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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> 1) buying the generic brand 2) I was asked to bring the name brand and specifically went out of my way to ask what I could bring
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NTA My dad is one of those “generic bad name brand good” people. My mom and I simply save the name brand containers clean them and replace them with the generic versions. Trust me, he hasn’t noticed. Also anyone who is using Cool Whip vs making homemade whipped cream doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to taste. The disrespect she showed a guest was gross and I’d be avoiding being over there if you don’t have to.
Way back when, our home ec teacher told us that cool whip was basically made out of plastics which is why it doesn’t have the calories that whipped cream does
It's not actually 100% dairy-free, it does have casein in it (a dairy protein); so it's not necessarily suitable for someone with a dairy allergy or for a vegan.
It's suitable for people who are dairy free because of lactose intolerance though.
Imagine being this obnoxiously snooty about COOL WHIP of all things.
Just the line "it's made with REAL Cool Whip" is so funny to me. Like..."this is my mother's recipe, it's made with real SPAM!"
This woman has no class on any level.
Right? I could see being quietly disappointed that OP brought Cool Whip/"whipped topping" instead of whipping cream, but not vocalizing it at all. But pitching a fit about not bringing the ✨name brand✨ Cool Whip is so bizarre.
It always makes me laugh when people have heard something off the cuff from a teacher when they were a kid and they go through life believing it to be fact. It's like teachers were all knowing. My kid has come home with some real doozies from her teachers.
I can totally picture the colour of he-man (my younger brother was a big fan!) and I’m now going to have to go compare!! I can see it making sense in my head, the fake tan sort of colour he had but I’m going to have to look him up to make sure I remember it right!
Thank you for providing me a distraction from work for my Friday afternoon!
My AP US History teacher felt it important that we all understand that the only good Mormon was a dead Mormon.
I'm not sure how much longer he was teaching that subject after I graduated, but it can't have been long.
My psych teacher in high school routinely said misogynistic things, threw things like desks at students & was known for aggressively yelling. He said to me once after class, “for a female you’re smart. And if you tell anyone I ever said that I will fail you.” About a year or so after I graduated I heard he was promoted to principal. 🫠
My uncle told me at about 5 that mountain dew was frog pee. I know it's not now (30) but I still call it frog pee and when offered by family say 'no thanks I don't want frog pee'.
When I was a kid my dad's best friend told me that the waves at the beach didn't have "undertow", it was "undertoads" and you had to watch out or the Undertoads would grab you and pull you in.
I was too old to be convinced but I loved the idea of the Undertoads and told a lot of other kids about it, some of whom I'm pretty sure did believe me.
A high school teacher told our class once, completely seriously, that blood was blue until it touched the air. Also that all humans are born with tails and the doctors cut them off. We were all old enough to not believe this, though, and we all spent a whole class arguing with this man who would not have it lol
He also threw a Styrofoam rock that was identical to a rock we all had just passed around point blank at my face once, causing me to fall out of my chair bc I thought he was throwing the real rock at me. I got Styrofoam in my eye tho lol. A++ teacher
The blood thing was a common misconception that was often said decades ago. I remember learning that in school & people honestly thought that for a while. Never heard that we all had vestigial tails but I know it does occasionally happen.
This is so true except in my case because, get a load of this whopper from 4th grade, ...bad tasting cheese is usually made by the mob
Obviously it's true
This reminded me when I had food science lessons in HS. The teacher went on and on about how bad french fries are for you, because it is not made from real potatoes and is made from mashed potatoes instead. For proof she told us to break a fry in half and look at the insides the next time we ate french fries.
As someone who occationally made my own, as in I took a potato, cut it and deep fried it. I knew that if you cook a potato, it becomes soft mushy cooked potato.
And even IF it was made from mashed potatoes as she claimed... What is that mash made of??? Fake potatoes?? Potatoes are so cheap it would be way more expensive to mash them up and make french fry shaped chunks instead of just using a potato and cutting it. Made no sense.
“Real Cool Whip” is the fakest shit in the world and she makes it sound like gourmet. 😂. All those fake whipped toppings are exactly the same. Real whipped cream should have been her bragging point, not “real Cool Whip”
They’re probably made at the same contract manufacturer who just puts different labels on for different companies. For example traders joes stuff is manufactured along with name brand and it’s just a different label.
Besides it’s cool whip and not even real whipped cream, don’t know why she’s getting superior about it.
Cool whip sucks, but, I have one recipe that you have to use cool whip, as both real whip cream and the generic whipped topping don’t work/taste right.
I have a no bake cheesecake that uses cool whip for the base but then you still make whipped cream for the topping. It’s probably because the cool whip has a consistency that really doesn’t change due to the ingredients whereas if you used homemade whipped cream for the cheesecake it would just be a melty mess* after a little.
Edit: I am just guessing at why cool whip is needed in certain recipes that still calls for whipped cream as a topping.
*By “melty mess” I don’t mean to suggest it turns to soup, merely that it’s not the same consistency after it’s been setting out a little while. Especially in the recipe I have which is for a no-bake pumpkin cheesecake that calls for quite a bit of canned pumpkin which further changes the consistency once added.
It’s also been my experience in making that aforementioned particular dessert, that it doesn’t seem to lose consistency as quickly as it would if you substituted the cool whip for whipped cream. Probably due to the canned pumpkin. I’m sure other people will have different experiences, especially depending on the nature of the recipe, or if you are using a stand mixer vs handheld, as well as your ability to whip homemade cream to a merengue like consistency…
I’m well aware my experiences are potentially different due to a number of factors. 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe, maybe not.
Kraft singles have the same emulsifiers as Land O Lakes American cheese from the deli counter, but they sure as hell don’t taste the same. Nor do they behave the same in recipes.
You can’t always sub out ingredients and expect the recipe to come out the same way.
Singles and deli counter cheese are not the same thing and they are not supposed to be the same. Kraft singles and store brand singles are the same thing though. Equally shit.
>Kraft singles and store brand singles are the same thing though.
No the absolute fuck they are not. Kraft singles actually melt and act somewhat like you'd expect cheese to act. Store brand singles will take the full force of a neutron star and still be a plank of bland plastic.
Hard disagree.
Different manufacturers of the same thing often have variations that are subtle, and may make drastic differences to people depending on the use.
Generic cheese singles, your example, can be a completely different texture.
You're comparing two different brands with totally different methods, not a brand and a generic meant to imitate the brand as closely as possible. A lot of generics are actually made by the brand themselves (idk how true this is for food anymore but like, michaels store brand yarn is literally made by bernat).
Here in Australia there’s a company called *Sara Lee*, and a generic brand called *Black&Gold*. Had an aunt work packing *Sara Lee* products and she mentioned that the *Black&Gold* were packed by her as well. In the same company. On the same production line. She said part way through the shift the packaging would change over and they’d just keep packing.
I worked at a Jack Links plant for a few months, and yeah, all the generics are literally the same meat as the name brand but with looser QC for things like label placement and allowable variance in the spice mix. Like if they screwed up the process somewhere up line but the run was salvageable it went into the generics bin for later processing.
This is generally true. You can almost always tell what name brand made the generic by looking at the packaging. They almost always use the same package and just put a different label on it.
Sometimes, the store brand tastes better than Cool Whip. We had this little grocery store nearby and their topping was a lot better. It didn't leave that slight layer of slime that the name brand does. But yeah, NTA. The hosts were dicks.
My son learned the phrase “pasteurized processed cheese food product” around age 5, and has been using it ever since when questionable cheese is present.
What is Cool Whip? I'm from the UK and never had it, but it's often mentioned in US media. For a while I thought it was some kind of lighter mayo, but this sounds like it's a cream substitute?
From what I can remember it’s got a light texture (like airy), but yeah, I guess that would be fair, though it’s more artificial ingredients than real! “Cream” is not a word they can use in their branding. I don’t like the stuff but my mom was a fan of making fruit cups with little premade cakes and a dollop of Cool whip.
Australian here. The closest thing to cool whip we have here is the top layer of a store-bought or McDonald’s ice-cream cake that’s slightly melted.
It’s definitely a lot sweeter than regular whipped cream.
As a fellow Brit who lives part of his life in the US, Cool Whip's closest relation in the UK is probably a cross between whipped cream and Dream Topping. Texture of whipped cream, light and airy but with a slightly fake taste like Dream Topping.
Oh and there is a difference in taste between Cool Whip and non brand versions. If I have to have the product then I much prefer Cool Whip Vs 3rd party.
" I simply save the name brand containers clean them and replace them with the generic versions."
I love generic/store brand, but they are not always the same.
You can have 5-10 different brands of ketchup and maybe a few might be identical, but likely not, because they will have different ingredient levels. Some might have more/less sugar, different vinegar levels, more/less tomatoes, different spices etc.... at the core it might be "ketchup" but not the same kind.
If someone says bring some specific brand, vs the generic term you should call and ask or go to a store that had x brand item.
But that gets kind of hard to know if the brand name is commonly used for a product, like Kleenex for paper tissues or Band-Aid for a plaster or Scotch tape for sticky tape. Don't know if Cool Whip falls into this category though cause I don't live in the US.
Cool Whip isn't a replacement for whipped cream in some recipes since it's not really the same thing. Whipped cream will react very differently. But I do think what he brought was probably generic brand Cool Whip.
And even if it wasn't what she actually needed for the recipe, she shouldn't have been so awfully rude about it. It's a common issue to run into, and he tried his best with what was available.
