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Infuriating men

(49 Posts)
Kiora Sun 20-Jul-14 18:30:36

This has always made me furious. I cook a meal and tell my husband"dinners ready' I put it on the table and he just doesn't come and sit down. He wanders off or stands in front of the T.V or carries on reading the paper, looking at an engine or whatever. I often have to say it three or four times before he comes. I used to think it was a bit of a power thing almost like I'll come when I'm ready not when I'm told. But now I think he just doesn't 'get it' to him it's just food. To me it's i'v spent ages preparing this and it will be spoilt if it goes cold. What ever the reason is, it drives me crazy.confused

janerowena Sun 20-Jul-14 18:38:52

I thought this was going to be a post all about my own DBH. grin

It was only when I got him to cook one meal a week, and he realised how awfully annoying it was, that he stopped doing it.

Elegran Sun 20-Jul-14 18:39:34

Tell him once, then say that you are going to eat yours while it is hot. When you have finished, clear up. If he still has not turned up, assume he is not hungry and chuck his out. Repeat as required. If it is "just food" then the experience of getting "just no food" a few times will sharpen his appreciation. Keep enough bread and cheese in the house for him not to actually starve - bread and cheese is "just food" too, and has the advantage that he can prepare it himself. He will find that he prefers your good cooking.

Lona Sun 20-Jul-14 18:41:14

Elegran You are a woman after my own heart! It works well with children too! grin

Elegran Sun 20-Jul-14 18:47:05

I have to say that I never had to do that to DH. He always appeared promptly when called for a meal! His mother's training, I think.

sherish Sun 20-Jul-14 18:53:13

I would go along with Elegran's suggestion. You can call children more than once because we want them to be fed but husband's aren't children even if they act like it. Call him once and then sod it!

Marmight Sun 20-Jul-14 18:53:15

Brilliant Elegran . Like you, the late Mr Marmight was fairly compliant when it came to food on the table but I did occasionally start without him, usually when he was engrossed in work or watching something boringly sporty on the telly.......

Agus Sun 20-Jul-14 19:05:22

Oh, I like your style Elegran. DH wouldn't have to be told twice thankfully as he does a fair bit of the cooking now and realises how annoying that would be. Re children, no pudding always worked for me.

Marelli Sun 20-Jul-14 19:11:10

Mine does that, too, Kiora. hmm

Nonu Sun 20-Jul-14 19:19:50

He makes the salad which is what we always have week nights.

I grill the meat put it by salads and then call him.

He arrives and we eat !!

Simple as a pimple !!

Ana Sun 20-Jul-14 19:28:12

Every time I see this thread title I think it's a 'How To' guide! grin

merlotgran Sun 20-Jul-14 19:32:26

DH has a strange and infuriating Saturday morning ritual. DD phones around 10am so at precisely that time he makes me a bacon sandwich. I think he likes her to hear me saying, 'Oooooh, Dad's just made me a bacon sandwich' and she replies, 'Oooooh, lovely. Wish he could make me one!!

I can't eat and talk at the same time so every Saturday morning at around 10.30am I eat a COLD bacon sandwich hmm

janeainsworth Sun 20-Jul-14 19:34:03

We probably don't need a guide for that, Ana grin

Ana Sun 20-Jul-14 19:55:17

grin

Aka Sun 20-Jul-14 20:11:51

I cook the meals in our house then walk away and pour myself a glass of something. It's DH's job to plate it up and get it to table. He's been re-trained over the years as he was just like your DH Kiora and this was my solution. There were a few hiccups at the start such as the meal being cold or burnt and fed to the dogs before he got the knack hmm

Nonu Sun 20-Jul-14 20:20:06

""Way to go" AKA

Wheyhey

Mishap Sun 20-Jul-14 20:56:09

I cook, he eats a tiny bit, he clears up and washes up. He comes when called (sounds like a well-trained dog!) but gazes mournfully at it as though it is arsenic, tinkers with it and eats a morsel. A joy to cook for! Poor chap can't help it - medical problems - but it does take the joy out of cooking!

