Do people really eat meat for every meal?

[CurlewKate]

There seems to be a post every day about the difficulties of catering for a vegetarian guest. I'm an omnivore and I do love meat, but probably only eat it 3-sometimes 4 times a week. And if a guest was a vegetarian I would have no trouble cooking a nice meal without meat-either a family staple or something posher. So do people really eat meat for every meal? And if so-why? Apart from anything else, meat costs a fortune!

Some days we don't have any meat but I'd say we eat some kind of meat 5-6 days a week for 1 meal

I think quite a lot of people do yeah. Meat/fish, veggies + carb is a really easy way to cook, everything separate so anyone who is fussy can leave the buy they don't like, usually reasonably healthy. DS is veggie now and tbh it is harder to make something nice that everyone likes and that doesn't really overdo carbs &/or cheese.

I def don’t, I eat it around twice a week and perhaps fish once a week but my dh and one ds are vegetarian (other ds is not) . I’m happy to eat vegetarian food most of the time.

@Pinkpinkplonk
"Surely when you host, you aim to give people what they like/ can eat!!
If was hosting a vegan I’d cook them a vegan meal!"

Of course. But if I was a vegetarian I wouldn't cook meat for a meat eater. Unless they had some sort of condition that meant they could only eat meat!

Most dinners, yes. Fish once or twice a week. Even if I’m having something like macaroni cheese, I like it with chopped ham or bacon in.

Haha, I’m not coming to your house for dinner then!
I have vegetarian friends, they have no problem cooking meat for parties or bbqs if they’re hosting.

I didn't make that clear at all, did I? I don't cook meat, I just buy in cooked meat- like a chicken curry- for visitors. I

I used to, yes, when I lived in my home country (on the continent).
Nowadays I would more rarely have meat for breakfast.

But you’re obviously not a vegetarian, so it’s not relevant.

I think all the other veggies on the thread have said they cook meat for their omnivore family, because why wouldn’t you cook your nearest and dearest what they like?

We don’t op but why ask the question like you’re amazed at the mere suggestion that people do? You know full well that lots and lots Of people do eat meat every meal. 🙄

Many people eat meat or fish with every main meal 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know when I last had meat for breakfast. Lunch varies, but mostly veg or cheese based

Nope, I almost never have meat for breakfast or lunch. We have maybe 4 dinners on average per week with some sort of meat (including fish) and 3 that are vegetarian.

@Pinkpinkplonk "I have vegetarian friends, they have no problem cooking meat for parties or bbqs if they’re hosting."

I would be horrified if someone did that for me!

@BitOutOfPractice "You know full well that lots and lots Of people do eat meat every meal. 🙄"

I don't actually. The last person I knew who did was my fil, who died 7 years ago.

Oh give over. You’re being silly now.

Never heard of Rukmini Iyer but that sounds interesting. I love tray bakes and single pot dishes.

Why would you be horrified?
They’d only do it if they wanted to. I’d happily put my preferences aside for my friends/ family.

"Why would you be horrified?
They’d only do it if they wanted to. I’d happily put my preferences aside for my friends/ family."

Because vegetarianism isn't a preference. And I wouldn't want to be the sort of person who would would expect someone to go against their beliefs and principles for my dinner!

We would probably have meat or fish for tea most days. And lunch could be a ham or tuna sandwich. Sometimes there would be no meat if it’s some really easy like jacket potato with cheese and beans. But if I’m cooking a proper tea there would be meat or fish.

I did say
” They’d only do it if they wanted to”, I wasn’t after a debate of the principals of vegetarianism

I do eat a meat/fish protein portion for each meal aside from breakfast, yes. I consider myself very privileged to be able to do this as we would have one cut of meat to last us a week as a family growing up.

I'm with you there @CurlewKate I'm vegan and contrary to quite a lot of posts here nobody has ever expected me to provide them meat. When I've visited people, they've always gone out of their way to accommodate me. Regularly, people are curious to try things I've had. Sometimes people have offered to ensure all food ordered can be shared by everyone. When I've organised meals on public social groups, vast majority sign ups are omnivores.

I don't go around expecting such treatment. One of my concerns about switching was how people might react, I didn't like the idea of causing people extra work or difficulty. I've always been happy to bring stuff, and do what's necessary to make people's lives easier. I feel quite lucky, reading some posts here. I think it's just one expression of a general value we share, to do with how we treat each other

Pretty much, except the odd occasion a mushroom carbonara, or a pasta bake.

We nearly always have meat for our main meal. Lunch may or may not have meat, but if soup will usually contain meat stock. If not soup it's 50/50 whether there is any meat in it, but it wouldn't be a meal I would give to a guest anyway. Breakfast would have meat about 1% of the time, for a celebration or when we are staying in a hotel.
Having said all that, I am perfectly capable and willing to make a delicious and nutritious vegetarian or vegan meal if we have vegetarian or vegan guests and have certainly done so. We just prefer meals with meat in.

I mean this gently but do you come from quite a low income/deprived back ground, you keep saying how expensive it is. Most people I know eat meat at nearly every meal who are omnivores. Plant based is taking off for health reasons, but it’s still not a case that folks are predominantly veggie in th4 main.