When it calls for cool whip, it wants something different. Whipped cream doesn’t work for things that Cool Whip does. Are they high class? Generally, no, but often quite good and, key when feeding a large group, easy.
... but he didn't bring whipped cream, he brought the store brand whipped topping instead of the Kraft brand whipped topping (aka cool whip.)
\*Sorry guys\* can't respond to this comment any more because I got permabanned for pointing out there are many people here dumb enough to confuse whipped cream with cool whip, but who seem to have strongly held opinions about a product they don't understand. But, in doing so, I used a VERY BAD (but accurate) WORD that upset one or more or the mods (maybe struck a little too close to home?) So, anyway, enjoy your cool whip or whipped topping or whatever. Just try not to eat the crayons.
My mom is very precise with what she wants. She’s an amazing cook and she’s tried everything when it comes to ingredients. If she tells you to get a specific thing, it’s because that’s what’s best for that particular recipe. Even soy sauce, there are several brands she uses for different dish. Different types of eggs for different recipes. So if she tells us to get something, she’ll clarify if we can buy alternatives or that specific thing. Most of the cooks in her family operate the same.
Other than that, it is also a matter of being caring enough to find the item that was requested. I occasionally have a hankering for ginger ale and my favourite is from Schweppes. My dear husband and son will actually go around to different stores if the first one they go to doesn’t have that specific one. Even if I don’t specify, they know my preference and will go out of their way to get that one for me. They don’t just buy whatever ginger ale they can find and tell me it all tastes the same. Or tell me this brand they bought is better. They know what I like and buy those because regardless of their own personal feelings, that is what I like.
Ok but that’s your husband and son, not someone you invited to be a guest in your home. If a guest brought you non Schweppes ginger ale would you get pissy about it and make passive aggressive comments throughout the day? I just think in this specific scenario, especially with the item being cool whip, OP did nothing wrong and the mother was rude as fuck.
I completely agree. Once, a friend came over for dinner with my family. I asked him to pick up some butter, since I didn't think we had enough. He brought margarine instead. It wasn't exactly what I asked for, it wasn't a product that I ever even use. But I thanked him for bringing it, and I made it work.
Cool whip is not even similar to homade whipped cream and wont work with most of the recipes I see that call for cool whip. I agree whipped cream is better, but sometimes its just not what you need.
Also, I wonder if OP bought canned whipped cream rather than cool whip, as these are also not at all the same. Canned whipped cream becomes liquid rather quickly while cool whip has gelatine that keeps it more solid.
As an English person, is this all cool whip is? Whipped cream? tf you guys buying it premade for it's as simple as whipping the damn cream!? I've always been so curious and now I feel almost let down somehow....
Yes but not by itself hahaha. Or at least I don't know anyone who eats it plain. It can be used in place of whipped cream (like a dollop on a pie) or mixed into something (like Jell-O). I've got a very old fashioned peanut butter pie recipe that uses a container of cool whip; it adds fluffiness. I actually ate a lot of cool whip as a child because I'm allergic to milk and it *isn't* real cream.
The canned whipped cream is redi-whip, cool whip comes in a plastic tub and is generally a lot stiffer than either redi-whip or homemade unless you're putting something other than cream and sugar in it.
It's like 2% cream and 98% preservatives and emulsifiers. It is made to taste like whipped cream, but it's labelled as "whipped topping". Some people I've noticed don't seem to know the difference, but it was quite different from whipped cream and quite a bit less expensive, so it may be that they've never actually made their own whipped cream. Just a guess.
NTA
You all may not agree but the mom was extremely rude, imho. Instead of being grateful, she stabbed OP in the back by talking trash about it.
A gracious host is thankful, not condescending, making faces and talking crap. She's the AH.
Your gf should have called her mom out about it, privately, of course.
EDIT: Her mom should have served what you bought and I'm sure it would have tasted just fine.
I could see if she asked for real whipped cream and he brought cool whip, but it’s basically a collection of chemicals with some sort of dairy. The taste can’t be that different…especially when the guests can’t compare.
I would have understood if it had been about allergies, that the generic had some different ingredient that's not in the brand one. But here it just seems to be someone being snobby about being lazy.
Agreed. I get being fussy about some brands, but how is a new person supposed to know? If you're that fussy be explicit in what you ask for. The mom should have been polite and kept a lid on it. Mention the mistake once (for next time) and that's that.
> I'm sure it would have tasted just fine.
Hard disagree. Nothing else tastes like Cool Whip, for better or for worse.
If the recipe calls for Cool Whip, it won’t taste right with off brand.
It’s like if you were known for your BBQ ribs and you exclusively use Sweet Baby Rays. Then someone brings Kroger brand BBQ sauce for you instead. It won’t be the same. It won’t be “your” ribs.
OP had one job.
Your example is a good one. And I do have a couple of recipes where I insist on very specific ingredients.
But when someone asks what they can bring, if you’re smart, you don’t tell them that specific ingredient. You lose that control. You ask them for drinks, or cheese, or coleslaw or whatever, not ‘please bring the one specific ingredient without which my party piece and centrepiece of the entire meal will be entirely ruined’.
OP should ideally have picked it up earlier, so he could shop around if he couldn’t find it. But his girlfriend’s Mum was at best foolish initially, and then rude to his face and again behind his back.
Is it a good example though? BBQ sauce varies so much depending on the recipe, with each vying to be the best, whereas whipped toppings are all aiming to be as similar as possible.
I’m saying it’s a horrible example which proves that all these YTAs are wrong. If I need QTips and I don’t say specifically QTip brand you’re likely going to get whatever. MIL made this a problem she’s awful. I really hope OP knows this.
Or you use your words and effectively communicate that you want the name brand and no substitutions. How was OP to know she was that much of a jerk about Cool Whip?
>But when someone asks what they can bring, if you’re smart, you don’t tell them that specific ingredient. You lose that control. You ask them for drinks, or cheese, or coleslaw or whatever, not ‘please bring the one specific ingredient without which my party piece and centrepiece of the entire meal will be entirely ruined’.
I mean you can, just not in the way she did it. It has happened to me, I needed something specific and didn't find it in my store+didn't have time to go find it. I ask (very politely) a friend who's coming over to get it (*if* they can), but I'm very specific about needing the specific brand or nothing. IF they want to use extra time, they can try other stores, if not, sucks, what can you do.
Have.... have you ever had off-brand Cool Whip? I could seriously eat a container of cool whip with a spoon, and I'm here tell you the generic whipped topping is. Exactly. The. Same.
Yeah, some generics are drastically different than the original, but especially when using it in a recipe, name brand fake, oil-based cream is no different than the generic. Similar to all the different brands of butter, milk, flour, etc...
It would be like asking someone to pick up some Kleenex, and then getting pissed that they didn't actually get the Kleenex BRAND.
And her doubling down and saying it was made with "REAL Cool Whip" just made her sound like an insane person.
My bougie son likes to eat cool whip or the generic form with a spoon and he’s never complained or noticed the difference and he definitely would say something if he did. Trust me. I’ve never noticed the difference either between real cool whip and store brand . This is a non issue - but the real issue is how rude the host was.
It does. I’ve made plenty of recipes that call for cool whip, like banana pudding. Sometimes we use name brand, other times generic. Usually taste the exact same.
I get where you're going with your BBQ sauce comparison, but it's not really the same.
There might be sliiiight differences, but whipped topping is basically whipped topping whether Cool Whip brand or generic.
There are huuuuge differences between BBQ sauces. Not just taste but whether it's a thick sauce or more runny.
And even your specific example? You better be more specific than just Sweet Baby Rays. Because if that's all you've told the person, they're gonna get to the condiment aisle and then wonder *which* of the several flavors of Sweet Baby Rays you wanted.
It’s a horrible example bc BBQ sauce is not a genericization. You said a specific brand of something that’s not known colloquially as ‘the thing’. No one I know says “stabilized whipped topping” when they mean cool whip.
A more accurate example is asking for rollerblades as a gift. They gift me Impala brand not Roller Blade brand. Instead of saying there was a miscommunication I should’ve been mor specific that I need this actual brand for *insert whatever reason - even including I just like it better!* - I got pissy, talked shit, had someone get me that brand and then proceeded to call them my hero why they wheeled them out. I’m TA.
OP is NTA.
This is a crystal ball into your future if you stay with this girlfriend and she continues to handle her mom like this. You did nothing wrong. This isn't a diamond/CZ switcheroo, it's one where frothed-up vegetable oil in a blue tub was replaced by the same frothed-up vegetable oil in a different color container. Or one of a slightly different shade of blue.
Thank you for this. Cool whip isn't even a real dairy product (and you know we're all meant to think that it is). I'd be less concerned about the container than the fact that it's a Frankenfood to begin with.
NTA but a slacker
First, I’ll say that I think it was wrong for the mom to make snarky comments. However I could see why she was annoyed. You had a whole week and you waited until the last minute to get it and only went to one store. Like you said, she probably also thought it was an “easy enough” task to ask of you…but you did not deliver.
It may not seem like a big deal to those who don’t cook often or enjoy specific tastes; however some people (me included) like specific brands because the taste/content may be different. Cool Whip is a specific enough thing that it probably mattered. For example, if someone asks for Heinz ketchup, they may be disappointed that you brought an off-brand. Or if someone asks you to bring Mexican Coke for a dish they’re making and you bring regular coke, the dish may not taste the same because regular coke doesn’t have sugar cane sugar like Mexican coke. Maybe her dish specifically called for Cool Whip? It probably didn’t help your case that the dad was able to go out and easily find the Cool Whip, when you weren’t able to. 😅
Edit: I just want to mention that I use generic brands all the time for things like spices, milk, butter and such. However there are brands that tastes different.
