How to say "please don't make more"?

[Knitterly]

My MiL is a wonderful, generous person. 

b/g: When I had Little Knit, she made a huge pot of chicken broth because it is supposed to boost your immunity and speed post-partum healing.  It was delicious.  When I had my gallbladder out, I discovered that the only thing I could keep down post-surgery was the same chicken broth (I had two jars left), so she made a bunch more.  For a few days that was all I ate.

Apparently, papaya is good for milk supply.  I hadn't heard that before, but apparently it's used in traditional chinese medicine.  So when my milk supply inexplicably started to dry up, she made some papaya soup.  In theory, it sounds great, right?  She mixed in chicken with it.

It's gross.  I had one bowl and really had to force it down with the knowledge that it's good for me.  I have another jar sitting in the fridge that I need to eat and 3 more jars in the freezer.  Apparently she made a huge pot and has a whole bunch sitting in her freezer waiting for me to finish what she's given me so she can give me more.

I don't want to be ungrateful because it's good for me and she means well and is trying to be supportive and caring and all that good stuff.
But...it tastes so weird.  The combination just doesn't work together and I don't like it.   I will eat what she has made for me, but I'm afraid that when I finally get through it, she will make more.  If not for this baby, then in a few years if I have another one.

Please help me come up with a gracious way of discouraging her from making more.  I don't want to tell her I don't like the soup.  I think that would hurt her feelings and embarrass her.

[Diane AKA Traska]

"Hey Mom, you know how lobster's really good?  And milkshakes taste great?  Turns out lobster milkshakes are really, really bad.  What's my point?  Well..."

[Steve]

"Hey MIL, thay papaya thing is not really working for me, but I used the chickenthing from earlier, and that really did the trick, could you make me some more of THAT please?"

[Diane AKA Traska]

Or just say that you honestly prefer the chicken to the chicken papaya.  It's the honest truth, and it doesn't say that the chicken papaya is bad, necessarily.  Just that her original recipe was so very, very good.

[VorFemme]

Tell her that pregancy and post-partum your taste buds go wonky and the papaya & chicken just isn't as appealing as the chicken broth by itself - ask her if there is another papaya recipe that she could try...perhaps a pork broth?  (I have a pork recipe that calls for fruit - I think pork goes better with "sweet" tastes than chicken does, at least some of the time.)

There are so many things that the changing hormone swingss of pregnancy, post partum, and nursing are good for - taking the blame for not liking a recipe is the least of them!

Cooking it down to a jelly that you only need a spoonful of instead of a cup might also help get "eating it" out of the way faster!

[O'Dell]

She didn't make you food, she made you medicine. Did the papaya soup help your milk supply?

No? Let her know that the medicine didn't work. Also the papaya/chicken combo doesn't sit well, what should you do with the rest.

Yes? Tell her that it worked, but that the papaya/chicken combo didn't sit well. Can she come up with another recipe that does taste good.

I try to use food or home remedies to treat medical issues when I can. This is the info that I would like to know. Does it work? If it does, how can I make it more palatable?

[whatsanenigma]

Do you think it's papaya itself you don't like, or just the chicken/papaya combination?

Because if it's just that combination, if otherwise you'd like papaya, maybe you could find other papaya related foods to suggest she make.  I wonder if there is such a thing as plain papaya soup? For example.  This might distract her from the fact that you don't like what she cooked, and get her focused onto trying something else specific.  I've never eaten papaya myself, and I don't know if it has to be prepared a certain way to help milk supply, but hopefully other PPs can suggest good ways to prepare it.

The other PPs have given you good suggestions also, of course.  I might add to them that you could say that for some reason, the combination of the two flavors gives you heartburn.   Or blame it on baby. Say that the milk disagrees with the baby when you consume the foods in combination. 

And this would apply also if you specifically don't like papaya.  You could say that papaya doesn't help after all, or that it does but causes you or baby to be ill, or whatever...and again, thank her for helping you try this and suggest something else for her to try.

She sounds like a really nice person who wants to help you, so I'm thinking that while she might be hurt about the overall situation, that she tried so hard to do this that didn't end up working, that it wouldn't be something she'd take personally and get mad at you about.  Sometimes situations are annoying and that can't be avoided, but that doesn't mean that the annoyance is anyone's fault, and hopefully she's the kind of person who sees this.  And to me, it sounds like she probably is.

