S08.E01: It's All Greek to Me

[Triple P]

2 minutes ago, McManda said:

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding? Is it common to go to an in-law's sibling's wedding? The Voulos don't seem particularly close with the Duggars outside of Jinger. I could see her attending if she was nearby (Duggar weddings seem like an open affair, after all), but don't Mom and Dad Voulo live on the east coast somewhere? I wouldn't make a trip to a wedding I wasn't really invested in. Though Lauren's parents elevated the wedding above standard Duggar-fare, it's not like it was super special or swanky.

I was not invited to my brother-in-law's brother's wedding, but the only time I've really met him was when my sister married my brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's brother lives out of state and I never expected an invite to his wedding.

I think Diana was there since Jinger was close to her due date. Maybe she was staying with them in Laredo and tagged along to the wedding.

[DragonFaerie]

4 minutes ago, McManda said:

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding?

I was thinking that perhaps she had flown into Texas to be with Jeremy and Jinger and help out right before the birth.  Instead of leaving her alone in Laredo, they brought her with them to the wedding.  It would also have been a voice in Jinger's corner if she went into labor in Arkansas and say, Nope, we're going to a hospital.  Now get Medicine Woman Jill out of here!

[Heathen]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

Well, Josiah said this was Lauren's first time to Europe, so if they're monied, they're not well-traveled. 

Well-traveled and affluent aren't mutually exclusive, as you know. The Duggars were well-off (ahem, Senate run) before TV money, but I doubt they would ever have left Arkansas/Missouri/Oklahoma/Texas if they hadn't been on the idiot box. 

[madpsych78]

5 hours ago, McManda said:

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding? Is it common to go to an in-law's sibling's wedding? The Voulos don't seem particularly close with the Duggars outside of Jinger. I could see her attending if she was nearby (Duggar weddings seem like an open affair, after all), but don't Mom and Dad Voulo live on the east coast somewhere? I wouldn't make a trip to a wedding I wasn't really invested in. Though Lauren's parents elevated the wedding above standard Duggar-fare, it's not like it was super special or swanky.

I was not invited to my brother-in-law's brother's wedding, but the only time I've really met him was when my sister married my brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's brother lives out of state and I never expected an invite to his wedding.

I do think some of the in-laws are closer than others. That said, it doesn't make much sense for Diana to be at Josiah and Lauren's wedding. I agree that she doesn't seem close with any Duggars outside of Jinger, other than maybe Jessa/Ben and perhaps Seewalds by extension. I suspect she went because Jinger was very pregnant by that point and Diana happened to be in the area during that time.

However, I totally believe that the Swansons will attend any and all future Duggar weddings because Dwain seems like he has become Boob's new BFF now that they have moved to Arkansas.

[becca3891]

On 7/30/2018 at 10:26 PM, ginger90 said:

Are they keeping the cameras off Jill and Derick?

Derick, yes. I'm guessing Jill may make an appearance or two this season but maybe not.

On 7/31/2018 at 8:45 AM, WarnerCL45 said:

Grabbing the bride, running down the aisle?  Would have been some mess, had he tripped!

I was so disappointed that he didn't! Even if he had, they would have just had him do it again for the cameras, sadly.

On 7/31/2018 at 8:45 AM, Mollie said:

Poor Ben spent so much time and effort planning to celebrate the third wedding anniversary and Jessa did NOTHING.  Ben spent weeks creating a special necklace for Jessa to commemorate the event and Jessa didn't even get Ben a present.  Jessa leaves Ben to watch the kids while she goes to town with her sisters, gets her nails done, gets a pedicure, and has Ben prepare their anniversary dinner.  What did she do for him?  NOTHING.

This phenomenon seems to be the only time their patriarchal beliefs favor the woman. Traditionally, men are supposed to be the ones sweeping women off their feet, and the way they talk and behave does reflect that. Of course, she is supposed to be submissive and joyfully available in response.

On 7/31/2018 at 9:19 AM, libgirl2 said:

Did anyone catch the testicle line? When Joe and Kendra were in the market looking at food, their guide was saying the different kinds of meats and she mentioned that! 

Yes, and Kendra giggled, unless they edited that in!

On 7/31/2018 at 11:38 AM, Maya said:

I’m sorry but Lauren’s dad was the creepiest thing I’ve seen on my TV in a long time. Her mom seems off too. 

He's Boob 2.0. Yuck.

On 7/31/2018 at 5:53 PM, Pasha Kitty said:

As for Kendra and Joe, that looked like one very expensive Greek honeymoon.  Their Dinner in the Sky outing..... I'd heard of it and it costs about $157/per person.  https://dinnerinthesky.gr/en/#top

Toss up as to who paid for Greece- TLC or JB/Michele (they're rich, they can certainly afford it).

TLC, as always. 

