S/O shabbos morning menu - interesting meals you received

amother

Fuchsia

Tue, May 09 2023, 2:17 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

I had a traumatic medical emergency post birth after a really hard pregnancy and someone offered to send supper. I was already hungry lunchtime and dreaming of a warm supper. At 6 o’clock there was a knock on the door and it was a pizza pie delivery.

I had the newborn and a 1.5 year old daughter. So it wasn’t like she was sending it for my kids and that would have been a huge help!!
I cried and cried from that pizza. I hate pizza and was dreaming of a warm home cooked meal.
My poor husband offered to pick up food for me and I just kept sobbing how much I wanted home cooked food not takeout.
( he ended up running out to pick up ingredients and grilled a delicious steak for me)

That must have been such a hard time for you.
If you still have that pizza I will gladly take it! It’s my favorite food and I would love someone to send me one.
(I assume she didn’t know you don’t eat pizza, I only know one other person who doesn’t care for it, but she eats it anyway)

amother

Cappuccino

Tue, May 09 2023, 2:19 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

I got the same.
I did have a bit older kids so at least they were happy and satisfied.
I remember thinking that it was nice enough that she’s a volunteer on a list and if she doesn’t get to cook she still buys and sends food.
I appreciated her effort.
But I totally get your postpartum tears and disappointment.

amother

Watermelon

Tue, May 09 2023, 2:46 pm

I think that online meal trains, where people actually write in what they are bringing, are very useful in avoiding such disappointments. If there are any allergies or food preferences, they can be written in the instructions from the organizer. I participated in meal trains that specifically said "no milchigs" or "no fish" and that it so helpful in deciding what to make. Also, the recipient can see what is being brought over ahead of time, so if it's not to their liking they can still graciously accept and thank the preparer for their efforts, but make other arrangements for what they will eat. I think this also avoids getting the same meal 3 nights or more in a row. If someone sees "chicken and rice" on Monday, they are more likely to pick something else for Tuesday or select a different day so it's not too repetitive. Before these meals trains existed, there was no way to know what other people are making.

amother

Razzmatazz

Tue, May 09 2023, 3:23 pm

I had a preemie just before covid so that means I was locked up at home with a preemie and my other kids to call it overwhelming is an understatement. One day I get a phone call from my cousin she is sending me shabbes meal I felt a bit weird as I'm not used to these. but texted her ok send me for one seude she called me and said nothing doing I'm sending you both She sent me homemade challos, salmon and gefilte a jar of chrein and a few dips, soup and lokshen and kneidlech and chicken, potato kugel, lokshen kugel, compote I my self never make such elaborate meals! Same thing for shabbes morning. . Its 3 years later and still have tears in my eyes when I think about it.

ra_mom

Tue, May 09 2023, 3:33 pm

When I had my youngest, a wonderful ima member sent me the most elaborate shabbos- she even sent a full shalosh seudos included (I would never have thought to include that)! I felt very pampered. It was sent with such a full heart and everything was truly delicious. I hadn't realized how much I needed that homemade food.

amother

Eggshell

Tue, May 09 2023, 3:52 pm

MY DH was a young Bochur around 16. He was invited to a couples' home for the whole Shabbos and to sleep. The couple (before shul) said they are eating strawberries and cream, will that be ok? My DH who was young thought they were talking about dessert. He said great. They had Kiddush, washed, ate the strawberries and cream, and bentched. DH was starving. When the family went to sleep he snuck some food from the fridge.

amother

NeonPink

Tue, May 09 2023, 4:11 pm

amother Indigo wrote:

You’re all so lucky to have meal trains postpartum! I live in Lakewood with no other family here and my development is very unfriendly so no meal train for me.

I also don’t get meals! I signed up for Eim Leah this time and it was delicious and so pampering

amother

Ecru

Tue, May 09 2023, 4:38 pm

amother Indigo wrote:

You’re all so lucky to have meal trains postpartum! I live in Lakewood with no other family here and my development is very unfriendly so no meal train for me.