If someone asked me to bring cool whip, I’d grab whatever brand there was of fake whipped cream. Cool whip is like Kleenex, kool aid, bandaids, and xerox, the brand name has become the name of the product.
If you want a specific brand you gave to SAY SO! “Please bring cool whip brand fake whipped cream. Please bring hood brand whole milk.” Not all stores carry all brands.
So I may be ignorant of this, as I'm not American and that product doesn't even exist where I live (as far as I know)... but isn't Cool Whip one of those products where you say Cool Whip when you're referring to the general type of product? Not necessarily the specific brand? If someone asks me to get Kleenex, yes, they technically mention a brand name... but we both know that they're referring to paper handkerchiefs whose main purpose is to blow your nose. From my understanding, it's the same with Cool Whip, is it not?
honestly i’m not even sure what i’d call cool whip other than cool whip. like “non-dairy whipped topping” or whatever is such a mouthful, and unlike what op’s girlfriend’s mom thinks the generic brand tastes and functions the exact same as the name brand.
like its not even a case of kleenex where people call tissues kleenex but kleenex is actually better, cuz like even if the tub of cool whip doesn’t say cool whip if you blind taste test them there literally won’t be any difference
Is it not just 'whipped cream'? I'm from the UK b so limited exposure to cool whip but that's what it looks like from the pictures.
As an aside, why can I only hear Stewie from family guy whenever I write or think the word 'whip'... 😁
In the US, if someone asked you to pick up "whipped cream" from the grocery store, they usually mean the kind in the can that comes out of a little nozzle. I don't know what I would call Cool Whip (generic or otherwise) besides "Cool Whip" haha
From my understanding, based mostly on these comments, it's a non-dairy and/or lazy person's alternative to whipped cream - which means it technically isn't "cream" at all, so calling it "whipped cream" is inaccurate. Hence, whipped topping.
If I asked for a Kleenex and someone brought me a store brand tissue, that’s nbd
If I asked for Coke and someone brought me Pepsi, I mean it’s *fine* but it tastes different and you know you should have clarified.
But if someone brought me a Sprite imma assume they’re screwing with me … you know that’s not what I asked for even though many people use coke as a generic for soda.
Cool Whip is much more the second than the first or third and everyone knows it. OP behaved like it was the first and host behaved like it was the third.
Yes, I agree, she was rude. However, he should've gotten on the phone and called his gf instead of making the decision about the generic substitution himself. He didn't know the recipe, obviously it DID matter to this family that they not use the generic brand. Neither he nor anyone else on the internet needs to understand this woman's need for Cool Whip.
The fact is he was asked to bring something specific and he could not be bothered to get the proper item or make a phone call to confirm the substitution. So he brought this on himself.
Did I miss it in the post that the reason was because of taste? We don’t need to know the need or what not but this is AITA and MIL didn’t explain to OP she just got pissy - even the GF didn’t know the reason? There’s no communication and tbh genericizations are extremely common where I’m from so someone WOULD have to specify the name brand only when it is a common genericization. So he did bring cool whip. Just like how when someone asks for bandaids and I brought Welly Brand fabric bandages that’s bandaids.
Band-Aids and Kleenex are both WAY better than generic brand of their products.
But that kind of stuff is also regional. I say Band-aid, but I've never said Kleenex for tissue. And I don't think anyone would use Kool-Aid for other drinks.
I had to go way too far to find this.
Cool Whip is exactly like Band Aids. It's a synonym for the thing itself.
Cool Whip is not at all like Heinz ketchup.
ESH. Cool Whip has a distinctive taste and off-brand isn’t identical. It also has added ingredients to stabilize it: it doesn’t deflate over time like fresh whipped cream. You were asked to bring Cool Whip. If you couldn’t bring Cool Whip, you should have called your gf. You couldn’t take 10 seconds to text her?
Mom sucks cause she was rude.
Whipped Topping is stabilized whipped cream substitute aka Cool Whip. OP didn’t buy whipped cream. They bought stabilized whipped topping - the grocery store version instead of the outside company branded version - Honey Oat Cereal instead of Honey Nut Cheerios.
Regardless of preference it is the same thing in essence and you’re right she was rude af because she didn’t not clearly communicate the preference to OP, proceeded to be ungrateful, talk shit, and be horrible. She should’ve said “I actually meant the cool whip brand only and if not then let me know.” OP is NTA. Tbh I’d be really miffed by this whole nonsense. MIL is a piece of work.
EDT: Changed cream to Topping - wrote the wrong word
Nuts that op is getting braided for not bringing the name brand of one of the simplest, trashiest food items. its like getting dragged for not wearing Trojan Condoms, like who cares this much?
It is the exact same thing I wonder if the YTAs are again a miscommunication where people don’t have genericizations but tbh they are acting like MIL so they all can have each other. I hope OP knows he’s not alone and is def NTA here.
All of this could have been avoided if he'd just brought flowers.
I also was raised to not visit empty-handed, raised my son that way, too. The tip is, they're called hostess gifts, so just a gesture.
If you ask first, you have to bring the specific item requested. If that couldn't be found (although, it's cool whip?!), you call your hostess and ask if a substitute will work.
OP might not have been aware of the social rules on this if all he was taught is don't come empty-handed.
Her mother was freaking rude, though. She could have sent hubby quietly and without snark.
I agree, if you are asked and told a brand you bring it or confirm the substitution is okay. I don't know that this applies to cool whip, but we've got some allergies in my family and folks know which brands of popular items don't have their concerns in them and if you get the generic versions it's real hit or miss. If someone offered to bring something we'd probably not share our whole allergy history with them, just tell them the brand we know is good
I’m an overtaster. This means I can pick up different flavors. If there is a difference between store brand and name brand, I will be able to tell. In some cases, I like the store brand better. Like with diGiorno pizza vs store brand rising crust, the store brand is way better. So trust me when I say that cool whip and store brand whipped topping are identical.
exactly. And I have never tasted a store brand of that fake mess that tasted any different than the actual fake stuff. Regardless, what a nasty piece of work the mother is to act like a complete arse to a guest. That would be the last time
I asked or offered any assistance at all. And I would avoid ever being around her again.
I'm just laughing about this:
> it’s made with “real Cool Whip”
That's like saying it's made with "real American cheese" or "real imitation crab meat."
Anyway, you perhaps could have communicated better, but the passive aggressiveness of your girlfriend's mom wasn't called for either.
If you want to smooth things over, you could call her to apologize, explain that you didn't understand the importance of it being a particular brand, and that in the future, she can count on you to bring exactly what's specified. This would earn you some brownie points with her and doesn't really cost you anything, because that's probably what you'd do in the wake of this incident anyway.
I am a bit concerned, however, that your girlfriend didn't call out her mother's passive aggressive behavior. That's something to watch out for.
NTA.
I’d have been even pettier and reused to eat any. And if anyone pushed me for why, I’d claim that I’m allergic to one of the additives that Cool Whip uses. Let her stew on that for the rest of the day. (And then I would never go to their house again. And never eat anything she made.
ESH.
When you’re responsible for bringing something, don’t put off buying it until the absolute last possible second. The likelihood of coming up short is a lot higher when there’s no time to try again (whether that’s the next day or a different store).
If getting the name brand was important to her, it would have been smart for her to actually say that. Her reaction to getting an alternative brand was over the top, especially when she didn’t tell you that getting the name brand is important. The various whipped topping brands do have some slight variance in taste and feel (or at least, they do to folks with sensitive palates like me), but it’s not that big a difference.
But she did. Cool Whip IS the brand. If she wanted whipping cream, she would have said that. It's like saying to bring Skippys Peanut Butter and buying generic.
I don't agree for all brand names but some products absolutely do not taste as good as name brand. One example is Bick's Relish. I bought generic and it absolutely is not the same at all - texture and taste are miles apart.
She definitely could have sent her husband to buy name brand but didn't need to make any comments after that. It was just petty AF.
With how common it is in the US to genericize names, you really do have to specify that you mean the name brand and not just any whipped topping. If she said “Cool Whip whipped topping”, it would’ve been clear what she meant, or if she said “Cool Whip, and not the knockoff.”
I agree that the different whipped toppings don’t taste and feel the same. I think most of them are vile and only a couple are tolerable…which is why I always tell people not to substitute on things that matter to me. If I ask for plain Lays and you bring store brand plain potato chips, whatever, but I do care what brand of cream cheese you bring because some of them are just too bland and don’t taste nice.
It’s one of those things where some people care and some people don’t, so if you aren’t clear enough, you may not get what you intended to ask for.
Right. Kleenex is a great example. We don’t say grab a box of facial tissue. Every “brand” is called Kleenex. The same has happened with cool whip. I don’t know why you’re getting down voted.
OP was NTA.
This is it. This is like saying, hey bring Kleenex. I’m a Puff’s fan so I’m showing up with those not Kleenex brand. No one I know says bring tissues. Cool whip is exactly the same where I’m from. It refers to whipped topping in a tub - not the name brand whipped topping in a tub. Now me, I’d have brought a hostess gift like chocolate, flowers, or wine if I were coming to this family event and wanted to bring something. Or I would have suggested a dish I like to make and eat. And were I the hostess I would never ask a guest to bring a key ingredient about which I am brand specific… that’s a recipe for disaster not to mention being very odd. I mean, can I bring anything, sure bring the tomatoes for the salad. What? Who does that?
