What do you feed your FDW?

[PNGMK]

Oh this is a tricky one....

We like to eat meat, expensive meat. Expensive meat I buy on special at cold storage. Usually I can grab a pair of chops or steaks at half price if I time it right. However now we have a FDW I need to buy double (because they are packaged at pairs) and often I miss out on getting both at a good price.

I've mentioned to the missus; "she doesn't need to eat $10 chops you know" - only to be shot down. I just feel our food budget is going up and up - and I'm coming to realisation that either the FDW is going to have to eat cheaper or I am going to have to give up steaks.

Any ideas?

[bgd]

I'm having a chuckle at this because I've just finished reading

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic ... highlight=

Your were OffshoreOilDude right? So things have changed in a year?

I think you should be feeding her the best quality steak.

[PNGMK]

I'm having a chuckle at this because I've just finished reading

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic ... highlight=

Your were OffshoreOilDude right? So things have changed in a year?

I think you should be feeding her the best quality steak.

[Steve1960]

Ours seems to prefer to cook her own food and not eat ours. Probably a bit of a culture shock as she spent 5 months with a Chinese family and is now facing a lot of UK and Philippine dishes which she appears not to like.

She eats a lot of vegetables, noodles, pork and chicken. Nothing very expensive.

I do feel like at some point I want to try and educate her on food though. She asked my wife for a powder which makes the food taste good although she couldn't remember what it was.She found it last week in Fair Price................I told her never to put it in any food that we eat....................the white powder is monosodium glutemate and sodium

[zzm9980]

I do feel like at some point I want to try and educate her on food though. She asked my wife for a powder which makes the food taste good although she couldn't remember what it was.She found it last week in Fair Price................I told her never to put it in any food that we eat....................the white powder is monosodium glutemate and sodium

But it does taste good.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Was it Aji-no-moto or Ve-Tsin by chance, was it? All forms of MSG are banned from my house as well.

[Fortan]

I don't feed mine, she is perfectly capable of eating herself

[durain]

get a vegan FDW

[PNGMK]

Ours seems to prefer to cook her own food and not eat ours. Probably a bit of a culture shock as she spent 5 months with a Chinese family and is now facing a lot of UK and Philippine dishes which she appears not to like.

She eats a lot of vegetables, noodles, pork and chicken. Nothing very expensive.

I do feel like at some point I want to try and educate her on food though. She asked my wife for a powder which makes the food taste good although she couldn't remember what it was.She found it last week in Fair Price................I told her never to put it in any food that we eat....................the white powder is monosodium glutemate and sodium

Our FDW was telling us horror stories of what she had to eat before at her last place .... some sort of horrible smelling homemade pig organ noodle soup the grandmother loved making.... every bloody day!

[Girl_Next_Door]

You should ask her if she prefers
1) A small weekly budget so that she can get her own groceries and cooked for herself. Just simple things like rice, vegs, eggs and chicken that she can get from the wet market. In long run, its cheaper than steaks.
2) A day budget so that she can buy take-out food from a hawker / food court.

[PNGMK]

You should ask her if she prefers
1) A small weekly budget so that she can get her own groceries and cooked for herself. Just simple things like rice, vegs, eggs and chicken that she can get from the wet market. In long run, its cheaper than steaks.
2) A day budget so that she can buy take-out food from a hawker / food court.

I'm thinking of that but my DW has her eating with us....

[nakatago]

You should ask her if she prefers
1) A small weekly budget so that she can get her own groceries and cooked for herself. Just simple things like rice, vegs, eggs and chicken that she can get from the wet market. In long run, its cheaper than steaks.
2) A day budget so that she can buy take-out food from a hawker / food court.

I'm thinking of that but my DW has her eating with us....

Maybe take it as a sign that you should cut down on the red meat.

[earthfriendly]

First of all, do you know if she enjoys steak, the way you do? I have been surprised by how many people who are not into eating meat.

I cook organic steak. I did not increase the amount of meat to accomodate our host student. I just divide it up and share it amongst everyone. And then cook another dish to make up for the portion size. So no, you don't need to give up your steak or go over the budget that you are comfortable with.

[Girl_Next_Door]

I'm thinking of that but my DW has her eating with us....

Several of my female colleagues have the same situation. They are not used to having a FDW and felt that the best way is to treat her equally. However, they all learned to realize that FDW will take advantage of you, when you start to treat them fairly.

For one, whenever they are out in the restaurants, the FDW will eat in the same restaurant (even if it is a fancy one). After several months, the FDW got really comfortable and confident, hence, start asking for stuff. Initially, its just up-sizing a MacDonald's meal. Later, she will insist on ordering the more expensive steak in a restaurant, instead of taking the pasta dish which my friend had wanted to order for her.

For another, the help responded that she have not had her tea (at 730am), hence is not ready to look after the young daughter. Note that her work ends at 9pm, so she have plenty of time to rest and be ready by 730am, to help look after the girl while my colleague get ready to go to office.

They all came to realize that it is important to set the ground rules right, at the start. The ground rules doesn't have to be harsh. For privacy reasons, you can request for the FDW to have her dinner either before or after your dinner. Good and experienced FDW will actually excused themselves to the kitchen during dinner time. She can choose to use a specific budget to buy her own take-out food or cook herself one/two dishes. You can also set specific time whereby she can go to bed (say 9pm) and for her to wake up (say 6am).

The best way for your wife to learn, might be for her to be bitten once by a FDW who takes advantages of her kindness...

[x9200]

++1
The only problem is, it is a bit too late for PNGMK. If he adopted this approach right from the start it would be fine, but now not that easy.