Buffets and Vegetarian options.

[perhapsiwill]

The last buffet I went to there were meat options and veggie options, great.
Unfortunately the meat eaters enjoy eating non meat food too, as they should, but this meant that as I was not first in the queue, the veggie options were gone and only meat left. Apart from some cakes.

I am not blaming the people who eat meat, the veggie options were attractive, but why does whoever provides the buffet not realise that the meat eaters don't always only eat meat!? There were only three vegetarians out of forty people.

This is not the first time by the way. Anyone else get this?

This is why when I do a buffet it is mainly vegetarian food with some sausage rolls chucked in for good measure.

It’s pretty rude of the meat eaters to take all of the veggie stuff and leave nothing for the actual vegetarians (I’m not a vegetarian but would be conscious of not taking the only food someone else could eat)

not taking the only food someone else could eat

Don’t be mistaken, it’s the only food they choose to eat. Someone else’s faddy eating is not your issue.

It’s pretty rude of the meat eaters to take all of the veggie stuff and leave nothing for the actual vegetarians

I eat meat, but I like veg food too. At a buffet, I would expect the hosts to cater for all the guests. If veg food runs out, I think it's the caterer / host's fault for not having enough veg food.

It's not really the other guests being rude, more so than the caters not doing their % properly.

🙄 okay sharklover. There's always one.

LOL at vegetarian being 'faddy'.

It’s pretty rude of the meat eaters to take all of the veggie stuff and leave nothing for the actual vegetarians

Someone always comes out with this, and another will be along soon crying about the terrible carnivores eating the food meant for vegetarians.
Seems some people think you aren't allowed salad if you eat meat, it's somehow selfish. If I go to a buffet I get a little bit of whatever I fancy, I'm hardly going to take only meat items in case there are a few vegetarians who don't move quick enough. It's not my fault as a guest that the provider didn't make enough food for everyone.

I eat meat but prefer vegetarian so at a buffet would probably go for fish and mainly veggie food.

If it was a small buffet with only a few people I would be very aware and leave veggie food for the non vegetarians, but at something like a wedding I'd just pick what I prefer.

I'd say you probably need to get yourself near the front of the queue in future.

*I mean vegetarians not non vegetarians!

Yeah buffets should have a good mixture of both so that vegetarians can still find something to eat

Either that or be quicker up to the buffet table next time OP! Snooze you lose...etc!

The last time this came up someone suggested that meat eaters should not touch the food until the vegetarians had what they wanted. Then a vegan came along and told the vegetarians off for the same thing the vegetarians were telling the meat eaters off for, and it all got a bit mental once a coeliac and a someone with a nut allergy joined in.

I eat meat but only if I know where it's come from and no processed meat. I always hang back at buffets anyway so am usually one of the last to go up.

People need to wise up and cater for all and not think of a vegetarian option as an extra special dish. It's not and we should all be eating it. To be honest the meat should be the optional extra.

If I went to a buffet I wouldn't just eat the meat options? Just because an item of food is free of meat doesn't mean it is solely for vegetarians. It's not rude of the meat-eating guests to also eat vegetarian food - it's the fault of the person who did the buffet for not providing enough.

I'm not blaming the meat eaters but whoever it is that does the buffet.
Having said all that, I was at a conference where they only had veggie food, great I thought! A few of the people there were acting as if they had been ripped off and as though they were going to starve all day as they had no meat.

You snooze you lose

The thing is I couldn't get there any quicker as I was coming from the part of the room which was furthest from the buffet when it came out!

As a veggie I find it annoying because I hear so many people going on that they couldn't be a veggie because they don't like rabbit food and other cliched bullshit, yet when veggie food is laid out in front of them they are happy to eat it then!
However the blame lies with the caterer.

I am the only veggie at work and when we have a buffet the manager always tells everyone else to leave the veggie stuff alone until after I've had first pick at it!

Just because someone eats meat it doesn't mean they don't like veggie food, and I see no problem with a meat eater picking up some veggie bits to eat.
I mean I eat meat but I like food without meat in it too!

I think the problem at your buffet was someone clearly didn't put on enough food

shark as someone who had to go veggie after illness because meat, poultry fish and crustaceans now physically don't stay down is that faddy eating? Not that anyone should have to justify it whether it's by choice or not.
In buffet situations like this I end up hungry too op! I agree with the idea of a lot more veggie options that everyone can eat so they don't disappear quickly

I am the only veggie at work and when we have a buffet the manager always tells everyone else to leave the veggie stuff alone until after I've had first pick at it!

Don't you think that is a bit rude to everyone else?

I hope for the sake of the planet, the welfare of animals and the health of the nation that one day faddy eating will be the name given to those that are eating the meat and not the other way around.
Maybe one day, you never know

(Hides behind sofa awaiting onslaught of abuse)

I doubt it.

Afew of the people there were acting as if they had been ripped off and as though they were going to starve all day as they had no meat

I know exactly what you mean! Some people will go I could never eat anything vegetarian. I always say something like ' what? You never have jam on toast?, shredded wheat or cornflakes, not even a fried egg butty or a cheese omlettte?'
It's usually followed by ' no a mean vegetarian food'
I am a master of veggie cooking and can do vegan and vegetarian 'fakeways', really good 3 course menus or party food and their has been loads of times when I've thrown a party and or an Indian food night and nobody has noticed until I've said something.

Don't you think that is a bit rude to everyone else?
I did initially feel uncomfortable with it but we are a small team and everyone gets on great so no offence was took ( if there was somebody would have definitely said something, we are all opinionated and can put our thoughts forward! ) If the manager is paying I guess they can make the rules. Beside the manager tries to get everyone's favourite bits to keep everyone happy.

By and large , vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice not a medical necessity. There is a meat intolerance syndrome (but theres a syndrome for everything) and generally applies to the steroids/feed in particular meats. Its extremely rare for anyone to be allergic to every single meat prodced, be it organic, wild or mass produced. And there are no tests for food intollerances according to the NHS although I'm sure MN knows better though :

www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-intolerance/pages/introduction.aspx

I don't know anyone who is exclusively carniverous, most people are omnivores. If there is a table of food, I'm homing straight in on the stuff I like, which may or may not be vegetarian. I'm not curbing my normal eating patterns to faciliate your weird shit habits.