To cook spuds in goose fat for vegi BIL at xmas

[MeMudmagnet]

I'd imagine most vegi's would think IABVU?

DH's family are with us for Christmas. They'll be 11 of us to cook for and BIL with obviously need something to replace the Turkey, no problem.
He'll also need separate gravy, hardly any bother.
I usually make a couple of stuffings and make sure one is meat free, again, no bother.
He also likes to have some vegi sausages to replace the pigs in blankets.

I like to do a good job with xmas dinner and I love doing the spuds in goose fat.
I ponder over this every time we have them for xmas. It's a PITA having to pretty much cook a separate vegi dinner alongside a traditional one, find space in the oven and get all the timings right.

Would it really hurt, for one day, if he was unknowingly more flexible?

The rest of the year when we see them, I just make something vegi for all of us, but this is xmas dinner and I like going to town a bit.

So;
a. Would he notice?
b. Would it be really, really bad?

Interesting debate though.

Especially interesting to read the vitriol of the non-veggies outraged response in thinking that being a vegetarian is an immovable, unassailable right, when really it's just a life style choice.

(Or a no lifestyle choice. If you're the turkey).

This is a long thread I haven't seen the bit about suet, however most xmas puds (all that I have seen that are not homemade) are vegetarian.

If I had a spare oven this issue would never have come up!!!!

Merrylegs I have every right not to be fed something I don not want to eat. The op has every right to say doing an extra vegetarian meal is too much for her and she won't be providing it too though. If that is the case BIL can bring his own meal. Nothing wrong with that. It about the fact that she is hiding it, surley you can see that?

YANBU to cook your roasties in goose fat, but YABU to think you can secretly fob them off on veggie BIL.

I'd do goose fat roasties and some nice mash for everyone to share. Then BIL can decide for himself where his priorities lie.

P.S. Does anyone else traditionally have hot crisps with Christmas Lunch? i.e. a packet of ready salted heated in the oven?

Or is it just my parents?

Memudmagnet all the grocery stores do little bendy tin trays of sliced roast veg. those can be squished in somewhere around the main pan. If you want to do it. Please don't sneak a goose fat potato in "to see if he can tell though" he really could end up very ill and ruin xmas for him.

I don't think it's always hypocrisy tbh, bupcakes. Doing a little bit (or rather quite a bit) and giving up meat is better than nothing (if you have an issue with animal slaughter). It's pragmatism I suppose.

It is hypocritical though to get all precious about the odd roastie cooked in goose fat whilst happily consuming dairy (for example).

I maintain that the OP shouldn't try and pull the wool over her BIL's eyes. But if he was informed, and had a roastie regardless of how it was cooked, I wouldn't think any less of him.

Plus, most meat-eaters have personal preferences which may defy some people's logic. A lot of meat-eaters I know would chose not to eat certain organs such as brains for instance. Or meat from certain animals such as dogs. Doesn't mean they should be fed it and not be told what it is, or made to feel guilty if they expressed a desire, for whatever reason, not to eat it.

Never heard of that in my life pip, any special kind?

I don't know why I give a bollocks really.

Just goes to show I can involve myself in an epic thread row re roast potato unguent. Whic is reassuring in itself.

Okay...

1. I think Smarties are now vegetarian. They use beetroot or red cabbage instead of cochineal. I think that's why the colours are rubbish.

2. Not all cheese contains calfs' stomach rennet. There are now vegetarian rennet substitutes.

Most cheese* in the supermarket is now vegetarian, as far as I can tell. I infer this from the labels saying "vegetarian".

*Parmesan and Grana Padano are NEVER vegetarian.

Some sources: Co-op cheese policy

Vegetarian Society

The Vegetarian Society says 90% of UK produced hard cheese doesn't use calf rennet, actually.

No special kind theeviledead2, although in recent years they have favoured Kettlechips.

Odd - but nicely crunchy.

What does rennet do?

Why did someone take some rennet out of a dead calf and plop it into some curds and whey to make cheese.

