I think I might have had one of the worst days today, and my mother-in- law is to blame! Let me preface this by saying that I don't think she is "all there" mentally and she quite often will act like a child. She has an oppinion on EVERYTHING and watch out if you disagree with her because she always has to be right. Essentially, she is a brat, and unfortunately for me, free rent comes at the price of living with her.
I love my veggies and I have almost been a full vegetarian for a year (Aug.15th!) where as my husband eats what she cooks, but still loves tons of vegetarian meals. She makes nearly everything in caserole or crock pot form and covers them with cheese. Her vegetables that accompany them include cooked corn or mashed potatoes, loaded with butter. It's not the most appealing but she has this weird control over food in the house. Needless to say, a nearly raw vegetarian just doesn't fit into her ideals of what's "healthy." She routinely tells me that my husband Dan is too skinny, but I don't think he is. For his height and activity level, his weight is extremely proportionate ( 6'1" and 175lbs. and a serious biker) and he has a ton of muscle. Dan eats her food to please her because she makes a huge stink over it if he doesn't. It's one of those realtionships where he prefers not to pick small fights because he knows she won't back down.
So today, I come home to make Dan his usual huge salad and sandwhich that I make him everyday for lunch. He loves my salads: spinach, beans, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, green onions, nuts, cilantro, beets, and cheese, usually with a home made salad dressing. His sandwhiches are usually PB & J or cheese, tomato, and avocado on whole wheat bread. That is what he asks for, so I will make it. Nothing I make for him has meat in it and he knows it. I also started a journal that follows my journey on becoming raw and steps I am making in my life to become more environmentally aware, like riding my bike when I don't have to go farther that 25km anywhere. In intro to my journal, I was describing where I am at today and how I feel since becoming a vegetarian. I wrote about Dan's lunches and I joked that I was converting him to a raw diet without him even knowing it (even though that's what he asks for) and that he was my guinea pig, he tests all my creations and tells me what he likes and doesn't like and what I need to add or subtract from a recipe.
Apparently today, she took it upon herslef to read my journal and then accused me of lying when I said I didn't care if Dan ate meat or not! Which I don't care, it's his choice, and honestly he doesn't really like meals loaded with meat. He prefers fish if anything because it's light, and he loves veggie burgers and salads or wraps. She yelled at me and told me that she had read my journal and what I wrote was decietful and that I shouldn't force my vegetarianism on him because he grew up eating meat. I told her I couldn't believe she read my journal and she said "you shouldn't have left it out!" I was irate at this point and she told me that if I told Dan this, she would deny the whole thing! Talk about psycho. This went on for about 15 mins while I was making Dan his salad and she said everything from calling Dan my guinea pig was obsessive and that the way I talk about food and "obsess" about it was not normal. And that I shouldn't look at her meals "with destain" like she apparently catches me doing, which I don't! My parents eat meat, everyone but my little sister eats meat and that's their choice. I have NEVER lectured anyone on the reasons why they should become vegetarian or told them that they were unhealthy. Up until last year, I had eaten meat for almost 24 years of my life. The fact of the matter is I do not crave meat any longer, and my body gets nourishment from fresh fruit and vegetables. And furthermore, both my parents are super supportive of mine and my sisters lifestyle and they always make us vegetarian options. So I left the house in a complete rage and brought my husband his dinner, and told him what had happened, and he apologized because he is so embarassed for her actions. I keep telling him it's not his fault that she's nuts ( and he knows it too) but it's hard for him to get over it when she pulls these moves. I just really needed to vent to people who understand where I am coming from, and I wanted to ask if anyone had advice as to how I should make my husband feel better about having a crazy mother? Thanks for listening, or reading rather, I feel much better knowing I just typed this out!
xoxo