In fact, I bet if you take the route of apologizing profusely for the fact that this isn't working out, like "I'm so very sorry, I know you worked really hard on this and I can't tell you how much I appriciate it, and it just kills me to say this, but [insert chosen reason why you won't drink it anymore]" I bet she would apologize right back, and eventually you'd end up laughing with each other about how weird and bizzare something as simple as food gets when you are pregnant or nursing.

[JenJay]

I would say it didn't agree with me and ask if she wants the leftovers back so she can give them to someone else.

[barefoot_girl]

Is the problem that you don't like papaya at all, or just papaya in chicken soup (which I have to say, sounds revolting)? If you do like papaya by itself, could you tell your MIL that you have started eating fresh papaya and could she PLEASE make you some more of her absolutely delicious and papaya-free broth?

I personally love fresh papaya. I cut it in half lengthways, scoop out all the little black seeds, and then squeeze a lime over the flesh, and eat it with a teaspoon. Heavenly.

[QueenofAllThings]

I think I hear you saying that you are developing an allergy to papaya. And that LittleKnit is too ...

[Knitterly]

Actually, I quite like papaya.  It has the additional benefit of being an excellent digestive aid. Papaya enzyme pills were recommended to me by my doctor after my gallbladder surgery.

I've decided to take my time and "enjoy" the soup really slowly.  When I take the rest of the soup from my mother in law's fridge, I will be able to say that I am starting to wean Little Knit (which is true, LK is losing interest in nursing so we are weaning to a bottle), so there is no need for more.

If she offers to make more if/when I have another child, I'll ask her to leave out the chicken.

"Hey Mom, you know how lobster's really good?  And milkshakes taste great?  Turns out lobster milkshakes are really, really bad.  What's my point?  Well..."

That made me laugh!!! 

[Aggiesque]

Ask her to make you some oatmeal instead? Oatmeal is also good for increasing milk production

[kudeebee]

Why not just be honest with her?

"MIL, I want to thank you for thinking of me and making me soup when I don't feel well.  The chicken broth was great--I'll take that any time!  However, the papaya chicken just does not agree with me for some reason.  I still have a lot left and know you do too.  What do you want me to do with the jars I have?  Do you want them back or should I get rid of them since I cannot eat them?"

Then let her give you her answer and do as she requests.

I would not keep eating the soup or let her think that I like it.  Best she know that the second soup did not agree with you before she makes any more of it later on with a second baby.  Or, tries another combination of flavors without checking with you first to see if you thnk it will work for you.

[camlan]

Why not just be honest with her?

"MIL, I want to thank you for thinking of me and making me soup when I don't feel well.  The chicken broth was great--I'll take that any time!  However, the papaya chicken just does not agree with me for some reason.  I still have a lot left and know you do too.  What do you want me to do with the jars I have?  Do you want them back or should I get rid of them since I cannot eat them?"

Then let her give you her answer and do as she requests.

I would not keep eating the soup or let her think that I like it.  Best she know that the second soup did not agree with you before she makes any more of it later on with a second baby.  Or, tries another combination of flavors without checking with you first to see if you thnk it will work for you.

I agree with this. Unless the only possible way for you to eat papaya is in this particular soup, tell her the truth. You've tried it, it didn't agree with you. (Because it didn't agree with your tastebuds, but you don't have to say that.) You can mention that it did give you the idea to try fresh papaya, if you like.

I mean, chicken pretty much has to be cooked for you to eat it, so soup makes sense. But nice fresh fruit can be eaten as is.

Be appreciative of her efforts and concerns, and be kind. But don't force food you can't stand down your throat in a mis-guided attempt to be "nice."

I know you don't want to embarrass her or hurt her feelings. But it appears that she made a ton of soup. And if you don't say anything, then she's going to make more. Just how much of this yucky-tasting soup can you eat? Your choice is to continue to eat the soup, or tell her the truth.

And maybe stop mentioning these issues in front of her.

[BeagleMommy]

As others have said, gently telling MIL that the papaya chicken combo didn't agree with you is a great option.  I'd then tell her that the doctor recommended fresh papaya or 100% papaya juice.