hildajenniJ Sun 20-Jul-14 21:00:58

My DH also does this. We usually lunch at 1pm justas the bbc lunchtime news is starting. I've started putting lunch back ten minutes because if I ask him to come at one he'll say, "I'll just see the headlines. It drives me mad. I can't change the time because our son comes for his lunch two or three times a week straight from his work. Men are infuriating, I don't know how I'll cope in eighteen month's time when he retires. I love him dearly but I'll have to find him an occupation. Summertime, gardening, winter time, any suggestions?confused

janerowena Sun 20-Jul-14 21:58:02

My aunt bought my uncle a gym subscription. He was driving her potty, he started trying to run the house more cheaply, was interfering and not doing the things she had really hoped that he would take over. So she bought him a really expensive package so that he would begrudge wasting the money if he didn't go. He did go, and she said it saved her sanity. Golf did the same during the summer months.

She gave him the Christmas cards to do. They had always sent very expensive ones (they are very well-off) and he decided to make his own, using a cheap standard print from the internet and cheap cartridge paper - which he folded back to front. It kept him quiet for ages, she said, but she wasn't quiet when she found a reject and it was too late to recall the ones he had already sent out!

The following year he was told to buy some nice ones - he went out and bought the cheapest sparkliest ones in bulk from Woolworths. I was surprised at my aunt for having allowed him to send cards like that - she didn't know. grin She told him off, that she was mortified.

Now he is only allowed to do the address labels.

Deedaa Sun 20-Jul-14 23:10:06

My DH will know perfectly well when I am peparing lunch, but will still have disappeared to "fix" something when I bring it in.

The other really maddening thing is that if I have cooked something fairly complicated and I bring his in while I go to finish mine off he will not start eating till I come back. I go faffing round in the kitchen, happily tweaking bits of garnish and arranging my plate nicely and I then find him sitting with a congealing plate waiting for me! His excuse is that he was brought up to wait for everyone to sit down. I just think that if I've put a lot of effort into a meal he could at least eat it while it's hot!

numberplease Sun 20-Jul-14 23:23:15

My hubby`s always there when a meal is ready, sitting in his armchair waiting for me to bring his plate to him! He`s never cooked in any way at all, he certainly won`t start now, I`m so envious of some of you ladies.

ninathenana Mon 21-Jul-14 10:12:39

We eat in the lounge/diner so I don't call DH as he can see and hear me put the plates on the table. If he doesn't that's tuff, he eats his luke warm.
DS is the one that annoys me. He spends most of his time in his room as he has sky there and his xbox. I call from the bottom of the stairs, call again, yell and eventually get a grunt angry

harrigran Mon 21-Jul-14 10:26:11

I shouldn't be posting on here because DH is the one that cooks the meals and shouts up to me in the study. I am very polite and immediately stop what I am doing and rush down to the kitchen. I praise him lavishly and tell him that he has produced another culinary delight even though it is often M&S grin

Nonnie Mon 21-Jul-14 10:27:37

Deeda I sympathise with your DH as I feel the same as him. Meals should be taken together with everyone who is eating and should be sociable times.

DH used to be the same Kiora but I discussed it with him and he tried to change. We had to have the conversation a few times but he finally got the point. Now he does all the cooking and I come as soon as called but never before he calls as he likes to be alone in the kitchen.

ayse Mon 21-Jul-14 10:37:36

Kiora, my DH does just the same. I've given up waiting for him! It's the same when I make him cups of tea. It can be stone cold before he drinks it or reheats it in the microwave.
Elegran, I love it!
My DH has finally learnt to cook - pork chops and chips in the halogen and frozen peas (not something I go for), however sometimes I just don't feel much like cooking so I just let him know and he cooks his own at a time good for him. I just carry on with my own thing.