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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not have a takeaway, roast dinner or dry up every week?

329 replies

Peanutbutterismyjam · 11/04/2020 11:39

I was talking to a good friend yesterday about Easter, especially with the current situation. She mentioned that she's gutted she can't have her usual lamb roast dinner this Easter. I said we had a dinner last weekend so doubt we'd have one for Easter. Conversation then extended into roast dinners every week come hell or high water, weekend takeaways and fry ups, etc.

She has a takeaway every Friday, cooked breakfast every Saturday and a roast dinner every single Sunday, even during a heatwave. Her family have been this way since she moved in with her partner. They now have two boys 9 and 7. Neither particularly enjoy a dinner but will eat meat and Yorkshires with gravy. They can afford a takeaway most weeks but aren't loaded. It works for them.

We, however, rarely eat these things. I don't enjoy greasy food first thing in the morning, it repeats on me. I will have eggs on toast occasionally. Takeaways are for days like Mother's/Father's Day, rare night off, celebrations. I like a dinner but not every week. I find it a huge faff, a good couple hours of cooking, lots of washing up, and all eaten in no time at all. I'd honestly rather have pasta for a quick/easy/lazy meal. To add, my children are still small. My 3 year old has a restricted diet (ASD) and doesn't touch meat or veg, the baby will. Neither like pancakes, despite a few attempts, I won't give them takeaways yet due to salt content. They will however, happily wolf down homemade pizzas, and peanut butter on toast instead of a fry up.

Light-hearted conversation but she was fascinated with the that we won't be having a roast dinner tomorrow. We are having roast chicken, homemade flatbreads, tzatziki, and, Greek salad with feta.

So, AIBU to not have takeaway, cooked breakfast or a roast dinner every week? Do any of you? Just curious.

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 11/04/2020 13:04

I cooked a bug fry up

Some people really are struggling to buy food!

CoffeeRunner · 11/04/2020 13:07

I don't find either set up weird TBH.

I work different days each week (NHS) so the Friday takeaway, Saturday fry up & Sunday roast would be quite impractical to stick to.

Some weeks we might have 2 or 3 takeaways - other times we won't have one for a month. Cooked breakfasts - never at actual breakfast time but we might sometimes have one for tea. Sunday roast - maybe twice a month, but not necessarily on a Sunday!

People just eat what they want surely?

TealWater · 11/04/2020 13:07

Roast chicken is still a roast dinner. So yeah, you're still having a roast dinner. Maybe not with all the trimmings like roast spuds, veges, gravy, etc.

I don't know anyone who still does a roast on Sundays in Australia. It takes too much faffing around and cooking. I think that practice died out about 2 decades ago, from memory. Now people here only have a roast dinner for things like Christmas. Even then because it is so darn hot here during Christmas, many just order in a store roast chicken and serve it either cold, and/or with cold meats, coleslaw, potato salad/pasta salad. Or just have seafood. I remember as a kid, before airconditioning became a thing in homes, my mum would be slaving over the oven turning the chicken or lamb over, with the heat and steam coming out, and veges on the hotplate. While it was 35 degrees celcius. I don't know how she/we did it. Even with airconditioning I could not be arsed to do a roast dinner, only if it was ordered in.

Too many busy lives now, and mothers (or parents) realising there is more to celebrations than slaving over a hot stove. But, I do love a roast.....just so long as someone else cooks it for me. lol

Lily193 · 11/04/2020 13:07

OP, reading your post, it's no wonder you have gastrointestinal problems. Pasta, pizza etc...all far too heavy. Why not focus on learning to cook healthier meals rather than on what other people are doing.

PurpleDaisies · 11/04/2020 13:09

Pasta, pizza etc...all far too heavy.

That surely depends on how you’re cooking them.

TealWater · 11/04/2020 13:09

We do have takeaway once a week, but it's often healthy such as salad and fish, or Thai food, something like that. Not pizzas/burgers.

WorraLiberty · 11/04/2020 13:10

I’ve always admired people who have their shit together enough to make a roast every Sunday, I find them SO much hassle and I don’t enjoy them enough to do it!

