To think my mum's attitude is strange?

[ShutUpShouty]

My aunt (my mum's sister) is a vegetarian and my mum eats meat. Whenever we go to my aunt's house my mum always point blank refuses to eat anything made by my aunt as she "doesn't eat vegetarian food" and "I'm not eating vegetarian food!". She will always wait until she gets home before eating anything.

My aunt never cooks anything weird or out there, it's just basic normal every day food like macaroni cheese, tomato soup, leek and potato soup, cheesy broccoli pasta bake, etc. Obviously I know that doesn't mean that everyone has to like these things but my mum actually likes macaroni cheese and tomato soup and eats them often. However she refuses to eat them if my aunt makes them, using the "I don't eat vegetarian food" line.

That is odd, isn't it? If I cook her some homemade tomato she will always eat it happily however if my aunt makes the same thing she refuses to even try it . It's the same recipe as I got it off her.

I've thought about the possibility that maybe she knows something I don't know but I've ate food prepared by my aunt lots of times and I'm still alive, so...

I would like to know if there actually is something I don't know. Does food cooked by a vegetarian become contaminated with something regardless of what it is?

Your mum is odd

I think your mum is extremely rude.

I am vegetarian and if she pulled that crap in my house she would not be welcome again.

I'm guessing your mum thinks your aunt is holier than thou and is making a point. Either that or she doesn't like her.

Saw this on the other thread and thought she sounded rather immature.

Is she generally disparaging of 'alternative' lifestyles?

That's just rude!

I don't know why people think vegetarian food is weird. My uncle was like this - he'd avoid any food I'd put out as it was veggie. Even though it was stuff like pasta, salad, rice....

Maybe your aunt should bring a sheep in on a lead for your mum to graze on whilst you and she enjoy the macaroni?

It's got bugger all to do with the food.

This is about your mum and your aunt.

Ask your mum why she is being so daft about it.

Sounds to me like your mum doesn't like your aunt. How do they get on otherwise?

Erm...

Maybe your mum thinks all vegetarians add weird ingredients to their food? Like some sort of magic vegetarian vitamin powder that turns anyone who eats it into a vegetarian themselves. That's how smallpox started, y'know.*

*Disclaimer: I have been sat in the sun and my head is a little frazzled.

Maybe your mum thinks all vegetarians add weird ingredients to their food? Like some sort of magic vegetarian vitamin powder that turns anyone who eats it into a vegetarian themselves. That's how smallpox started, y'know.

I actually think you might be on to something there, I mean my already very limited diet seems to be getting even more limited now. Whilst I used to be quite happy to munch on macaroni cheese, chicken nuggets, chips and ham sandwiches, I'm now noticing I want to eat less of the ham and chicken nuggets and have been craving the meat free option instead. These past two days for instance I haven't had any meat at all because I simply didn't want any. Has my aunt converted me to the dark side with this magic vegetarian vitamin powder?

Can you invite your mum and aunt to your house and make lots of lovely vegetarian dishes, and then serve up your mum a slab of meat - chicken breast or a couple of sausages - and say "sorry mum, you won't like the other dishes, they are all vegetarian". Or send your mum the dictionary definition of 'omnivore'.

My mum makes a fuss about her Buddhist neighbours' being "Vegan Vegetarian" - she can't just say they're vegan. They are lovely & frequently bring her gifts of spicy vegan vegetarian food

Agree your mum's attitude to her DSis's food is very odd

You could try freaking your mum out by going through her cupboards and pointing out all the 'suitable for vegetarians' labels on stuff she probably has: pasta sauces, baked beans, biscuits, bread, even bacon-flavoured Frazzles and most kinds of Bistol gravy granules are 'suitable for vegetarians'. Take a bin bag so you can offer to dump them all for her, since she doesn't eat anything vegetarian.

Then you could kindly offer to make her some lovely non-vegetarian cupcakes with bacon bits, or a non-vegetarian cup of tea with a bit of lard stirred in, just to make sure it had the requisite proportion of meat products in it.

Yes your mum is odd soup is soup surely

exex that's really funny

Maybe the reverse used to happen when your aunt visited your mum and she's getting her own back?

What is your aunt's reaction?

They are sisters and who knows what lurks in the mists of time that has caused this weirdness. Sibling relationships are generally strange unless you're one of the siblings.

A few women at work are vegi our old cook was a bit odd like that she would make seperate soup one wiyh veg stock cubes and another with ham she was bonkersi

Non-vegetarian cupcakes

I think your DM has taken the hump when probably years ago your aunt said "No thanks, I don't eat meat" when offered a sausage roll and she's still making a point.

Absurd. I'm not a veggie but I enjoy my veggie niece's cooking from time to time.

Your mum is odd, so is mine.

I was watching tv with mine when someone on the box said that they didn't eat vegetarian food. I laughed and made a joke about how they must eat food suitable for vegetarians sometimes and that veggie food just didn't have meat products in it. My usually reasonable parent got upset ! And started a little lecture about how veggie food was different and lots of people don't like it.

When they come for a casual lunch I usually make a non meat based soup (because they always ask for my leek and potato or squash soup) and put out breads, cheese, ham etc it's not unusual for my Mum to say not to make my Dad veggie food, I say we're having leek and potato but I'll have cold meats out to. Mum will immediately says not to worry about the meat because he loves the soup will be enough

I would guess it is either some weird sibling stuff going back to childhood, or just that at some point your aunt came round to your mum's house and would not eat something with meat in it/asked for a vegetarian option, and this is your mum's way of getting back at her. Very petty.

Maybe (like a surprising number of people on previous MN threads) she thinks that if she provides food without meat for your vegetarian aunt, your aunt should provide food with meat for her non-vegetarian sister - but really the two things are not at all equivalent, as meat-free foods are suitable for both vegetarians and meat-eaters/omnivores. How many people would seriously say, 'oh no, I can't eat cheese sandwiches/beans on toast/tomato soup, I'm a meat-eater'?

Actually come to think of it, I have met people who claim that they are "complete carnivores" and don't eat vegetarian food and I do find it amusing. I'm willing to bet that all of them do eat vegetarian food without actually thinking that's what it is.

Maybe like others have said it is a sister thing maybe your aunt said ewww to meat at some point and your mum got the hump sister grudges can run deep

Its like nan royale when she said about antonys vegitarian gf can she eat wafer thin ham batb