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Were You Raised By Wolves?®
Were You Raised By Wolves?®
Join Emmy® Award-winning journalist Nick Leighton and acclaimed comedian Leah Bonnema (Late Show with Stephen Colbert), the perfect odd couple, as they try to make the world a nicer, more polite place and offer up practical advice to help you smoothly glide through any situation. Please listen and follow! (We’d send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Sept. 14, 2026

Battling in Cruise Ship Laundry Rooms, Escaping Bad Breath, Duplicating Potluck Dishes, and More

Battling in Cruise Ship Laundry Rooms, Escaping Bad Breath, Duplicating Potluck Dishes, and More
Were You Raised By Wolves?®
Battling in Cruise Ship Laundry Rooms, Escaping Bad Breath, Duplicating Potluck Dishes, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about battling in cruise ship laundry rooms, escaping bad breath, duplicating potluck dishes, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a handwritten thank-you note if we could.)

Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ask.wyrbw.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS:

  • Is it OK to use two washing machines at once in a cruise ship laundry room?
  • How do you leave a conversation when you’re the only one talking?
  • What do you do when you find out that you were the only one in your friend group not invited to a gathering or event?
  • What do you do when someone with terrible breath is speaking to you up close and there's no room to step back?
  • How can I get my mother-in-law to bring the dish I actually asked for?

THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

CREDITS

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick Leighton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leah Bonnema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer & Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick Leighton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rob Paravonian⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW

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TRANSCRIPT

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 319

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Transcript

Nick: Hey, everybody. It's Nick Leighton.

Leah: And it's Leah Bonnema.

Nick: And we had so many great questions from you all in the wilderness ...

Leah: [howls]

Nick: ... that we have a bonus episode. So here we go! And all of these questions come from our recent voyage on the Queen Mary 2. We got so many questions that we had some extras, and here they are.

Leah: Yeah, Nick and I were sort of—we didn't know it was gonna happen because it is not our regular Wolves? family. They're not familiar with what we do, so we thought what if nobody gives us any questions? And then we got so many.

Nick: A lot in the bucket.

Leah: We were so happy.

Nick: Very happy. So here's the first one, which is, quote, "When you are on the Queen Mary 2 and waiting in line for the laundry, are you allowed to use more than one machine or must you wait until your first load is done and use that same machine for your second load?"

Leah: If you had your finger on my wrist right now, you would've just felt my pulse go up.

Nick: [laughs] So explain what the laundry situation is on the Queen Mary, which I actually think is very similar to other cruise ships.

Leah: So there was—what did they call the laundry rooms?

Nick: Laundrettes, I think.

Leah: Laundrettes, which I love. And I'm not sure if it was every other floor or if it was just so far down on my deck that it was like I should go up one or down one.

Nick: I mean, there were certainly quite a few of them throughout the ship.

Leah: Yeah. And they're free. They're available.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: But they're open for a very specific period of time because they don't want to bother the people in rooms on either side of them.

Nick: Yeah. I don't want, like, laundry sounds at 3:00 am.

Leah: Which totally understandable.

Nick: Reasonable.

Leah: But it is an octagon in there. You go in and people are fighting for their laundry lives.

Nick: Well, because I think there was only, like, two and two, right? Two washers, two dryers.

Leah: I believe it was three and three.

Nick: Okay. But still for a ship that size ...

Leah: And they're not like industrial size. They're like a—I'm not gonna say petite, but it's like a regular load.

Nick: Okay. Yeah, I actually did not have the opportunity to do laundry on the ship because I just brought enough clothes. So I was fine.

Leah: Well, what—I did not pack correctly. Next time I will pack correctly. I had too much of one thing and not enough of another, and it was the other one that I actually needed. So I was doing laundry.

Nick: Okay. So you're in the room. What happens?

Leah: Okay. So first off, it's not a big room. So you go in and there's people in line. So you have to figure out, are they waiting for the washer? Are they waiting for the dryer? Are we, like, putting in our—who's waiting for what?