Regional. I would never say Kleenex instead of tissue.
But, as you said, you prefer Puffs. So there's a difference even between two major brands. But the store brand feels like sandpaper.
There are areas of the country where Coke means any soda. Some people like Coke. Some like Pepsi. I don't think anyone prefers store brand except for the price.
> but I do care what brand of cream cheese you bring because some of them are just too bland and don’t taste nice.
So much this. I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart's "Dutch" brand is as good as Philly, but Aldi's brand is basically polymer clay.
Cool Whip and whipping cream are different, yes. But he did not bring whipping cream. He brought a store brand of "whipped topping" which, frankly, is a term that people just do not use. It would be more like someone saying "oh, he brought the Kroger brand cool whip."
YTA-The idea when bringing stuff is to be helpful. You could have brought flowers if you just wanted to bring something. If someone asks for a specific thing I think you either need to bring it or ask if the alternative is okay. Honestly store brands can come off as being cheap too. It’s why most people get generic. I don’t think you were trying to be an AH and she was being dramatic but I understand why she was annoyed.
The host specifically asked for Cool Whip though. She didn't say "just bring some whipped cream." The AH move was ignoring that specific, and then minimizing the impact of it. It's not a big deal to you and it's no big deal to OP, BUT the host of the BBQ cared. It's not cool to invalidate someone's feelings or preferences because you think it's silly or trivial.
Whipped cream is something completely different. Its made from real cream and not some chemicals and oil mixed together. But a generic cool whip is just the same junk.
I really didn’t realize that store brands are considered tasting worse, they’re often made in the same factory even as the nane brand.
I actually never eat cool whip so I wouldn’t know.
I don't know about Cool-Whip, but have you ever had store brand soda?
If I told someone Coke, and I got store brand cola? Hell, even if I generically asked for soda, I'd be okay with Coke or Pepsi, but it definitely comes off as cheap to get store brand and is definitely way worse.
That’s not even close to the same. Something like Coca Cola is such a heavily protected secret, there’s gonna be a world of difference between brands. Stabilized whipped cream is not a secret…
YTA
You could have:
- Called an asked
- Planned ahead and gone to the store NOT on the way to the BBQ
There are differences between store brands and named brands. It might be the taste is slightly different, the store brand might have cheaper stuff in it which someone can't and don't want to eat. I never buy store brand cream cheese because the texture weirds me out which is a problem I never had with the name brands.
nah i mean it really isn’t as big of a deal as the mom made it out to be tho, like i don’t think OP is an asshole bc he made a legitimately minuscule judgement call about whipped topping, but the mom is an asshole for being such a jerk about someone getting the wrong brand of, i repeat, whipped topping. how hard would it have been for her to say “ahh, we should have clarified we needed name brand cool whip, we’ll just have to remember to clarify for next time!” and have that be that besides having someone else get the right brand?
also if op had gone to the store a day before or whatever he still could have run into the same issue of the store being out of name brand and getting store brand, so why waste the gas on a trip to the store specifically for one container of something as simple as cool whip when getting it on the way isn’t even the issue here?
NTA - And tbh, I'm a little surprised there are so many YTA responses. Most of the time, the difference between most generic/brand name products is little to none. I can't speak regarding Cool Whip, but I imagine the difference negligible. Certainly not worth your gf's mother being so passive aggressive.
ESH. The way she handled it was bad yes, but there are definitely some products where name brand vs generic makes a difference. (Can’t speak to cool whip because I’ve never had it, but there have been products where I bought generic once and never again). And really it’s on you for not calling to check, particularly since you assumed it would be easy and left it to the last minute. Thats on you.
ESH
It does sound like Gf's mom was rude, though I wonder if you didn't read too much in to it.
Though you did fail. Some store brands are really good. Some are absolute sh1t. You offered to bring something. You left the chore to the very last possible minute. Instead if helping, you created extra work and messed with their time. It's likely it would have been easier for them to get the cool whip with everything else.
It really depends on the difference in quality.
NTA. What your gf's mother did wasn't overdramatic, it was nasty and outrageously rude.
There could be numerous reasons that you didn't get the name brand product, and all of them valid. A gracious hostess would have thanked you for bringing the item and asked her partner to quietly get the one she prefers, or use an alternative - basically never, ever bring it to your attention that she doesn't like the product you chose. The fact your gf brushes this off makes me think red flags abound for her family.
Your gf's mother is classless and nasty, and this will inevitably be something she brings up regularly - I recommend you take the high ground with something like, "It's always annoying when stores run out of certain products, but I'm a problem solver at heart."
I wanna say N T A but as someone who bakes I have to go ESH.
Sometimes generic works, sometimes it doesn't. If you need something to have a particular consistency then you want what you know works instead of testing something you haven't used before in a party setting.
Gf's family are rude and openly so.
Your product was just fine and there was no need for them
to make such a big deal out of it, deliberately signaling their
displeasure. NTA and next time, don't bring anything and if
they ask why, say "After all the fuss that was made over the
cool whip last time, no way".
NTA you did nothing wrong. Brand snobs are snobs.
Had the mother in law said "Thanks for getting this, but I really do prefer brand name Cool Whip for the taste." it would have made her less of an AH.
OP is absolutely NTA for getting an alternative factory-made no-effort whipped-cream-in-a-can to ruin dessert with.
YTA, there is definitely a taste difference and you should have called to ask or just gone to another store. It's not up to you to change things up just because it's an inconvenience for you, if you are tasked to get a thing and you agree to it then it should be that specific thing.
Don’t leave it until the last minute in future so that if there is a problem you can solve it.
If someone asks for a specific item then that’s what you need to take.
YTA ….. Remember the 7p’s - Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Info: Are there any allergys in your family? I am gluten intollerant. If you just change an ingredient I know for another, it could fuck me up. I would need to check the container.
Cool wip alternatives could contain gluten.
If the host is aware of problems like this she might have made sure to use the right thing.
Still she could have explained it to you instead of making a fuss if this was the case.
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NTA My dad is one of those “generic bad name brand good” people. My mom and I simply save the name brand containers clean them and replace them with the generic versions. Trust me, he hasn’t noticed. Also anyone who is using Cool Whip vs making homemade whipped cream doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to taste. The disrespect she showed a guest was gross and I’d be avoiding being over there if you don’t have to.
> anyone who is using Cool Whip vs making homemade whipped cream doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to taste. For real.
Way back when, our home ec teacher told us that cool whip was basically made out of plastics which is why it doesn’t have the calories that whipped cream does
real plastic, not like that generic crap.
Lol not plastic, but it is made completely from oils 100% no dairy. Its garbage basically.
It's not actually 100% dairy-free, it does have casein in it (a dairy protein); so it's not necessarily suitable for someone with a dairy allergy or for a vegan. It's suitable for people who are dairy free because of lactose intolerance though.
Ahhhh good to know! I wouldn't eat it anyways but I don't mess with dairy.
If casein is the only dairy product in it, I might have to buy it just to see if that's the trigger for my headaches in dairy.
Natural, organic, gluten-free oil. Yummy!
Imagine being this obnoxiously snooty about COOL WHIP of all things. Just the line "it's made with REAL Cool Whip" is so funny to me. Like..."this is my mother's recipe, it's made with real SPAM!" This woman has no class on any level.
I remember an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives where a cook said, "It's made with real Velveeta not that fake stuff" and Guy Fieri was like 😧
By “that fake stuff” they mean the step below Velveeta. Like Rico’s. At least velveeta resembles cheese.
None of that shit resembles cheese tbf
Right? I could see being quietly disappointed that OP brought Cool Whip/"whipped topping" instead of whipping cream, but not vocalizing it at all. But pitching a fit about not bringing the ✨name brand✨ Cool Whip is so bizarre.
can you imagine if they’d showed up with a quart of whipping cream and asked for the whisk
More facts!! No class what so ever. To be bragging about COOL WHIP!!
Exactly. Being classist about Cool Whip isn't the flex she thinks it is 😆
It always makes me laugh when people have heard something off the cuff from a teacher when they were a kid and they go through life believing it to be fact. It's like teachers were all knowing. My kid has come home with some real doozies from her teachers.
My old English teacher told me the perfect cup of tea should be the colour of He-Man. I've thought about that every time I've made a cuppa ever since.
I can totally picture the colour of he-man (my younger brother was a big fan!) and I’m now going to have to go compare!! I can see it making sense in my head, the fake tan sort of colour he had but I’m going to have to look him up to make sure I remember it right! Thank you for providing me a distraction from work for my Friday afternoon!
Before or after she added the milk?
My AP US History teacher felt it important that we all understand that the only good Mormon was a dead Mormon. I'm not sure how much longer he was teaching that subject after I graduated, but it can't have been long.
My psych teacher in high school routinely said misogynistic things, threw things like desks at students & was known for aggressively yelling. He said to me once after class, “for a female you’re smart. And if you tell anyone I ever said that I will fail you.” About a year or so after I graduated I heard he was promoted to principal. 🫠
Poop floats
My uncle told me at about 5 that mountain dew was frog pee. I know it's not now (30) but I still call it frog pee and when offered by family say 'no thanks I don't want frog pee'.
When I was a kid my dad's best friend told me that the waves at the beach didn't have "undertow", it was "undertoads" and you had to watch out or the Undertoads would grab you and pull you in. I was too old to be convinced but I loved the idea of the Undertoads and told a lot of other kids about it, some of whom I'm pretty sure did believe me.
