The Four Moms are doing a link-up today on packing a lunch for your husband. I don't pack a lunch for my husband, because Preacher Man works from home. We are blessed to enjoy having him around for breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days! I realize this is definitely not the norm, so if you are looking for REAL tips on how to pack a lunch for your husband, I suggest you read the posts from the other ladies because I saw some fantastic suggestions.
Instead, I'll share some family stories about packing a lunch for the man of the house. These stories go back several generations and provide wonderful amusement at family gatherings, and maybe they will give you a giggle today. These are the stories as I remember them, which may or may not have been embellished upon as they were told and retold over the years. ;)
#1 - I'll begin with an embarrassing story about me and Preacher Man in the early days of our marriage. (Maybe tattling on myself first will assuage the wrath of the still living relatives I'm about to tell on!) See, Preacher Man has not always worked from home, and it used to be my practice to fix him a tasty lunch for work. I usually gave him leftovers. He likes them, and they were very tasty meals, much nicer than the soggy-sandwich routine. After a while I got a request that I not send so many beans please because he was getting rather uncomfortable on the job and was getting teased by his co-workers.
Moral: Take your husband's preferences into account when packing his lunch. (And don't forget the bean-o!)
#2 - A certain sweet new bride was not at all familiar with the concept of "Man Food". Her idea of lunch was saltine crackers spread with cream cheese or a sandwich with a slice of bologna. Brand new husband did not want to hurt his new bride's feelings, so he cheerfully ate his dainty lunches, meanwhile remaining in a state of continual hunger. One day, brand new husband went to the community fridge in the break room and pulled out the familiar brown paper bag. He sat down to eat and inside the bag was a fabulous sandwich - hoagie roll piled high with roast beef and all of the trimmings. "Wowee," he thought, "my sweet new bride must think I'm pretty special! She really went all out today!" And he ate the sandwich with great relish. Just as he was finishing up the crumbs, a co-worker came in and pulled a brown bag from the fridge and sat down to eat. He pulled out a bologna sandwich and said, "HEY! What happened to my sandwich?!"
Moral: Label the brown paper bag when you pack his lunch and remember to pack Man Food and plenty of it!
#3 - One winter's evening, Husband and Wife were playing checkers or dominoes, I can't remember which. Husband made a particularly nasty move, and I have heard the story two ways - either he was cheating or he made it so Wife could not win the game, but in doing so, he could not win either - the cut off your nose to spite your face type of thing. Wife was pretty steamed that Husband would do such a thing. Now husband's job was hard, physical, out-of-doors labor, so in winter Wife packed him a thermos full of soup. When Husband took out his thermos the next day to eat his lunch, there was nothing inside but a tack.
Moral: Don't be tacky with your wife. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
(Above story is meant to be funny, and does not represent Church Mouse's opinion on how to handle a cheating husband... at least when it comes to dominoes.)
Want some ideas for Man Lunches? Hungry Mama Food makes pretty good Hungry Man Food too! Preacher Man especially loves Meatball or Meatloaf Sandwiches!
Oh, the story of the tack made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who, as a newlywed, continued her family's tradition of putting little lovenotes inside her new husband's sandwiches.
She grew hurt when he never mentioned them. You know why, of course- he was eating his notes.=)
My dad found out about "man food" at a pot luck for work. My mom offered to make quiche for him to take, and he willingly agreed because he loves quiche. He came home later that evening deeply embarrassed because he was the last man to find out that real men don't eat quiche. He had been teased mercilessly all day. He told my mom never to make quiche for his pot lucks again and to never tell anyone else that he eats it in private.
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