Nick: Okay. So people are in the room, they're waiting. There's a queue.

Leah: There is a queue. So I think first we established that. They're not opening at the same time, these washers. Nobody's going in like it was all, oh, this one's done in 12 minutes. This one's done in 40 minutes.

Nick: So there was not a situation in which both machines of the same type were available at the same time. There was never two washers that were ready to roll.

Leah: Never. And so that's what's so interesting, because I think the question then is, do you then lose your place in line or do you get to stand there and then be like, no, I still have another one.

Nick: Oh, okay.

Leah: Because if two opened up at the same time, why would you not? I mean, unless you didn't need two washers and then you were just splitting up your stuff and there's tons of people waiting. And then I think maybe egregious.

Nick: That's gratuitous.

Leah: Yeah, that's gratuitous.

Nick: Sure. Yeah. You're just doing one washcloth in an entire washing machine? Yeah. Let's not do that. I mean, my first thought was if two machines are available and nobody is there waiting to use them, use both. I think that's fair. Use both machines. You do not have to only use one machine if two are available and you need two and nobody's waiting.

Leah: Oh, of course. But this is not the situation.

Nick: So then the question is okay, there's a queue. You have two loads to do. Do you get the next two available when you are in line?

Leah: I mean, I do think you put yours in, and then you clearly have more stuff and you are like, I need one more.

Nick: Yeah. Okay. Oh, I feel—let me just walk this out. I feel like I'm in line at 10:00 am. I went into the room, one washer's available for me. And so I'm doing that. I'm staying in the room.

Leah: Yeah. You can't leave the room.

Nick: And I'm waiting for the next machine to open. Nobody else has come yet. Now somebody walks into the room behind me. I think I still get to use the next available machine.

Leah: Yes.

Nick: I think that's fair.

Leah: Yes. What if, though, there's three people behind you?

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: You put yours into the one and then you still need one more, but there's still three people waiting. They see that you've put one in.

Nick: Well, when did those people arrive? They've always been there?

Leah: They came in, like, three minutes after you.

Nick: Oh, I feel like I would still take the next available because I was there first, and so all of my laundry needs are in the same space in the queue.

Leah: I agree. I think the one thing I would do is when they came in, I would say—because everybody comes in and they go,"Oh, this one has 40, this one has 12." And then I think that's when you let them know so they can schedule their time.

Nick: Right.

Leah: I have two loads.

Nick: Yes, I think that's fine. Because otherwise I have to go to the back of the queue then? So then I have to come back to do the second wash three hours from now?

Leah: And also you're in there because of the dryer. I think you get ...

Nick: Yeah. No, I think my queue position involves all of the laundry I have.

Leah: Yes.

Nick: I think that's how that works. It does feel a little wrong though.

Leah: It does feel wrong, but I think—I think that we just have to tell the people behind us so they know, because what they think is they're gonna get the washer that's up in 30 minutes.

Nick: Right.

Leah: And you have to be like, "I'm also getting that." So they know.

Nick: And I think they will give you a dirty look because that feels greedy, but I think it's still okay.

Leah: Also, be there on time when it dings. Everybody's waiting.

Nick: Yeah. I mean, you have to, you really—you should always do that but, like, on this ship, absolutely gotta be there on time.

Leah: And I think you should expect that if you're not there on time, somebody's gonna put it in the basket, and that's totally fair.

Nick: Yeah, that's on you at that point. So our next question is, quote, "How do you leave a conversation when you are the only one talking?"

Leah: For this one, I thought maybe you throw a question out.

Nick: Mmm.

Leah: To somebody.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: Just in case maybe somebody isn't good at talking and they needed some kind of a lead-in.

Nick: Yeah. Yeah, that was kind of my first thought. I mean, what I wrote down was, "Reflect, are you the problem?"