On 8/1/2018 at 1:45 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Re: Duggar food issues, masturbation might go a long way in shoring up food security with this family. Sure, I'm sure some of them do anyway, but the Christian guilt ideal that every orgasm has to be justified by procreative purposes and conceiving a child is very stressful and unfair to the kiddos they already have. Maybe not conceiving a baby every 11 months because your man was horny and condoms are the devil's goalkeepers will help you actually get to know and raise your kids instead of treating them like a sports team line up. What better way to get your wife in the mood than the knowledge that every thrust means less sleep and independence for her and less money and attention for her existing kids. Can you imagine being turned into a revolving door human hotel for 25+ years because your husband wants to cum with Jesus' approval? 9 months for 30 seconds is a raw deal for the wives (no pun intended).

THIS, THIS, THIS. I love how you expressed this. I'll be equally frank: Think of how sad it is that they think a lifelong single person should NEVER experience orgasm. 

On 8/1/2018 at 1:53 PM, Kellyee said:

Both Anna and Kendra seemed desperate to be pregnant as soon as possible, and Anna seemed desperate to be pregnant as much as possible. I'm not sure its all the man's doing. These girls seem to find their all self worth in being married and knocked up.

Yes, I do believe Anna and Kendra love being pregnant, but not all women do, and some in their lifestyle very much do end up feeling trapped.

23 hours ago, Chalby said:

Why don't these people make the tiniest attempt to learn the language of whatever country they are going to? I am so embarrassed (for all Americans) when Joe and Kendra were looking at the posters, saying "I don't know what it says. It's all in Greek." No s**t, Sherlock! I don't want people to think they represent most Americans.

This seriously annoys me, especially saying "thank you" in English at the end. You can't even learn how to say hello, goodbye and thank you in Greek?

[Albanyguy]

3 hours ago, becca3891 said:

I’m sorry but Lauren’s dad was the creepiest thing I’ve seen on my TV in a long time.

I swear, some of these Fundie dads would like nothing better than to follow the bridal couple right into the hotel room, pull up a chair and watch the Big Event.

[xwordfanatik]

1 hour ago, Albanyguy said:

I swear, some of these Fundie dads would like nothing better than to follow the bridal couple right into the hotel room, pull up a chair and watch the Big Event.

And televise it, if it makes them money.  Beyond creepy.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

1 hour ago, Albanyguy said:

I swear, some of these Fundie dads would like nothing better than to follow the bridal couple right into the hotel room, pull up a chair and watch the Big Event.

Yep. It’s creepy and disgusting, and you just know they (freaky creepy Dad) spend the rest of the evening thinking about whether the deed was done.  

I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them went back to that Old Testament/Hebrew/levitical practice of bringing the bed clothes after the consummation as evidence.  I can’t remember if it was in the bible, or Talmud, or what, but it happened, and I could see Jim Boob doing it.  

[kokapetl]

I’ve tried several times to make it through this episode, but I can’t. Kendra’s giggling is incredibly annoying, and Lauren’s breathy rehearsed voice is just plain weird. 

[Fostersmom]

23 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I grew up in a top district as well. Our French teacher married a former student less than a year after she graduated and the school's resident drug dealer once told me several teachers were regular customers. The physics teacher, who was also the basketball coach, used to stash cases of beer in his basement and pretend not to notice when the boys on the team "borrowed" them for parties. My husband's former calculus teacher was recently arrested for recording women in the faculty restroom. The stuff that can go on in one school is crazy.

My old school district was one of the better districts in the state when I went there. One of the most popular teachers in my high school was fired a year after I graduated (95) after it came out he had seeing a girl a year younger than me. She was like 2 months from graduating when it came out, but he was dating her while she was a student and a minor. Last I heard, he "found god", they have been married for years and have a couple of kids. He also had a really good job at Progressive, they are based in the area and he worked at the corporate office. I also went to school with a guy who was literally the golden boy of the school and a year ahead of me. He was crazy popular, super nice, great looking guy, had everything going for him. He father was the principal at a neighboring high school. Until it came out dear old dad had been hosting beach parties at their house for years for some of his students from his high school. And had a camera set up behind a mirror in their bathroom to film the girls changing into their swim wear. I'd have to assume he also did the same thing to the friends of his kids. This came out like 2 years after his son graduated, but I heard about it thru the college grapevine. He was another one who "found god" and last I heard was some kind of preacher. I went to a giant high school, I graduated with 806 kids, so I'm going to guarantee there's been hundreds of teacher student relationships over the years in various degrees of legality and ickiness. Some were kinda known, some weren't. I'm also pretty sure a guy in my class was in some sort of relationship with an older male teacher, neither of who were out at the time, but we all kind of knew about the sexual preference and relationship. 

16 hours ago, McManda said:

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding? Is it common to go to an in-law's sibling's wedding? The Voulos don't seem particularly close with the Duggars outside of Jinger. I could see her attending if she was nearby (Duggar weddings seem like an open affair, after all), but don't Mom and Dad Voulo live on the east coast somewhere? I wouldn't make a trip to a wedding I wasn't really invested in. Though Lauren's parents elevated the wedding above standard Duggar-fare, it's not like it was super special or swanky.

I was not invited to my brother-in-law's brother's wedding, but the only time I've really met him was when my sister married my brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's brother lives out of state and I never expected an invite to his wedding.

