Catering for a vegetarian?!

[Magenta3]

My brother's gf is a vegetarian. We're having everyone over next weekend for a get together. My family eats a lot of meat and I feel a bit unsure of what to cook her, and if I'm being honest I don't see why we should change our catering for one person.

I asked my brother to bring along some of their own food for her (he eats meat so will be fine, it's literally only for her) and he seemed annoyed at me. He obliged but I could tell he wasn't happy. When we've been to theirs she doesn't cook meat for us so it feels one sided. She jokes she'd probably poison us as she doesn't know how to cook meat but realistically she doesn't want to cook it, so why should we for her?

Genuinely are there people who eat meat at every single meal?

If you were going to make a curry then it’s really so easy…before putting the meat in take some curry base out and add a can of chickpeas! Easy chickpea curry that goes well with both naan and rice :)

this.

Non-vegetarian can eat vegetarian food. OP´s brother and his GF are therefore providing food she can eat.

Which is not the case for OP.

I really can´t believe this would still be an issue nowadays.

Part of being a good host comes with accommodating to everyone. besides, cooking for her might mean you get to learn a new dish to makes, and who knows everyone else might love it too!

at every meal, of course
In every DISH, I don't believe it's that common 😂

A huge chunk of Indian food is vegetarian. How hard can it be to make a vegetarian curry? In fact MOST Indian meals would always include one dal, a veggie and then if non vegetarian a protein dish. It isn’t considered a complete meal otherwise. If you went to an Indian person’s house and only got meat and rice that would be a very unusual meal.

I’d just pick up something ready made from M&S or Waitrose - you’ll be fairly sure that it’ll be nice, or at least perfectly acceptable.

Just to add, if the rest of the family really enjoy their meat and will probably be expecting it, I don’t see why they should all have to go veggie for one guest.

I do make a lot of veggie meals for me and dh - we eat far less meat than we used to - but for a big family get together of all meat eaters except one, IMO it’s U for them to expect everyone else to adapt to them.

🤣🤣 to use a well known MN quote;
It Doesn't Seem As Though You Like Her Very Much!
Obviously I know this isn't genuine, and obviously anyone with basic cooking skill can cook vegetarian.
I hope your partner's family are nicer to you when you arrive.

Over my dead body would any guest come to home and have to bring their own food!
Absolutely not!

One of my twins decided he was vegetarian (on ethical grounds) when he was 4 and he hasn't eaten a shred of meat since. I have managed to feed him vegetarian meals every day for the last 6 years, at the same time as preparing food including meat for me, DH and our 2 other kids. I do it because I respect his choice, and because it's really easy to adjust his food to eliminate meat 🙂

I haven’t read the whole thread, but all I can think is do you not eat vegetables? Roast some cauliflower and potatoes in Indian spices and keep some sauce separate - really not that hard! My omnivorous children actually prefer it to meat in a curry.

I think you're being a bit of a dick. How hard is it to google an alternative recipe or perhaps walk your bitter self down to the supermarket to purchase an easy, ready to go alternative?

Unfortunately you will never win this argument on Mumsnet however I totally agree, I choose to eat meat, she chooses not too but I don’t see why her choice is more important than my own so I’m not going to ruin a meal I’m going to eat by making it vegetarian for just one person, also I don’t know what veggies prefer so giving them the choice to bring something of their own was totally reasonable.

i truly hate the entitlement that veggies have that makes them think their diet is more superior to ours.

Oh that's given me a laugh OP thanks. When I saw in your update that you are making curry, perhaps the most vegetarian friendly of foods. Your brother and his girlfriend must have concluded you are a) a terrible cook if you think EVERY meal has to have meat or b) deliberately trying to be rude to her or c) both.

Yes, my parents! To be fair my DH would if he had the choice. I think it’s generational.

It’s 2023, surely you’re not so ignorant that you couldn’t come up with an alternative for a veggie?!
I’d be a bit embarrassed at my families “meat and two veg” mentality, if I were you. And I imagine your brother probably is!

I would absolutely not cater for a vegan though.
😂😂😂😂😂
Blimey, it’s easier and safer than cooking with meat!
im not even vegan and all my meals have ( unintentionally ) been vegan over the weekend, that was without thinking about it.
Therefore it can’t be that tricky to put a vegetarian or vegan spread on for guests with a tiny bit of thought!

I’m vegetarian and cook meat meals for my children. Just use a separate pan. One veggie version one not. Simple really.

"ruin a meal" ha ha ha

I would make a boeuf bourguignon with a mushroom variation for the vegetarian.
Start the basis in the same casserole dish, but get it to the stage where everything has been deglazed, wine etc. added, then hive off a helping with loads of mushrooms into a separate small casserole to cook alongside.
Brown the meat in a separate frying pan, which you can also deglaze for the meat-eaters' helpings and add it to the basis after you have removed the vegetarian amount.
Can both cook low and slow, although the mushroom-only dish will need less cooking. Best made the day before.
Serve with a green salad or green vegetable (you should already have onions, carrots, mushrooms etc. in the "sauces") and either a delicious mash (potato and celeriac, for example) or gratin potatoes.
That way everyone eats more or less the same and it will look more or less the same.
Apple crumble or apple and blackberry crumble would be a good pudding that everyone can enjoy - always assuming that the vegetarian eats eggs and dairy (for custard/cream/ice-cream purposes).

This is wrong, vegetarian dishes are not only for vegetarians. You need way more veg and fruit in your diet than you need meat and fish. It doesn't ruin something if you don't put meat in it.

Vegetarians - eat vegetarian dishes

Omnivores - eat vegetarian dishes and sometimes meat or fish dishes

If you eat meat at every meal, you're increasing your risk of cancer and probably not eating enough veg and roughage. You won't get enough nutrients.

It's not that hard to think of good veg meals - mac and cheese, ratatouille, tomato pasta sauce, nachos with refried beans and salsa, chickpea curry, and on and on.

My parents (70s, both British WC) both eat a variety of veggie, vegan, fish and meat-based meals. Curries, stir fries etc.

Vegetarianism has been around for a long time and people have been eating more varied foods than just 'meat and two veg' for decades. Just because some older people have chosen not to broaden their palates doesn't mean that's universal.

Apparently! Someone went home from our wedding because the food was vegetarian. How bad can it be to eat bread, cheese, salad, quiche etc?

I don’t understand this thought process with people who eat meat who seem to think being a meat eater means they’re carnivorous and act as if they have never had a meat-free dish in their lives and those who don’t eat meat whether through allergy or choice are from another planet and it’s such a hardship not to add meat to a dish.

There are plenty of dishes that don’t have meat that many people ,veggie or not, eat without even thinking about meat. Most veggies get on with it yet meat eaters like yourself seem to have an issue with it and think so many have some superiority when in most cases, those who seemingly can’t imagine one meal without meat eaters are the ones making it such an issue. It’s reminiscent of those who drink alcohol and think those who don’t drink think they’re superior when in actuality non-drinkers aren’t thinking much if at all about them.