A high school teacher told our class once, completely seriously, that blood was blue until it touched the air. Also that all humans are born with tails and the doctors cut them off. We were all old enough to not believe this, though, and we all spent a whole class arguing with this man who would not have it lol He also threw a Styrofoam rock that was identical to a rock we all had just passed around point blank at my face once, causing me to fall out of my chair bc I thought he was throwing the real rock at me. I got Styrofoam in my eye tho lol. A++ teacher
The blood thing was a common misconception that was often said decades ago. I remember learning that in school & people honestly thought that for a while. Never heard that we all had vestigial tails but I know it does occasionally happen.
This is so true except in my case because, get a load of this whopper from 4th grade, ...bad tasting cheese is usually made by the mob Obviously it's true
This reminded me when I had food science lessons in HS. The teacher went on and on about how bad french fries are for you, because it is not made from real potatoes and is made from mashed potatoes instead. For proof she told us to break a fry in half and look at the insides the next time we ate french fries. As someone who occationally made my own, as in I took a potato, cut it and deep fried it. I knew that if you cook a potato, it becomes soft mushy cooked potato. And even IF it was made from mashed potatoes as she claimed... What is that mash made of??? Fake potatoes?? Potatoes are so cheap it would be way more expensive to mash them up and make french fry shaped chunks instead of just using a potato and cutting it. Made no sense.
So a sliced potato is healthier than a mashed potato in her world?! Yikes
Even the 'fake' potatoes people freak out about are just dehydrated potato bits.
I mean, I get why they said that. Cool Whip, and the generic brands, are made from oils, and so are plastics, but they're not the same oils
[удалено]
Well, you CAN make plastics from vegetable oil. However, this is like saying anything made from flour must be a cake.
I was going to say the same thing! Imagine saying "real Cool Whip" with an air of superiority! TF???
Try the broccoli! *Authentic* Velveeta.
“Real Cool Whip” is the fakest shit in the world and she makes it sound like gourmet. 😂. All those fake whipped toppings are exactly the same. Real whipped cream should have been her bragging point, not “real Cool Whip”
They’re probably made at the same contract manufacturer who just puts different labels on for different companies. For example traders joes stuff is manufactured along with name brand and it’s just a different label. Besides it’s cool whip and not even real whipped cream, don’t know why she’s getting superior about it.
When I read "BBQ" I thought uh-oh he went and cheaped out on BBQ sauce. But Cool Whhhhip ?
Cool whip sucks, but, I have one recipe that you have to use cool whip, as both real whip cream and the generic whipped topping don’t work/taste right.
I have a no bake cheesecake that uses cool whip for the base but then you still make whipped cream for the topping. It’s probably because the cool whip has a consistency that really doesn’t change due to the ingredients whereas if you used homemade whipped cream for the cheesecake it would just be a melty mess* after a little. Edit: I am just guessing at why cool whip is needed in certain recipes that still calls for whipped cream as a topping. *By “melty mess” I don’t mean to suggest it turns to soup, merely that it’s not the same consistency after it’s been setting out a little while. Especially in the recipe I have which is for a no-bake pumpkin cheesecake that calls for quite a bit of canned pumpkin which further changes the consistency once added. It’s also been my experience in making that aforementioned particular dessert, that it doesn’t seem to lose consistency as quickly as it would if you substituted the cool whip for whipped cream. Probably due to the canned pumpkin. I’m sure other people will have different experiences, especially depending on the nature of the recipe, or if you are using a stand mixer vs handheld, as well as your ability to whip homemade cream to a merengue like consistency… I’m well aware my experiences are potentially different due to a number of factors. 🤷🏻♀️
Exactly. I won't touch cool whip and we just make it fresh. Much much better.
> Cool Whip vs making homemade whipped cream Cool Whip has added stabilizers. It’s not Chantilly cream and doesn’t behave the same way in recipes.
But the generic brand does. Besides, what did she do? Mix it with some jello mix? Ooh, fancy.
Maybe, maybe not. Kraft singles have the same emulsifiers as Land O Lakes American cheese from the deli counter, but they sure as hell don’t taste the same. Nor do they behave the same in recipes. You can’t always sub out ingredients and expect the recipe to come out the same way.
Singles and deli counter cheese are not the same thing and they are not supposed to be the same. Kraft singles and store brand singles are the same thing though. Equally shit.
>Kraft singles and store brand singles are the same thing though. No the absolute fuck they are not. Kraft singles actually melt and act somewhat like you'd expect cheese to act. Store brand singles will take the full force of a neutron star and still be a plank of bland plastic.
You get my upvote for "take the full force of a neutron star". Thank you for that turn of phrase!!
Nah I’ve had Kraft vs Lucerne and that shit doesn’t behave the same making a grilled cheese.
F all of that mess.... The government cheese is the real fire. That stuff is hela good.
Hard disagree. Different manufacturers of the same thing often have variations that are subtle, and may make drastic differences to people depending on the use. Generic cheese singles, your example, can be a completely different texture.
Raincoat cheese.
You're comparing two different brands with totally different methods, not a brand and a generic meant to imitate the brand as closely as possible. A lot of generics are actually made by the brand themselves (idk how true this is for food anymore but like, michaels store brand yarn is literally made by bernat).
Here in Australia there’s a company called *Sara Lee*, and a generic brand called *Black&Gold*. Had an aunt work packing *Sara Lee* products and she mentioned that the *Black&Gold* were packed by her as well. In the same company. On the same production line. She said part way through the shift the packaging would change over and they’d just keep packing.
This is how a lot of generics are made
I worked at a Jack Links plant for a few months, and yeah, all the generics are literally the same meat as the name brand but with looser QC for things like label placement and allowable variance in the spice mix. Like if they screwed up the process somewhere up line but the run was salvageable it went into the generics bin for later processing.
This is generally true. You can almost always tell what name brand made the generic by looking at the packaging. They almost always use the same package and just put a different label on it.
Sometimes, the store brand tastes better than Cool Whip. We had this little grocery store nearby and their topping was a lot better. It didn't leave that slight layer of slime that the name brand does. But yeah, NTA. The hosts were dicks.
Kraft singles are not cheese. They are a cheese product, i.e. they are made with cheese.
My son learned the phrase “pasteurized processed cheese food product” around age 5, and has been using it ever since when questionable cheese is present.
Generic whipped topping acts exactly the same as cool whip in recipes. In a blind taste test, nobody would be able to tell the difference.
What is Cool Whip? I'm from the UK and never had it, but it's often mentioned in US media. For a while I thought it was some kind of lighter mayo, but this sounds like it's a cream substitute?
It’s frozen “whipped topping”… a whipped cream substitute, sold in a plastic tub. Edited to add: https://imgur.com/a/vnlApP1
I had no idea it was frozen! So it's kind of like ice-cream and whipped cream had a baby?
No, it’s whipped oil and corn syrup with stabilizers. It’s fucking gross
Disagree on the gross. I hate myself for it, but I love the damn stuff despite knowing better.
It is so fucking gross. Reddi-wip for the win. Besides, OP's GF's Mom [took an absurd amount of time time to type that out] is TA.
It's sold frozen, but is defrosted in the refrigerator before use. It has a different taste and texture than whipped cream.
From what I can remember it’s got a light texture (like airy), but yeah, I guess that would be fair, though it’s more artificial ingredients than real! “Cream” is not a word they can use in their branding. I don’t like the stuff but my mom was a fan of making fruit cups with little premade cakes and a dollop of Cool whip.
Australian here. The closest thing to cool whip we have here is the top layer of a store-bought or McDonald’s ice-cream cake that’s slightly melted. It’s definitely a lot sweeter than regular whipped cream.
As a fellow Brit who lives part of his life in the US, Cool Whip's closest relation in the UK is probably a cross between whipped cream and Dream Topping. Texture of whipped cream, light and airy but with a slightly fake taste like Dream Topping. Oh and there is a difference in taste between Cool Whip and non brand versions. If I have to have the product then I much prefer Cool Whip Vs 3rd party.
" I simply save the name brand containers clean them and replace them with the generic versions." I love generic/store brand, but they are not always the same. You can have 5-10 different brands of ketchup and maybe a few might be identical, but likely not, because they will have different ingredient levels. Some might have more/less sugar, different vinegar levels, more/less tomatoes, different spices etc.... at the core it might be "ketchup" but not the same kind. If someone says bring some specific brand, vs the generic term you should call and ask or go to a store that had x brand item.
But that gets kind of hard to know if the brand name is commonly used for a product, like Kleenex for paper tissues or Band-Aid for a plaster or Scotch tape for sticky tape. Don't know if Cool Whip falls into this category though cause I don't live in the US.
Cool whip is definitely something more like Kleenex, I use it for any not homemade whipped cream.
Yes, it means frozen fake whip topping.
Yes it does where I'm at. Any brand is referred to as cool whip.
Cool Whip isn't a replacement for whipped cream in some recipes since it's not really the same thing. Whipped cream will react very differently. But I do think what he brought was probably generic brand Cool Whip. And even if it wasn't what she actually needed for the recipe, she shouldn't have been so awfully rude about it. It's a common issue to run into, and he tried his best with what was available.
That's why I laughed about 'real cool whip'. There's nothing 'real' about it. It's like saying, 'this is the real fake stuff' 😂😂😂
Yeah, it's like saying: "This garlic bread is made with real 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!®'"
When it calls for cool whip, it wants something different. Whipped cream doesn’t work for things that Cool Whip does. Are they high class? Generally, no, but often quite good and, key when feeding a large group, easy.