Add me to the list of those believing she was there because Jinger was so pregnant. I think she was there for a bit before the delivery and a bit after. Jeremy probably told her he'd need a Duggar buffer since Jinger wanted Michelle and Jana there and he knew more would show up. Jeremy's not dumb and has the Duggar's numbers. He certainly wouldn't put up a fight about Michelle and Jana being at the birth, but I could see him convincing her this was his mom's first grandchild, she wanted to be there and be part of it, all that jazz, just to make sure he had someone to help reign in the crazy. 

[kokapetl]

17 hours ago, McManda said:

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding? Is it common to go to an in-law's sibling's wedding? The Voulos don't seem particularly close with the Duggars outside of Jinger. I could see her attending if she was nearby (Duggar weddings seem like an open affair, after all), but don't Mom and Dad Voulo live on the east coast somewhere? I wouldn't make a trip to a wedding I wasn't really invested in. Though Lauren's parents elevated the wedding above standard Duggar-fare, it's not like it was super special or swanky.

I was not invited to my brother-in-law's brother's wedding, but the only time I've really met him was when my sister married my brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's brother lives out of state and I never expected an invite to his wedding.

The Duggars cast a very wide net with their wedding invitations. 

[MamaMax]

II thought it was sad about Joe licking his plate. Obviously, those kids never had enough to eat.

[cereality]

IDK if I watched the same episode as you all bc I watched on TLC’s website – but the new one online shows JoeKen’s honeymoon and the start of Si’s courtship but not Si’s wedding or anything.

First impressions – Si doesn’t look as miserable with Lauren as he did in the still photos of his wedding.  But IDK I had the same impression of his feelings for Lauren as I did when I watched Austin and Brandon Keilen.  They need to become husbands, fathers, and headships, so any fundie girl is fine for those purposes and if it isn’t this girl, it’d be some other one.  IDK why I had that impression – just the things he said about her were along the lines of – she has a good head on her shoulders; wise; she comes from a big family with a lot of kids so “she knows how to deal with all that.”  Um – yeah you really sound like you’re into it.  Sounds like you need to have a fam to disprove the gay thing, so you’ll impregnate someone a half dozen times and then she’ll deal with “all that.”  The relationship seems VERY surface level for people who purport to video chat for up to 5 HOURS at a time.  I mean what do they really know about each other besides bible verses and that he is a dessert guy who hordes candy and she’s trying to make him into a clean eater bc she likes health food!?

As for JoKen – I feel like a few years ago, every time there was a new courtship, we’d all say – THIS is the one.  THIS person will come in and expose their Duggar spouse to a bit of open mindedness or travel or vegetables or a loving family life.  And every time – nope – it’s the Duggar spouse that brings the outsider into their fundie realm (maybe not Jing and Jer but the rest).  Well watching JoKen, I realized that if any member of that family is to modernize, it will NOT happen in one of the boy marriages bc JB has raised his sons to be as herp derp as him.  No Joseph -- salad is NOT lettuce; there ARE salads that don’t have lettuce in them; Europeans understand the bisou and she wasn’t going to kiss you on the lips; if she did kiss you on the lips, the world would not have ended even though you have YOUR WOMAN now; breaking plates in Greece isn’t some new fangled weirdo tradition; not everyone in Greece is cousins with each other.  Good God. While he isn’t loud and obnoxious like this family, he is just as unexposed and herp derp.  Kendra is a bit better – she even said she likes talking to others and can make conversation with anyone and then proceeded to talk with the woman sitting next to her at that sky restaurant thing; I know not all dudes are as talkative so maybe Joe didn’t want to participate, but could he really not have listened and nodded along instead of eating all his food and then all of hers too? Same with the morning coffee, he finishes his and then drinks hers.  I wonder if the home was/is so food insecure that they feel like when there is extra food that someone hasn’t finished, they MUST grab it?

You know that Greek woman had to be shocked and thinking the worst of small town America – not to many westerners out there who are as young as Kendra and have their whole lives in front of them but are neither in school or working, but rather waiting to have as many babies as the Lord gives them!?

[becca3891]

16 hours ago, Albanyguy said:

I swear, some of these Fundie dads would like nothing better than to follow the bridal couple right into the hotel room, pull up a chair and watch the Big Event.

That's what is so chilling about the obsession with modesty and purity -- it gives these people an excuse to constantly have innuendo and creepy remarks about the sex lives of their children. Look at the Willis family. From day one, I was creeped out by Toby Willis and the way he ruled his family, and the clothing choices and purity of his daughters with an iron fist. Come to find out, he was systematically raping and molesting them. I don't believe Boob has done the same, but many others in the Gothard world sure have.

4 hours ago, cereality said:

IDK if I watched the same episode as you all bc I watched on TLC’s website – but the new one online shows JoeKen’s honeymoon and the start of Si’s courtship but not Si’s wedding or anything.

...  I wonder if the home was/is so food insecure that they feel like when there is extra food that someone hasn’t finished, they MUST grab it?

On TV, they spent about 10 minutes at the beginning of the episode showing the "rough cut" of the wedding, which will later air as a full two hour Very Special Episode.

