Mother wants to bring a chicken to my vegetarian Christmas dinner

[queenofthepirates]

That's kind of it in a nutshell. We've invited 10 people over for Christmas dinner including my mother. We're veggies and I've put together a lovely Scandi veggie menu. She's told me she's bringing a chicken and I've said please don't. Firstly because we're veggie and I don't really want a dead bird on the table and secondly I can't see why she can't last a few hours without meat.

My relationship with her is very strained this year, she's been pretty horrible to me and I'm getting to the end of my tether.

AIBU to tell her not to bring meat or stay at home? She could always come over after lunch if she's going to insist.

This is one of those occasions where no matter how much you prefer a roast dinner with all the trimmings or how strongly you feel about your vegetarian ethics, it would be better to act in a way that helps your relationship with your family. Christmas is not really about tradition, it's about loving and giving to others and sometimes acting unselfishly is a form of giving.

Wow - you don't let your mum have a bit of turkey on her plate for Christmas?

Poor woman.

I'm sure I read it in an interview with Bjork. Oh, hand on...

Quite, laundry - it's surely about compromise. On both sides!

Are you quite sure what's in your pickling jars though?

I have a feeling we may be living off imported tins of soup in future.

Agree again Evans. It's all about the compromise - a bit of turkey at the side of someone's plate that you a)haven't had to kill and b) don't have to eat makes for a Christmas with priorities in the right order.

Unless, of course, you actually hate your guests.

< bobs up from a Rice Pud lake >
I thought everyone knew that you only pickle things to disguise the real flavour

I have to say that I enjoy a Christmas meal on Christmas day and would be somewhat disappointed with "scandi" fayre. I actually quite like nut roast, so if there was no turkey I'd be hoping for that with traditional sides.

I'd be happy enough with a nice vegetarian meal ( DH less so but I just wouldn't tell him before we went ) any other day of the year, but just not on Christmas Day.

I suspect there's some massive backstory to this but it sounds to me like DM is making the best of it by offering to bring along her own chicken.

Most of the vegetarians I know wouldn't be offended by that, in fact one particular friend is happy enough to cook meat for her DH and friends. I wouldn't expect that from OP, but it seems a bit churlish to go bananas over her DM's desire to have a slightly traditional meal.

Although I would cheerfully mug my dear old granny (after exhuming her from a 1940s grave) to get a bacon sarnie, I would never bring one to a Jewish / Muslim / Buddhist / veggie lentil-weaver household.

Digressing: I'm a naturist, but I keep my kit on when visiting bodyphobes
< twirls to display perfect guest halo >

So, here's a wonderful "thread pulling together thing"

Traditionally in Scandinavia, on Christmas Day there's a tradition of eating hot rice pudding in the sauna.

Fuck. Wankbadger. It was Finland I was in, that's not a Scandinavian country.

Also. I couldn't do it.
Rice pudding -yes!
Sauna -yes!
At the same time??? HELL NO!!!

Oh, that's wonderful, China
Mumsnet is often so educational
I normally have German spa holidays in winter, to let it all flop out, but I'll pencil in Sweden for next Christmas Day.

Now that's a recipe for disaster (in more ways that one...). As it's Scandinavia it would be nekkid sauna natch - can you imagine the dangers associated with eating hot rice pud in the nude??

I stand corrected. In Iceland (country not shop) they don't wee on shark meat - it just smells so bad people assumed that they do.

guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/the-worlds-most-disgusting-icelandic-food

< oops > I'll check the menu before I book, to get the right country !

Finland is a Scandinavian country.

I've never had a sauna with clothes on. Must be very constricting < shudders >
I sometimes Mumsnet, barefoot all over, eating "deviant rice pud" (I add pnut butter & 90% Lindt choc)
< awaits mass bosom-hoiking >

mavis - dear god, did you see the sheeps head and 'slaughter' dishes on that link??? Puts rice pudding skin in the shade...

OP I've just had a brilliant idea. Tell your mum your doing a Scandi Christmas and that she can bring her chicken if she really wants. Then when she turns up on Christmas day look at her all confused and ask why she's a day late. In Sweden Christmas is celebrated on the 24th not the 25th. Sorted.

Not as scary as that woman's makeup. But cod tongues - how many of those of you get to the pound?

I am sooo never going to Iceland.

"Sour ram's testicles" Well of course the poor bugger would be sour you're eating his testicles.
Better not give the OP any Icelandic recipes to feed her Mum. That family's dynamics would worry me.

People aren't serious are they? They wouldn't really prefer their mother to sit at home alone instead of having a bit of chicken? People are really that cruel and care more about their veggie meal than their mother?

Who wants a stuffed squash for Xmas dinner? Even if it does have a fake name.

Me neither...if only to ensure I don't run into the most famous Icelander of all