Bought a thesaurus to fight a word ban and then handed them two more words to ban. That is like bringing a knife to a gun fight, except the knife was also a gun that shot you. You basically paid $60 to write their next rule for them. Next time just call it a "hangout" and see if they ban that too.

Cantonese is just one style, and it's mostly what got popular in the US because that's who came over first. Sichuan food is spicy and numbing, Hunan is more straight up hot, and both are nothing like the mild, saucy stuff she's used to. Don't try to win an argument with her, just cook or order one dish from each and let her taste it. Once she tries a real mapo tofu or some kung pao, she might get it on her own.

Did you also check who pays for the survey and permits if the deal falls apart? My cousin got stuck with $4k in site work fees because the contract said those were non refundable once the dirt got moved.