I hate dinner.
There. I said it.
I hate everything about it.
I hate thinking about what it will be. I hate the grocery list. I hate the cheap and crowded affordable grocery store I frequent. I hate that I always get the cart with the squeaky wheel. I hate that I have turned into one of *those* moms who wastes valuable deli-line time by asking for a slice of American cheese for the two year old. I hate that no matter how prepared I think I am, I find myself wandering aimlessly up and down the grocery store aisles every other day.
I fear that soon I'll be one of those delusional shoppers camped out in produce talking to the exotic fruits. Or worse, plopped down at the senior citizen tables playing canasta while sipping the complimentary coffee. (okay, don't tell me I'm the only one with crazy people and canasta tables at the grocery store?).
I digress. Back to dinner and my hatred for it (but obviously I need another post about the grocery store...).
I hate making it. I hate distracting the kids while I chop, boil and bake. I hate stirring the macaroni over an open flame with one hand while I use the other to balance the 2 year old on my hip.
I hate eating it. I hate the inevitable spilled cup of milk. I hate the "how many more bites" theatrics. I hate the ups and downs (literally and figuratively).
I hate cleaning up after it. I hate scraping its remnants into the garbage. "Goodbye broccoli, I'm sorry you weren't consumed tonight. We'll try again tomorrow!". I hate washing pots. And pans. I hate loading the dishwasher knowing the spatula never fits in the silverware slots.
I hate that it takes me an hour to prepare it, and 10 minutes for a family of four to eat it.
I hate that I am stuck in a food rut and if I venture outside of our standard meal rotations I am faced with anarchy from the little taste buds at the table.
I hate that we eat a variation of pork several times a week. Pork chops. Pork tenderloin. Ham steak. Spiral Ham. Hamburger (ok, so that's not from a pig, but it still has h-a-m in it so I am counting it).
Before I met my husband I was dining on saltines and cream cheese for dinner. Or beer. Or happy hour buffets. No mess. No vegetables. No shopping list.
But now. Now I feel some obligation to provide adequate nourishment for my family. A meat, a vegetable, a starch.
I wonder, though, how long am I required to prepare dinner? Until they're eighteen? Twelve? Nine? Forever?
Will it get easier? Will my boys someday inhale whatever I put in front of them to fuel future teenage growth spurts? Or will the six year old always prefer a pork product?
These are the questions I ponder.
Breakfast I love. Pancakes, cheerios, waffles. YES!
Lunch I can handle. Peanut butter & jelly, grilled cheese, yogurt tubes. BRING. IT. ON.
But God help me if I have to fry up one more ham steak for dinner.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I Do Not Like It Here or There; I Do Not Like It Anywhere...
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31 comments:
Ohhhhh! I am with you on this one. Why does dinner have to be so darn complicated? If only we could go back to the days before family and have cereal for dinner (which used to be my dinner of choice whilst living alone)!
Thanks for the laugh today - your broccoli comment just got to me and I might even say it tonight when throwing some out.
I second that! I have the exact same adversion to dinner. I hate when the work day is over cause I have to go home to make dinner. I get so fustrated when it is not eaten by my 18 month old, I slaved over the stove and all he will eat is the bread. Arghhhhhhh.
Glad to hear I am not alone!
I hate dinner too! Because I like to torture myself, we're vegetarians which makes preparing dinner all that more labor intensive. If I didn't have to feed these d*mn kids, I'd eat popcorn every night. Mmm, popcorn.
-andi
I hate it too...wonder what would happen if we all banned together to ban dinner???? Lots and lots of hungry people I guess...maybe not a great idea!
Though, I LOVE it when once, in a blue moon, my 4 year old says,"Boy mom your the bestest sheef ever!"
Girl, all you have to do is make breakfast for dinner! That's what we do around here sometimes. Nothing wrong with pancakes for dinner every once in a while and you can even serve up a side of bacon to get your pork product in!
That sound you here is me CHEERING and applauding this post!!! Woo hoo!!
Consider me a fellow member of the "I Hate Dinner" Club.
I am so with you. I love spending all the time preparing dinner so that everyone can COMPLAIN about whatever I cook. It makes me really happy.
The beer for dinner idea sounded good though. I wonder what they'd all do if I tried that.
Helllllo? Social Services!!!
Amen. To every word. I'd be happy to do away with dinner altogether.
It's much harder when they're little; you never feel like they like anything. It gets more enjoyable.
What are you doing clearing the table & washing pots & pans? The hard & fast rule in my house is "she who cooks does not clean up."
A wise friend gave me this advise when I first had children. After dinner you do kids baths & he does dishes. It won't be long before they bathe themselves, but the dishes will be there forever!
