Cooking for ingrates

Maybe I'm not that good of a cook. Nearly every night I make dinner, though. And I make a very conscious effort to cook healthy food. And I actually kind of like to cook and try different things. I just don't like cooking for ungrateful jerks like my family.

Tonight Emma had a friend over who ate dinner with us. That's always interesting because I'm always amused/shocked/mortified at what comes out of her mouth. I heard Emma say to her friend, "I'm a vegetarian. Are you a vegetarian or a meat eater?" First of all, she's lying. Put a Chicken McNugget in front of her and it will be gone in less than 30 seconds. Second of all, I prefer not to scare the girl and think we are a bunch of freaks, eating crazy food. And thirdly, where did she hear the term "meat eater?"

So I made Eggplant Parmesan for myself and Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan for everyone else. It's time consuming to cook. I have to go to the grocery store and then prepare it and then cook it. So it really pisses me off when this happens:

Scott walks in the kitchen and asks if I'm making real or vegetarian chicken. Well, I already told him I'm phasing meat out of the house completely. Sometimes I'd make meat for him and Emma, but really, I don't like it. And Emma thinks she wants to be a vegetarian. So guess what?

He's outnumbered.

I told Scott it's vegetarian chicken. It's actually VERY good and I know he'll like it. He sneers and makes a stupid face and I really wanted to stab him in his face. Whatever. So I make a plate for Emma and her friend. Her friend tells me she doesn't like spaghetti and actually she doesn't like spaghetti sauce so the chicken is no good for her either. She says she will have a hot dog. That's fine and easy. No problem. She's only 6 and this is all foreign to her anyway. Then, Emma says she doesn't like cheese so she doesn't want to eat the chicken either. FU is what I want to say to her, but I tell her to just eat whatever it is that is on her plate that she likes and to stop complaining. Scott sits down and starts eating...and, of course, he enjoys it. Asshole.

I sit down next to Olivia and start eating my eggplant. It's pretty good, but a little dry. That's what I get for baking it. I look over at Olivia who got both eggplant and the vegetarian chicken. That little expletive is dropping it on the floor for the dog. That fucking dog eats better than anyone in this whole stupid family.

Speaking of families, I want a new one. A vegetarian family with a husband who likes to work all day and then come home and cook. And I don't want to have to put out for it either.