietary stuff so they could buy whatever it was that he needed. But then
with each new meal, some new complaint would crop up because we didn't have
____. Worse still, we thought he would never leave! He said he was just
stopping by for a couple of days but he stayed for two weeks.

We did have aunts and uncles and occasionally some of their kids come to
visit but by then the kids were mostly grown. One incident that I fondly
remember was my mom's mom and aunt coming to visit. That was the aunt whose
house we stayed at for a few days and I ate little more than a candy bar per
day while there. I had to sneak out to get the candy. At least there was a
mini mart nearby but I didn't have much money. My brother thought he was
faring better as she had plum trees in the back yard and we were told to
help ourselves. He loved plums but he ate so many he got sick. The problem
with the food there was that she insisted that my mom's uncle could only
have soft, bland food and that is what she served. Breakfast was always
Cream of Wheat and a poached egg. I can't remember the other meals but they
were bad enough that we could not eat them. I am not kidding when I say
that she had no seasonings in the house. None! Not even salt and pepper
and no sugar either.

Anyway... For the first night, my mom served a big ham that she had
intended to use the leftover of for more meals, and baked beans with bacon
in them. The aunt got all indignant and ripped my mom a new one for serving
elderly people such horribly salty fare. Was she trying to kill them? I
also remember her getting my grandma to agree with her. I'm pretty sure
that my grandma didn't really care but just agreed to stop suffering her
wrath! The reason I liked this incident so much was that I have always
hated ham and dreaded the nights when it was served. So I was very happy to
get out of having to eat it again, at least for a while.

The next night went no better. My mom put the ham and beans in the freezer
for another time and made pot roast. She always made it the same way. In
the oven with a packet of onion soup mix (that was certainly loaded with
sodium), carrots and potatoes. We never had gravy unless it was a holiday.
She just served the natural juices that came from the meat and veg. But oh
no! The aunt went on and on about how her husband would never eat it that
way. It had to be thickened. I can still remember my mom muttering in the
kitchen about how it didn't matter how her uncle ate his meat broth because
he was no longer with us. I also remember the aunt stomping into the
kitchen to do the thickening because my mom hadn't a clue how to do it. And
I think we didn't have enough flour or cornstarch or whatever to do the job
because it didn't come out right.

But by far the biggest reason that I hated overnight guest like that was
because my mom made me give up my room to the guests. Reason being, I had a
double bed. That had not been my choice but when I insisted on the white,
French Provincial furniture from Sears, they insisted that I take their old
mattress and box springs and those were full sized. So that meant that I
had to sleep on the pullout bed in the couch and it had one of those evil
bars across the back of it. There was no way I could get even close to
comfortable on that thing so I had to do without sleep. I begged for them
to let me just sleep on the couch as is or even on the floor. But they
refused and said that I had to sleep on the pullout bed.

Finally one day long after I had moved out of there, I insisted that they
try the pullout bed. They had pulled it out to clean inside the couch or
some such thing. I just told them to try to lie down on it. I got a really
big apology after that! They had refused to listen to me when I told them
how horrible it was. And it was.

So anyway... I basically have a lot of cousins spread out all over the
country that I know little to nothing about. I used to send Christmas cards
to those that I had an address for but I finally paired my list down and
only send cards now to those who send to me. My grandparents are long gone.
And my aunts and uncles are for the most part either dead or senile. Not
likely that anyone would visit except perhaps for my young adult niece but
if she did it would not be likely that she would stay here. We are just too
far away from Seattle for her to want to stay here. But she would happily
move to the area if she could get a job here.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 00:19:34 -0800, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> So anyway...
>
> Do you know how many words you have written here in RFC in the past
> week, Julie?
>
> You have written *63* times as many words as everybody else in
> rec.food.cooking COMBINED. For every word somebody else writes, you
> write 63 of them. You also post 29.3% of all posts to RFC.
>
> Where do you get your jugs of Ritilan, Julie?

