Confronting Tradition: My Brother’s Wife’s Annual Thanksgiving Menu Requests

A Reddit user faced a difficult decision to cancel the family Thanksgiving dinner she had hosted for two decades due to ongoing issues with her brother’s wife, Julie. The 40-year-old woman explained that over the past five years, Julie consistently presented challenges related to her ever-changing fad diets.

Despite the OP’s efforts to accommodate Julie’s dietary restrictions in previous years, tensions reached a breaking point during the last Thanksgiving dinner. Julie became upset when her husband refused to eat the special ketogenic diet food prepared for her. The argument disrupted the family gathering, leaving the OP frustrated.

This year, when the OP invited her family for Thanksgiving, Julie disclosed that she was following a specific fertility diet due to in-vitro fertilization attempts. Annoyed by the constant dietary demands, the OP decided to serve only one dish and informed Julie that she could either eat what was provided or bring her own food.

This sparked a negative reaction from Julie, who accused the OP of selfishness. OP’s brother criticized her for canceling the dinner, citing how Julie had accommodated the OP’s food allergies earlier that year. In defense, the OP argued that her allergies were life-threatening, unlike Julie’s voluntary dietary choices that changed annually.

Facing criticism from family members, the OP discussed the issue with her husband, who suggested canceling the dinner. Eventually, she sent a message informing everyone of the cancellation and stating that if they wished to join, they were welcome to partake in the specified Thanksgiving menu.

Reactions within the family were divided, with the sister, husband, and son supporting the OP’s decision, while the mother believed the dinner should not have been canceled. Seeking external perspectives, the OP shared her story on Reddit to gather advice on the matter.