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Original poster

Catering for vegans

370 replies

PieandPotatoes · 03/12/2024 08:45

We have friends who come and stay regularly. One is a vegan. They never bring any food with them. It takes me ages to do the food shopping (checking labels for ingredients). We spend loads on oatmilk, vegan cheese/yoghurt etc and we end up cooking two dishes at mealtimes as my husband refuses to eat anything without meat. I think that they should at least bring some vegan food with them. What do you think?

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 06/12/2024 19:48

despairnow · 06/12/2024 16:57

And as the years have gone by the pans are kept separate. I just do stews/ chilli's/ curries eg. But if anyone fries eggs etc there are separate pans. We don't ever have raw meat or fish. Except for Christmas Day and we use separate tray / oven.

That's quite extreme. Do they have separate plates and cutlery as well?

DD is vegetarian, and we eat mainly vegetarian food while she is home, but on the odd occasion we have meat I will obviously use separate pans and utensils to avoid cross contamination while I am cooking, but once they are washed DD will use any pan I have used for cooking.

We keep all food that needs refrigerating in the one and only fridge that we own.

despairnow · 06/12/2024 16:57

And as the years have gone by the pans are kept separate. I just do stews/ chilli's/ curries eg. But if anyone fries eggs etc there are separate pans. We don't ever have raw meat or fish. Except for Christmas Day and we use separate tray / oven.

despairnow · 06/12/2024 16:48

I'm a ' strict' vegan. My family buy ready cooked meat etc if they want it which isn't v often and put it in the other fridge but I'm the only cook and my fridge / freezer is vegan.

However quite a lot of my vegan friends won't eat in a cafe or restaurant that serves meat - though I do it wouldn't be a steakhouse or anything very meat - orientated.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 14:29

RampantIvy · 06/12/2024 14:11

I suspect that they are the exception. I don't know any vegetarians or vegans who would handle or cook meat.

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My Uni friend was a strict vegetarian but she cooked chicken for her partner.
I'm mostly vegetarian but cook meat for my family.

RampantIvy · 06/12/2024 14:11

Cosyblankets · 06/12/2024 13:30

Friend of mine is vegan
Her husband and kids eat meat
They all cook for each other
It's a perfectly valid question
Surely you understand that not everyone is the same?

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I suspect that they are the exception. I don't know any vegetarians or vegans who would handle or cook meat.

Cosyblankets · 06/12/2024 13:32

Dimpliy · 05/12/2024 21:32

I’m not a vegan, I happily eat meat but I think you’re being too simplistic.

Eating a certain way becomes a way of life. It would be cruel to deny someone that.

Hence why prisons have to cater to vegetarians etc.

Edited
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No one is denying anyone anything.
Way of life..... that they have chosen.
It's a choice

Cosyblankets · 06/12/2024 13:30

RampantIvy · 05/12/2024 22:36

Someone who chooses not to eat meat, fish or animal products would find cooking meat goes against everything they believe in. They would find the idea of cooking meat distasteful and would not even be able to handle it.

Besides, if they aren't used to cooking meat they won't make a decent job of it.

Surely everyone understands this?

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Friend of mine is vegan
Her husband and kids eat meat
They all cook for each other
It's a perfectly valid question
Surely you understand that not everyone is the same?

Spooky2000 · 06/12/2024 13:29

TwinklyAmberOrca · 05/12/2024 21:43

@PieandPotatoes YABU

Vegan food can be so simple.

Just do a bean casserole and serve it with ciabbatta.

You can then use exactly the same recipe and put sausages in it for your husband.

Exactly.

Hillarious · 06/12/2024 13:27

Bosh! is a great vegan cookbook. It can be adapted to include dairy and meat in the recipes if you want, but the food is fab. My parents, both in their 80s, enjoyed the crispy fried tofu with sweet and sour sauce. First time they'd had it. Probably won't cook it again for themselves, but they definitely eat it at mine, with some fried rice.

I would only go so far as to buy in a substitute for milk. I wouldn't buy vegan cheese, but would stick with curries, risotto, chilli, etc - meals that can easily and cheaply be made and meat added if necessary.

Give your guests the left-over oat milk to take home. Or you can use it to make (Bird's) custard, and no-one would know the difference.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 13:13

StripyShirt · 06/12/2024 11:36

No, it's an ethical choice extending to not buying any animal products wherever possible. The point of this is to eliminate cruelty by removing demand - McDonalds would go vegan overnight if they thought it would be profitable enough. Diet just follows from that. There's no ethical reason not to eat roadkill or buy, say, a used car with leather seats.

The basic ethical principle is this:

"If it's unnecessary and involves cruelty, avoid it, otherwise no need to avoid"

Hence taking essential animal-based or tested medication is OK, whereas buying a hat with feathers in it is not OK.