I tend to disagree with you all that it's food insecurity. They never looked gaunt like the Rodrigues kids and I think their finances were never as dire. I think it's down to the fact that Boob and Mechelle were too checked out/lazy to bother teaching table manners.

[Bridget]

Before I forget, even though the Swansons had only lived in Arkansas for two weeks before Lauren & Josiah began courting, I find it ridiculous that, according to Jessa, “Lauren already feels like she’s one of us sisters.”

How can you truly say that about someone who hasn’t even been in town for two weeks? Or is it because you hardly know your other sisters, so it really is a fair statement?

The sisters also say that about every girl who marries one of their brothers. I know it’s because they don’t have anything else specific to say, but I still roll my eyes when it’s mentioned. 

Any bets on who will say it about Abbie and after how much time they spend with her? 

Edited August 5, 2018 by Bridget

[GeeGolly]

On 8/3/2018 at 8:40 PM, Heathen said:

Well-traveled and affluent aren't mutually exclusive, as you know. The Duggars were well-off (ahem, Senate run) before TV money, but I doubt they would ever have left Arkansas/Missouri/Oklahoma/Texas if they hadn't been on the idiot box. 

I was under the impression that the Duggars were not doing well financially when JB squirreled away that campaign money. I thought they were living in a church owned house and receiving church offerings of food and clothing during that time. 

I do agree that many affluent folks aren't well traveled. For some it just isn't their thing. I also don't think well traveled equals smart or well educated either.

I'm also guessing Joe and Kendra are typical travelers in not knowing how to speak the language of a foreign country. It's not like Jill and Derick who moved to a Spanish speaking area with the sole purpose of interacting with the residents.

[floridamom]

Why didn't any of the honeymooning in Europe Duggars purchase a language translator? I understand they have those things that are the size of your smart phone? That would have made conversing easy. 

[Minivanessa]

Well, they were traveling with a TLC crew who took care of all the arrangements. They didn’t need to bother with the local language. The only Duggar inlaw who appreciated the opportunities of a foreign trip was Jeremy, and they went to - Australia. I think he might have made an effort to speak a bit of the language if they had gone to Europe.

Did Jill and Derick have a foreign honeymoon? Come to think of it I could imagine him trying to communicate with a few words of the local language too.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Jeeves

[Brown eyed girl]

Quote

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

Did Jill and Derick have a foreign honeymoon? Come to think of it I could imagine him trying to communicate with a few words of the local language too.

 

No , they honeymooned at the beach. I can’t remember if it was NC or SC.  

[awaken]

I love how they showed Josiah and Lauren helping to put up decorations at a past wedding, to prove to us that they *really had* spent time together prior to courting. 

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 hours ago, Jeeves said:

Well, they were traveling with a TLC crew who took care of all the arrangements. They didn’t need to bother with the local language. The only Duggar inlaw who appreciated the opportunities of a foreign trip was Jeremy, and they went to - Australia. I think he might have made an effort to speak a bit of the language if they had gone to Europe.

Did Jill and Derick have a foreign honeymoon? Come to think of it I could imagine him trying to communicate with a few words of the local language too.

I'm always way too insecure to try to converse in a foreign language despite the fact that I love languages in general, am reasonably fluent in Polish (though with probably about a 4th-6th grade vocabulary overall), know a fair amount of Spanish, a good smattering of French and German phrases, and have a pretty good ear, I just can't bring myself to use any of them for fear of messing up. I know that's rather irrational, and that people probably appreciate the effort even if it's imperfect, but I just can't.

Same when I was growing up - in school, even though I generally had a good grasp of the material in any given class and did well on written tests, I'd sit like a deer in the headlights unable to utter a word if called on in class. Even in college, I remember failing a couple of oral exams because I couldn't bring myself to answer the questions. Even when one teacher consented to let me take the test in written form and I got a B+, she had to give me a C because I hadn't actually met the requirements of the test.

I suppose these days kids with the issues I had would have some sort of diagnosis and treatment, but when I was growing up I was just labeled "shy" and left to deal with it as best I could.

In any case, I would never judge anyone for not making an attempt at speaking a foreign language if they were not comfortable doing so.

[Nysha]

On 8/1/2018 at 8:41 AM, Natalie68 said:

Their 1st show aired in 2004 and he must have been 9.  They have had $ for quite sometime and would have been ok earlier had his dickhead father not financed his political campaign with his own $ (or kept shooting out blessings).  They have been food secure MOST of his life yet he still has no concept of manners.  At first I thought the plate licking had to do with not enough food but then I started doing math and realized nah, his family doesn't care about manners and he was basically taught how to be a person by his older sisters because in his life, they have had decent money more than they haven't.  I wonder if it made her feel a little icky.  She is 19 and has to teach her older husband how to behave in a public eating establishment. 

