To not understand why some people dont eat meat free meals

[reducingfootprint]

I do not call myself vegetarian but i eat meat rarely for health reasons (bowel cancer is common in the family) but i am happy to prepare it as my dh eats meat but enjoys meat free meals around 4 times a week. DC also eat meat free around 4 times a week. My siblings and their partners are also part time vegetarians and pre covid we all enjoyed getting together for meat free feasts.

When DM comes over, she refuses to eat anything without meat. Butternut squash soup? Needs bacon.
Halloumi fajitas? Needs beef.
Goats cheese and onion omelette? Needs chicken.
Plowmans salad? Needs ham.

AIBU to think ffs one meal without meat wont kill you!

YABU. Some people like to eat meat everyday, there is nothing wrong with that. Why should you impose your thoughts about meat free meals on them?

Because the OPs DM is a guest in her house, visiting for a single meal, and can easily go home and eat her own meat afterwards.

Surely every time you cook a meal for someone you impose your own taste. The OPs home is not a restaurant and even a restaurant will have a set menu, not randomly include any ingredients any of their guests decide they want. If it's not on the menu, they'll tell you to go elsewhere.

I think the sad reality here is a lot of people in the UK have a poor concept of food & nutrition. Look at how children get fed or children's menus in high street restaurants. We went to a higher end but still quite normal country pub with my sister in law and she was annoyed at us choosing it as her child "couldn't find anything to eat" there was lasagne, for pie etc on the children's menu. Just no nuggets and chips.

My husband and I get comments on our eating by said in law's as eat couscous, salads, lots of veg. It's seen as weird, or fancy to eat well

I find it really astounding how badly so many people eat.

For what it's worth, we eat meat but slot of veggie stiff too. Nothing fancy, risottos, lentil stew, bean enchiladas, sweet potato and cauliflower curry.

People could eat much more cheaply if they embraced beans and lentils a bit as well.

As a family we only eat chicken but I have just been leaving it off my plate, nobody has noticed and have been doing it for about one month now. I don’t really miss it.

I have the occasional meat-free meal, rather more by accident than design.

I just like meat.

Plus my family are beef, lamb and pork farmers over in Shropshire, and I need to support the family business!

That being said, I have a number of friends who prefer a vegetarian diet, and if I eat round their houses, which I do quite often, I would never DREAM of kicking up a stink!! That would be insufferably rude.

@Malbecblooms Absolutely agree with you.

I think the sad reality here is a lot of people in the UK have a poor concept of food & nutrition. Look at how children get fed or children's menus in high street restaurants. We went to a higher end but still quite normal country pub with my sister in law and she was annoyed at us choosing it as her child "couldn't find anything to eat" there was lasagne, for pie etc on the children's menu. Just no nuggets and chips.

Yep, sadly I think you're right.

I see it on here a lot, though you tend to be slammed for mentioning it.

Part time vegetarians 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Fluffybutter

I’m really not looking for people to tell me how great Quorn is , it’s processed shite and if you want to eat it that’s up to you but I still don’t understand some of the militant vegans wanting to eat something with the texture and taste of meat if they’re so against meat . Argue all you like ,makes no difference to me

Because it's not the taste and texture they object to, it's where the meat comes from? I know lots of vegetarians who love the taste of bacon ora. good steak, but won't eat it because they don't believe in killing animals for food.

You're not that hard of thinking, surely.

I have been eating a a lower carb diet, and our meat and fish consumption has definitely gone up. I think your mum is a bit silly not to eat what you've made, but if I asked for a lower carb meal and someone made chip butties or potato soup, I would find it annoying but eat it anyway.

I am a meat eater I really like it, but I do try at least two days a week to have none, thinking about trying to get it up to three , but I also eat fish a least once or twice a week, so I’m only eating meat four days a week.

Thanks for the links @kikisparks, I didn't have time to do that myself this morning

Confrontayshunme - carbs are really demonized in diets I am just not sure why?