Leah: [laughs] Okay. So I wasn't gonna say it that directly, but I was like, "Maybe let's just throw out a question."

Nick: Yeah. Because I've definitely been in conversation with people where I just can't get a word in edgewise and I just give up. I'm just like, I'm not gonna—I'm not gonna bother and I'm just gonna listen. I'm just gonna be a great audience. And so if you put me in that position, like, that's not my fault.

Leah: I mean, yes.

Nick: Right?

Leah: [laughs] So I think let's try throwing out a few questions and see are maybe these just shy people? Maybe I've just been overexcited. Like, let's give them—let's like give them a few.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: What's that called in improv when you throw out a—oh yeah, throw out a suggestion.

Nick: Yeah. Can I get a suggestion for a place of work?

Leah: [laughs] Yeah. Can I get a suggestion for summer reading list? You know, anything. And then maybe they're just not talkative people and they don't really have any—they don't want to talk. And then, you know, you sort of feel talked out and then I think you just go, "I'm gonna go refresh my drink," or "I need to run to the washroom. It's lovely chatting." And then just move on.

Nick: Yeah. Then we just move on. But I think the first thing when you are in a conversation where you're like, oh, this is not going well. Reflect, because, you know, sometimes it might be you. And so you just want to make sure, like, let's eliminate that possibility. And then yes, people do have different ideas about interrupting. And this is very cultural, this is very personal. Like, some people don't like overlapping conversation and really do wait for a, a long pause before they jump in.

Leah: Yes.

Nick: Some people are more comfortable doing that. And so yeah, you want to give people the space.

Leah: And then on the other side of that coin, we've all been in conversations where we're with people where we can tell they don't necessarily love us, they don't want to be talking to us and we're like, how much—how hard do I have to work to try to be cordial?

Nick: Who wouldn't love talking to us though, Leah? Who are those people?

Leah: Who are those people? And then I think we just politely excuse ourselves.

Nick: Yeah. You're like, "Oh, so lovely chatting with you. Bye!"

Leah: And then, "I gotta go to the bathroom."

Nick: "I gotta refresh my drink. I need to be anywhere but here." Yeah. Any of those work.

Leah: I usually have to go floss.

Nick: Don't tell people that.

Leah: [laughs]

Nick: So our next question is, quote, "What do you do when you find out that you were the only one in your friend group not invited to an event?"

Leah: I feel like there's actually multiple layers to this.

Nick: There are. There are. I mean, my first thought was there was an event once that I should have been invited to.

Leah: Oh, is—do I know about this one, Nick?

Nick: You sure do. I will not discuss the specifics or what I did in response, but I will say fairly epic. [laughs] So pretty epic. Anyway, it has happened to me. It has happened to many people. And so it happens. And so my first thought was we cannot be expected to be invited to everything. And so you just have to know, like, you're not gonna be invited to everything.

Leah: This was actually one of the first stories Nick told me.

Nick: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it does demonstrate what I am capable of.

Leah: And I think I—well, I told you, I was like, "Wow, that's wild."

Nick: Our audience is like, what did he do? I won't say, but it was good. Anyway, so yes, we cannot be expected to be invited to everything.

Leah: It wasn't good, Nick! [laughs]

Nick: I think it was good. I had a good time. Anyway, so we cannot be expected to be invited to everything. It is also a good reminder about the theater metaphor. Which is that sometimes we think we are closer to people than we really are. And when something like this happens, it is a realization like, oh, I thought that I was in their orchestra and it turns out I am not in their orchestra. I'm not as close to those people as I thought I was. And it makes you rethink your entire relationship, and moving forward you have to recalibrate. Oh, I am not as close to these people as I thought I was. And so then you just proceed with that knowledge.

Leah: I also think sometimes there's been an error. I want to say that.

Nick: Yes. Oh, this is a good point. Yes. Were you supposed to be invited and just something went awry? A lost text, a missing email?

