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?

Not environmentally friendly to eat meat? Utter bullshit.

YABU…I’ve just been eating my left over Aubergine Parmigiana from yesterday that I made for dinner for a visitor who came over.

If you used genuine parmesan, that won't have been vegetarian either. It contains animal rennet - it has to, by law. There are parmesan substitutes that are vegetarian though.

@TheaBrandt said it wasn't environmentally friendly to eat lots of meat. That does change the meaning of that sentence, although it makes it more difficult to froth, which I guess is why you ignored it.

There's plenty of evidence that cutting meat consumption is a desirable environmental goal. This is a fairly balanced article, for example https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-is-eating-meat-bad-for-the-environment/a-63595148

Why? Considering what it takes to raise, feed, store, and butcher animals on top of storing and packaging the meat, think there are way more studies that disagree with you.

So I’ve been doing vegetarianism wrong for 37 years? Thank goodness you told me!!

@WomanStanleyWoman2 , I think @Maybe87 was being tongue-in-cheek

I do think that you are BU because most vegetarians choose not to eat meat for either moral, religious or medical reasons. I have relatives that are vegan for moral reasons. I would not dream of expecting them to cook or serve meat for me when I visit. Similarly I would not serve meat when they visit me. There are plenty of delicioud meat free recipes and products available these days. I think you are a bad host not to respect your guest's diet.

@WomanStanleyWoman2 😂so many possible answers. apparently yes you do something wrong and you should do a break after 37 years. Maybe the chip on your shoulder will disappear. Seriously, I’m not going to be the one to tell you what to eat but before industry found a way to get rich from vegetarians through overpriced fake sausages and burgers, that’s what vegetarians would eat.

The only reason a vegetarian would eat only salad is if they're visiting a household where only meat and salad are served as options for them.

Yeah, I must have just imagined every main course I’ve eaten in my entire life.

How long have YOU been vegetarian?

@WomanStanleyWoman2 5 years basic membership and only 3 years gold but I have been given the opportunity to upgrade to the diamond level with the purchase of 50 quorn burgers

YANBU. I certainly wouldn’t be pandering to such ridiculousness.

If you deliberately restrict your diet then you find your own way around that.

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DON'T BOTHER TELLING ME ABOUT ANY DIETARY ISSUES THOUGH, I DON'T PANDER TO SUCH RIDICULOUSNESS. IF YOU DELIBERATELY RESTRICT YOUR DIET THEN YOU FIND YOUR OWN WAY AROUND THAT.

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Dietary issues, like allergies and coeliacs, sure. Happy to cater for them as it’s not their fault and is a medical issue.

I would not be catering for fussy vegetarians and vegans.

Some people restrict their diet, others restrict the number of people willing to be friends with them

Don’t then. But don’t be surprised when they don’t want anything to do with you.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all. I’m not interested in being friends with people with those “values”.

What an ungratious host. Your brother was annoyed because you came across as rude and dismissive.

Vegetarians are easy to cook for.

If you’re comfortable with being a “twat”, then fine - fill your boots.

Just throw in a macaroni cheese for her. She can eat the vegetables you cook for everyone with it. My DH is veggie and that's what I do for him. Word of warning she may not eat food cooked in an oven meat has been in. I have a separate microwave just for DH's veggie food.

What about people who follow the teaching of their religion not to eat certain foods - Hindus, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Jains, some Buddhists?

You’d invite people round to yours but not make an effort with the food so that there’s something that people are likely to eat and enjoy? Wow. Imagine being invited for a meal and being told you can have sides… I wouldn’t go back. I don’t people understand what it means to be a good host…

Unless there is a medical issue, if you are going to deliberately restrict your diet that is your problem to deal with.

So are you one of those who would be upset if a guest didn’t eat or try whatever meat you had cooked?

Many people eat only certain types of meat because they don’t like the taste or texture. . Besides, meat is usually accompanied by sides that are typically vegetarian unless you’re one of those tossing meat in those too to make a point.

It happens constantly. Even being able to eat the sides is a luxury. Do you know how many times I’ve been invited over and ended up eating something like a bit of shredded cheese for dinner? Not too much though so everyone can have the portion that was planned for them. This is with hosts knowing my allergies, but just not bothering to think about their menus properly or at all.