I have been cutting out a lot of meat and as a result I eat more carbs... but I have lost weight and have so much more energy and feel really good.
Many carbs in their unprocessed form are really better for you than meat every day.
(And it's cheaper, which means you can buy better quality food all round!)

I don't understand it either. When I buy meat it's organic and high welfare which is expensive, as such we only eat meat twice a week and fish once a week. The other meals are veggie and sometimes vegan as dh doesn't eat a lot of dairy.

I have no idea why people are so opposed to it.

*"People who cannot entertain the possibility of eating a meal without any meat in it, are of the same mental calibre as those who think it’s gay to touch your own arsehole to wipe it.

Have they never had a bowl of cereal?"*

Nope, I have severe coeliac disease and so haven't been able to eat it since diagnosis at a young age and even before that my parents believed it was shit processed food, we always had eggs for breakfast

Eating gluten is incredibly dangerous for coeliacs and essentially poisons us.

To the person who posted the list of common meat free meals:

Any form of breakfast cereal - Gluten Porridge - Gluten
Cake - Gluten
Chocolate
Crisps
Buttered toast - Gluten
Toast with jam, marmite, peanut butter, etc. - Gluten
Tomato pasta - Gluten
Cheese pizza - Gluten
Macaroni cheese - Gluten
Cheese toastie - Gluten
Plain or cheese omelette
Salad
Chips
Tomato soup

So yes there's chocolate and crisps and chips but I'd say those are more of a snack than a meal, wouldn't you? I could eat a plain or cheese omelette but I personally like ham in an omelette for some texture otherwise everything just soft and mushy, that leaves salad and tomato soup, personally to have a salad as a filling meal rather than a side it needs some meat in for protein.

This is not to vilify anyone's food choices, eat veggie salads if you want, I won't because I won't feel full (and if someone served one to me I'd eat it and then eat again later after we'd gone home). But for some people it's really not that cheap or easy to eat meat free. Yes there are GF alternatives to all the foods listed above but they're wildly expensive, highly processed, can be difficult to source, and half the time are just a bit crap and nowhere near comparable to the original food. I have no problem with anyone else diet but please get off your high horse about judging others for their and stop going on about how 'easy' it is to be meat free - for plenty of people it's really not.

Does there really have to be a caveat that it's obviously not as easy for someone with x and y on everything? Come on.
It was VERY obvious the poster put these as most common examples of non meat foods to illustrate that people eat it basically on daily basis. The fact that 1% of UK population can't is a totally different matter and out of topic

@Sandybval

For real?! Never even salt and pepper?

No, I don't add salt to anything and not a fan of pepper. I have a really, really bland taste pallette though, the plainer the better!

Don't you ever get bored with eating such a plain diet? Do you have food issues?

We eat a lot of rice based meals in our house @confusedbymyheritage. I am currently eating some leftover roasted butternut squash and blue cheese risotto, to which I have added some fried sage leaves and chopped tomatoes. We also eat a lot of Asian food.

I appreciate that having specific dietary requirements make it less easy for people to eat less meat, and I say this as a person who does like meat. Slow roast shoulder of lamb, raosted free range chicken, sausages and mash, chicken curry - all delicious. But I also like a lot of meat free meals.

It must be very expensive for families to serve meat at every meal. I assume we are talking about lunch and evening meal, so 14 meals a week containing meat.

I also understand why people would miss the texture of eating meat, because nothing plant based can replicate that. Seitan comes reasonably near, but it is an acquired taste.

I just like all types of food (with the exception of tripe, parsnips and most shellfish)

Yanbu, though 4 meat free meals a week doesn't sound like much, can you increase this? As you say, it's better for health. It's also better for the environment, and ethically.

I'm vegan and have never eaten meat. I don't understand some people's obsession with meat. I have a tasty and varied vegan diet, and am extremely healthy. Meat is not required!

It must be very expensive for families to serve meat at every meal.

Not if half of it is highly processed cheap ham, sausages and similar from what I've seen. I very rarely get these. Proper piece of meat with good seasoning is the best. And it can be done "relatively cheap" by learning to use cheap cuts well.

