to think that if you tell someone that your child is vegetarian...

[Tollund]

that they should respect this and not then try to feed them meat?!

At a birthday party with DS1 who is four and a parent there offered my DS a sausage. DS took one (as he didn't know is it was veggie or not) and I politely said to the man "thank you, but he's vegetarian."

He said "yes, I know, they told me that. But I thought I'd see if he wanted one, and he took one, so let him have it."

I ignored him and told DS not to eat it.

THe man then started on at me about how I should let him make his own choices and to let him eat it which I refused to be drawn into, politely telling him no and then walking away.

He then went up to the mother of the child whose party it was (about 10 feet away from me) and starts banging on about me not letting him eat meat!

I think this man was monumentally ignorant - why does he think he is in a position to make food choices for my four year old child? What if DS was Jewish? Or had allergies? I'm now loathe to let my DS anywhere near this man's child or to go to parties where this man might be - IABU? (I don't think I'm BU in terms of making dietary decisions for my son at this time in his life, but whether am BU in wanting to keep my DS very far away from that tool!)

squeaky, it is my belief that meat (and dairy) IS unhealthy, actually. I am vegan primarily for health reasons. Please educate yourself by reading The China Study, by Dr.T.Colin Campbell.

sausagesandmarmelade ^Heart attack, stroke, CJD, cancer . . . you have so much to look forward to! I wonder if narrowmindedness can kill you?!

Now that is really SICK....are you seriously saying that veggies can't have any of the above? You have over-stepped the mark!

Yep pretty sure that veggies can't get CJD! And all the others are increased risk from eating meat.

And yes, I absolutely object to the disgusting slaughter of animals. Any truly compassionate human would. That is how I will raise my child(ren), to be compassionate, and educated about what happens to other animals. If they then choose to eat animals when they are older, I will at least have done my job as their parent to guide them the best way I see fit.

NoHunIntended I belive it is unhealthy too. Sausages won't accept that though. It's too whacky an idea!

"I have no problem with anyone being vegetarian, and I admire their principles. However a four year old is not capable of understanding or knowing those principles "

That's why we are bringing them up as vegetarians, until they are of the age they can understand. Then they can choose. Banning meat isn't making them unhealthy in the meantime.

sausagesandmarmalade, if you read the book I mentioned above, it actually does link a diet of meat and dairy to an increased likelihood of heart attack, strokes and cancers.

www.amazon.co.uk/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310472463&sr=1-1

Sorry to be off topic, but why are Haribos different from other sweets (genuine question) - is it just a shorthand for cheap sweets with a lot of additives?

shorthand for jelly sweets I think. Containing porcine gelatine and therefore not veggie?

Actually, there have been quite a few cases of vegetarians dying from the human form of CJD.

Haribo and other jelly sweets contain gelatine.

I suppose veggies could get CJD from a blood transfusion or contaminated surgical instruments or something...though that's fairly unlikely, and of course the infection would have come from meat-eating in the first place.

I wouldn't give my children meat. There's just no need for it, and I can't justify supporting that industry given that it's perfectly possible and easy to have a healthy, satisfying diet without meat.

And it's quite revolting anyway IMO.

NotJustKangas - vegetarians who ate beef in the late 80s perhaps? I'd be interested to know whether a lifelong vegetarian has ever contracted CJD.

NoHunIntended And yes, I absolutely object to the disgusting slaughter of animals. Any truly compassionate human would. That is how I will raise my child(ren), to be compassionate, and educated about what happens to other animals. If they then choose to eat animals when they are older, I will at least have done my job as their parent to guide them the best way I see fit.

So well put!

oh - thanks unclefest and ENMOP. Saw it in the same line as aspartame was mentioned and thought it was to do with additives rather than the veggie issue.

Well, whether he agreed with you or not is immaterial. You made a choice, others should respect that.

I'm vegan (apart from eggs from my ex-batts), but my DDs sometimes eat stuff that contains gelatine and DD1 likes pork sausages and they both love dairy and eggs. They make their own choices as they understand that they're eating dead animals.

Yanbu op. He sounds like a class A twat.