Ethics aside, meat and dairy is making a large contribution to climate change (about the same as all transport, would you believe?) and is unsustainable. Changing to a plant-based diet would reduce this dramatically and free over 70% of land currently used for agriculture.

People might think they're making ethical choices, which aren't actually ethical choices at all.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 13:12

Dimpliy · 06/12/2024 11:17

I think you don't understand human nature at all.

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Do any of use understand the breadth of human nature at all?

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 13:12

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 11:45

@Nolegusta "It's just you who seems to be struggling"

Would you mind trying again one more time, please?

I suggest reading through the existing posts. It's all explained in fairly simple terms.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 13:11

despairnow · 06/12/2024 12:32

Veganism is an ethical choice.

Plant based diet is just that - a dietary choice.

Veganism can be an ethical choice.
It isn't always an ethical choice.

despairnow · 06/12/2024 12:32

Veganism is an ethical choice.

Plant based diet is just that - a dietary choice.

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 11:45

@Nolegusta "It's just you who seems to be struggling"

Would you mind trying again one more time, please?

StripyShirt · 06/12/2024 11:36

No, it's an ethical choice extending to not buying any animal products wherever possible. The point of this is to eliminate cruelty by removing demand - McDonalds would go vegan overnight if they thought it would be profitable enough. Diet just follows from that. There's no ethical reason not to eat roadkill or buy, say, a used car with leather seats.

The basic ethical principle is this:

"If it's unnecessary and involves cruelty, avoid it, otherwise no need to avoid"

Hence taking essential animal-based or tested medication is OK, whereas buying a hat with feathers in it is not OK.

Ethics aside, meat and dairy is making a large contribution to climate change (about the same as all transport, would you believe?) and is unsustainable. Changing to a plant-based diet would reduce this dramatically and free over 70% of land currently used for agriculture.

Dimpliy · 06/12/2024 11:17

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 09:57

It's not 'just' a choice, it's a choice.

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I think you don't understand human nature at all.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 10:39

despairnow · 06/12/2024 10:35

Nole
Indeed it's a chouce. An ethical choice. To avoid any exploitation of animals including killing them, eating them for our own benefit, using them for furniture or testing for products, using them for their own products ( honey) , interfering with their normal cycle of fertility/ breeding ( chickens, milking cows) avoiding cruelty from the consumer industry, not using them for entertainment purposes ( zoos, racing etc)
More recently also shown to be better for the environment

It can be an ethical choice but it isn't always.

despairnow · 06/12/2024 10:35

Nole
Indeed it's a chouce. An ethical choice. To avoid any exploitation of animals including killing them, eating them for our own benefit, using them for furniture or testing for products, using them for their own products ( honey) , interfering with their normal cycle of fertility/ breeding ( chickens, milking cows) avoiding cruelty from the consumer industry, not using them for entertainment purposes ( zoos, racing etc)
More recently also shown to be better for the environment

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 10:10

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 10:01

@Nolegusta "Spectacularly missing the point (again)"

Had you considered that you are not making your point very clearly? If people keep missing it so spectacularly....

It's just you who seems to be struggling.

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 10:01

@Nolegusta "Spectacularly missing the point (again)"

Had you considered that you are not making your point very clearly? If people keep missing it so spectacularly....

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 09:58

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 07:43

@Nolegusta "Lots of vegan food is processed"

Lots of food is processed. Don't like processed food? Don't eat processed food. Simple.

Spectacularly missing the point (again).

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 09:57

Dimpliy · 06/12/2024 07:31

No, my point was broader. I’m saying even as I as an omnivore understand that veganism isn’t just a choice, it’s a way of life and eating meat (for example) can become impossible and unthinkable for many vegans and vegetarians.

I still think OP needs to tell these people they can’t stay with her though!

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It's not 'just' a choice, it's a choice.

Nolegusta · 06/12/2024 09:55

Bjorkdidit · 06/12/2024 07:43

And we're back to the frankly bizarre assumption that 'vegan food' is some special weirdy factory UPF shite while normal food for 'carnivores' (are we feeding cats here or people, ie omnivores?) is lovely fresh locally grown healthy food.

Most food is vegan, vegetables,fruit, pulses. Then most of the rest is vegetarian, cheese and eggs. Then obviously meat and fish, so you just avoid these when people don't eat them and eat the other foods.

Edited
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Read what I actually wrote again, more slowly this time.

CurlewKate · 06/12/2024 09:29

@Dimpliy "That’s great for you that you don’t love vegetarian foods, I grew up on it and it was a very healthy diet."

You misunderstand me. I'm not going to say I love any sort of food. I love good food. Whether it's vegan, vegetarian or meat based is irrelevant. If it's good I like it!