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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

We are a vegan house, meat eater friends over this evening. WIBU to cook a vegan menu?

379 replies

AddictedtoAIBU · 15/12/2017 13:49

Hi all, this is my first AIBU but I'm having a panic.
Non vegan mates over this eve, they always make every effort to accommodate us when we go there but this is their first visit to ours since we are vegan.
Shall I suck it up and cook a corpse or stick with a vegan menu? Would you be offended to eat vegan at a friends as a meat eater?
Thanks in advance if you reply. Could do with a few views...

OP posts:
MrsPestilence · 17/12/2017 10:42

Bare footed in this weather Shock Addicted do you have carpet in your kitchen Shock?

I fed half a dozen 20 somethings a vegan meal last night, they all ate up and didn't seem to notice. I didn't even clock is was vegan until reading this thread this morning.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2017 10:42

There is some astounding ignorance on this thread. I eat meat, but enjoy all types of food - vegetarian, vegan, meaty. Some people seem to be unable to think outside of the box.

DD and I did Veganuary last year and will do the same next year (although none of the non dairy milks worked in tea for me, so I will make that an exception)

We went to a couple of vegan festivals this year and really enjoyed them. DD's meat eating boyfriend also enjoyed the one we took him to.

mehhh · 17/12/2017 10:51

I would expect vegan

Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 10:54

Mrs pestilence, carpet in the kitchen, I remember when people used to do that. Maybe they still do, I'm far too messy when I cook to even think of it! Glad you cooked a meat free meal without any negative feedback.
Lonicera - you're doing veganuary 😍 it's a good chance to give your body a bit of a detox and cut food bill after Christmas too I think? After the excess of Christmas I love soups and lots of greens. Try an unsweetened long life soya milk if you haven't already? Slight cardboard taste but much better than most other plant milk.

OP posts:
Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 10:56

Lapomadour, ha ha! I have been bought a 'soy to the world' jumper by a (non vegan) friend. Maybe I could have a collection?!

OP posts:
Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 10:58

Sorry LaPompadour, spelling error on your name but I am not sure how to edit the post.

OP posts:
ClaryFray · 17/12/2017 11:00

Cool vegan, that's cool. If they had any issues about eating it they wouldn't have accepted your invite. But cook what I call vegan light. So something simple and easy, that they may like.

Calling meat a corpse YABU for, your a vegan great! But seriously comments like that is why people roll their eyes when they hear "I'm vegan"

GoingIn · 17/12/2017 11:03

Veg dishes can be amazing but hopefully you stayed away from any meat/dairy replacement products. Those are vile when you're used to the real things.

LaPompadour · 17/12/2017 11:17

no worries, you can't edit posts on this forum!

Joke aside, don't look at the reason why grass smells after being cut, it does make you wonder about other plants and trees.

KHShasabigproblem · 17/12/2017 11:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2017 11:33

Sorry Addicted but soya milk is the worst in tea IMO.

kaytee87 · 17/12/2017 11:43

I eat meat, I don't eat it with every meal though and we'll often have vegetarian or vegan meals at home.

Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 11:58

To be fair, KHS, that baby carrot does look terrified (and also strangely like an old man carrot?!)

OP posts:
Ta1kinPeace · 17/12/2017 12:35

Addicted
TBH having once at a festival eaten myself to bursting point on
pakoras and bhajis and samosas and falafel and tempura
which by chance were vegan
I find the narrow minded approach to food both sad and funny

shhhfastasleep · 17/12/2017 12:43

Food sounds great. Company sounds a bit judgemental despite your apologies. Think I'll stick to a recipe book and miss the secret snearing.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2017 13:07

"I find the narrow minded approach to food both sad and funny"

I just find it sad. However, I totally understand that a vegan diet might not be compatible with certain health conditions/allergies/intolerances though.

One of my friends has had her entire bowel removed due to ulcerative colitis and would really struggle with a vegan diet.

IHaveBrilloHair · 17/12/2017 13:20

I find it bonkers when people claim they'd never eat a veggie meal, something like a margarita pizza and salad even.
I wouldn't even think of that as a veggie meal, just a normal meal that naturally has no meat iyswim

Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 13:25

Some people just object to the word 'vegan' I think (especially if one makes a silly mistake of using an inflammatory word!) I really do think the tide is turning though. More and more people are cutting out red meat, eliminating dairy from their diets or having a meat free day. There is growing evidence that too much meat isn't good for you along with social media/internet highlighting animal welfare issues. It's a step in the 'right' (depending on your view point) direction.

OP posts:
Original poster
AddictedtoAIBU · 17/12/2017 13:32

Although that said my husband previously didn't consider a meal a meal without meat and is now vegan. I think he was scared of a lack of protein rather than didn't want to eat veggie food. I don't think he would have stuck with it if he didn't see health benefits (he's 40 in a few months and I think that's had an effect on wanting to feel healthy and fit)

OP posts:
Koala2018 · 17/12/2017 14:31

Cook a great vegan menu for them :)

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2017 14:53

I think the greater availability of delicious vegan protein alternatives and creative recipes has really helped the vegan cause. But I am a bit of a foodie and am happy to try any new recipe regardless of whether it is vegan, vegetarian or contains meat.

Tigger85 · 17/12/2017 15:54

I kinda get what the poster who said vegan meals gives them the shits was saying. When I transitioned to vegan I had horrendous bowel problems for about a month whilst my digestive system got used to it, it was so bad I almost quit trying. I had a previously very heavy on meat and cheese diet and was mostly following the starch solution whilst transitioning must have been the huge increase in fibre that did it. A single veggie or vegan meal would not have caused my guts to go haywire though. I find the outrage at the use of the word corpse from the over sensitive meat eaters mildly amusing, calling it corpse or carcass or more accurately dismembered corpse or carcass never bothered me in the slightest when I used to eat meat. It's a dead animals cut up body parts if you can't handle that and get offended by it being called what it is you might want to reassess your eating habits.

SparkleFizz · 17/12/2017 15:59

I find it bonkers when people claim they'd never eat a veggie meal

My dad does this.
Sits there complaining that he doesn’t want to go to veggie friends house for dinner, or to a veggie restaurant when they have veggie friends visiting the area, because “I don’t like vegetarian food, I never eat vegetarian food”.
And he will say this with a straight face as he sits there eating a meal of tomato soup, margarita pizza, or baked potato and beans. Yes, sure dad, a meat free meal has never crossed your lips Hmm Hmm

RunYouJuiceBitch · 17/12/2017 16:02

I'm a meat eater, but this one time I ate a meal without meat in it... Shock

Really, if I went to ANYONE'S house and they served me a vegetarian or vegan meal, I wouldn't bat an eyelid. This couldn't be less of a big deal.

I wouldn't expect a vegan to cook me meat in return, just because I'd cooked them a meal without animal products when they were at my house. I'm a little shocked at the (fortunately few) posters who would.

People choosing a vegetarian diet purely for ethical reasons, I'm a bit more Hmm about. I have very strong feelings about that myself. Not that I would ever go into it unless invited (or spurred to do so by an obviously supercilious 'corpse' style dig, or unsolicited explanation about why they believe eating meat is wrong).

Happily, in my experience, such discussions are uncommon. Most vegetarians and vegans I've met just get on with it without being preachy.

speakout · 17/12/2017 16:03

Tigger85 That's a huge transition. You needed time to adjust? You must have been eating a lot of meat.
Homo Sapien is omnivorous

Western civilizations eat far too much meat in terms of health and planetary impact, individuals may have ethical considerations over eating meat and if you are lucky enough to make these decisions then you are in a very privileged position.