To not want to cook a full foreign Christmas spread for people I’ve only met once?

just knowing a few phrases makes a huge difference. I think shows some interest and respect for their country.
Often when one manages a short comment in their own language there is an immediate lightening up of the atmosphere.

Great, but it's still very hard unless you can keep up with the language day to day.

Weaponised incompetence is what that's called

There we go then. Why was he asking you to cook food from his country on Christmas day? Glad you've decided to do what you're comfortable with

His invite, his gig ... ask him what he's cooking. BTW my husband will be planning and cooking for 3 days over Xmas.

If he wants his traditional food then he has to be the one to cook it. Stop letting this man walk all over you

He needs to do it then

i would go to your dps especially whilst you are pregnant

I know someone who had an Italian partner so took Italian lessons so she could converse with her partner's family. The family did speak some English but she wanted to make an effort for her partner

Now he’s invited them he’s expecting me to put on a whole spread of their traditional Christmas dishes.

Surely, he's doing the cooking??

He is setting you up to fail, how will you know what his favourite childhood Christmas dishes are supposed to taste like? Surely it's better if he cooks, even if he is not a cook he at least knows what the food is supposed to taste, smell, look like?

It's only going to be a few words though at best unless you go and live in the country.

Just say no, that's not happening. What happens if you do that, OP? @KatieBenoiteee

That’s a difficult meal to make if you aren’t familiar with it.

On a slightly different note, have you tried learning his language so you can communicate with his family. If I had a partner form another country and culture I'd want to learn about it. I wouldn't wait 3 years without any knowledge of the language or the food

I think you should go to your parent's for Christmas and leave him to host his family.

Oh Dear as Sockdays said is this the life you want,I'm sorry but he's bang out of order and unfortunately this will be your future get out now before he makes your life a misery as he will I know from experience Go to your parents let them look after you and your baby good luck

Lawn mowing and DIY aren't necessarily breaking rocks or brain surgery either! See how this works? 😁

Agree with the other comments that this man is an arse. Expecting his pregnant girlfriend to cook a huge meal for people she doesn't know, with no help from him, when she doesn't really cook anyway, let alone cook whatever his native cuisine is - what a massive bellend. Tell him to get to fuck. Order a takeaway or visit family and let them fuss around you, being pregnant. As others have also said - this man isn't exactly screaming husband and father material tbh, unless you actively want to be a domestic drudge.

How dare he?
Is he trying to show off to these people. It's enough to cook xmas dinner for relatives you've had for years never mind ones you have met once.#
Don't do this.
You suggest to him you all go out for a meal on xmas day!!!!
that will show him the financial cost.

The man is an arse.

How committed are you to the relationship?

@KatieBenoiteee - him not wanting ‘another British food Christmas’ is understandable, however him expecting you to cook his home food at Christmas is something else entirely. Particularly where previous years at your parents you were guests & not cooking yourself (or him). he doesn’t have a leg to stand on there as an argument.

My husband is not from England either & we’ve had at least 6 years of us hosting with his family at ours. The first couple years of doing this my husband invited them, so he did all the cooking (even though he typically hasn’t cooked much throughout our relationship). I also spent most of the day at my parents place & then spent the evening at our place with his family. This was a mutual agreement & worked for us.
Now we have a child, so we host at ours instead of doing our ‘own thing’ on the day. We do a team effort with cooking & tag team childcare.

We’ve always done a British roast for Christmas.
I’ve only just learned how to cook some of his traditional dishes this last year & we’ve been together for 13 years now. I only managed to learn them because his brother lived with us for a bit & had the time to teach me on a handful of occasions, otherwise there was no way I would attempt them on my own!

Also, by Christmas you might be in the peak morning sickness period, so he or you should defo not be putting any grand expectations on you then. I had terrible sickness (not the norm - don’t worry!) during my pregnancy & was pretty much bed bound & constantly vomiting after week 8 until mid-2nd trimester. The nausea stayed until I had our baby & I had meat aversion the whole 9 months, so no way could cook a full meal for guests during that time. Pretty much lived on bread & fruit.

Surely he’s better placed than you to cook these dishes as they will be way more familiar to him?
he needs to cook, end of.
@KatieBenoiteee

Ohh so a man expecting a woman to cook for him and guests he invited, and dictate what he wants served, is not actually misogyny, it's 'culture' 🙄

'Culture' is the get out of jail card in many situations, Maybe she tells him that in the British 'culture' couples are expected to share roles, if this is at odds with other 'cultures' tough.

You are being unreasonable because you didn't laugh at him and tell him to fuck off and cook it himself.

Oh, putting washing into a machine is such hard work, sounds like the whiney woman on the TV advert!