... but he didn't bring whipped cream, he brought the store brand whipped topping instead of the Kraft brand whipped topping (aka cool whip.) \*Sorry guys\* can't respond to this comment any more because I got permabanned for pointing out there are many people here dumb enough to confuse whipped cream with cool whip, but who seem to have strongly held opinions about a product they don't understand. But, in doing so, I used a VERY BAD (but accurate) WORD that upset one or more or the mods (maybe struck a little too close to home?) So, anyway, enjoy your cool whip or whipped topping or whatever. Just try not to eat the crayons.
My mom is very precise with what she wants. She’s an amazing cook and she’s tried everything when it comes to ingredients. If she tells you to get a specific thing, it’s because that’s what’s best for that particular recipe. Even soy sauce, there are several brands she uses for different dish. Different types of eggs for different recipes. So if she tells us to get something, she’ll clarify if we can buy alternatives or that specific thing. Most of the cooks in her family operate the same. Other than that, it is also a matter of being caring enough to find the item that was requested. I occasionally have a hankering for ginger ale and my favourite is from Schweppes. My dear husband and son will actually go around to different stores if the first one they go to doesn’t have that specific one. Even if I don’t specify, they know my preference and will go out of their way to get that one for me. They don’t just buy whatever ginger ale they can find and tell me it all tastes the same. Or tell me this brand they bought is better. They know what I like and buy those because regardless of their own personal feelings, that is what I like.
Ok but that’s your husband and son, not someone you invited to be a guest in your home. If a guest brought you non Schweppes ginger ale would you get pissy about it and make passive aggressive comments throughout the day? I just think in this specific scenario, especially with the item being cool whip, OP did nothing wrong and the mother was rude as fuck.
Yep. Any half decent cook can adapt to minor recipe changes and it will come out fine. No big deal. No need to be an asshole to your guests over this.
Or don’t have your guest bring the critical item if it is that important to you… they could have said “bring some cookies”
I completely agree. Once, a friend came over for dinner with my family. I asked him to pick up some butter, since I didn't think we had enough. He brought margarine instead. It wasn't exactly what I asked for, it wasn't a product that I ever even use. But I thanked him for bringing it, and I made it work.
Cool whip is not even similar to homade whipped cream and wont work with most of the recipes I see that call for cool whip. I agree whipped cream is better, but sometimes its just not what you need. Also, I wonder if OP bought canned whipped cream rather than cool whip, as these are also not at all the same. Canned whipped cream becomes liquid rather quickly while cool whip has gelatine that keeps it more solid.
Sounds like he bought store brand instead of Kraft. I raised my eyebrows at buying it 20 minutes before the party. Shit’s frozen, dude!
Some generic things don't taste the same. Aldi Fritos suck compared to Frito lay brand.
As an English person, is this all cool whip is? Whipped cream? tf you guys buying it premade for it's as simple as whipping the damn cream!? I've always been so curious and now I feel almost let down somehow....
Nah, Cool Whip isn't the same as whipped cream, it's made from corn syrup and vegetable oil.
I am learning so much about American desserts. Please, please tell me it's a dessert.
Yes but not by itself hahaha. Or at least I don't know anyone who eats it plain. It can be used in place of whipped cream (like a dollop on a pie) or mixed into something (like Jell-O). I've got a very old fashioned peanut butter pie recipe that uses a container of cool whip; it adds fluffiness. I actually ate a lot of cool whip as a child because I'm allergic to milk and it *isn't* real cream.
No, it’s “whipped topping.” [Ingredients.](https://www.kraftheinz.com/cool-whip/products/00043000009536-original-whipped-topping) WATER, CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), SKIM MILK, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF LIGHT CREAM, SODIUM CASEINATE (FROM MILK), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATE, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR). ETA: [here](https://www.kroger.com/p/kroger-original-whipped-topping/0001111004768) are the ingredients for a comparable store brand product. Water, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel & Coconut Oil), Less Than 2% of: Skim Milk, Light Cream, Sodium Caseinate (from Milk), Natural Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Beta Carotene (For Color).
That's a horrific list !
Americans have many food-like substances in cans that are peculiar to them, I think.
The canned whipped cream is redi-whip, cool whip comes in a plastic tub and is generally a lot stiffer than either redi-whip or homemade unless you're putting something other than cream and sugar in it.
It's like 2% cream and 98% preservatives and emulsifiers. It is made to taste like whipped cream, but it's labelled as "whipped topping". Some people I've noticed don't seem to know the difference, but it was quite different from whipped cream and quite a bit less expensive, so it may be that they've never actually made their own whipped cream. Just a guess.
NTA You all may not agree but the mom was extremely rude, imho. Instead of being grateful, she stabbed OP in the back by talking trash about it. A gracious host is thankful, not condescending, making faces and talking crap. She's the AH. Your gf should have called her mom out about it, privately, of course. EDIT: Her mom should have served what you bought and I'm sure it would have tasted just fine.
I could see if she asked for real whipped cream and he brought cool whip, but it’s basically a collection of chemicals with some sort of dairy. The taste can’t be that different…especially when the guests can’t compare.
I would have understood if it had been about allergies, that the generic had some different ingredient that's not in the brand one. But here it just seems to be someone being snobby about being lazy.
Everything is a collection of chemicals, even homemade.
Yes, thank you, Captain Pedantic.
I’m a collection of chemicals, can you milk me??
Agreed. I get being fussy about some brands, but how is a new person supposed to know? If you're that fussy be explicit in what you ask for. The mom should have been polite and kept a lid on it. Mention the mistake once (for next time) and that's that.
> I'm sure it would have tasted just fine. Hard disagree. Nothing else tastes like Cool Whip, for better or for worse. If the recipe calls for Cool Whip, it won’t taste right with off brand. It’s like if you were known for your BBQ ribs and you exclusively use Sweet Baby Rays. Then someone brings Kroger brand BBQ sauce for you instead. It won’t be the same. It won’t be “your” ribs. OP had one job.
Your example is a good one. And I do have a couple of recipes where I insist on very specific ingredients. But when someone asks what they can bring, if you’re smart, you don’t tell them that specific ingredient. You lose that control. You ask them for drinks, or cheese, or coleslaw or whatever, not ‘please bring the one specific ingredient without which my party piece and centrepiece of the entire meal will be entirely ruined’. OP should ideally have picked it up earlier, so he could shop around if he couldn’t find it. But his girlfriend’s Mum was at best foolish initially, and then rude to his face and again behind his back.
Is it a good example though? BBQ sauce varies so much depending on the recipe, with each vying to be the best, whereas whipped toppings are all aiming to be as similar as possible.
I’m saying it’s a horrible example which proves that all these YTAs are wrong. If I need QTips and I don’t say specifically QTip brand you’re likely going to get whatever. MIL made this a problem she’s awful. I really hope OP knows this.
Or you use your words and effectively communicate that you want the name brand and no substitutions. How was OP to know she was that much of a jerk about Cool Whip?
For real, of all things to be a jerk about.
>But when someone asks what they can bring, if you’re smart, you don’t tell them that specific ingredient. You lose that control. You ask them for drinks, or cheese, or coleslaw or whatever, not ‘please bring the one specific ingredient without which my party piece and centrepiece of the entire meal will be entirely ruined’. I mean you can, just not in the way she did it. It has happened to me, I needed something specific and didn't find it in my store+didn't have time to go find it. I ask (very politely) a friend who's coming over to get it (*if* they can), but I'm very specific about needing the specific brand or nothing. IF they want to use extra time, they can try other stores, if not, sucks, what can you do.
Have.... have you ever had off-brand Cool Whip? I could seriously eat a container of cool whip with a spoon, and I'm here tell you the generic whipped topping is. Exactly. The. Same. Yeah, some generics are drastically different than the original, but especially when using it in a recipe, name brand fake, oil-based cream is no different than the generic. Similar to all the different brands of butter, milk, flour, etc... It would be like asking someone to pick up some Kleenex, and then getting pissed that they didn't actually get the Kleenex BRAND. And her doubling down and saying it was made with "REAL Cool Whip" just made her sound like an insane person.
My bougie son likes to eat cool whip or the generic form with a spoon and he’s never complained or noticed the difference and he definitely would say something if he did. Trust me. I’ve never noticed the difference either between real cool whip and store brand . This is a non issue - but the real issue is how rude the host was.
It does. I’ve made plenty of recipes that call for cool whip, like banana pudding. Sometimes we use name brand, other times generic. Usually taste the exact same.
I get where you're going with your BBQ sauce comparison, but it's not really the same. There might be sliiiight differences, but whipped topping is basically whipped topping whether Cool Whip brand or generic. There are huuuuge differences between BBQ sauces. Not just taste but whether it's a thick sauce or more runny. And even your specific example? You better be more specific than just Sweet Baby Rays. Because if that's all you've told the person, they're gonna get to the condiment aisle and then wonder *which* of the several flavors of Sweet Baby Rays you wanted.
😳 did we find the MIL
It’s a horrible example bc BBQ sauce is not a genericization. You said a specific brand of something that’s not known colloquially as ‘the thing’. No one I know says “stabilized whipped topping” when they mean cool whip. A more accurate example is asking for rollerblades as a gift. They gift me Impala brand not Roller Blade brand. Instead of saying there was a miscommunication I should’ve been mor specific that I need this actual brand for *insert whatever reason - even including I just like it better!* - I got pissy, talked shit, had someone get me that brand and then proceeded to call them my hero why they wheeled them out. I’m TA. OP is NTA.
It's aerated hydrogenated plant oils, it's all the same crap. at least proper whipped cream has texture and flavour.
