I stop by a fast food restaurant and get several tacos and a dragonfruit soda. When I arrive home, I put my food on the counter and turn around for a minute to let the dog out. Then, when I turn back around, I see my senile elderly uncle taking a sip of my soda.

Uncle: “What is this shit?”

Me: “It’s a dragonfruit soda. And it was mine.”

Uncle: “Oh, it’s one of those d*** [Asian slur] drinks! We don’t support other countries, only America!”

He threw my soda on the ground, just as my mom came in. I told her what happened and she started yelling at him and made him clean up the spill.

My aunt often speaks without thinking, which leads her to say some very thoughtless and offensive comments. But if you can believe it, she doesn’t even mean to be offensive; she’s actually that brainless.

A few of us are at my grandmother’s house, watching a televised military parade. The commander is shown on TV, saluting the President.

Aunt: “Wow, his uniform is very bright. Look at how bright the colours are!”

Sister: *Politely* “Yes, very colourful.”

Aunt: “So colourful! But look at him!”

We’re all trying to ignore her, knowing that she’ll have an inane comment. 

Aunt: “His uniform is so bright! But he’s so dark!”

We try to change the subject quickly, but her loud voice cuts through our conversation.

Aunt: “Why is he so dark! Did they paint him?”

We all gawp at her. I know my jaw is hanging open, and a few cousins’ are, as well. My uncle jumps in hurriedly and tells her to be quiet.

Another day, my cousins and sisters are taking a group photo with our grandmother. My uncle offers to help us take the photo.

Aunt: “So nice to see all of you together in the photo with Grandma! She’ll be so happy!”

Uncle: “Girls, can you move closer together—”

He’s cut off by his wife.

Aunt: “It’s too bad, though, that [Other Cousin] isn’t here! She’s the one that Grandma really loves the most!”

All four of us turn and stare at her. My grandma doesn’t speak English and is confused as to what is going on. The photo group breaks apart, the mood spoiled. But my aunt remains utterly oblivious with an empty-headed smile.

Aunt: “Yeah, too bad [Other Cousin] isn’t here!”

A few minutes later, she is talking about a few of her friends who are coming to visit my grandma.

Aunt: “[Friend] and her daughter are coming. The daughter is in her twenties, a bit sub-normal, but very nice.”

Me: “Sub-normal?”

It’s only the sheer WTF!-ness of the adjective that stops me from saying more.

Aunt: “Yeah, she’s a bit sub-normal, but you can try talking to her; she can understand what you’re saying.”

I am so offended, I stalk off and won’t talk to her. I know if I say anything, it will get back to my mother, who always insists on us being polite. The daughter turns out to have very mild Down’s Syndrome, and only speaks a little more slowly than usual.

To avoid any further conversation with Aunt Brainless, I gather up all the dishes and wash them very slowly. Later, that aunt comes into the kitchen. She’s laughing loudly and carrying on as though at a huge joke.

Aunt: “You know, because you’re dressed plainly and were doing the washing up, they all thought you were the maid!” *Laughs loudly*

Me: “…”

Aunt: “Yeah, because you were washing the dishes. They thought you were the maid! Because you’re dressed so plainly!”

Me: *Flatly* “Well, I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t come to tell me.”

Aunt: “Yeah, isn’t it funny?!” *Laughs louder*

She’s still oblivious, even now. Listening to her makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

This happens to me when I am about four or five years old. I don’t remember much of it, but the story is infamous in my family, so I know it well.

On a Friday afternoon, my parents drop my brother and me off at our aunt’s house to stay the weekend with her. When dinner time comes around:

Aunt: “Everyone has to eat a full bowl of veggies before I serve the main course.”

My bowl of veggies is full of steamed green beans. I HATE green beans and refuse to eat them. I sit at the table all night while everyone else eats their veggies, then spaghetti, and then chocolate cake for dessert. But I absolutely refuse to eat the green beans.

The next morning:

Aunt: “Here’s your green beans, [My Name].”

Again, I refuse. My parents do this with me to attempt to get me to eat foods I dislike because I am a picky eater. However, my aunt continues to offer me nothing but water and this bowl of green beans for every. Single. Meal. All weekend.

My parents return for us Sunday night to find me throwing up water in the bathroom, dazed and tired from not having eaten anything in over two days and only having had water, not even milk or juice.

We were never allowed to stay at that particular aunt’s house overnight ever again.

The kicker is that two weeks later, my parents made dinner with a side dish of green beans in seasoned rice and I loved it! My mom called my aunt right away to tell her all she had to do was season the d*** things.

My uncle is relatively nearsighted. Our two brothers both inherited my dad’s stocky build but my mom’s fair and easily sunburned complexion, while the older brother also inherited Dad’s thick crop of chest and back hair. My sister and my uncle are hanging out on the beach on a family vacation.

Uncle: “I can see your family out there in the water, but I can’t tell which one is which.”

Sister: “Oh, that’s easy.” *Points at youngest brother* “Tomato.” *Points at older brother* “Hairy tomato.” *Points at Dad* “Bear.”

And that is how new family nicknames are born.

I’m childhood friends with my neighbour’s kids. They have three boys and one girl. The youngest brother has just done something extremely stupid — covering himself in cushions and rolling down a hill — and is getting chewed out by their parents. The four of us are watching the carnage from afar.

Me: “Did your parents drop [Youngest Brother] on his head when he was a baby?”

Sister: “Of course not! How dare you insinuate that?! Our parents never dropped any of us on our heads!”

Me: “Uh, sorry.”

Brother #1: “It was our uncle that did the dropping.”

Me: “Really? He did that once?”

Brother #2: “More than once. Way more.”

I give him a disbelieving look.

Sister: “Yeah, admittedly, that’s true. He dropped all of us on our heads at least once.”

Now, the brothers might have been joking, but if their sister says so, then it’s true.