My neighbour keeps bringing us food - too much?

[FlyingPi]

We moved into our house a year ago and found that the neighbours were an elderly Asian couple who didn't seem to speak much English. Waved, said hello, that was about it. After six months, their daughter came back as she'd been in Pakistan for a long visit. Well, she came over to introduce herself, very chatty young woman in her 20s, told me unprompted all about her divorce and weight loss surgery. Good to be on civil terms with neighbours, obviously, so that was nice.
Anyway, since then she keeps bringing us food over. Mostly things like bhajis, spring rolls, sometimes cakes or sugar cookies, traditional Asian food I guess (we are not Asian). She says she just always cooks too much (especially since having her stomach stapled!) and enjoys it. But at this point it's now almost every week and I'm feeling kind of odd about it! She just turns up at the door with plates of food and immediately launches into telling us what it is.
The food is nice, not fancy or anything. I don't eat it as usually meat-based but my kid is very happy to scoff free food. We always take the plates back and thank her, but say "oh, you really don't need to" but she kind of waves that away.
She doesn't seem to want anything from us, she's half my age so I don't think she wants to be friends with me particularly (eg never asks me anything about myself).
I absolutely do not want to offend this lady, I think it's partly her personality and partly a cultural thing that is causing her to do this kind thing. The family who we bought the house from were also Asian and had lived here for decades, so I don't know if she was just in the habit of sharing with them.
But AIBU to think that once a week is a bit much? We can make our own meals and it's feeling like a bit of an imposition, like I need to repay her. And I'm sure there are people who might need it more?
Once we were making a dessert so we took them some, but generally I'm not a big baker or anything so I don't really want to start. And it would feel weird to, like, take them half of our dinner, plus I'm not sure if they'd like that food? I was thinking of giving them a card or gift for Eid, but since I don't actually know the family, have no idea what they'd like. I'm guessing they have enough food!
Or is this fairly normal in some communities and I should just continue to accept gratefully and be glad we have pleasant neighbours?

Wow what a lovely problem to have she sounds very generous - our neighbours don’t do that we’d love it! It’s a pain if we have to ask them to do the bloody bins!

They sound amazing! What lovely neighbours.

My parents and their neighbours do this! They have a Chinese neighbour who loves practicing her English!

I have Asian neighbours, a lovely nurse of Pakistani heritage and an Indian gynae consultant. Occasionally they turn up with plastic containers of food they have made to share. I really like cooking the same type of food, I'm not Asian, and reciprocate. They also benefit from vegetables I grow in my garden. I really like most of my immediate neighbours.

Accept it, enjoy it, tell her you don't eat meat so you might get more veggie stuff and carry on being pleasant. For Eid you could buy some chocolates (no alcohol) and a card or go to an Asian sweet centre and buy a box of sweets. Just tell the sweet centre how much you want to spend and they will do you a mixture in a nice box.

It’s a Pakistani thing. Feeding. Enjoy.

Oh I would just love this!

I get you OP. If it was very occasionally it would be nice but weekly is awkward. You feel you should reciprocate but do know how which ruins how nice their gesture is.

Price of food these days dude. Just roll with it.

Or do the same back until she presses herself up against the wall until you've passed?

If you want it to stop tell them you’ve got IBS

That's a great idea, thank you.

What a fantastic problem to have.
It is a cultural thing amongst the pakistani community especially. ❤️ the food. Most importantly what great neighbours.

I'd just gratefully accept it.

Keep telling her she doesn't need to etc, but just take it.

I think it's a shame we live in a culture/time where your neighbour doing something nice for you once a week feels like an imposition! What an awful set of circumstances we find ourselves in.

Can you reciprocate by being a good neighbour in other ways?
Take in parcels, lend tools, offer help if they are doing a big job in the garden, keep an eye on the place if they go away?

It's cultural, we get food sent by the neighbours every week in the gulf (not uae).

Asking them not to won't achieve anything, I promise 😂

Haha, funnily enough this is what my friend who is of Indian origin (Gujarati heritage born here) said! She's Muslim but never cooks for anyone though!

Our neighbours are of Pakistani origin and they also do this sometimes (not as often as yours though). The mum is an excellent cook so I'm always happy, but I feel a bit bad as I can't really reciprocate - I'm not a good cook and never cook enough anyway. But we've reciprocated a few times when my husband cooks something nice.... :)

I would love this especially if it meant l didn't have to cook

I lived next door to a Pakistani couple when I was at uni, their flat was across the landing from mine. I got loads of home cooked food from them every week! Seemed to be a cultural thing for them and I certainly didn’t complain. I just sometimes made nice cakes etc for them.

Yeah, that's the thing - it's the frequency. If it was just once every couple of months I'd feel less awkward and "beholden".

Ahh at least your DC are eating the food so it's not going to waste.

You should try living in Ireland.

I think my mother was single-handedly responsible for the obesity epidemic in our street 🤣☘

They don't want you to reciprocate with food and gifts.
Just to be pleasant and kindly towards them is enough I was told.

They aren't asking for anything in return, truly. Just be good neighbors and the bring them something back from holiday occasionally.

I definitely would but no idea what. We've never had a parcel from them, they don't seem to go anywhere and it's a shared communal garden that has a guy who comes to cut the grass etc. We once lent them a cheapo weeding tool for their path but they accidentally broke it and immediately bought a new one! I certainly can't complain, can I!!

It is regular in many cultures, I am of Chinese descent and when one of the Mums at school had a baby she was surprised but also delighted I called round with a chicken casserole for her and her DH and not flowers.

DS called in once when in the area with a colleague and I did my food offering, she found it sweet DS was sorry mate my Mums Chinese and they are just like that. I used to take dumplings in to a shop I used to go in a lot, sadly closed now.

You are not beholden it will give them pleasure, I used to feed loads of DS friends after school. We had Jamaican neighbours a few years ago and did quite a bit of swapping of food. DS worked with an Indian woman who used to bring home made Samosas in for everyone, it’s the reason he misses that job.

Your neighbour is bringing you home cooked food weekly, eat & enjoy.