Parsimony Personified
My in-laws are not using our towels. They're using one they brought with them. Yes -- ONE. They're sharing it.
"We have plenty of towels," I told my mother-in-law. "Here they are, in these drawers. Please use as many as you'd like."
"Ah, doomo," she said, but somehow I knew that she would continue sharing her single towel with Ojii-chan.
Last night, after they once again nixed the idea of going out for expensive sushi, I heated up some Costco frozen shrimp scampi for our dinner. I added frozen peas to it (does that make it count as cooking?), and it was difficult to use chopsticks to pick up the peas in the buttery sauce.
My father-in-law started eating his with the serving spoon. He would take a bite of peas, and then pass the spoon to my mother-in-law. She would take a bite, and then pass it back to him.
"Let me get you another spoon," I said, standing up.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" they said -- in English. That indicates they really meant it.
I brought another spoon, anyway.
Of course they didn't use it.
Um....I'm not sure whether the point of this story is sweetly touching, or pathological.
"We have plenty of towels," I told my mother-in-law. "Here they are, in these drawers. Please use as many as you'd like."
"Ah, doomo," she said, but somehow I knew that she would continue sharing her single towel with Ojii-chan.
Last night, after they once again nixed the idea of going out for expensive sushi, I heated up some Costco frozen shrimp scampi for our dinner. I added frozen peas to it (does that make it count as cooking?), and it was difficult to use chopsticks to pick up the peas in the buttery sauce.
My father-in-law started eating his with the serving spoon. He would take a bite of peas, and then pass the spoon to my mother-in-law. She would take a bite, and then pass it back to him.
"Let me get you another spoon," I said, standing up.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" they said -- in English. That indicates they really meant it.
I brought another spoon, anyway.
Of course they didn't use it.
Um....I'm not sure whether the point of this story is sweetly touching, or pathological.
posted by L. at 9:56 AM
6 Comments:
Is it that they're trying to save you the work of washing an extra spoon and a few towels?
well it's a little of both isn't it?
If they're unfailingly polite, I'd imagine they are trying to save you some work and money, recognizing that having houseguests for so long is an inconvenience. Maybe it would help if your husband offered more towels, spoons, sushi, whatever?
i'm sorry but...your in-laws are scaring me!!
I'm a big believer in paradoxes - I vote for both.
I think that you are just sharing with us endearing cultural differences? and I agree with charlotte.
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