Most excellent post. I hate everything to do with dinner--meal-planning, shopping, cooking, and then watching my toddler refuse it all.
I am so with you on this! I hate dinner too - unless we are going out to eat then I like dinner.
YOU hit a chord today. I am soooo with you on this, too.
We are soul sisters. I could not agree with any one person on the planet more than I do with you about dinner.
With 17 years of dinner-hating experience I have a few words to share:
- do your shopping on-line if you can and have it delivered. (My delivery fee is $5 and well worth it). It makes you plan a little bit and you spend far less.
- find someone locally who cooks. You would be surprised how many idiots, I mean people, there are who actually like cooking for other people and who charge less than a few take-out meals per week. I have someone who cooks me two meals a week and I am a NEW woman. I found mine on Craig's List in the US - check references.
- channel your mother - who wouldn't countenance not eating something. You sat there till you ate it and no pudding either! My youngest (who is a great deal younger than sibs) eats everything because he sees everyone else finally eating everything.
There's a book in there somewhere and I will happily contribute!
You know what...I hate dinner to. Hate, hate, hate!
Now, what are the lyrics for Eight is Enough?
Now, I actually kinda like to cook. But not every day, after a long day of work and driving kiddies home. Often I don't have the time, or the inclination, to make a whole meal. So I have a mantra: "cheeze toast is a good dinner. Scrambled eggs is good. Oatmeal is healthy. Spagetti and sauce straight from the can is yummy." repeat 15 times, for daily Nirvana. And from time to time, cook a MEAL. See your family jump for joy then!
Summing it up in one word: Thankless.
I've been serving the same meal - chicken breast, rice pilaf, frozen corn (the only "vegetable" my boys tolerate) and salad - two to three times a week because I know they'll eat it.
The volume of good food that goes down the disposal is an embarrassment.
You are so preaching to the choir with this one; sing it, girl!
Ahhhhhh... I remember happy hour buffets. I miss them!!
Forgive me Father, I have confession to make. It has been 10 minutes since my last confession. I hate making dinner.. I hate spending five hours making a list, going to the store, unloading the groceries, chopping things, stirring things, dishing it up and then having a horde of hungry teenagers gobble it down without chewing in five minutes flat, saying “Grunt grunt Thanks Mom” and leaving. That's it. That's what I get for all that effort. Five minutes of teen shoveling. AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH.
No. It doesn't get better.
"I hate that I have turned into one of *those* moms who wastes valuable deli-line time by asking for a slice of American cheese for the two year old."
Yay! I'm not the only one!
Wow. Thy nerve has been strucketh!
I like making dinner for my family as long as it consists of a microwave, can be prepared in one bowl and can be prepared in 5 minutes or less. Lucky for me - and I do mean lucky - my wife loves to cook. She would do it all day every day if she could. Different strokes for different folks fer sure...
Sounds like some bartering needs to be done...the other spouse, older kid, or local restaurant (!) makes dinner and those of us that don't 'do dinner' pick from some of the other family chores?
I. Relate. To. Every. Bit. Of. This. I would be happy to eat breakfast for dinner every night. So would my kids. My hubby is the problem.
I kind of want to give you a hug right now. The pain, I feel it.
For what it's worth, I have a sporadic feature at my blog called "Dinner Tonight." It's always something that I can start or even cook during afternoon nap.
Chopping and sauteeing in silence brings me great peace.
Oh, sorry. I guess a link would have been helpful.
There are a few recipes, and not a one involves the flesh of the swine.
AMEN SISTA!!! I couldn't agree with you more! I'm trying to get better at this, but the drive thru keeps calling my name. And my kitchen stays clean!
Denise
I feel for you, sister sue. Dinner is a whole lot of work for those 10 minutes of whatever.
I love to cook, but there are those nights when I just DON'T want to. So, I make breakfast and lunch for dinner, in those cases. Pancakes. Grilled cheese. Sometimes just appetizers for dinner works well. I HAVE to, to keep my sanity.
Cooking a three-course dinner from scratch every single night doth a crazy lady make, methinks.
I get off a little easy because Mike cooks dinner, usually. But that generally means a LOT more work in the clean up area. I hate that part of my day so much. It sucks even more that by the time I'm done, the kids are in bed and Mike is ready to sleep.
I am SO with you. I almost signed up for Nutrisystem just so I wouldn't have to cook. Apparently they won't send food to a 7 year old.
Yep. And also sorting out the damn white socks.
If Hubby is home, he cooks. And while I am grateful for this, I still hate dinner. I feel like we should all sit around the table and talk, when what I really want to do is read a book, watch TV and eat some microwave popcorn like I did in the pre-kid days.
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