The holidays are approaching! page

[Asmodeuskraemer]

...and my boyfriend's family will want us over for dinner. Their turkey is good and that's about it.
They make this NASTY sweet potato pie that's made with canned potatoes soaked in corn syrup, with more sugar added and marshmallow stuff on top. Seriously, I tried it last year before I was primal and I couldn't eat it because it was so sweet. They also do boxed stuffing, bagged/canned/jarred/whatever gravy. Blech. If I go there, all I'm going to want to eat is turkey and maybe roasted potatoes, if they don't use the pre-mashed shit that comes in a bag.
Even before primal I made (and still do) all my food from scratch, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce included. The stuff they eat in general is garbage (no real butter, tubs of "spread") and I don't like eating there anyway. His mom specifically doesn't like me because I'm "different" and I'm worried it will only cause another fight later if I don't eat the crappy food.
I thought about just spending time with my family, who at least makes their stuff from scratch still and I can justify eating it because its not garbage. I thought about using the excuse "my grandma is old, she doesn't have much time left", which is true, but still...What the hell do I do? Oh, I'm not allowed to bring food either. Maybe cranberry sauce which I did last year but no one liked it because it wasn't super sweet. I happen to be a fan of the bitter cranberry taste.

[Pilatesmom]

can you eat before you go? And somehow hide your food? put it on your plate, push it around and then claim you have a stomach ache or feel ill?

[JoanieL]

Grandma is old. I would do that. Of course, I practically worshipped my old granny when she was still alive, so I might be biased. But it does sound as if your choice is the very worst example of SAD (plus your beau's mom doesn't like you), and a more wholesome version of it, so I'd go with wholesome. And Grandma.

When I was a teenager, I went through a vegetarian phase. That Thanksgiving, my grandmother made so many different veggies and meatless sides to go with the turkey that she could barely fit the eating plates on the table. That is just one of a gazillion reasons I loved her so.

[Mud Flinger]

I'd go with the grandma thing also. Let your BF have his family day and you do the same. If BF pushes it, let him know that you think his Mom doesn't like you and that everyone is likely to be happier this way. If you end up going, bring the cranberry relish you like and claim that it just doesn't seem like turkey day without it. Eat lots of turkey and exclaim how good everything is. Comlipments can go a long way in stressful situations (as can a couple glasses of wine).

[Wildrose]

canned potatoes soaked in corn syrup, with more sugar added and marshmallow stuff on top.

I just threw up a bit in my mouth. Man, if you're going to use corn syrup at least use it to make caramel or something good... that sounds horrible.

[Louisa655]

I just threw up a bit in my mouth. Man, if you're going to use corn syrup at least use it to make caramel or something good... that sounds horrible.

Same here. I just threw up a lot in my mouth :-( Make a signature dish to contribute, and eat that and a slice of turkey only. Tell the boyfriend's family that you have recently been diagnosed with numerous food allergies, and thus you are cutting back until all the test results are in. No one gets hurt :-)

[magnolia1973]

I'd go eat your meal with grandma and stop by the other celebration before or after to be social. Then you have an excuse not to eat, or if you are REALLY slick you can say "Oooo, stuffed from Grandmas but gotta have some of that awesome turkey".

[naiadknight]

I had the same thing happen with an ex. I got (un)lucky, though, Gramma had gotten handed "6 months to live" that previous June, so I told said ex to "stuff it, I'm going home. I may see you after I'm done there, but with Gramma, I wouldn't count on it."
I had pot roast, green beans, spinach, cranberry sauce, veggies, salsa, cheese, thermonuclear smashed taters, mac and cheese (I wasn't Primal at the time), homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and apple pie, ALL homemade.
He had turkey, canned gravy, potatos from a box, green bean cassrole (bleh), Kraft mac and cheese, brown and serve rolls, store bought pies, canned cranberry sauce, and some godawful thing called Thanksgiving soup.
I won.
With Geek, it's different. We always go down to visit my folks for Thanksgiving, and always visit his Christmas Eve. I get Thanksgiving at home, we gets Christmas Eve dinner at his folks place (all the Mexican Soul food you can eat), and we get our own dinner Christmas Day.

[Asmodeuskraemer]

Thanks guys.
I assume that the potatoes are in corn syrup. I KNOW they used canned ones (they also used pre-cooked, frozen white potatoes for their "mashed" potatoes and no one eats them. Wonder why..) but I'm not positive they're in corn syrup, I can only assume because I imagine that potatoes wouldn't keep well in water or oil. But yeah. Either way, ew.
I think I'll use the Grandma tactic. It seems the easiest and I can avoid a bunch of food I don't like. Last year I didn't eat much of anything except turkey, my cranberry sauce, a bit of stuffing and potatoes. I really, REALLY want to make some of my famous food and bring it to them but they're so weird. I guess when you grow up and live on CW food, real stuff doesn't taste right. Ug.

[primallawyer]

I totally get not wanting to go to your sort of in-laws (I think "MIL" stands for moron in law My MIL freaks out about the food - what she's going to make, etc., and goes on and on about how she doesn't know how to cook for us since we don't eat gluten. You know, because potatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. don't occur to her. Anyhoo, the flip side of this is that the freakin' holidays should, in my little fantasy world, be about spending time with family - so what if the food sucks? It's one meal - eat what you like, don't eat what you don't like - and drink plenty of wine!