It's funny about meat vs processed stuff. My mum grew up in poorer family, my dad in richer (none was an extreme, mind me). Dad's family eat lots of sausages (frankfurter style), salami etc. Mum's family didn't. They eat normal meat. I don't know if it was just my family, but reasoning from grandma was that sausages are expensive breadcrumbs and per kg of meat, real meat is cheaper.

Oh an you whichever poster said about why don't restaurants offer more veggie food, everyone can eat veggie but veggies can't eat meat.

First, everyone can eat GF food but coeliacs can't eat Gluten so why don't restaurant offer more GF food. Firstly because they are businesses and businesses cater to the tastes of the masses in order to make money. Secondly because my dietary restrictions shouldn't put restrictions on others. We live in a free country where people can choose exactly what they want to eat and if there's not enough choice at one place people will simply vote with their feet. It's your choice to eat vegetarian, if you go to a restaurant without enough veggie options I'm sure you'd choose not to go back. The same goes for meat eaters, if they go to a restaurant and there's not enough options that appeal to them then they won't come back either.

Second think about that word 'can't' vs 'won't' or 'choose not to'. It is absolutely within your rights to choose to not eat meat and/or animal products but it is a choice. If you were starving you could have some milk or eat some meat. Being able to choose to be vegan or vegetarian or actually a very privileged thing in itself. You can choose to be essentially picky about what you eat because you're never at risk of starving or even really not being able to get something you can eat (all restaurant have chips and side salads failing all else. I can't eat gluten (at least not with out crippling pain and serious health ramifications). If I was starving I still wouldn't eat some bread or whatever because the pain of that would be worse than the pain of hunger and would do more damage to my body than starving.

I have no problem with anyone's dietary restrictions be it for choice or health reasons, everyone has the right to eat and choose what they like. I do however have a problem with preachy veggies/vegans who think their diet is sacred and therefore they should be catered to any and everywhere they go. Even I accept that some places just don't cater to me and therefore don't go their and my diet is necessary to keep me alive.

It's not that expensive to eat meat every day if you are a small family. I spend about £12 on meat and fish weekly (just me and 7yo DS at home) and we get 6 meals out of that. 4 chicken breasts cost £4, that lasts us for 2 dinners. 500g of lean mince costs £3, that lasts us for another 2 dinners if I bulk it out in a chilli or a bolognese. Then I buy 2 salmon fillets for me for £3 and 6 good quality sausages for another £3 - for DS as he hates fish. That's another 2 dinners.

I don't eat meat at lunchtime really, DS has a ham sandwich sometimes but I usually have fresh soups/salads.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Coeliacs are far more than 1% of the population and only one of many dietary conditions that would prevent eating many of those foods. And yes, when preachy veggie/vegans are going on about how they can't fathom how people could spend that much on meat I will put my point of view in that for some of us it's the cheaper and healthier option.

@ginfordinner

That sounds lovely but between blue cheese, sage and arborio rice is probably just as, if not more expensive than some GF meals I make which contain meat/animal products. Or alternatively by adding half a chicken breast to your meal I could eat half the amount of risotto to be as full and it would be better for me nutritionally. Also Asian food is difficult because soy sauce has gluten in. Many things are that people don't realise until it becomes a matter of health.

It must be very expensive for families to serve meat at every meal.

We did veganuary. Initially we found it cheaper, but then we found we were much hungrier so needed an overall increase in the volume of food, which cancelled out the savings. Over the month, it was much of a muchness.

Maybe she doesn't want your choice foisted on her

I agree with you tbh op. I am quietly surprised at people who claim a meal isn't 'proper' without meat in it.
We are very low meat consumers in our home; and I think many people should be reducing their meat consumption for environmental reasons. My DH have a small amount of fish only, and my DC get chicken one time per week. Otherwise we eat vegetarian meals.

@hibbledobble they are meat free days rather than meals as all lunches are veggie anyway. Probably could cut it down but this works for them. It is usually a chicken roast and 2 lots of fish in the week for them!