Why I Hate Buffets; Just Kidding, I Love Buffets!

Thankfully, my wife’s grandparents didn’t convince her to break up with me the first time I met them.  If I were in their shoes, the relationship wouldn’t have lasted until the end of our first interaction with each other. 

The first time I met Chantel’s grandparents was when I went to dinner with them at the casino, the fanciest place within about 50 miles.  We went to the buffet. 

Anyone that knows me knows that calling me a picky eater is an understatement.  So pair that with the fact that I could possibly have a panic attack at just the thought of having to do something out of the ordinary and you have a recipe for disaster. 

So here I am at this buffet and I’m freaking out about what to eat.  I’m already so nervous that just the thought of food is making me nauseous and now I have to pick something out to eat.  As I’m scanning the buffet, I notice spaghetti.  Yes!  I can handle spaghetti.  How bad could it be?  I put a modest amount of noodles on my plate and moved on to the sauce.  Well, wouldn’t you know that there are 3 containers of sauce right next to each other and now I have to choose one.  One sauce was super thick and full of stuff I knew I wouldn’t want, one was basically red water, and the other was something in-between.  I chose the red water because I knew it would be the safest bet and I would be able to eat it.  Boy was I wrong.

I went back to the table and took my first bite.  Holy Cow!  That was the most disgusting spaghetti sauce I had ever eaten in my entire life.  Words cannot describe how awful this stuff was.  

Now, being the polite young man that I am, I tried to force myself to eat it anyway.  After gagging and grimacing for a few bites, Chantel’s grandmother convinced me to go and get something different off of the buffet.  I went and came back with fried chicken or something, I can’t remember.

As I sat down, the three of them could barely contain their laughter.  COCKTAIL SAUCE!  It was cocktail sauce!  While I was gone, Chantel’s grandmother tasted the sauce and made the discovery.  I couldn’t believe the embarrassment!  After they finally stopped laughing, we continued eating and the meal ended up not being so bad.

What I learned from this experience is that:

1. I do some pretty stupid stuff
2. My in-laws have a great sense of humor
3. They’re non-judgmental

I think we all do things from time to time that might not be the best of ideas, so make sure you have people in your life that have a sense of humor and that love unconditionally, even if you do idiotic things like use cocktail sauce on your spaghetti.

What was it like when you met your in-laws for the first time?  What about some other embarrassing moment that actually worked out well?  Let’s hear it!