Lay off of my jugs. You're sounding like Sheldon.

On Sat, 5 Mar 2016 18:39:46 -0000, Janet > wrote:


snip
>
> I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-) especially
>when their food is something new to me. I've had guests teach me to make
>sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new recipes. If they can't
>cook they can pour drinks.
>

snip
>
> Janet UK

Sometimes when my daughter and her family are in town, they will go
and float the river (in large inner tubes). It takes a couple of
vehicles to get the gear and people to the dropping off and also the
pickup place. Often that evening will be planned for dinner at my
ex's house. Since ex and wife are off picking up tubers, she will
give me the key to the house and just let me have at getting started
on dinner. I do similar when everybody is coming to my house. We
often have at least 3 women in the kitchen mingled with the guys
to-ing and fro-ing ferrying things back and forth. There's always a
lot of chatter, laughter, wine, beer and photos. The only thing we 'do
not' mess with is each other's grill and grilling food. That's a big
no-no.
(Tubing is a big deal here in the summer. The float takes a couple of
hours and is terrific on a hot summer day.)
Janet US

Janet wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> In article >,
> says...
> >
> > "Janet" > wrote in message
> > t...
> > > In article >,
> > > says...
> > > >
> > >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> > >> ...
> > >> > On 3/3/2016 11:52 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> >> Well, Leona was quoting from an article. I watch 'House
> > Hunters' on >> >> HGTV. Seems like lots of people want the latest
> > greatest kitchens but >> >> they don't actually use them. (I've
> > got some neighbors like that.) >> >>
> > >> >> True, not everyone is a great cook nor do they want to cook.
> > I would >> >> suggest a different restaurant if I felt it was over
> > budget. >> >>
> > >> >> Jill
> > >> >
> > >> > Or pick up a bucket of KFC or a bag of burgers. While we
> > enjoy going >> > to
> > >> > dinner with friends, we enjoy just spending time with them
> > even more. >> > They
> > >> > just have to speak up and with real friends you can do that.
> > > >
> > >> I love to cook but I hate doing the dishes. And if you have
> > people >> staying
> > >> over, you'll eventually have to do that while they are there.
> > You can >> only
> > >> put this off for so long. That cuts into visiting time.
> > >
> > > Whatever kind of friends or family don't offer to help in the
> > > kitchen when they're staying over?
> > >
> > > while they're helping cook or wash up you can still socialise.
> >
> > Ha! Not in my kitchen. Only one person will fit comfortably. Get
> > two in there and it can be a battle. You have to carefully
> > orchestrate things or one person gets trapped at the stove end,
> > unable to move.
> >
> > And maybe it is common to help in the kitchen where you are at.
>
> Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
> us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
> rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go
> home we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).
>
> I don't
> > know. My mom hated other people to be in her kitchen so mostly
> > they just weren't. She did have a nurse friend who always came
> > over at dinner time and kept insisting on cooking for us. And my
> > mom did let her do this a few times. But the woman was a horrible
> > cook and everything she made was inedible. So my mom put her foot
> > down there too.
>
> I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-)
> especially when their food is something new to me. I've had guests
> teach me to make sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new
> recipes. If they can't cook they can pour drinks.
>
> Ever since they could stand on a chair, our kids and now theirs help
> in the kitchen and it doesn't matter how long it takes or how much
> mess. Even tots can scrub potatoes, pod peas, roll pastry, set the
> table.
> > I know that some people here have cook alongs and such. Something
> > like that to me would be potential for nightmare. Not something
> > I'd want to do. It's all a moot point for me anyway. We have a
> > small house and we don't have people stay over, except for Angela's
> > friends and they all sleep in her room. We have no extra room or
> > extra beds.
>
> Gawd, you'd hate my family, where a single bed isn't considered
> full until there are two adults sardined into it; a double can hold
> at least four kids, some at the top and some at the bottom; all the
> sofas are long enough to sleep on. The overflow sleep on the floor;
> or bring a tent.
> > And I don't know of anyone who
> > might come from a ways off to spend the night.
>
> That's really sad.
>
> Janet UK

