Observations on Adult Offspring Cooking Shrimp, Salmon, Lobster, and Wild Rice

It's a common sentiment that adult children should have the skills to prepare meals independently. However, the reality can sometimes be quite different. Imagine this scenario: a grown daughter or son creates a dish with shrimp, salmon, lobster, and wild rice. How would you react?

Initial Reactions

Enough Already
'Oh look, she made food. Good, I'm hungry.'
'She's an adult, she should know how to cook.'
This is the most dismissive reaction one might have. The speaker assumes the adult should already know how to prepare a meal, and if they can't do it, maybe they deserve to be fed pre-prepared 'crap.'

Problematic Mindset

Internal Criticism and Excuses
'I would pick at it and move it around on my plate so it looked like I had some. I don’t like seafood.'
'I would pull something out of the fridge when I got home.'
There's a significant challenge in accepting new meals, especially if they're foreign or not to your taste. The responses hint at common behaviors: feigning interest and accepting it just to be polite, and then removing it from your plate. Alternatively, the individual might just grab something from the fridge to replace the offered meal.

Welcoming but Distant Reality

Positive but Ambiguous
'What a girl! She’d be welcome back to our home any time! Actually, she is. Trouble is that she lives so far away now. But we hope she will visit us again soon. With or without a seafood buffet—we’d be happy to serve it when she comes!'
This response demonstrates a blend of enthusiasm and frustration. The sentiment is warm but tinged with the reality of distance and infrequent visits. The speaker is happy to have her for dinner, but the logistics of physical distance mean that it might not happen often.

Practical and Sensible Attitude

Hope and Appreciation
'I’d say it might be pretty good if they seasoned things right and cooked them just enough that they didn’t get dried out. None of the seafood you mentioned needs very long cooking times at all but are damn good if done right.'
'I’d think “I hope I get invited over to eat that wonderful sounding seafood dish! ! !’
'I would think “yum! I hope I am invited to enjoy this feast” I would offer to bring drinks and dessert. Sounds like a good time.'
Here we have a more realistic and appreciative attitude towards the dish. Acknowledging that the seafood could be delicious if prepared correctly, the person expresses interest in attending the meal. This view suggests a willingness to adapt and appreciate the effort, even if the initial reaction might be skeptical.

Conclusion

Each of these reactions reflects different ways people might respond to an adult offspring cooking a complex, fancy meal like shrimp, salmon, lobster, and wild rice. The initial dismissiveness and critique often stem from a preconception that adults should know how to cook. In reality, the journey to cooking skills and tasting enjoyment is a process that takes effort and time. Whether someone feigns interest or genuinely appreciates the dish, the key is to respect the effort and enjoy the meal together, bridging the gap in expectations and reality.