Leah: I've also had situations where I wasn't invited to—I saw something, I was like, oh, everybody's—and then I didn't bring it up because it didn't feel—it didn't feel appropriate for me to bring up.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: And then later on somebody was like, "I had no idea that you were in town." You know, because I travel so much. And I didn't even bring it up, but they—you know, and you're like, "Of course."

Nick: Yes. And not bringing up, I think that was a polite move. I think there's a world in which you could also bring it up with them privately later, which is like, "Hey, you know, I've noticed that I've been out of the loop lately. Like, just want to make sure everything's okay between us."

Leah: Oh, I definitely—and there are times I would bring it up. That's why I was trying to say I think there's so many layers. Like, sometimes there's sort of a vibe that you're like, this was just an oversight.

Nick: Well, this is when it's useful to, like, work with some third parties. So, like, if you know other people are invited, be like, "Hey, I, didn't get an invitation. Do you think, like, it was lost or do we think I'm not invited?" And then those people go to the host and be like, "Hey, we noticed that Nick and Leah weren't invited. Like, did you mean to not invite them?" And then they'd be like, "Yeah, you know, we just don't like their podcast and we just don't want them here." And which, okay, now we know. Or they'd be like, "Oh my gosh, no, they're totally invited. Let me see what email address I have for them." And then we solve the problem. So sometimes having a third party do your dirty work is very effective.

Leah: I also think that if it's like a close friend and it's like a big event and you're not invited and, you know, you're really hurt ...

Nick: Right.

Leah: ... I think just call them and have the conversation. "Hey, I saw this was happening and I'm wondering if something happened between us that I missed."

Nick: Yeah. If I'm not invited to your wedding, I am certainly gonna let you know that I feel like that's weird.

Leah: And I think we just have a direct conversation about that.

Nick: We do.

Leah: I just think sort of sometimes we got to read the vibe and be like, was this just not a big deal? And it was like something came together last minute and I wasn't around and it's nothing? Or am I, like Nick said, actually not in this person's close ...?

Nick: Yes. And if that's what it is, then I think yeah, this does happen, and sometimes this is how you find out.

Leah: Yeah. And I saw it recently happen to a friend, and they were very hurt. And your feelings get hurt and it's like, what—now you know, and not now you know, because that sounds harsh, but it's like, now she knows who appreciates her, and then she can move forward to her close friend group.

Nick: Yes. That's a great way to frame it, which is like, let's not waste energy on people who do not reciprocate or where there's, like, some crazy imbalance in terms of the amount of energy we're putting into this relationship. Because we only have so many hours in the day and so many evenings to spend with people. And, like, why not just spend those with people who actually enjoy your company? Like, honestly, don't waste time with people who don't enjoy your company. Life is too short.

Leah: And then if it's something that you're really stumped by, you know, send a text. "Hey, I saw you doing your birthday party. Did I—have I offended you or something?"

Nick: Yes. I think you could do something along those lines. Although I think we want to avoid feeling ...

Leah: Owed?

Nick: Owed. Yeah. Entitled to being invited, or maybe feeling like there's some obligation to invite you. Like, that's not necessarily the case, but I think clarifying, you know, did I do something wrong to offend you? Is there something that I did? Is there something that happened in this relationship that I'm not aware of that led to this?

Leah: Yes, because I would actually like the opportunity to fix it.

Nick: Yeah, I think if it's done in that spirit and not just like, oh, I wanted to go to a fun party and I don't like being left out.

Leah: And then I think the other one in this is do you feel like everybody's in on it? And then they're like, "Let's not invite Leah," you know? And then that's not a good feeling. And then I think we don't want them as friends.

Nick: Yeah, we don't want that. And also how you found out is material. Like, it's okay to not invite everybody to everything, but it's not okay to rub that in everybody's face.

Leah: Yes.

