Last month, we had some people from my husband’s office over for a party. I think the food turned out well. Next month, he wants to invite a different group of people over.
“Hmmm, I wonder what I should make,” said I.
“Make the same thing you did last time,” he suggested. I rewarded him with a blank stare. The same thing? Why?
*******
“Hey, Mikey, whatcha doing, staring at that hunk of rock?”
“I’m thinking about carving a statue out of it.”
“Yeah? Why doncha make another one a them Davids? That was cool.”
*******
The great thing about my husband is that he is so very easy to please. I know some husbands who are a bit…finicky…with what they will eat. No breakfast food for dinner…ever. No fruit (sauces, garnishes, etc) with meat. Not Bill. He will eat what I serve him without complaint.
He did complain – once – early in our marriage, but the cast iron skillet seemed to knock some sense into him.
But the difficult thing about my husband is that he is so very easy to please. If time, money, and nutrition were no concern, this would be his daily menu:
Breakfast: western omelet, coffee (black) and possible add-ons of rye toast, hash browns, bacon and OJ.
Lunch: turkey and provolone on a hard roll with a bit of Dijon mustard, Dr. Pepper, maybe some chips.
Dinner: whatever I make him.
And he would eat this, without variety, every day for weeks and weeks and weeks. I can’t do that.
My friend’s husband recently came home on R&R from Afghanistan. He had a long list of favorite foods that he wanted her to make. When Bill came home last December, I made some things that I knew he would like, but none of them were by his request (despite repeated interrogations).
And despite knowing this man for nearly 21 years, I only learned last spring that chocolate cake isn’t his favorite; he prefers vanilla.
Every year I ask, “What would you like me to make for your birthday?”
“Oh, whatever…”
“O-kaaaay…” So I’d make chocolate cake…because everybody loves chocolate, right? He doesn’t understand how much it bothers me to think I’ve been disappointing him for 20 years. Of course, he’s probably not disappointed. He’s just happy there’s good food magically appearing in front of him every night.
Apparently, I have a much greater attachment to food than he does. My hips attest to this fact. Food is art. Food is hospitality. Food is love.
So, no, I can’t make the same menu that I did for the last party. And since my wonderful husband is no help in the planning department, I’m soliciting suggestions. One thought I had was to have burgers, but to provide a very large selection of toppings…or to have different types of burgers (have you had burgers with bleu cheese? – yum). I’m definitely casting about for some sort of theme. The tequila is almost gone, so that’s out. Any ideas?