To think this is a bit strange...

[lurkedtoolong]

DPILs are visiting for two nights. They offered to bring a chicken and a cauliflower to help with dinner one night which is lovely and was quite gratefully received. But when they arrived they had a chicken, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, breakfast cereals, snack bars and several other food items. And MIL brought her own potato peeler. Apparently you can't visit people and eat their food.

Am I being U to think it's a bit strange to visit someone and take quite so much food? Seems a bit like overkill. There's no dietry requirements. And now I'm worried that when we visit people and just take some wine and flowers we're being really mean.

You're not being mean. Your PIL have probably overdone it a bit with the best of intentions. They probably thought we'll help make our stay a bit easier for lurked and family by bringing x and y, then got a bit carried away and brought z, a, b and c as well.

I think you're right Chaotic. I was just a bit stunned when they arrived with three bags of shopping for two nights

My mum always turns up with the random contents of her fruit bowl

My mum used to give me £50 Tesco voucher when she came (bearin in mind she would stay in a hotel so was just providing lunches and teas! ) my mil will buy some shopping if I need to top up whilst she is here or get a takeaway or something,
Think it's co we are still their children in a way

Aww, it's nice! Bit weird about the peeler, but maybe she envisaged you side by side peeling the veg, bonding!! I think it's quite sweet.
My PIL are comletely self absorbed.
When they came to visit we would go to the supermarket, they would pick out breakfast cereals etc that they would like to eat, then stand there at the till and look at the ceiling!
I cooked them every meal, made them cups of tea on demand. Did EVERYTHING for them, with not a word of thanks, or an offer of help.
They sit would sit there on the couch watching Emmerdale and reading the paper...we emigrated to New Zealand!!
Trust me, your PIL sound nice!!

i think its nice of them, and tbh i think your over thinking too much,

:)

I think it's nice too, it's what families do. Every little helps and all that

Bit random but well intended! I too get random things from my mum, mainly fruit as if I don't supply enough!

They're family. I think it's sweet.

And as for the potato peeler, I have a fabulous one. If someone handed me a cheap and nasty one I'd be sulky. Seriously, you just can't beat my peeler. But I don't take it out of the house in case someone pinches it. Maybe she just prefers using hers?

My mum does this too

She goes to the butchers and green grocers before she comes to visit. We get a massive coolbox full of meat and a huge bag for life full of fruit and veg.

She doesn't like our local butcher

I think it sounds nice, as long as you aren't getting any hint of "we are doing this because your food isn't good enough".

If the peeler is different from yours it might just be because she finds that type easier (I find some types of peeler impossible to use, whereas ex-chef DH is happy with any).

I'm sure they're just being generous. I'd be over the moon if my parents brought extra food with them (sometimes they do, nice exotic fruit that we can't usually afford etc)

My mum buys her own marigolds for when she stays, as she does a bit of washing up to help out (I can't stand for long so find it very hard), and they bring their own coffee and wine because we don't drink either of those.

A potato peeler is a very personal thing!

Personally, I can't get on with those swivel-style ones, I bash away for ages and only manage to lightly graze the target.

My MIL brings (well, brought, before everyone fell out!) loads of stuff from cereal to toilet cleaner. If she sees things on special offer she gets one for her and one for me.

I thought it was lovely. Especially as we live in different countries so she used to stock up and bring it in boxes of the ferry!

I think you are being U. It doesn't sound like there was any malice intended. The potato peeler is a big weird, I'll give you that!

Send them over here!

I am extremely heavy handed with hints re household costs when I have guests, even family as they stay for weeks at a time.

Also my DM managed to throw my peeler away with the peelings. I'd be stealing any others that came to the house

I too have a potato peeler that works properly and fits my hand, and I will cry when it finally breaks.

Lovely to hear about nice inlaws for a change on MN

Midnite what is this peeler of which you speak? :) I use a culinaire one where the handle is shaped like a Y with the blade across the top IYSWIM. Picked it up by chance but found it so brilliant (I'm not very well coordinated and find the stick ones really hard) I even have another one on my amazon wishlist in case this one breaks!

Not weird at all.

I'm very happy to see I'm not the only one who feels so strongly about peelers! :o

That's parents for you lurkedtoolong. Personally, my mother would have brought far more than that - 'just in case'. Relax.

PS - with regard to the potato peeler, I've been known to take my own when I go to my parents' houses and anticipate vegetable preparation. Potato peelers can be intensely personal, as Boulevard said, and I simply could never use my parent's peelers. They had me swearing.

Guess that makes me weird.

I think that's lovely and very thoughtful of them (if slightly on the OTT side!).

WRT the peeler - MIL says she "can't cope" with mine so I wouldn't be surprised if she brought her own over if she was helping me prepare a meal.

My MIL has always arrived with a bag of food. Its BRILLIANT. She shops in M&S. I just turn on the oven and let her go for it!
My step-mum arrives with bags of home grown veg. Also lovely. But a bit more time consuming!

Exactly what my mum would do, just trying to be helpful. Am also y-shaped peeler geek, they are the business and I would panic faced with a strange one...

Far better than the types who bring fuck all, sit around expecting drinks and nonstop nibbles and get all 'ooh we haven't seen you properly' when you emerge brandishing a carving knife murderously sweating gently from the kitchen.

Not mentioning any names