The kids could still have food insecurity issues due to having a limited amount of food they were allowed to eat. One of Jill's most recent recipe blog posts is a recipe for chicken enchiladas that uses 20 flour tortillas, one can of chicken, and 4 cans of cream of chicken soup. If that's the recipe she used growing up it would basically give each kid one to one and a half enchiladas, not a lot of food for a teenage boy. Their diet in the Duggar home seems to consist of processed frozen food, cream of whatever soup casseroles, and canned food, all fattening foods and yet none of the at-home kids are heavy. 

[xwordfanatik]

1 hour ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I'm always way too insecure to try to converse in a foreign language despite the fact that I love languages in general, am reasonably fluent in Polish (though with probably about a 4th-6th grade vocabulary overall), know a fair amount of Spanish, a good smattering of French and German phrases, and have a pretty good ear, I just can't bring myself to use any of them for fear of messing up. I know that's rather irrational, and that people probably appreciate the effort even if it's imperfect, but I just can't.

Same when I was growing up - in school, even though I generally had a good grasp of the material in any given class and did well on written tests, I'd sit like a deer in the headlights unable to utter a word if called on in class. Even in college, I remember failing a couple of oral exams because I couldn't bring myself to answer the questions. Even when one teacher consented to let me take the test in written form and I got a B+, she had to give me a C because I hadn't actually met the requirements of the test.

I suppose these days kids with the issues I had would have some sort of diagnosis and treatment, but when I was growing up I was just labeled "shy" and left to deal with it as best I could.

In any case, I would never judge anyone for not making an attempt at speaking a foreign language if they were not comfortable doing so.

Sounds very familiar to me.  I'm such an introvert that speech classes in HS and college were torture.  I would be afraid of mispronouncing words in another language.  

Three years of Spanish in junior high school didn't make me fluent in the least.  I still remember some words and phrases, but not enough to feel comfortable if I were to take a trip to Mexico.  

[Temperance]

It's been a while since I saw this, but Stephen Colbert talked about eating quickly since he was the youngest of 11. His family was relatively wealthy. 

[madpsych78]

I can buy eating quickly within a large family. There's only so much food and you want to get what you can before someone else takes it. However, I don't think licking of plates is prevalent across large families.

[GeeGolly]

I've mentioned before, I come from a family of 6 - 2 parents, 4 kids. My husband also comes from a family of 6 - 2 parents, 4 kids. We both grew up in affluent communities (in different states). I come from a family of quick eaters and he and his family are slow eaters. The biggest difference between my family and his in regard to food is they just really enjoy food and my family pretty much eats because we are hungry.

However for part of my dad's childhood they were struggling financially, so he told my mom when they were married that he didn't care what she made for dinner, but to always make too much. He didn't like the feeling of 'who gets the last portion'. Needless to say my mom threw away a lot of leftovers.

[Ohiopirate02]

For me, when you add all the odd behavior of the adult Duggar kids it points to some major food insecurity.  You have Josh who's weight ballooned when he could now eat whatever he wants.  Jill's bathroom eating and the unedited recipes she shares. Those recipes are all about cheap carbs and fats with very little protein.  These recipes are full of food bank canned foods.   And now Joe licks his plates clean.  I'm not surprised.  Factor in the family's complete lack of etiquette and I wonder what else we will see.

[cereality]

I don't mean to suggest food insecurity of the type that happens due to poverty -- bc once they got on TV, they weren't poor anymore. But I do think there was some food scarcity simply bc mom and dad were checked out (AND they didn't teach table manners so then you have feral adults licking plates). The home responsibilities fell on the older girls when they were just kids. So of course it was easier for them to do things that were casserole style --2 dishes of cream of whatever soup mixed with canned chicken or tater tots or pasta and throw it into the oven and 30 min later, dinner is done. Great. I don't blame them. Why should THEY have been the ones thinking -- hmm this is mostly carbs, teens need more protein/bigger portions, lets add in some fresh veggies, let's keep some heavier snacks around the house etc. That's mom and dad's job and they didn't do it. Add to that a life schedule that appears to consist of people just wandering about, eating whenever -- and you have a very grab whatever food, whenever it's available -- mentality. We've seen kids lunging for fruits, fruit snacks, people mixing oatmeal packets in cold water, JB eating cold veggies straight out of a can etc. So of course when you're used to that kind of fending for yourself and you have no manners -- when you see your wife hasn't finished her soup or her coffee, you're going to grab that bc why let it go to waste, who knows when the next meal/snack will be provided.

In contrast as similar fundie as they are, the Bates house seems much different. Sure the older girls (before they were married off) did the cooking there too, but we see plenty of scenes where Kelly is saying -- we need X pounds of chicken; we need this many potatoes baked/mashed; let's make sure there's this amount of ice cream bc we will have x people here; we're going to bring sandwiches for everyone to this place etc. It's just that Kelly manages that household and doesn't expect her 16 yr old girls to notice that their 14 yr old brother is suddenly eating 4 pieces of chicken in a sitting so we're going to start making x pounds more meat per dinner.