Nick: So, like, having a huge blowout party and then broadcasting it all over Facebook, but then, like, half of your Facebook friends were not invited? That's rude.

Leah: Yeah. And then the other times, sometimes we can only invite three people and we're not those three people. And that's unfortunately just life.

Nick: Yeah. Sometimes that's life. So sorry.

Leah: And we have every right to have our feelings hurt and we can sit home and watch all of the Lord of the Rings and eat some gluten-free pizza with black olives and mushrooms on it. And then we go out and we make new friends.

Nick: And also, honestly, sometimes not being invited to something is great. Like, do you really want to go to this event? Do you really want to go? It's nice to be invited but, like, do you really actually want to have to go?

Leah: It's a great song by Fall Out Boy. Oh, it's a lyric. "I never go. I just wanted to be invited."

Nick: I mean, that sentiment, I totally get that. Yeah. At the end of the day, I think that's the truth. That's the girdle.

Leah: Well, how funny is it if people are like, "I always invite them and they just never come, so I'm just not inviting them." And then you're like, "Oh, that was me. I did do that to myself."

Nick: Oh, that could also be the other part of this. Yes. Yeah, actually it is possible that you've been invited so many times and kept declining and then they're like, well, "We're not gonna invite you again."

Leah: Yeah. They're like, "Obviously she doesn't like us."

Nick: Yeah. Oh, I didn't even consider that. Yes. Letter-writer here, maybe the problem is you.

Leah: I mean, so many times you got to reflect back on what happened before. Sometimes it's totally them, but sometimes you've been putting out a vibe: I'd rather stay home. And they were actually trying to make you not feel obligated.

Nick: Yeah. Okay. Wow. We really covered the bases on that one.

Leah: I think we've covered all the bases.

Nick: So our next question is, quote, "What do you do when someone is speaking to you and they're very close and have terrible breath and there's no room to step back?"

Leah: Boy, does this happen.

Nick: Boy, does this happen. Yeah. So what do you do?

Leah: I guess we can't leave.

Nick: We are trapped for the moment. For the moment, at least.

Leah: I have, like, an overwhelming sense of smell.

Nick: Okay.

Leah: Dustin thinks I'm a werewolf.

Nick: [laughs] Do werewolves have a very good sense of smell?

Leah: I think everybody in the dog family has an intense sense of smell and hearing. I have a crazy sense of hearing and smell. And if something smells off and I'm close to it, there's a 50/50 chance that I'm gonna get sick. [laughs]

Nick: Oh, wow. Okay. Just sort of dry heaving on the side.

Leah: I just can't. I can't. And, so if I'm—if I can't leave and it's that bad, I'm gonna have to pop a gum myself. So that's the closest thing to my mouth that I can smell.

Nick: So that was on my list. Let's have some mints or some gum. Although, I mean, who can be prepared for this? But if you're the type of person that always has mints or you always have gum on you, right?

Leah: I always have gum.

Nick: So then the trick though, to pull this off. You have to enjoy the gum or the mint first, and then you offer it to the other person. Like, "I'm enjoying a mint right now. Oh, how rude of me not to offer. Would you like a mint?"

Leah: I'll even just have the gum myself and not be like, "Do you want some?" Just to try to calm down what's happening in my nose holes.

Nick: Okay. All right. I guess that is a solution. Separate conversation about whether or not it's polite to chew gum in public but, like, we'll save that for another day.

Leah: Also, who cares? Do you. Life is short. Chew gum. Does it make you feel better? Maybe you are on a medication and you have dry mouth. Some of these rules gotta go.

Nick: [laughs] Okay. The other thought I had was that sometimes you just have to tough it out. I mean, sometimes you just are in a situation that's uncomfortable and unpleasant. And that's just life. We just cannot expect to be comfortable all the time. And so learning to live in uncomfortable situations, this is a good life skill. It's something we should practice. It comes up all the time. And so yes, how long can we just tough it out until we can end the conversation and excuse ourselves?

