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?

I know I hark from the time of the dinosaurs but, back in the day, if you invited someone to your house for a meal you were expected to feed them. When did that change? Why would you invite someone and then think "nah, can't be arsed "?

This is such an easy fix! What are you actually cooking? If it's a roast, ask what she'd have on her plate instead of meat. There are so many meat substitutes. How hard is it to pick up some veggie sausages or any of the other 100's of products on the shelves now? I've got a veggie son. He eats what we are eating but with a vegetarian substitute if it's a meat based meal. It's really not that hard

You do sound really nasty. It comes across that you don’t like his girlfriend and don’t think she’s worth accommodating. I doubt it has anything to do with her being vegetarian, because as you admit, there’s items you already intend to serve that are vegetarian. It’s hardly a massive effort to accommodate

You’re being very OTT.

Way to make your brother’s gf not feel welcome. I’d be pissed off too.

Just cook a veggie meal for you all, you might enjoy it and it’ll be a change.

If that’s too much just do a roast dinner and serve her veggie sausages instead.

I don't see why we should change our catering for one person

In other words: I want everyone to come over for a get together but I cba to provide a meal for them unless they eat what I want to make.

It's one person and she's a vegetarian. Why not just ask her what her favourite dish is and go to the effort of making it for her?

Not wanting to waste food is an excuse. Whatever she doesn't eat can be shared amongst the meat-eaters or she can take home.

Baked butternut squash. Cheese, spinach and walnut sauce. Another version with bacon. Tastes great, seasonal, looks nice and minimal effort to have two versions.

Yep you deserve it.

If you are having things like rice etc on the side, then the dietary preference is already covered. She will have more to eat than
is typically provided by many hosts for people with actual dietary restrictions.

I have veggie family members so cook for them often, and I enjoy vegetarian food, but I was nearly lynched on here for suggesting that vegetarians could sometimes buy cooked meat for their guests.
I do actually have a vegetarian friend who will always do a meat dish as well as veggie as she says people make an effort for her.

Goodness, lots of people are vegetarian, it's not as if it's a new thing! I have been vegetarian for 35 years and have never been asked to take my own food to a meal. I think I would rather stay at home to be honest.

When I've been to buffet type things meat thing always go first.

But again everyone i know are meat eaters. I only know one vegan.

It’s a good job you like meat so much, because you have had your arse handed to you here on a plate. I have relatives like you. How unwelcoming.

Tell me you're a shite cook and a terrible host without telling me you're a shite cook and a terrible host

Nothing wrong with that. I eat meat in every meal plus with veg

A quick meatless pasta or something, even a ready one would suffice?

Its quite ridiculous you think she doesn’t cook meat for you so you won’t make vegetarian dish for her. Do you not realise, a meat eater can eat vegetarian dishes but a vegetarian can not eat meat dishes?

You really don’t like her do you.

Buy something

https://www.cookfood.net/menu/main-meals/vegetarian-meals

I’d make the same sauce for her as for everyone else and then put some in a small pan and cook hers with some What the Cluck chicken pieces or chick peas in it. Then serve all the same rice etc with it. I don’t eat meat and I’d be very happy with that because it shows someone has at least made the effort to try to cater for me. It’s also incredibly quick to cook both of those and not very expensive to buy.

My sister has been veggie going on vegan for decades.

Either we cook something veggie we can all eat, maybe something with Black Eyed Beans or Chickpeas or a something simple for her alone.

Alternatively, if we're on meat and veg she's happy with one of the same baked potatoes as the rest of us and a filling. Veggies are usually OK with cheese but plenty of other options too.

Breakfast, lunch and evening meal? Goodness me.

This thread feels like a flashback to being veggie in the 1980s…when people had never met a vegetarian before and couldn’t quite conceive of what I could possibly eat if not meat!

Just buy a microwave veg curry to ping at the last minute, then she can still have the rice, popodoms, naan bread. It will add about 30 seconds cooking time by putting it in and out of the microwave. For the sake of spending £4 and 30 seconds of your time you can cater for the vegetarian, make her feel welcome and make yourself a great host. I really don’t see why you wouldn’t do this, unless you were purposely trying to make her feel shit.

@Redmat , what exactly is "vegetarian food"?

Food that's vegetarian - what's the confusion

I’m a recent vegetarian so can probably see both sides.

It’s not unreasonable to not want to make vegetarian food for everyone, but it’s rude to tell her to bring her own food.

There are so many dishes that can be easily adapted on the go to make a vegetarian portion. Curries where you brown the meat then make the sauce separately, take a bit out before adding the cooked meat and just put cauliflower or chickpeas in the vegetarian one. Or fajitas - cook a lot of peppers and onions with spices, take a bit out and add grilled halloumi cubes and then mix grilled chicken with the rest.

There are so many options with very little effort on your part. And it’s extremely rude to invite someone over for a meal and not provide food for them.