How far would you go to accommodate a vegan?

[Juicyj1993]

In a few weeks we're hosting a bbq for my Husband's birthday.

We have about a dozen guests coming, one of whom is vegan. As we don't normally buy vegan food I've started looking at what we'd normally buy and what is and isn't vegan. To make sure the vegan has the same variety of choice as everyone else I'm going to have to spend quite a bit on alternatives. As we have the non vegan alternatives we won't be eating the vegan versions, so they'll either go home with the guest or be thrown.

How much would you accommodate a vegan?

Would I be unreasonable to provide vegan burger with vegan cheese, plus bun and nothing else or do I need to go the whole hog and get vegan sausages, vegan condiments and vegan coleslaw?

Ps they are vegan by choice, not for medical reasons

I'm.not vegan, but Mark's and Spencer's Plant Kitchen potato salad 😍
OMG amazing

How very patronising of you.

I guess ask them. Or get them to bring something, they’re the one being fussy. I certainly wouldn’t be stressing about it someone else’s life choices.

I'm vegan and I would usually check if I can bring something along when invited for things like this as I know it can be hard work if you're not used to catering for vegans. If you're happy to get bits then vegan saussages and vegan burgers would be all you'd need to get really as a lot of rhe other bits are vegan anyway. E.g salad, corn on cobs, fruit, veggies and Hummus dip etc. They are probably not expecting you to go all out anyway and would likely be very grateful for a burger or hot dog. I never expect people to cater for me at bbqs etc but is always really lovely when they do as it is nice to be thought of. But really you don't need to go all out with the expensive fancy extras.

This exactly. Can't be arsed to provide chicken or fish for me, don't expect me to make an effort to provide VEGAN food for you.

My partner who isn’t vegan prefers or can’t tell much difference with vegan mayonnaise/coleslaw/potato salad so I’d just do that for everyone. Salads, corn, jackets, again everyone will eat. A box of vegan sausages and burgers won’t cost much.

EbonyRaven I find it very hard to believe what you are saying. Vegans are vegans because they care about the environment and animal welfare. They consider how what they eat affects other living things and the planet. Consequently I am sure vegans would always be sure to accommodate.
It's not a fad, I have been vegan for years, long before all the vegan options there are now.
Instead of being disdainful maybe you should acknowledge that at least there are some humans who are willing to sacrifice instant gratification for more important values.

Also, I’m another vegan who it’s not a passing phase for. Almost 30 years now.

You mean vegetarians?
IME vegans tend to range from the genuine to faddy (who want meat substitutes, don't actually like veggies but just think it's cool) so I'd just let them know what I'm buying that's easy. If they don't like it they can bring their own.

I'm often vegetarian for religious reasons and happy to bring my own food. I don't expect people to put themselves out for me and I expect the same courtesy...

@Begsthequestion

i wonder when the 250 million vegans in India and China will finally grow out veganism?

😂

We’re a fully vegan household so yes, absolutely.

Lots of my friends are meat eaters who come to my barbecues happily and eat the vegan sausages and burgers at our barbecues - they love the plant kitchen Marks @ Spencer vegan brand of burgers and sausages ! I am veggie but get a mix of vegan and vegetarian options - no meat

That's nice, but it doesn't really work the other way around, does it?

I agree that, unlike those with less restrictive diets, your vegan guest should have a choice, but have to make and state that choice in advance, whereas the omnivores will obviously be able to decide from a wider range of options at the event - but omnivores are obviously more used to having more choice anyway than those who have decided (or been forced for health/allergy reasons) to restrict their diets for whatever reason.

Please don't do as PP suggested and make the whole thing vegan; why should you accommodate one person's preferences (and I believe that you should) but not the other eleven? And before somebody says "Ah, but it will do you no harm to go without meat for just one meal", that's as maybe; but the whole idea of a barbecue for the vast majority of people is that it is outdoor-grilled MEAT.

You might as well serve spaghetti on toast at your wedding and insist "Ah, but it won't do you any harm not to have a proper, full, special meal and wedding cake for just one wedding".

@PatiencePatience me too. Vegan since a child. Not a fad.

EbonyRaven
https://www.veganfriendly.org.uk/articles/which-country-has-the-most-vegans/

😆

I’d accommodate fully anyone I was inviting. Presumably these are people you are close to, why wouldn’t you?

I wouldnt invite a vegan to a barbecue, nor would I invite one to a carvery

I’d make sure the salad was vegan (ie the dressing), do some corn on the cob and have some vegan sausages that get done in the oven. I think that’s more than enough.

If I were vegan I would politely let the host know I’ll sort myself out. This is what I do for my kids who gave various intolerances. I don’t make it the hosts problem.

Why?
There's perfectly good vegan Carvery options at places too, Toby Carvery has a great one for example

My experience is that whenever there is a vegan or veggie option, all the meat eaters want some to try as well as their meat!

Pizza day at work was always crap because they ordered one tiny vegan one for me and the other vegan in the office but the Omnis always fancied a piece too so we got shafted 😁

You must think quite highly of your friends' cooking skills if you trust people who have possibly never cooked a piece of chicken in their life to cook some for you.

I've been a vegetarian for 20+ year and would not cook chicken for guests. Not because of ethics, but because I don't think I'd do a very good job of it and would be worried I accidentally give them salmonella.

Being a host is providing for all surely. Its a bit like saying , I won't provide soft drinks because I'm a drinker so if you don't want alcohol then bring it yourself.
I like to make all my guests feel welcome.

I wouldnt invite a vegan to a barbecue, nor would I invite one to a carvery

Dear me, people are strange. Are socialising, catching up, having a laugh etc not part of these things or is it just zero talking and only eating meat allowed. 🤣

That’s what I think too!

I wouldnt invite a vegan to a barbecue, nor would I invite one to a carvery

I think I'd ask them honestly first whether or not it was their thing.

However, your comment reminded me of what Josh Widdecombe once said about so-called 'traffic light dating evenings'. Apparently, everybody has a coloured badge or wears a particular colour to signify whether they're: actively looking for a new partner (green); may be interested in dating but only if the specific Mr/Ms Right comes along (amber); or is absolutely definitely not wanting a romantic relationship under any circumstances (red). I think it was a very fair question that Josh asked: who on earth is choosing to go to these special evenings and then wearing red?!

I hear the Richmond vegan sausages are really good. We have not tried trhem yet - can anyone confirm / deny?

I did not know Toby carvery had a vegan menu... good info!