She turned her nose up at my joint camping meal, then added her own stuff!

[MerchantGourmetLover]

On our camping trip with friends we decided that each night one family cooks a meal to feed everyone. I got allocated the final night, so a bit more difficult in terms of bringing fresh stuff from home as it won't last.

My friend got allocated the first night and presented a home cooked chilli using all these organic ingredients picked from a local allotment. She also made some pointed comments about how she is trying to reduce her consumption of ultra processed foods.

To make life easier, for my meal (which to be fair was similar to hers) I used some packets of Merchant Gourmet cajun beans and Mexican grains - which I happen to think are really nice. As soon as I mentioned this she started quietly grumbling about UPFs and I overheard her describe it to someone else as "slop from packets". I tried to ignore and rise above it, but at the moment I served up my meal to everyone, she popped up with a load of extra stuff (of course from the organic allotment) which she claimed was "just some sides to add to your meal", but she then proceeded to only eat her stuff and ignored everything I had cooked.

She has form for this as something similar happened last year! Should I have tried harder with my offering or AIBU to be upset that she was rude about my meal in front of everyone else?

I’d like to know what the other campers thought of her attitude and behaviour. Did anyone say anything?

Of course I am taking the piss, although only slightly. My DH takes his dinner quite seriously. 😂In truth, he'd not be appalled but he'd certainly crestfallen and underwhelmed, maybe mildly miffed? How does that sound for you?

Not that he would EVER utter it out loud apart from privately to me, later.

What a pain in the arse she is!

But veganism isn't another fad, where a fair amount of not entirely accurate or balanced propaganda is peddled? Regardless of whether it's for ethics or health, it's still a bubble that has already burst. There were about five or six vegan restaurants in my city in recent years, there's now one. Which is precisely how many there were before the vegan craze blew up five years ago or so.

Nothing sloppy about MG. I eat a salad made with them for lunch most days (for precisely the reason I don't have to end up eating sloppy grains I've added to much water to)! I tend to read the ingredients lists on foods and not sure what she finds so objectionable in MG. The packaging admittedly isn't the most environmentally friendly, but they're a good option for eating a healthy meal if you need something quick and simple. She could have added her fresh organic sides to the meal without the bitchy comments.

Last time I looked complaining that a meal someone has prepared for you isn’t good enough was not acceptable. Have things changed?

We have an annual camping trip with friends. We hang out together, drink and snack together, play games together, go to the pub together, swim in the sea together, go on walks together. We never cook together. Too difficult on a campsite with a limited ability to cook. But we're always interested to see what people are cooking to give us ideas for next time.

However, if I'm staying with a group in a house/cottage/barn/mansion, I'm more than happy to take on the cooking for the whole group, as it usually means someone else is volunteering to do the washing up.

Regardless, no ethical vegan is going back to eating dead animals because a few restaurants closed down. People eating plant based for health may find it harder but ethical vegans won’t be deterred.

There may not be as much money in it as people thought - that part of the bubble maybe has burst for businesses - but there is no bubble to burst (nor is there “balanced debate” when it comes to killing and consuming animals) for the ethical side of veganism, it isn’t a fad or a diet.

Ironically the push against UPF is probably part to blame for some vegan restaurants closing and brands struggling, as people more and more don’t want to eat UP vegan food, eg. fake cheese and meats.

Wholefood plant based diets are where the UPF rejection and plant based diets collide.

She's one of those people who is just an idiot, ignore her other people probably thought she was out of order too and if they didn't just don't go camping with them again.
I wouldn't really call packs of lentils and beans UPFs either tbh.
Remember going camping with some friends who also never ate processed foods etc (except they did in secret), we eat quite healthily but all in balance, we had taken some millionaire's shortbread as camping treats for the DC and they looked at us like we were feeding them heroin! We also offered their DC raspberries and the mum rushed over to check what we were feeding her child (raspberries were acceptable we were pleased to learn!) , we haven't been camping with them again- lovely people but in small doses!

How was the rest of your group behaving about this?

It would have taken a lot not to tip it over her head

The odd thing is, some of those pouches from Merchant Ivory score really highly on the Zoe app. I bet spag bolognese doesn't.

Crikey, she’d have loved my tinned hot dig sausages mixed with bbq heinz beans. I also do tinned new potatoes (albeit done in a frying pan with butter). Cowboy Supper always goes down well we go camping.

I'm starting to think this is a thinly veiled advertisement for MG. I can't imagine why on earth someone would feel the need to name change just to post about this.

Merchant stuff is one my staple things knickers to her wouldnt go camping with her again

Coming from a bit of a food hippy...

You can't force her to eat something she doesn't want to eat, but she could and should have gone about her predicament more elegantly. Maybe "I've still got a few supplies leftover, could I add side salad to your meal?" Then done a bit of manoeuvring on her plate to disguise the fact that she hasn't touched the bit you've cooked. Definitely not insulting you like that.

She's not a friend.

I bet she thinks she’s really classy. Well she’s not, she’s vulgar. Good manners shows class and she’s very bad mannered. I wouldn’t view her as a friend.

Sounds great and perfect for camping.

I think the split second I heard "Slop from packets" would be the point at which I'd tell her she wouldn't be getting anything and could just feed herself. Insufferable cow.

I’ve never bought that product but I’ve just looked it up, it seems fine to me, just natural ingredients and oil (not olive oil but nothing to make a fuss about for one meal).

No, she was a dick. I'd have just told her she was being a dick, personally.

Your 'friend' has been rude and unpleasant on a previous holiday, what made you think she would behave any differently this time?

Not on the last night, no. Last night is that truly interesting meal of using up all the stuff leftover so you don’t have to take it home. Fishfinger risotto anyone 😀

No need to worry about her bringing some food but obvs unpleasant that she was rude about yours - hopefully whoever she was talking to would make their own judgement about whether to take any notice.