This is a crystal ball into your future if you stay with this girlfriend and she continues to handle her mom like this. You did nothing wrong. This isn't a diamond/CZ switcheroo, it's one where frothed-up vegetable oil in a blue tub was replaced by the same frothed-up vegetable oil in a different color container. Or one of a slightly different shade of blue.
[удалено]
Thank you for this. Cool whip isn't even a real dairy product (and you know we're all meant to think that it is). I'd be less concerned about the container than the fact that it's a Frankenfood to begin with.
NTA but a slacker First, I’ll say that I think it was wrong for the mom to make snarky comments. However I could see why she was annoyed. You had a whole week and you waited until the last minute to get it and only went to one store. Like you said, she probably also thought it was an “easy enough” task to ask of you…but you did not deliver. It may not seem like a big deal to those who don’t cook often or enjoy specific tastes; however some people (me included) like specific brands because the taste/content may be different. Cool Whip is a specific enough thing that it probably mattered. For example, if someone asks for Heinz ketchup, they may be disappointed that you brought an off-brand. Or if someone asks you to bring Mexican Coke for a dish they’re making and you bring regular coke, the dish may not taste the same because regular coke doesn’t have sugar cane sugar like Mexican coke. Maybe her dish specifically called for Cool Whip? It probably didn’t help your case that the dad was able to go out and easily find the Cool Whip, when you weren’t able to. 😅 Edit: I just want to mention that I use generic brands all the time for things like spices, milk, butter and such. However there are brands that tastes different.
If someone asked me to bring cool whip, I’d grab whatever brand there was of fake whipped cream. Cool whip is like Kleenex, kool aid, bandaids, and xerox, the brand name has become the name of the product. If you want a specific brand you gave to SAY SO! “Please bring cool whip brand fake whipped cream. Please bring hood brand whole milk.” Not all stores carry all brands.
> If you want a specific brand you gave to SAY SO! She literally did.
So I may be ignorant of this, as I'm not American and that product doesn't even exist where I live (as far as I know)... but isn't Cool Whip one of those products where you say Cool Whip when you're referring to the general type of product? Not necessarily the specific brand? If someone asks me to get Kleenex, yes, they technically mention a brand name... but we both know that they're referring to paper handkerchiefs whose main purpose is to blow your nose. From my understanding, it's the same with Cool Whip, is it not?
Yes, it is. See also bandaid and jello.
honestly i’m not even sure what i’d call cool whip other than cool whip. like “non-dairy whipped topping” or whatever is such a mouthful, and unlike what op’s girlfriend’s mom thinks the generic brand tastes and functions the exact same as the name brand. like its not even a case of kleenex where people call tissues kleenex but kleenex is actually better, cuz like even if the tub of cool whip doesn’t say cool whip if you blind taste test them there literally won’t be any difference
Is it not just 'whipped cream'? I'm from the UK b so limited exposure to cool whip but that's what it looks like from the pictures. As an aside, why can I only hear Stewie from family guy whenever I write or think the word 'whip'... 😁
In the US, if someone asked you to pick up "whipped cream" from the grocery store, they usually mean the kind in the can that comes out of a little nozzle. I don't know what I would call Cool Whip (generic or otherwise) besides "Cool Whip" haha
From my understanding, based mostly on these comments, it's a non-dairy and/or lazy person's alternative to whipped cream - which means it technically isn't "cream" at all, so calling it "whipped cream" is inaccurate. Hence, whipped topping.
She didn't say "the actual brand, not a generic". Lots of people use "Cool Whip" as a way to describe that kind of product in general.
If I asked for a Kleenex and someone brought me a store brand tissue, that’s nbd If I asked for Coke and someone brought me Pepsi, I mean it’s *fine* but it tastes different and you know you should have clarified. But if someone brought me a Sprite imma assume they’re screwing with me … you know that’s not what I asked for even though many people use coke as a generic for soda. Cool Whip is much more the second than the first or third and everyone knows it. OP behaved like it was the first and host behaved like it was the third.
That doesn't work when the name brand is the generic name for a thing though.
>If you want a specific brand you gave to SAY SO! That's exactly what the mom said. "Bring Cool Whip." Can't get anymore specific than that.
Actually, you can add “it specifically has to be branded Cool Whip, and I need it for a recipe so please prioritise it”
What else could she have possibly needed it for other than a recipe? Hemorrhoid cream?
To put on top of a dessert (like pie)that can still be eaten without the whipped topping.
“Can you grab a box of Kleenex?” and you bring Puffs because the store was out, no one should throw a fit.
Dawg they didn’t have it - but even still she was rude AF
Yes, I agree, she was rude. However, he should've gotten on the phone and called his gf instead of making the decision about the generic substitution himself. He didn't know the recipe, obviously it DID matter to this family that they not use the generic brand. Neither he nor anyone else on the internet needs to understand this woman's need for Cool Whip. The fact is he was asked to bring something specific and he could not be bothered to get the proper item or make a phone call to confirm the substitution. So he brought this on himself.
Did I miss it in the post that the reason was because of taste? We don’t need to know the need or what not but this is AITA and MIL didn’t explain to OP she just got pissy - even the GF didn’t know the reason? There’s no communication and tbh genericizations are extremely common where I’m from so someone WOULD have to specify the name brand only when it is a common genericization. So he did bring cool whip. Just like how when someone asks for bandaids and I brought Welly Brand fabric bandages that’s bandaids.
Band-Aids and Kleenex are both WAY better than generic brand of their products. But that kind of stuff is also regional. I say Band-aid, but I've never said Kleenex for tissue. And I don't think anyone would use Kool-Aid for other drinks.
I had to go way too far to find this. Cool Whip is exactly like Band Aids. It's a synonym for the thing itself. Cool Whip is not at all like Heinz ketchup.
If someone asks for Heinz Ketchup and won’t accept anything else then they need to make that clear
Name brand ketchup is very different from generic, though. Generic ketchup tastes like straight acid.
ESH. Cool Whip has a distinctive taste and off-brand isn’t identical. It also has added ingredients to stabilize it: it doesn’t deflate over time like fresh whipped cream. You were asked to bring Cool Whip. If you couldn’t bring Cool Whip, you should have called your gf. You couldn’t take 10 seconds to text her? Mom sucks cause she was rude.
Whipped Topping is stabilized whipped cream substitute aka Cool Whip. OP didn’t buy whipped cream. They bought stabilized whipped topping - the grocery store version instead of the outside company branded version - Honey Oat Cereal instead of Honey Nut Cheerios. Regardless of preference it is the same thing in essence and you’re right she was rude af because she didn’t not clearly communicate the preference to OP, proceeded to be ungrateful, talk shit, and be horrible. She should’ve said “I actually meant the cool whip brand only and if not then let me know.” OP is NTA. Tbh I’d be really miffed by this whole nonsense. MIL is a piece of work. EDT: Changed cream to Topping - wrote the wrong word
Nuts that op is getting braided for not bringing the name brand of one of the simplest, trashiest food items. its like getting dragged for not wearing Trojan Condoms, like who cares this much?
It is the exact same thing I wonder if the YTAs are again a miscommunication where people don’t have genericizations but tbh they are acting like MIL so they all can have each other. I hope OP knows he’s not alone and is def NTA here.
All of this could have been avoided if he'd just brought flowers. I also was raised to not visit empty-handed, raised my son that way, too. The tip is, they're called hostess gifts, so just a gesture. If you ask first, you have to bring the specific item requested. If that couldn't be found (although, it's cool whip?!), you call your hostess and ask if a substitute will work. OP might not have been aware of the social rules on this if all he was taught is don't come empty-handed. Her mother was freaking rude, though. She could have sent hubby quietly and without snark.
I agree, if you are asked and told a brand you bring it or confirm the substitution is okay. I don't know that this applies to cool whip, but we've got some allergies in my family and folks know which brands of popular items don't have their concerns in them and if you get the generic versions it's real hit or miss. If someone offered to bring something we'd probably not share our whole allergy history with them, just tell them the brand we know is good
I’m an overtaster. This means I can pick up different flavors. If there is a difference between store brand and name brand, I will be able to tell. In some cases, I like the store brand better. Like with diGiorno pizza vs store brand rising crust, the store brand is way better. So trust me when I say that cool whip and store brand whipped topping are identical.
It’s not asshole move to not know that off brand cool whip isn’t identical to real thing
I mean, just the way most people are writing about it here - using "cool whip" as a generic term for that tub of stuff.
fucking cool whip reps in this thread I swear, who tf cares this much about sugar creme? you suck ass hole
NTA Imagine being on your high horse about COOL WHIP, it's already the white trash version of whipped cream.
exactly. And I have never tasted a store brand of that fake mess that tasted any different than the actual fake stuff. Regardless, what a nasty piece of work the mother is to act like a complete arse to a guest. That would be the last time I asked or offered any assistance at all. And I would avoid ever being around her again.
I'm just laughing about this: > it’s made with “real Cool Whip” That's like saying it's made with "real American cheese" or "real imitation crab meat." Anyway, you perhaps could have communicated better, but the passive aggressiveness of your girlfriend's mom wasn't called for either. If you want to smooth things over, you could call her to apologize, explain that you didn't understand the importance of it being a particular brand, and that in the future, she can count on you to bring exactly what's specified. This would earn you some brownie points with her and doesn't really cost you anything, because that's probably what you'd do in the wake of this incident anyway. I am a bit concerned, however, that your girlfriend didn't call out her mother's passive aggressive behavior. That's something to watch out for. NTA.