Maybe you can start it! It takes one person to start meal trains becoming the norm.
In my community we offer to set them up for 2-3 weeks PP for every mother no matter the number of kids. It really is a life changer after having a baby.

amother

Obsidian

Tue, May 09 2023, 4:40 pm

I live in a city with very few other frum people (and no family) so I don't generally get sent meals after birth.

During the pandemic we both got covid and my husband landed up in hospital with breathing difficulties. My friend (one of about 2 people in the city whose house I would eat from) offered to send over supper. She sent over something every single night for about a week straight. She works full time at a very demanding job. I will never forget her kindness at a time when I was sick, terrified and feeling incredibly alone.

amother

Daylily

Tue, May 09 2023, 5:35 pm

Pesach first year of Covid I was sick.
Got from my friend and sister in law full pesach food. (We don’t eat store bought) including cakes and desserts!
It was so nice of them !

kenz

Tue, May 09 2023, 7:51 pm

amother Cerulean wrote:

Fourteen years later and this thread reminded me of this incident and has me scratching my head.

I was home for my first Shabbat after the birth of my eighth child. I don't live near my family but my MIL offered to send me food- completely on her own initiative. I was happy to accept because she is a good cook and her own Shabbat meals at that point always had a variety of great food.

Anyways, an hour before Shabbat my DH comes home with a small pot of soup and some gefilte fish - which she knows I don't eat. And that was it!!! For an entire Shabbat.

I found myself three days after birth frantically sticking chicken and potatoes in the oven so that we would have something to eat.

The only possible reason I can think of now is that when my DH went to pick up the food she was resting or something and him being a man didn't see or notice there was more food to bring. But she never asked or commented afterwards to suggest that this may have been the case.

Maybe she meant “I’ll send you [some] food for Shabbos” and not the whole thing, although she certainly should then have specified what.

rainbow dash

Tue, May 09 2023, 8:18 pm

After I had my babies, I got for 1 week Food from a meal train and for 2 weeks after I had twins.
After my dad died, I wasn't planning on taking anything, but a friend asked me what I'm planning to do with the food, and I told her I'm cooking. She said that's not happening and organised a week of food for me with a meal train.

amother

Whitewash

Tue, May 09 2023, 8:26 pm

Liver is eeewww in many homes with normal eaters. I won't touch the stuff, even doctored up with mayo and onions into "chopped liver pate." It tastes like blood to me, exactly like when a tooth or a cut bleeds in my mouth. I'm not remotely picky. I eat cholent that was frozen after a week in the fridge and thawed a month later, chicken that's been in the fridge for five or six days, salad a week old, broccoli and brussels sprouts and a whole lot of other things most imamothers would recoil from. I will tolerate spaghetti three times a day for three weeks before Pesach, and if G-d forbid I had literally nothing else I would eat liver, but I pray daily that it doesn't come to that.

amother

Pansy

Tue, May 09 2023, 8:36 pm

amother Whitewash wrote:

Well that's pretty extreme.

I agree it's not a kiddy food but for an adult to have such a visceral reaction against it isn't common.

(And I certainly wouldn't eat food in any of the states you mentioned. Week old cholent frozen and then thawed? Even as a cholent-lover that sounds a definite eeww to me Very Happy

)

amother

Pansy

Tue, May 09 2023, 8:50 pm

Also, I find that most (obviously not all) people who say a food is awful, be it liver, cholent or something else, usually just haven't tasted a good version of it. My liver definitely doesn't taste anything close to blood and I always get a lot of compliments on it.

amother

Fuchsia

Tue, May 09 2023, 8:54 pm

amother Whitewash wrote:

Are we twins?
I don’t eat herring or sweetbreads either, but can’t think of anything else I don’t eat.
(And I gladly cook and eat tongue)

amother

Mauve

Tue, May 09 2023, 9:12 pm

amother Whitewash wrote:

I get horrible GI symptoms from liver (vomiting, diarrhea, other fun stuff). Back when I was able to handle the flavor, I really tried to train my body to tolerate it but was unsuccessful.