"He eats meat, but can't eat any processed meat."

[Flangelica]

If someone said this to you when you asked about dietary requirements for a child, would you think they were massively w*nky/snobby, or is it socially acceptable and fine?

I would maybe just go for pasta in a tomato sauce with some grated cheese on top - its cheap, easy and most kids like it.

I might ask what they mean by processed meat for clarity but apart from that I wouldn't think anything of it. I can't eat cooked cabbage (or cooked brassicas generally) or coconut in any form, not because I am allergic but because they make me instantly throw up which does not add to the gaiety of the occasion.

Were vegetarian so I wouldnt be going out to buy meat and cook it anyway... they can have a margarita pizza which is the playdate staple around here.

Can't you just bung a chicken in the oven?

Am I doing something wrong, or is bunging a chicken in the oven actually quite a bit of work (in the context of feeding kids a quick and easy meal)?

Being brutally honest, yes I'd have a bit of an inner eye roll. Because easy kids' dinners like chicken nuggets are out of the question. - and fish fingers are also processed so presumably they're out of the equation too? I mean, baked beans are also processed food so surely if there's ab objection to processed food, it's the whole shebang? Unless there's an actual allergy to something meat-based in processed foods.

Could always do tomato pasta with some chunks of chicken chucked in, or tomato and cheese pizza (although that's not especially healthy either....). There are plenty of dinner options of course, and obviously I'd be kind and welcoming to the child. I'd never stomp around the kitchen muttering about wanky diet fads even if I was secretly thinking that 😅

We always have an absolute TON of fruit in the house as my DS has a bowel problem and he has to eats lots and lots of fruit to keep things inching along. A huge fresh fruit salad is always an option (just before anyone picks up the phone to report me to Social Services for an over-reliance on sausage rolls 😅)

processed meat like mince

Mince isn't processed. It's just minced up meat.

Or just bring your own food if you’re that fussed?

I'd assume they wont eat what they dont like and the parent is letting you know that so you dont waste food. Then I'd give them a pizza.

I would want to clarify what "can't" meant. If it's an allergy I would want to check how severe it was e.g. would the child react if he/she came into contact with a kitchen utensil that had touched processed meat.

If it was a preference then I'd respect it but internally wonder how they are going to navigate childhood. Lots of parents don't have fizzy drinks, crisps etc in the house, but are happy for their kids to have these at parties or Cubs etc.
I think that's a reasonable balance.

This

I’d simply serve something vegetarian

I’d feed him vegetarian or vegan
Reminds me of a school mum who told me she was taking DS to very posh GBK and I replied he loves Burger King. She corrected me 😂

It's a little but fine. It's much better than doing sausages and finding out later that processed meat was unacceptable.
The would be because I've not had that request before and I'd be wondering if non-organic meat is ok before going for the "safer" option of a margarita pizza

I'd be (internally) irritated, and I try to avoid processed meat as much as possible. I just think it's a bit rude to place demands on hosts (when presumably it's a preference and not an allergy or intolerance issue). I wouldn't say anything but I'd think you were a bit of a tit tbh

I wold say that we are a vegetarian and vegan household so there won't be any meat.

However, my DC were fortunate that their friends all had parents who were happy to feed them vegetarian food on playdates, it was never an issue.

Defo snobby. I would be very tempted to feed the child a sausage and then lie to the parents about the organic chicken breast he was fed. 😁

Just do something veggie. It’s fine to not eat meat, or not eat a certain kind of meat for whatever reason, ethical or preference.

I'd just do something vegetarian. Me and DD1 are vegetarian anyway, so that's easy.

I'd worry you'd be judging me on how healthy and homemade the meal was, whatever I served.

I'd think that they only ate live animals, or that they didn't understand what the word "processed" meant.

Bring them a live chicken. Say "there you go, not processed."

roasting is processing

No it is not, nor is mince processed.

Processed meat is generally things like sausages and ham.

Well clearly you are joking because no-one would actually do that....

[thinks of family member who doesn't believe in allergies and 'joked'; about feeding DS1 a snickers bar..... because that's hilarious, right? ]

I’d offer sthg vegetarian instead. But thats
straightforward for me as dh and ds are.

It's not snobby, they may well be intolerant to additives in processed meats. We don't eat meat, but my DD couldn't eat processed foods as the additives made her very ill

I always think I'm true to my working class roots, and then read a thread like this and realise I'm definitely middle class. Wouldn't be an unusual request round here and certainly not one I'd raise an eyebrow at. I'd probably just give them pasta and sauce with cucumber/carrot sticks if I knew there were no gluten allergies.