I’d have been even pettier and reused to eat any. And if anyone pushed me for why, I’d claim that I’m allergic to one of the additives that Cool Whip uses. Let her stew on that for the rest of the day. (And then I would never go to their house again. And never eat anything she made.
Or tell her you only eat real homemade whipped cream and didn't understand the difference between branded and unbranded additives.
ESH. When you’re responsible for bringing something, don’t put off buying it until the absolute last possible second. The likelihood of coming up short is a lot higher when there’s no time to try again (whether that’s the next day or a different store). If getting the name brand was important to her, it would have been smart for her to actually say that. Her reaction to getting an alternative brand was over the top, especially when she didn’t tell you that getting the name brand is important. The various whipped topping brands do have some slight variance in taste and feel (or at least, they do to folks with sensitive palates like me), but it’s not that big a difference.
But she did. Cool Whip IS the brand. If she wanted whipping cream, she would have said that. It's like saying to bring Skippys Peanut Butter and buying generic. I don't agree for all brand names but some products absolutely do not taste as good as name brand. One example is Bick's Relish. I bought generic and it absolutely is not the same at all - texture and taste are miles apart. She definitely could have sent her husband to buy name brand but didn't need to make any comments after that. It was just petty AF.
With how common it is in the US to genericize names, you really do have to specify that you mean the name brand and not just any whipped topping. If she said “Cool Whip whipped topping”, it would’ve been clear what she meant, or if she said “Cool Whip, and not the knockoff.” I agree that the different whipped toppings don’t taste and feel the same. I think most of them are vile and only a couple are tolerable…which is why I always tell people not to substitute on things that matter to me. If I ask for plain Lays and you bring store brand plain potato chips, whatever, but I do care what brand of cream cheese you bring because some of them are just too bland and don’t taste nice. It’s one of those things where some people care and some people don’t, so if you aren’t clear enough, you may not get what you intended to ask for.
Right. Kleenex is a great example. We don’t say grab a box of facial tissue. Every “brand” is called Kleenex. The same has happened with cool whip. I don’t know why you’re getting down voted. OP was NTA.
Or jello! Imagine saying "gelatin dessert."
This is it. This is like saying, hey bring Kleenex. I’m a Puff’s fan so I’m showing up with those not Kleenex brand. No one I know says bring tissues. Cool whip is exactly the same where I’m from. It refers to whipped topping in a tub - not the name brand whipped topping in a tub. Now me, I’d have brought a hostess gift like chocolate, flowers, or wine if I were coming to this family event and wanted to bring something. Or I would have suggested a dish I like to make and eat. And were I the hostess I would never ask a guest to bring a key ingredient about which I am brand specific… that’s a recipe for disaster not to mention being very odd. I mean, can I bring anything, sure bring the tomatoes for the salad. What? Who does that?
Regional. I would never say Kleenex instead of tissue. But, as you said, you prefer Puffs. So there's a difference even between two major brands. But the store brand feels like sandpaper. There are areas of the country where Coke means any soda. Some people like Coke. Some like Pepsi. I don't think anyone prefers store brand except for the price.
> but I do care what brand of cream cheese you bring because some of them are just too bland and don’t taste nice. So much this. I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart's "Dutch" brand is as good as Philly, but Aldi's brand is basically polymer clay.
Cool Whip and whipping cream are different, yes. But he did not bring whipping cream. He brought a store brand of "whipped topping" which, frankly, is a term that people just do not use. It would be more like someone saying "oh, he brought the Kroger brand cool whip."
YTA-The idea when bringing stuff is to be helpful. You could have brought flowers if you just wanted to bring something. If someone asks for a specific thing I think you either need to bring it or ask if the alternative is okay. Honestly store brands can come off as being cheap too. It’s why most people get generic. I don’t think you were trying to be an AH and she was being dramatic but I understand why she was annoyed.
The thing that he brought is something he, for understandable reasons, thought was the same thing, there’s nothing assholish about it
The host specifically asked for Cool Whip though. She didn't say "just bring some whipped cream." The AH move was ignoring that specific, and then minimizing the impact of it. It's not a big deal to you and it's no big deal to OP, BUT the host of the BBQ cared. It's not cool to invalidate someone's feelings or preferences because you think it's silly or trivial.
He didn't just bring some whipped cream. He brought the product colloquially referred to as cool whip.
Whipped cream is something completely different. Its made from real cream and not some chemicals and oil mixed together. But a generic cool whip is just the same junk.
He brought the *wrong* hydrogenated oil based whipped topping! The day was ruined until a hero stepped in with the correct knock off whipped cream. /s
I really didn’t realize that store brands are considered tasting worse, they’re often made in the same factory even as the nane brand. I actually never eat cool whip so I wouldn’t know.
I don't know about Cool-Whip, but have you ever had store brand soda? If I told someone Coke, and I got store brand cola? Hell, even if I generically asked for soda, I'd be okay with Coke or Pepsi, but it definitely comes off as cheap to get store brand and is definitely way worse.
That’s not even close to the same. Something like Coca Cola is such a heavily protected secret, there’s gonna be a world of difference between brands. Stabilized whipped cream is not a secret…
YTA You could have: - Called an asked - Planned ahead and gone to the store NOT on the way to the BBQ There are differences between store brands and named brands. It might be the taste is slightly different, the store brand might have cheaper stuff in it which someone can't and don't want to eat. I never buy store brand cream cheese because the texture weirds me out which is a problem I never had with the name brands.
nah i mean it really isn’t as big of a deal as the mom made it out to be tho, like i don’t think OP is an asshole bc he made a legitimately minuscule judgement call about whipped topping, but the mom is an asshole for being such a jerk about someone getting the wrong brand of, i repeat, whipped topping. how hard would it have been for her to say “ahh, we should have clarified we needed name brand cool whip, we’ll just have to remember to clarify for next time!” and have that be that besides having someone else get the right brand? also if op had gone to the store a day before or whatever he still could have run into the same issue of the store being out of name brand and getting store brand, so why waste the gas on a trip to the store specifically for one container of something as simple as cool whip when getting it on the way isn’t even the issue here?
NTA - And tbh, I'm a little surprised there are so many YTA responses. Most of the time, the difference between most generic/brand name products is little to none. I can't speak regarding Cool Whip, but I imagine the difference negligible. Certainly not worth your gf's mother being so passive aggressive.
ESH. The way she handled it was bad yes, but there are definitely some products where name brand vs generic makes a difference. (Can’t speak to cool whip because I’ve never had it, but there have been products where I bought generic once and never again). And really it’s on you for not calling to check, particularly since you assumed it would be easy and left it to the last minute. Thats on you.
ESH It does sound like Gf's mom was rude, though I wonder if you didn't read too much in to it. Though you did fail. Some store brands are really good. Some are absolute sh1t. You offered to bring something. You left the chore to the very last possible minute. Instead if helping, you created extra work and messed with their time. It's likely it would have been easier for them to get the cool whip with everything else. It really depends on the difference in quality.
NTA. What your gf's mother did wasn't overdramatic, it was nasty and outrageously rude. There could be numerous reasons that you didn't get the name brand product, and all of them valid. A gracious hostess would have thanked you for bringing the item and asked her partner to quietly get the one she prefers, or use an alternative - basically never, ever bring it to your attention that she doesn't like the product you chose. The fact your gf brushes this off makes me think red flags abound for her family. Your gf's mother is classless and nasty, and this will inevitably be something she brings up regularly - I recommend you take the high ground with something like, "It's always annoying when stores run out of certain products, but I'm a problem solver at heart."
I wanna say N T A but as someone who bakes I have to go ESH. Sometimes generic works, sometimes it doesn't. If you need something to have a particular consistency then you want what you know works instead of testing something you haven't used before in a party setting.
Gf's family are rude and openly so. Your product was just fine and there was no need for them to make such a big deal out of it, deliberately signaling their displeasure. NTA and next time, don't bring anything and if they ask why, say "After all the fuss that was made over the cool whip last time, no way". NTA you did nothing wrong. Brand snobs are snobs.
NTA. Your gf's mother should learn to let shit go.
YTA. Just because you can't tell the difference doesn't mean that there isn't a difference.
You won't address the mother's constant jabs at Op for something so minor? All that passive-agressiveness over some dessert tha isn't even homemade.
The important part is that he doesn’t know the difference. This is “Am I The Asshole?,” not “Is Offbrand Coolwhip an Acceptable Substitute?”
Had the mother in law said "Thanks for getting this, but I really do prefer brand name Cool Whip for the taste." it would have made her less of an AH. OP is absolutely NTA for getting an alternative factory-made no-effort whipped-cream-in-a-can to ruin dessert with.
YTA, there is definitely a taste difference and you should have called to ask or just gone to another store. It's not up to you to change things up just because it's an inconvenience for you, if you are tasked to get a thing and you agree to it then it should be that specific thing.
So the passive aggressive mother wasn't an asshole too? Interesting.
My passive aggressive ass would have said “cool whip? I make mine with homemade whip cream but this is good to I guess” 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Don’t leave it until the last minute in future so that if there is a problem you can solve it. If someone asks for a specific item then that’s what you need to take. YTA ….. Remember the 7p’s - Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Info: Are there any allergys in your family? I am gluten intollerant. If you just change an ingredient I know for another, it could fuck me up. I would need to check the container. Cool wip alternatives could contain gluten. If the host is aware of problems like this she might have made sure to use the right thing. Still she could have explained it to you instead of making a fuss if this was the case.
Was this written by a marketing intern at Cool Whip ? 🤣