That's sad

Ooh poor thing. Are the disorders medical or has her upbringing had something to do with it I wonder. I know from experience stress can do dreadful things to your appetite and even to your ability to eat.
If I am in any environment where there is an argument or disagreement going on I can lose my appetite for about 3 days instantly. Even out with someone for a meal, a row at the next table makes it hard for me to eat even if I'm not involved. All stems back to arguments surrounding food, years ago, and means I rarely accept an invite to eat out with people.

I get the 'bring a plate' thing, especially if it's a biggish bash you're are holding. I usually just say bring a salad or something you particularly like. In the UK, I never asked people to bring a plate, but if they asked if they could bring anything, I would just say, whatever you like. I never ask anyone to bring a plate here, but if someone offers, I will just say the same. And I will, and have always, offered to bring something, both here and the UK. It's just polite isn't it?

What slightly irked me is that we had the young lad over at ours for a couple of hours as a favour as the mum had to take her daughter somewhere. He didn't come with any food, and even though he was only here for a short time, I still fed him.

As it turns out, S couldn't go.

Anyway, anyone else got any 'are you for real?' stories??

It's an old school ballet thing passed down by those that never quite made it because of their body shape I reckon. The school, doctors, friends and family have all tried to intervene but the mother is in denial.

I have a million - I was married to an absolute gem. A couple of classics are:

When I was in labor with our first child, he wouldn't take me to hospital until we'd found marrow bones for our dogs. The catch was, he couldn't leave the car because he didn't want to put his shoes on due to an ingrown toenail so, with water having broken, I'm gushing and rushing around butchers trying to find bones. Found them, he dropped me at hospital and went to work.

For the last couple of years I lived with him, our only communication was via his emails. Every morning I woke to my "to do" list, carefully planned and in the order I had to do each task. There would also be some rant about something me or the kids had done. But one of my absolute favourites was his email about how he'd been out the back fagging in the middle if the night and had smelt gas so as soon as I got up I needed to check to see if the bbq gas bottle was turned off.

Agree
I don't know any cultures that would do anything of the sort. Usually the complete opposite and stuff the kids so much they cant eat their dinner.
If you cant feed why invite? (and there are circumstances where you should not invite - i.e. when your kids have just got over gastric flu, nice to tell me after I pick them back up)

Don't know whether to laugh or cry in disbelief

It's okay to laugh because I no longer live like that and neither do two of my three kids. The youngest still goes 50/50 but that could change.

OMG. Glad you're out of that now.

Is this woman for real?

I've got a large batch of nearly new saucepans on Gumtree, clearly marked norrth Brisbane, pick up only.
So I get a reply from some woman, wants more details, give her everything I can, then say Is she able to pick up? Is she local?
Ahhhh - no - she's in Taiwan!
WTF!!

Flipping timewasters

Bahaha, classic.

Hey, nice lady, you wanna buy saucepans? One Meerkat owner....!!

Ahem, so, either you were drunk when you bought them or someone who didn't know you very well gave you them.

I take it the nearly new is from the batch of potions you mixed up

Residents at the village I work, came home today to no power. Turns out SA PN, who were supposed to connect a different unit, accidentally(!) disconnected the wrong unit.

This, on top of ongoing problems in the area relating to the NBN and Telstra with Tesltra FINALLY admitting there is an issue with the local exchange, something I've been telling them since the end of November!!

Are they for REAL???

You know me too well!! No, I was storing them for someone who no longer wants them and says I can try and sell them Don't think I've ever actually bought a saucepan, all mine were second hand donations. Got a couple of frying pans I bought new though

They aren't called Hellstra for nothing!

If I added up how much money I've probably spent feeding other people's kids, I might work out how much Prosecco it could buy me and kick them all out onto the streets, my own kids included. Fair play to the younger Italian generation though who have tried Yorkshire Puddings, Cottage Pie and other things they've never heard of. I'm glad my kids are comfortable enough to invite friends back home even though Mummy is a crazy English lady and not very Italian