First thing I did when my (now) husband moved in 20 years ago, was to teach him how to make a roast dinner Wink

I haven't had to cook a Sunday roast or a Christmas dinner for about 10 or 11 years. He loves doing it so I let him crack on Grin

Jollypolly999 · 11/04/2020 13:10

I dont understand the point of the AIBU?

TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg · 11/04/2020 13:11

Same here except we don't eat breakfast so the fry up is for lunch.

OMG, NO breakfast?! On MN, this is a health crime akin to smoking weed daily and then downing an antifreeze chaser. And of course, you'll be morbidly obese, anyone who doesn't eat breakfast (with approved breakfast foods) is. Wink

GreenTeaMug · 11/04/2020 13:11

I like food traditions and so enjoy having a roast on Sundays.

My parents do roast chicken or roast beef every Friday night as a marker to the weekend.

Tomorrow we are having roast beef. Actually- i realised i have not checked the best before date so we might be having to today...

Shoxfordian · 11/04/2020 13:12

I'd quite happily never eat a roast dinner again, just don't particularly like it.

Dh and I usually have eggs and bacon or smoked salmon at the weekends. During the week, just toast or cereal

We're having more takeaways now than we used to. Getting pizza later because we're hungover

catinb0oots · 11/04/2020 13:12

And then the whole bus stood up and clapped

PurpleDaisies · 11/04/2020 13:13

Anyone care to place a bet on whether the op is coming back?

CaffeineInfusion · 11/04/2020 13:13

Growing up, we had roast on Sunday, cold meat Monday, stew of sorts Tuesday... It was great. Sunday dinners were a family, sociable affair. I long for those days now. Sunday dinner regrouped our family each week and kept us together.

I would do it now if I could. It's not the actual food, as such, it's the sense of family, imo.

nicerainyweather · 11/04/2020 13:15

I like the sound of your friend's routine. Her weekends sound fun. And cooking a roast chicken is quick and easy.

MaxNormal · 11/04/2020 13:15

Is calling a roast a "dinner" a regional thing?

Chillicheese123 · 11/04/2020 13:17

I am not routine driven with food I don’t even really have three meals a day, more of a grazer, but some things are lovely like a roast on Sunday’s and a fry up on a Saturday. And a takeaway at 1am after the pub every now and then !

shineaflight · 11/04/2020 13:19

@PurpleDaisies don't know about vegan cooking but honestly, I make good roasties and still it takes not much more than the time it takes to peel them. I do have enough oven space though so that helps.

Definitely going to try a bug fry up Grin

PurpleDaisies · 11/04/2020 13:20

I make good roasties and still it takes not much more than the time it takes to peel them.

How long do they take in the oven?

Splitsunrise · 11/04/2020 13:22

I know people are bored but this is suuuuuch a dull post 😂

MilkTrayLimeBarrel · 11/04/2020 13:22

I don't know why people make such a fuss about cooking roast meat. It is probably one of the easiest dishes to cook - all you have to do is put the meat in the oven, make potatoes and veg and gravy if you like. I think people are too lazy nowadays. I wouldn't eat a takeaway if you paid me - you have no idea what has gone into it, who cooked it and how (especially in current circumstances), and it is ridiculously expensive.

shineaflight · 11/04/2020 13:22

About 1hr 20ish after a quick parboil (can't actually believe we're discussing spud cooking techniques) Grin

WorraLiberty · 11/04/2020 13:23

TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg I drink my antifreeze in a cocktail glass with an olive on a posh stick.

< Desperately tries to claw back some MN cred >

PurpleDaisies · 11/04/2020 13:25

About 1hr 20ish after a quick parboil (can't actually believe we're discussing spud cooking techniques) Grin

Love talking cooking.

Er, how does a roast dinner take less than 35 minutes then? Unless your roast doesn’t include potatoes? The horror....

thecatsthecats · 11/04/2020 13:26

@PurpleDaisies

Ironically she has been well and truly roasted...