I'm dreading this a little as we are in same position with a 2 year old. She has no idea she is veggie at the moment, they are just sausages to her so at a party she would happily eat them and I would be the horrified one wrestling it out of her fingers. Quite shocked to see I would be regarded as a Pratt for this!

I won't mind if she chooses to eat meat when shes older but I'd rather steer her away from cheap shitty sausages in the meantime.

NotJustKangaskhan Actually, there have been quite a few cases of vegetarians dying from the human form of CJD.

Yes they probably ate meat before becoming veggie (...you know what I mean)

I am vegetarian but not until 1993 so could in theory develop CJD. These things have long lasting affects which is why you can't let kids eat what they want no matter how bad it is for them, until they are old enough to make up their own minds. We have to help them start their lives right and healthy.

YANBU the Man was a complete & utter ignorant tosspot - your Child, therefore YOUR Choice until your DCs are old enough to make an informed choice for themselves, which at 4, they are not & IMHO anyone who thinks otherwise is equally ignorant

The other point you should have raised is, that giving a DC that has never eaten meat before a sausage, it is very likely to make him ill, as is system is just not geared up to digesting more difficult to digest foods, which meat IS

Also there are many reasons for not feeding Kids meat, let alone poor quality meat such as cheap sausages that are most likely to be handed out at a kids party,

My own DD has also been brought up as a vegetarian & I too have encountered the same sot of ignorance from friends & strangers, but on pointing out that meat today is too often packed full of antibiotics, & all sorts of other stuff that you wouldn't want to give a child, they have had the common sense to see its not us imposing our views on DD, but us looking after her welfare in the best way we know how until she was old enough to choose for herself.

She is now old enough & despite the fact that I DO very occasionally eat meat, she has chosen to follow her Dad & intends never to eat it at all & was absolutely heartbroken when she was once given meat by accident in a fast food place, she only took one mouthful, but had nightmares for a week.

How dare this ignorant Man think its okay to look down his nose at YOU for imposing YOUR veiws on YOUR Child, yet thinks its perfectly okay to inflict his own views on a strange Child, as if he's doing your DS some sort of favour.

YADNBU - but you WERE too nice, I would have wiped the floor with the ignorant pillock

There have been lifelong vegetarians that have died from it, with no history or surgeries or blood transfusion. The cause has been unclear, but the current main hypothesis is that it can be carried by dairy products as well as meat.

Hammy 02, good to see another Dawkins reader on here ;-)

No question that the man was being rude by going on in such a way. However you say that your son took one because "he didn't know whether it was veggie or not". In other words, he didn't care, so hasn't he already made his own choice? (Like his Dad)

Perhaps you were being U by making a big deal about it when all he wanted to do was enjoy the party.

"squeaky, it is my belief that meat (and dairy) IS unhealthy, actually. I am vegan primarily for health reasons. Please educate yourself by reading The China Study, by Dr.T.Colin Campbell."

By and large that is true, but it isn't always the case for everyone. I eat very little meat and have a live and let live approach to other people's diets. Unfortunately I suffer from IBS, but my symptoms improved vastly when I started eating meat again. My digestive system cannot cope with high fibre protein foods like nuts and pulses or too much dairy. So I found that eating meat (free range from the farm down the road) was the best solution for me. I also eat fish BTW.

I would never dream of offering animal products to a vegetarian or animal byproducts to a vegan though. That is inconsiderate and rude.

"I have no problem with anyone being vegetarian, and I admire their principles. However a four year old is not capable of understanding or knowing those principles "

Well then neither can a 4 year old understand why it is perfectly OK to choose to eat meat.
Which is why as parents we make the choices on thier behalf, and sometimes those choices will differ from those of other parents. Why is that such a big deal? And why did man-at-party think he had the rigjt to over-ride the OP's particular choice?

Arrogant, presumptive and very rude.

As far as I understook CJD was caused by the practice of pouring organopolyphosphates along the spines of cows to rid it from parasites.

I also understand that it could be transferred to milk....and I understand that vegetarians eat milk products.

If veggies are immune from cancers, strokes, heart disease....then what do they die from? or do they live forever?