[Scarlett45]

55 minutes ago, cereality said:

I don't mean to suggest food insecurity of the type that happens due to poverty -- bc once they got on TV, they weren't poor anymore. But I do think there was some food scarcity simply bc mom and dad were checked out (AND they didn't teach table manners so then you have feral adults licking plates). The home responsibilities fell on the older girls when they were just kids. So of course it was easier for them to do things that were casserole style --2 dishes of cream of whatever soup mixed with canned chicken or tater tots or pasta and throw it into the oven and 30 min later, dinner is done. Great. I don't blame them. Why should THEY have been the ones thinking -- hmm this is mostly carbs, teens need more protein/bigger portions, lets add in some fresh veggies, let's keep some heavier snacks around the house etc. That's mom and dad's job and they didn't do it. Add to that a life schedule that appears to consist of people just wandering about, eating whenever -- and you have a very grab whatever food, whenever it's available -- mentality. We've seen kids lunging for fruits, fruit snacks, people mixing oatmeal packets in cold water, JB eating cold veggies straight out of a can etc. So of course when you're used to that kind of fending for yourself and you have no manners -- when you see your wife hasn't finished her soup or her coffee, you're going to grab that bc why let it go to waste, who knows when the next meal/snack will be provided.

In contrast as similar fundie as they are, the Bates house seems much different. Sure the older girls (before they were married off) did the cooking there too, but we see plenty of scenes where Kelly is saying -- we need X pounds of chicken; we need this many potatoes baked/mashed; let's make sure there's this amount of ice cream bc we will have x people here; we're going to bring sandwiches for everyone to this place etc. It's just that Kelly manages that household and doesn't expect her 16 yr old girls to notice that their 14 yr old brother is suddenly eating 4 pieces of chicken in a sitting so we're going to start making x pounds more meat per dinner.

I agree with this post. 

Also- I’m amazed how many families don’t meal plan- how do you know what to buy and how much? I’m a family of 1 and I meal plan for ME. I meal planned at 12 years old for my family and learned how long bulk items will last us (when to buy toilet paper, paper towels etc), how to reuse incredients in different recipes etc. However I grew up in a family that REALLY loved and enjoyed food, and was able to purchase whatever we fancied. 

I think the Duggars just eat to live, there seems to be no sense of celebration, enjoyment, ritual or emotional ties to their food. 

[BetyBee]

For me it always comes back to young Jana spoon feeding cold canned peas to a baby.  I grew up in a home with neglectful parents, but they did feed us normal meals at normal times and taught (and demonstrated) good table manners.  I have never eaten cold peas from a can.  These poor kids were making do while MOTY and JimBlob were making hey hey.  

[Albanyguy]

15 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I come from a family of quick eaters

I do, too, because my grandmother (who lived with us) was a bit on the hyperactive side. She couldn't wait to set the table and she couldn't wait to clear it off, snatching the plates away as fast as she could. Our dinnertime conversation revolved around "Nana, bring that back, I'm not finished!", "Can't I PLEASE have a little more?", "Mom, sit down and let people eat!".

[WarnerCL45]

13 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I agree with this post. 

Also- I’m amazed how many families don’t meal plan- how do you know what to buy and how much? I’m a family of 1 and I meal plan for ME. I meal planned at 12 years old for my family and learned how long bulk items will last us (when to buy toilet paper, paper towels etc), how to reuse incredients in different recipes etc. However I grew up in a family that REALLY loved and enjoyed food, and was able to purchase whatever we fancied. 

I think the Duggars just eat to live, there seems to be no sense of celebration, enjoyment, ritual or emotional ties to their food. 

Food is just fuel to a lot of people.  The dinner time became enjoyable for me when I stopped waiting for my husband to show up & just ate with the kids.  His moods really made meals an ordeal.

[libgirl2]

My husband is the youngest of three. He is a super fast eater. He will lick the plate but only at home and usually when its a treat like ice cream. I complain about his fast eating. I will have taken one bite and he is halfway done. He said in his house, he had to eat fast otherwise his brother ate everything. I'm an only child, no competition for food. 

[mythoughtis]

14 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

 

I think the Duggars just eat to live, there seems to be no sense of celebration, enjoyment, ritual or emotional ties to their food. 

Once I became an adult, I realized that trying to eat a real meal in the presence of infants, toddlers, Etc. was often not enjoyable. Add to that the responsibility of making sure said children actually ate.  Put yourself in the middle of the Duggar dinner table and think of the chaos that would ensue multiple times a day. Michelle has admitted to writing the children’s names on their paper plate so they could verify what a specific child might have gotten to eat in the chaos. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by mythoughtis

[queenanne]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

My husband is the youngest of three. He is a super fast eater. He will lick the plate but only at home and usually when its a treat like ice cream. I complain about his fast eating. I will have taken one bite and he is halfway done. He said in his house, he had to eat fast otherwise his brother ate everything. I'm an only child, no competition for food. 

I’m one of those people who is picky about ‘hot foods hot, and cold foods cold’, so I too wolf my hot food.  My father is also a food-bolter.  My mother is the classic ‘leisurely eater’ described by those above who are, well, slow food connoisseurs themselves. ? I wish that food could be simply fuel to me; but I actually like the punch of the taste, so good luck with that.