How the bloody hell did someone find out that rancid cuttlefish bones as found in sperm whales stomachs (ambergris) would make a fixative (whatever that is) for perfumes?

Memudmagnet, as a veggie of over 20 years (polishes halo made of twigs & mud) I don't know why people are getting so nasty.

I'd say don't do it - he will notice and probably will get ill (which means you'll have to fuss over him afterwards & act all confused over what's caused it). Do less things for him though. Used to love it when ex-PIL forgot to do a meat substitute for me at Christmas - veggies & potatoes & gravy followed by pudding were more than enough. Besides, you carnivores have no idea of the skill needed to grill a Linda McCartney sausage , nope not even if you were Gordon Ramsey.

I think it might be just your family pip, might be nice for a crisp sandwich but not sure I see the point in general of making them extra crunchy.

I'll probably have to try it now though anyway

Gah, I'd have just got him some Aunt Bessie's and been done with it.

He's never cooked a meal in his life? WTF? He sounds like a bit of a tit in general.

NO ITS NOT FAIR

tell him you can't manage an extra meal, so if he could bring his veggie sausages n shit in a butty box ready to the microwave, you would appreciate it

alternatively tell the 10 other memers of the family to help cook the fucking meal

Isn't rennet the bit that causes the milk to seperate into the curds and whey?

Presumably somebody slaughtered a calf and noticed it's stomach contents were appetisingly curdly , so thought that they'd give it a go.

Im amused you think he will not notice. Do you think people cant TASTE their food.

I dont eat anything with alcohol in it and yet time after time, people think, lets shove a bit of red wine in this bolognase, she wont notice. I can taste/smell it every time.

Yes Jess, most things are veggie by default now. Even standard bisto gravy granules have no meat. Catering for a veggie is really not that bloody hard nowadays. I used to be a STRICT vegan which would have apparently pleased all those on here who say "how come you eat this but not this blah, blah blah" - but you should have tried having me for dinner then, then I would have been a fucking pain in the arse to cater for (although actually not THAT difficult - just leave the animal products out and give me ANYTHING else, such as any veg, any starchy carb, any nut, any fruit, nay pulse etc etc etc). FFS, a veggie who eats eggs and dairy is really not that hard to cater for in this enlightened day and age. Just thank your lucky stars he's not one of those people with all these food "intolerances" who just can't seem to eat anything remotely normal. Don't flame me, I am not referring to poeple with genuine allergies - just to those who get a little bit bloated if they eat wheat when the moon is waning...

piprabbit - nope, your parents are bonkers

ah, but you can get parmesan style cheese that is vegetarian - it used to be called Twineham Grange , but they've had a namechange recently...

not just a pasta cheese

:o at this thread.

It seems a fairly even split between veggies and non-veggies with the name-calling of the OP TBH.

OP - what is stopping you from just picking up the phone and saying "Horace, I am doing goose fat roasties for Christmas - are you in or what?" That way he can just make his own choice. It's not that hard. People are veggies for loads of different reasons from pure yuck factor (e.g. for me eating something's leg or chest is no better than eating its brains or bollocks or) eyeballs which many meaties balk at, to serious ethics. Likewise flexibility as to what they will/won't eat in the way of animal products vary. For instance a relative of mine who came to vegetarianism later in life (ex-farmer) will scoff down meat if it is served at someone else's house and he has forgotten to tell them he is veggie, because he ranks politeness above his personal choices. Other people will pick meat off something then eat it, and accept meat gravy/your spuds etc if no choice is available. And others won't eat anything that's even been past an animal.

So just ask him and find out where he stands. It's the unnecessary sneakiness that is getting people's goat/quorn goat.

I suspect though that you're actually a bit pissed off with him for expecting so much, not being very grateful and never lifting a finger to cook for himself/you. YANBU for feeling like that.

Bupcakes - it's not the fault of the general vegetarian populace that you're friends with so many hypocrites :o