Opinions please - is this concerning, or just a difference in etiquette? Maybe something else
We are British but my husband has American family from the US. (His Aunt married an American and moved over there, had children and then retired back over here. So my husbands cousins, and his uncle are all American.)
Anyways, one of husbands cousins is over visiting with her new fiance.
They both came over to my husbands parents for dinner today. This is the first time anyone in the family is meeting her fiance (he is American too. I dunno if its even relevant but maybe?)
My inlaws offer to order a Chinese takeaway for everyone for dinner as they have just got a new kitchen installed 2 days ago and everything like pots and pans and ingredients are still packed away.
This is obviously going to be quite expensive, they don't expect anyone else to pay but we always offer anyways. But we just appreciate the fact that they're ordering us dinner and it's quite expensive. (It's coming from a Chinese restaurant rather than just a little takeaway so it's a bit more money)
Whilst we are waiting for the food to arrive my husband and his dad and the fiance all go outside to the garden, because my FIL was building something and they were all having a look at it.
The food arrives and cousin steps out into the garden to let the guys know, and her fiance turns around and says something along the lines of "I'm looking at this just now." but in a tone that was really weird, like he was angry?
She came back inside and didn't day anything else, I helped MIL plate up the food and then cousin went back outside to tell the guys that dinner was now on the table.
Her fiance did a massive sigh/huff and came in like he was being dragged by his ear or something.
We all sat down and then halfway through the meal, fiance stood up and went out into the hallway and closed the door, without saying a word. Usually we would excuse ourselves from the table if we needed the loo or whatever but we just assumed maybe he felt awkward? Idk. It was strange.
Anyways 20 minutes go by and the room is getting really hot because the door is closed, so my MIL walks over to open it and fiance is just stood in the hallway on his phone? He hadn't went to the bathroom at all. For 20 minutes? (My MIL had mentioned to cousin like is he okay? Maybe he's ill in the toilet but she didn't seem concerned, like this was totally normal)
Obviously they were a little annoyed because they just bought all this food and he's not at the table for 20 minutes, everything is getting cold lmao
He comes back to the table and stays on his phone. This is family he's never met before. It's just totally bizarre. He didn't even say anything, he didn't explain maybe it was work, or his family back home, nothing, he just sat and typed away for ages. Cousin seemed awkward but didn't say anything to him either.
It was all just very bizarre. He didn't say thank you, he was so sharp and impatient when talking to cousin, it was all a bit concerning to me tbh.
I don't want to judge anyone by their looks but he is a big man, easily 6'3, cousin is only 5ft, if that. He seems like a bit of a bully by the way he was speaking to her and thats concerning given hes so much bigger than her, but maybe hes just socially awkward too?? Idk, the whole visit was just so so weird.
But I don't know if maybe its just a difference in where we're from, is it normal to leave the dinner table without saying anything? I would assume not? What are table manners like in the US? I'm assuming it's just this guy that's a bit rude and not the whole nation lol but it's my only experience having dinner with anyone from the US and he was on his phone most of the time 😅😅😅
Cousins mum does not like the fiance, and I'm not surprised. Tbh I was saying maybe MIL should say something to her sister about him but then at the end of the day it's not our business. Maybe its just his personality but so weird!