Leah: Well, that's why I think it's also okay to just chew your gum or have a mint yourself. Like, I'm just doing this for me and then you take care of yourself and I'm not telling you how to take care of your mouth.

Nick: Yeah. And I think trying to solve it on your end rather than try to fix them, I think that's usually the solution. Like, can I move at all? Am I up against a wall? Like, do I have any geography here that's available, or is it just like, I'm literally stuck and I have no options? Can I—like, is there anything possible?

Leah: Also, if it's a close friend and you know they're gonna be talking to other people and maybe it's a work event, you may want to get involved. Like, you pop a gum yourself and then you go, "You need a gum."

Nick: Yeah. I mean, if it's somebody you know in that way, then yeah. Or if they're about to go on a date or, like, it's something important. Right.

Leah: Because it's better—it's better coming from you than them finding out at the end of the night. Maybe they didn't know.

Nick: Yeah. And this also applies to, like, overly garlicky hors d'oeuvres—although that's an insane thing to offer hors d'oeuvres at an event that has a lot of garlic, but that happens. Or raw onions, you know, any of these things.

Leah: I will say recently I said, "Hey Nick, do I have anything in my teeth?" And he goes, "No." And then I got to a washroom.

Nick: You did not!

Leah: And there was an entire salad of broccoli lying on my upper teeth.

Nick: [laughs] I didn't see it! You have very healthy gum architecture that hides it all. I didn't see it when you asked me. You didn't smile that widely. You kind of did, like, a pursed smile, which showed no teeth. And I could only see what I saw. I would've absolutely let you know if you had, like, an entire salad in your face.

Leah: Okay.

Nick: [laughs] Leah does not believe me.

Leah: Felt like a betrayal, but it's okay.

Nick: Yeah. She's still talking about it.

Leah: I actually had forgotten about it. I had actually forgotten about it until this conversation. And then I didn't actually—it wasn't a—the memory came back so hard. I just saw my teeth in the mirror.

Nick: Uh-huh?

Leah: And I thought, "Nick!"

Nick: And I'm personally responsible for your dental hygiene?

Leah: Well, I'm not flossing at the table to be a polite lady.

Nick: I appreciate that. Well, I am sorry that I missed it. Next time, next time you ask, what I'm gonna do is ask you to pull up your lips like you're a horse.

Leah: If you could actually pull my lip back for me and be like, "Let me look at the top of that."

Nick: It's gonna be like the AKC dog show where I'm inspecting your teeth and I'm gonna, like, really get in there. I'm really gonna look around, make sure. Sure.

Leah: This is what I want.

Nick: That's what I'll do for you. Okay.

Leah: Thank you.

Nick: So our next question is, quote, "How can I get my mother-in-law to bring the food I asked her to bring to a party? Last time she duplicated what I asked my aunt to bring."

Leah: I thought maybe we should start with the mother-in-law.

Nick: Okay?

Leah: And go, "What do you want to bring?"

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: Well, first you say what you're making. "This is what I'm making. These are the options for what people can bring. What out of those things do you want to bring?"

Nick: Okay. I like that idea. Sometimes with party planning, that's hard to pull off. But if you could pull that off, I like it.

Leah: Because it seems like we're assigning things.

Nick: Yes. I mean, this seems like a potluck type of event where we don't want, like, 20 people bringing hummus.

Leah: Right.

Nick: I guess my question is: Are you saying to this woman, "Please bring the onion dip," and then she's like, "Okay," and then she shows up with brownies? Like, is that what's happening? Did she agree to bring the thing you asked her to bring and is actively defying you? Or did you never get buy-in?

Leah: I feel like we never got buy-in.

Nick: I think we never got buy-in. And I think that's the missing piece. We need to have her verbally agree. I need a verbal yes. It's like sitting in an emergency row on an airplane where the flight attendant's like, "I need a verbal yes." So I think you do need a verbal yes from her. "Will you bring the onion dip? Yes or no?" And they're like, "Yes." And you're like, "Okay, you have said yes to onion dip. Thank you so much." Until you get that, yeah, I think who knows what she's gonna bring.