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 minutes ago, queenanne said:

I’m one of those people who is picky about ‘hot foods hot, and cold foods cold’, so I too wolf my hot food.  My father is also a food-bolter.  My mother is the classic ‘leisurely eater’ described by those above who are, well, slow food connoisseurs themselves. ? I wish that food could be simply fuel to me; but I actually like the punch of the taste, so good luck with that.

I'm a food-bolter as well...and I'm both one who really enjoys the taste of food and an only child who never had anything like competition to use as an excuse. I simply really,  really like food, and especially the textures of certain things just feel so addictive that I never seem to be able to slow down, with the result that I never feel full after I have finished my plate and too often go back for seconds. Will power has never been my strong point!

[SMama]

3 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Michelle has admitted to writing the children’s names on their paper plate so they could verify what a specific child might have gotten to eat in the chaos. 

When you have to resort to writing your children’s names on their plate you have TOO MANY kids to manage effectively. I doubt MOTY ever checked their plates, it was the older J’s doing the work. This is so sad.

[Loves2Dance]

22 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

For me, when you add all the odd behavior of the adult Duggar kids it points to some major food insecurity.  You have Josh who's weight ballooned when he could now eat whatever he wants.  Jill's bathroom eating and the unedited recipes she shares. Those recipes are all about cheap carbs and fats with very little protein.  These recipes are full of food bank canned foods.   And now Joe licks his plates clean.  I'm not surprised.  Factor in the family's complete lack of etiquette and I wonder what else we will see.

It's not just that Joe licks his plate, he does that AND does not let a single drop of anything go to waste whether it was served to him or Kendra. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

2 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I'm a food-bolter as well...and I'm both one who really enjoys the taste of food and an only child who never had anything like competition to use as an excuse. I simply really,  really like food, and especially the textures of certain things just feel so addictive that I never seem to be able to slow down, with the result that I never feel full after I have finished my plate and too often go back for seconds. Will power has never been my strong point!

I’m right there with you Jynnan. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

12 minutes ago, Loves2Dance said:

It's not just that Joe licks his plate, he does that AND does not let a single drop of anything go to waste whether it was served to him or Kendra. 

I wonder if Joe ate everything on both plates because he’s hungry and/or greedy, or if it’s because the food was that good to him.  Judging by the sludge Jill cooks, and where she learned it from, he can’t be very accustomed to savory, tasty or exotic foods.  Jill doesn’t even use pepper most of the times, so he’s probably only used to bland foods and salty, mushy casseroles.  

Can you imagine growing up on tater tot casserole, and dog shit “enchilladas”, then finally tasting authenitc falafel or mousaka for the first time? I’m surprised he didn’t orgasm right there at the table.  

[awaken]

11 hours ago, BetyBee said:

For me it always comes back to young Jana spoon feeding cold canned peas to a baby.  I grew up in a home with neglectful parents, but they did feed us normal meals at normal times and taught (and demonstrated) good table manners.  I have never eaten cold peas from a can.  These poor kids were making do while MOTY and JimBlob were making hey hey.  

 Yes. I remember that scene so well. It was kind of heartbreaking that this is how they consider feeding a baby. And laying on their back no less!  Poor Jana was probably just following the example she was shown, or was shown no example and did the best she could as her teenage self! 

[QuinnInND]

On 8/4/2018 at 1:25 PM, MamaMax said:

II thought it was sad about Joe licking his plate. Obviously, those kids never had enough to eat.

I was extremely food deprived as a child. The only time I got a full plate of food was Thanksgiving and at my grandma's house. At home I never got more than a tablespoon of each item.  If I would have tried to lick my plate, I would have been slapped into next week. I think he was never taught not to lick the plate or that it was unacceptable. 

[Soaper410]

Despite Joe’s food issues, I thought he and Kendra came off as very nice people who aren’t afraid of the rest of the world or afraid of trying new stuff!  They seemed to like it!  

Plus Joe’s dig at B/J putting their relationship and each other first and being happy...hilarious!

Ben actually came across as knowing stuff, even just knowing the smallest amount of non Christian education surprises me.

The Duggars came across as uneducated...shocking...

Austin came across as young, naive,  and stuck in this weird world. Joy seems to be always trying to show how happy she is. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it

Spurg and Henry are still adorable

Edited August 7, 2018 by Soaper410

[Squirrely]

Did Josiah for real pick food out of someone's leftover container to serve his girlfriend? I was about to throw up. His siblings can prattle on and on about his cooking all they want, but all I saw was a clueless dude grabbing frozen chicken pieces, a couple veggies that someone else had already chopped, old leftover slop, and serving it up. 

Dammit, I like Kendra. I never thought I would, but once you get past the incessant giggling she seems to have a decent head on her shoulders for her age. She's just too young to be saddled with that life. Ditto Joy. These girls are so YOUNG. 

Joy and Austin are nuts. They're clearly very fertile, so moving from flip house to flip house is not going to work in the long term. Joy seems to realize it, but Austin still has no clue. 

Did Kendra's parents already know about the baby? Their reaction was not what I was expecting. They didn't run to hug her or anything. Maybe reality hit them? Their very young daughter could surpass Michelle with this early start into being a broodmare. It's not going to be so shiny and happy in 5 years when she has 4 kids crammed into that little cabin! 

