Who thinks vegetarians are cranks?

[unicorn]

only asking to glean opinion (not start a war!)

I was under the misguided illusion that being veggi was no longer a particularly interesting issue... yet I had a gang of adults gang up on me yesterday simply because I asked if there were going to be veggi burgers (as well as the usual stuff) at the school summer fair!

Why on earth do I need to justify my eating habits/choices to anyone?

Agree with spidermama. And you could argue that meat eaters force their children to be 100% meat eaters.

Absolutely pootle.

For the record, I think I mentioned my kids do eat flesh now and again, cooked by dh.

Calm down! It wasn't an attack. I was just curious to see if you would give your kids meat if they asked for it, that's all.

No pootlepod, I wouldn't force my kids to eat meat. As I said, ds won't touch it and I simply offer it regularly, remove it at first refusal and then make sure he has plenty of alternatives of protein and iron.

Loads of people think my dh and kids are a bunch of nutters for being strict veggies. Fortunately my dad is far more understanding; a few years ago he saw it as a big joke and used to be quite sarcastic about the kids turning their noses up at meat dishes.

School bbq's are notoriously bad at providing veggie options, as are restaurants. The times dh has been offered fish as an alternatives still amazes me.

My older 3 are veggie through choice. My younger 2 are veggieas dh will not allow them to have any animal products until they are old enough to make their own minds up. If dh had his way they wouldn't wear leather either but I draw the line at that one.

Now, ds3 is 2.6 and will soon quite possibly want to try meat (as I eat it myself). dh would go ballistic if I offered any to him, so I know I am going to have a battle with dh at some point over our differing opinions on eating meat. I think he should eat it if he likes it; dh wants him to know how animals are killed and then make up his mind.

Any ideas on how I manage this one??

I've been veggie for 25 years and all of my kids have been brought up the same way. They have asked to try meat in the past and I have always refused it. My 2 eldest are well old enough to make up their own minds and despite one living away from home and the other working at Mcds (!) they do not eat meat.

QueenEagle, I can understand your DH not wanting your ds to have meat just yet. Would it be such a big deal to go along with his wishes?

It's not an issue yet with ds3, but I know the day will come. dh will be so against it and so graphic which i actually disagree with for a child so young. There are so many other options and I am now so used to cooking alternatives to meat that it isn't an issue for me really. I have respected dh's wishes so far, but it can't work the other way round (him respecting my wishes to eat meat) as far as ds3 and ds4 are concerned.

I am a hard and fast omnivore, but I think vegetarianism is so common that I often assume people are veggies. I mean in the supermarket and place like that. I look at people and think (not in a judgemental way, just idly) I bet she is vegetarian, and then I look in their trolleys and am very surprised to see meat for a family in there. Yesterday, I saw a woman doing the weekly shop, pick at least 2 joints of meat for roasting which truly astonished me as I would only ever buy 1 joint a week (max) despite being a meat eater.

So, in answer to your question, no I don't hink vegetarians are cranks, I tend to assume people (especially women) are vegetarian until proved otherwise.

I have some friends whose dad was a farmer and I'm sure he used to blame my poor veggie DH for the decline in the beef industry.....

Um, re the 'why do meat eaters eat the veggie options' - that's because we are omnivores - we eat meat and vegetables (and cake). I love vegetables and pulses and meals made out of them, and I love meat and fish. So I wouldn't think that cheese sandwiches were something I had to avoid!
Re other people being vegetarian, doesn't bother me in the least. We happily cook vegetable and pulse-based dishes if we have vegetarian guests. Sometimes I am very curious as to why people are vegetarians (esp people who aren't vegetarian but only eat fish - never understood that one) but never ask as it always sounds challenging I think.

People who eat fish and call themselves vegetarian have no right to do so IMO.

agree QE. what's even worse is the "vegetarians" who eat chicken! what's THAT about?

i do think it's kind of selfish when people KNOW there are vegetarians at a do but still eat up all the veggie options! not saying that they should avoid them, but it'd be nice to make sure that people who don't eat meat actually get something!