Leah: Yeah. Let's make sure we get an emergency seating row verbal, eye contact, yes.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: And then you can say, "Because Aunt Jane is bringing the crudité platter."

Nick: So don't need more crudité.

Leah: "I need—I need you on this onion dip." And then you could always throw in a compliment. "And I love your onion dip!"

Nick: Well, that's something I had on my list, which is is there a signature dish that only she makes? Her famous ...

Leah: Blank.

Nick: Her famous aspic.

Leah: After I Google what that is, I'm gonna say ...

Nick: Aspic?

Leah: Aspic.

Nick: Aspic is basically gelatin and things suspended in gelatin. It's sort of the precursor to the Jell-O ...

Leah: Okay.

Nick: ... that became very popular, I guess. I guess in the '50s.

Leah: Yeah, it feels like the '50s.

Nick: Jell-O kind of took over from aspic. You still—anyway, both I don't find particularly appealing.

Leah: Yeah. Does she have a thing that just knocks your socks off or she loves to make it?

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: Did we accidentally give her signature dish to somebody else to bring also?

Nick: Oh, okay. Like, she's famous for the cookies, and then you had the aunt make cookies and, like, why would you have Aunt Lisa make cookies when you clearly know that, you know, these cookies are better? Yeah, that's on you.

Leah: Or maybe you didn't know that's her thing, but your aunt—the aunt had brought it to one party, but what you didn't know, but behind the scenes, is that she actually stole that from the mother-in-law, that maybe that was hers first.

Nick: Oh. Yeah, okay. Oh, so the mother-in-law actually duplicated the dish to make a point.

Leah: Yeah. She was like, "Okay."

Nick: Okay. "I'm gonna show you which ambrosia salad is better."

Leah: Yeah. Let's bring this back to the origin story.

Nick: Oh, that's plausible.

Leah: It is plausible.

Nick: That actually is something that could be happening here. Yeah. No, this duplication was not a mistake.

Leah: No!

Nick: Hmm! Oh, the plot thickens.

Leah: Mother-in-laws are not making mistakes. They're making calculated choices.

Nick: That's true. Oh, wow! Oh, diabolical!

Leah: We just don't know what the aunt did in the middle.

Nick: Oh, actually, yeah. In this story here, the aunt is the villain.

Leah: [laughs]

Nick:*[laughs]* Yeah, let's not let the aunt off the hook here. Yeah. Oh yeah, we don't know what happened. And obviously, the mother-in-law and the aunt, do we think they're siblings?

Leah: I don't know, because sometimes people say, "Oh, that's my aunt." Or they say, "That's my aunt," and it's not even a real relative.

Nick: That's true. Yeah, it's just like the best friend from next door.

Leah: Yeah. But these two have a relationship.

Nick: They have a past. They have—yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, there's been some recipe stealing. Oh, we really cracked the code on this then.

Leah: [laughs]

Nick: Wow! Oh, this turned from innocent to not so innocent so fast.

Leah: Yeah, it turned from being like, "Can we just ask my mother-in-law to, like, can she just bring—" what do I really want to eat? "Can she just bring the taco salad?"

Nick: Just the taco salad.

Leah: Why can't she do that? But then we found out, oh, she had a signature taco salad seasoning that she trademarked and patented, and then the aunt came and stole it, took it on Shark Tank. I mean, it's been a whole thing.

Nick: Okay, so that's the answer to that one. So you out there, do you have any questions for us about stealing recipes or anything else? Let us know. You can let us know through our website, WereYouRaisedByWolves.com. Or you can leave us a voicemail or send us a text message: (267) CALL-RBW. And we'll see you next time.

Leah: Bye!

Nick: Bye!