LOL, I'm the one with the distance friends with the cook-over parties.
There's about 10 of us though not everyone makes every annual event.
So it's common to see 6 in the kitchen at once working out various
things, helping one another and cleaning up after one another.
Generally the first arrivals show Thursday evening, official opening is
Friday (usually a local restraunt because some are just getting there
and tired from a drive or flight). Saturday is an all day cook and eat
event with small servings showing up every hour of something or other.
Sunday is a combo of leftovers and anything one of us wanted to make
but didnt get to on Saturday. Folks start drifting out on Sunday for
home but a few may not leave until Monday some time.

Definatly will all sofas and beds here! I also have a thick (4 inch)
foam double futon for the floor but anyone in that, needs to accept
that the dogs and cat are apt to join them in a snooze at night...

--

Janet B wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On Sat, 5 Mar 2016 18:39:46 -0000, Janet > wrote:
>
>
> snip
> >
> > I love it when anybody else wants to cook in my kitchen :-)
> > especially when their food is something new to me. I've had guests
> > teach me to make sushi, pasta, Thai cooking, and all sorts of new
> > recipes. If they can't cook they can pour drinks.
> >
>
> snip
> >
> > Janet UK
>
> Sometimes when my daughter and her family are in town, they will go
> and float the river (in large inner tubes). It takes a couple of
> vehicles to get the gear and people to the dropping off and also the
> pickup place. Often that evening will be planned for dinner at my
> ex's house. Since ex and wife are off picking up tubers, she will
> give me the key to the house and just let me have at getting started
> on dinner. I do similar when everybody is coming to my house. We
> often have at least 3 women in the kitchen mingled with the guys
> to-ing and fro-ing ferrying things back and forth. There's always a
> lot of chatter, laughter, wine, beer and photos. The only thing we 'do
> not' mess with is each other's grill and grilling food. That's a big
> no-no.
> (Tubing is a big deal here in the summer. The float takes a couple of
> hours and is terrific on a hot summer day.)
> Janet US

Sounds like a wonderful time!

We have an enclosed fully screened porch with a picnic table built
inside. 44ft by 13ft. Nice party room right off the sliding glass
door to the kitchen. Back yard has a bunch of floor lamps too.

Carol

--

On 3/6/2016 1:52 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> Where do you get your jugs of Ritilan, Julie?
>
> -sw


I have been stuffing my fat little ****ing face again with food I
'borrowed' from:

https://www.austinfoodbank.org/news/...unteer-quarter


OK I admit it, I am eating my way through Texas.

Make me a zip code, or two.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 3/5/2016 1:39 PM, Janet wrote:
>
>
> >
> > Absolutely. Tonight one of my neighbours is making dinner for ten of
> > us; she's 82. She will do all the cooking and set a pretty table. The
> > rest of us will all help her serve and clear away, and before we go home
> > we'll wash and dry the dishes (men and women).
>
> Sounds like a lovely evening! I'll bring a couple of bottles of wine if
> you invite me.

Your plane was late :-)

We had a good time. She made; (all from scratch and all delicious)

A cider baked ham
Meatloaf
asparagus quiche
Egg salad (one of the other neighbours is a vegetarian)
green salad,
a tomato salad
bread
apple pie
fresh fruit salad
meringues

I hope I have her energy when I'm 82.

This morning she sent me the yummy meatloaf recipe, which she served
cold and very finely sliced; I'd never seen ml cooked this way before
and it was very good.

she shapes the mixture (ground beef, bacon, crumbs, seasoning and an
egg) into a roll; wraps it tightly in greaseproof paper then an outer
layer of foil and ties it with string. Then put it in a pan pof water
and simmer for four hours.

Janet UK