QE, do you have some moral reason for your child to not be veggie? i can understand why your dh would be upset but not why you would be tbh (i am veggie but my kids eat meat btw, so not having a go).

dp is a pescetarian (sp) but calls himself veggie cos its easier. otherwise he just has to explain to people why he does not eat meat but does eat fish and why eating fish means he is not veggie...it can take som people a while to get their heads round it

I don't eat fennel and would not do so under any circumstances. If Gordon Ramsay added fennel to my dinner I would be furious.

Starlover It's one of the reason's I find chinese meals a pita...
everyone nicks the veggi/fish stuff, then they eat all the meat stuff as well.. so there is v.little left for non meateaters!

Oh I find this interesting unicorn as both children are veggie and dp and I are not (ex dh is strict veggie though)but no time now, will come back.

I'm veggie but dh isn't. He loves to cook and is very good at it so I completely understand he wants to pass on his delight of food, all foods, including meat, to his kids.

I insist that any meat has to be organic and free range, and though I wouldn't touch it and hate the smell of it, part of me is pleased that my kids are getting the option.

If they decide to be veggie, and they do dabble with it, an even bigger part of me will be pleased.

A woman I know calls herself vegetarian, but what she means is that she only eats meat that comes from animals which she considers to be unintelligent because they have small brains. So she eats chicken and fish, but not pork or beef. Quite how she determines the intelligence of the animals is beyond me, but that's her logic. She's entitled to eat what she wants and justify it as she wants, but I don't believe she is entitled to consider herself vegetarian.

my dd is going through a thing of not eating beef. this is because she and all her friends in senior school have aligned themselves with animals - she is a cow - has a room full of cow stuff and recently won't eat beef.

i was a veggie once - i got grilled on a daily basis about it - was in the late 90's at that time dd wanted to emulate me but couldn't give up beef burgers!

Maybe QE wants her children to eat meat because she wants them to have the full nutritional range of food.

It's quite possible to get the "full nutritional range of food" without eating meat though, LM. The only thing veggies don't get is the meat - they get all of the other nutrients from alternative foods.

arnt people who only eat fish called piscatarian? maybe they dont know the phrase.
meat has bot vitimins in that kids need - as long as your savvy about it it shouldnt be a problem - but i was worried about my dd and bought vitamins on my mums advice - she used to be a nurse

I thought there wee some types of iron and things that only occur in meat WWB? I am not getting at you BTW. I am perfectly accepting of vegetarianism. I was just thinking about gigglinggoblin's post.

I think my post has been misunderstood, or more likely I didn't explain myself very well!!

I don't have an urge for my children to eat meat. With the older 3 they have made an informed choice and I respect (and actually quite admire) their choice.

ds3 and ds4 are a different matter though. They have one parent who eats meat; another who doesn't. Naturally as a meat eater I wouldn't object if they ate it. dh as a strict veggie would be horrified if they did eat meat and would do all he could to dissuade them. Therefore I have agreed to not give them any animal products until they are old enough to make that decision for themselves. More out of respect for dh than anything.

They have a wide range of meals with good sources of nutrition without meat so that isn't why I want them to have meat. I just want them to know what it is like as I like it myself.

I've only skimmed this thread but I agree, being vegetarian isn't that unusual any more. I remember being with a vegetarian colleague at a work function about 10 years ago - it isn't that long ago! - and there weren't any vegetarian items on the menu (posh hotel just outside London) at all. You wouldn't get that happening much now would you? The chef said 'oh I'll do him something' and lo and behold he was presented with a plate of plain vegetables! No choice! Although I'm not veggie we don't eat much meat and are practically pescetarians, on health and taste grounds more than anything, I don't have any moral objection to eating meat. I'd have thought it was essential to consider vegetarians at a school summer fair tbh, did the other parents really think it wasn't unicorn?

Agree with WWB, it is perfectly possible to have a totally healthy and balance diet without meat. Definitely.