[Natalie68]

On 8/4/2018 at 10:13 PM, becca3891 said:

That's what is so chilling about the obsession with modesty and purity -- it gives these people an excuse to constantly have innuendo and creepy remarks about the sex lives of their children. Look at the Willis family. From day one, I was creeped out by Toby Willis and the way he ruled his family, and the clothing choices and purity of his daughters with an iron fist. Come to find out, he was systematically raping and molesting them. I don't believe Boob has done the same, but many others in the Gothard world sure have.

On TV, they spent about 10 minutes at the beginning of the episode showing the "rough cut" of the wedding, which will later air as a full two hour Very Special Episode.

I tend to disagree with you all that it's food insecurity. They never looked gaunt like the Rodrigues kids and I think their finances were never as dire. I think it's down to the fact that Boob and Mechelle were too checked out/lazy to bother teaching table manners.

They certainly had enough $ to make sure everyone was well fed after their entrance to the TV/TLC world.  Wonder if Meechele just had no idea how much these kids actually needed to be fed so they never made enough food.  But to counter that, these kids seem to be able to help themselves whenever they want and their pantry had a lot of stuff in it.  It is almost as though they made a huge serving of whatever , put it on a platter, tossed it in the middle of the counter/table and just let them have at it like feral dogs.  Whoever grabbed the most got to eat the most so anyone who was somewhat shy or had shorter arms got less.  Then you have Jill (and maybe others) who would fill a paper plate and haul ass somewhere no one can grab it off their plate.  Lord of the Flies Duggar style.  Manners are apparently for those not guaranteed a slot in heaven and these fuckers are sure they have an in

[the-grey-lady]

WHY do we have to put up with the cheesy "You never know what's going to happen next!" voiceovers at the beginning of every season?

Newsflash, Jessa: You may not know what's going to happen next, because you are a dolt. The viewing audience knows exactly what's next for the Duggar clan: courtship, marriage, babies, babies, babies. NONE OF YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE.

[graefin]

We now have ample evidence these Duggars simply have no social grace. They have zero clues about etiquette. They don't know how to behave in the outside world, nor how to behave when they invite guests over for a meal (hint: you don't serve them someone else's leftovers, esp. if your stated goal is to impress them).

What exactly do these so-called parents teach these kids? It is all Jesus, 24/7? It's already been discussed that the girls aren't learning any decent homemaking skills. So how are they being trained (I'm using this word since they seem to favor it)? Is Jesus (and breeding for Jesus) literally all they talk about?

Edited August 7, 2018 by graefin

[Scarlett45]

28 minutes ago, graefin said:

We now have ample evidence these Duggars simply have no social grace. They have zero clues about etiquette. They don't know how to behave in the outside world, nor how to behave when they invite guests over for a meal (hint: you don't serve them someone else's leftovers, esp. if your stated goal is to impress them).

What exactly do these so-called parents teach these kids? It is all Jesus, 24/7? It's already been discussed that the girls aren't learning any decent homemaking skills. So how are they being trained (I'm using this word since they seem to favor it)? Is Jesus (and breeding for Jesus) literally all they talk about?

Yes. This isn’t a fundy thing as much as a Duggar thing. I contend JB and Michelle didn’t have the emotional attention span or bandwidth for more than 2-3 children, and thus outside of keeping them minimally fed, clothed, clean and toilet trained they taught them NOTHING of how to behave in the world. JB may have taught JD and Joseph some entrepreneurial skills, which they in turn shared with their little brothers. I have never seen any group of young women who claim to espouse “traditional gender roles” and not have an OUNCE of cooking, housekeeping or organizational skills (Jana does know how to sew, but again she was the eldest girl.)

[BitterApple]

52 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yes. This isn’t a fundy thing as much as a Duggar thing. 

Agree 100%. I've come to the conclusion that the Duggars are just really gross, lazy people. Anna grew up dirt poor in a trailer, yet her five children always look clean and nicely dressed. Erin and Alyssa Bates manage to maintain spotless, nicely decorated homes. Kendra and Lauren look like they know their way around an iron and a bar of soap. So I agree it definitely isn't a cultural thing based on isolation and religious beliefs. The fact that Jessa saw it as normal to have two dozen poop-filled diapers lingering on a dresser is a good indication of what life was like when TLC wasn't shining them up for the cameras.

[madpsych78]

7 hours ago, Squirrely said:

Did Kendra's parents already know about the baby? Their reaction was not what I was expecting. They didn't run to hug her or anything. Maybe reality hit them? Their very young daughter could surpass Michelle with this early start into being a broodmare. It's not going to be so shiny and happy in 5 years when she has 4 kids crammed into that little cabin! 

Contrast that with the Vuolos' reaction, and the Vuolos are much older than the Caldwells (who are probably not that much older than Jeremy's siblings!). I suspect that Diana and Chuck were more than ready to become grandparents. Isn't Jeremy, at age 30, their youngest child, and isn't Felicity their only grandchild?