Meaningless drama

I love visiting my family, but every time I visit we have some sort of overblown family drama over something laughably trivial. Today my Mom and brother got into a shouting match over ... his tv being too loud. And then my sister stepped in to shout at our brother. Yes, my brother is pushing 50. Yes, my mother knows that he likes to crank things up in his own home. Yes, my sister knows that our brother wasn't going to listen to her. And no, there was no way anyone was giving an inch, even over something so inconsequential.

Eventually things calmed down and we were able to get some family pictures taken at my brother's house. And we were able to have a calm dinner together afterward at my Mom's house. I cooked two big dishes of veggies, cut up two large crabs and cooked them in a chili sauce, and my sister steamed a fresh fish. So much yum, and such a pleasant meal that it was hard to believe that a few hours earlier most of the family was screaming at each other.

Family and holidays - an irresistible recipe for silliness!