Takeaway ordered 5 hours early and reheated - AIBU to think that's weird?

[ImaginaryLobster]

My dad has invited me, my sister, my partner and his brother round to my parent's house for a Chinese takeaway tomorrow.

He messaged me on Sunday asking if I can "let him know the sort of stuff we’d like for Thursday… before Thursday if possible." When I asked what he meant, he said he plans to go to the Chinese takeaway on Wednesday, or as soon as it opens on Thursday (3pm), get everyone's food then, and reheat it later in the oven. He's just now asked me again what everyone's having so he can do the order.

The place doesn't have a website or proper menu - just a blurry photo someone posted on Facebook a couple of years ago, which I now have to screenshot and send around to everyone. I’m chasing people up for their orders, and they’re asking why can't we just order when we get there? I don't know what to say.

My partner is taking me and his brother there, and my sister lives with them, so we'll be there at the same time. We're getting there for 8pm.

If you're thinking, why not just say something, I can't, because he's asulking lunatic. Another factor is that I'm pregnant, and I'm wondering whether I should be eating reheated Chinese food? I get that he's trying to be organised and probably doesn't want to mess around with waiting times in the evening, but isn't this a really awkward and unnecessary way of doing it?

AIBU to think it would make more sense to just be normal and order when we arrive? Part of the fun is discussing it and also being able to share stuff. My partner and his brother will definitely hoard whatever they've picked, nobody'll be touching their carefully selected items (technically I should already know what they're having apparently!!)

Or do other people do this too? Should we make our takeaway choices with military precision days in advance, and then wait while it slowly dies in the oven.

If we have chinese and the kids are getting home later, they pick their own on the way home.

Just say you’ll order and pick it up yourself.

I do this all the time. I will get Chinese on my way home from work, but because it's still early I won't eat it until hours later. And I rarely eat all of it so will eat the rest the next day.

I’d not be eating it reheated like that as you don’t know how many times it’s been cooked/reheated already
if I had to I’d order vegetarian dishes as should be safer

Most things would be fine, crispy things in the airfryer or oven at 170 degrees, softer thing in the microwave or covered in the oven. But not rice, it might already have been cooked and reheated in the takeaway so you really shouldn't do it again. Plain rice is very quick to cook anyway, you can also do egg fried rice fairly easily. Or you could get those microwave packs of rice, they take 2 minutes.