Vegetarians: Do you cook meat for social events when you know carnivores will be present? (dressing, tasty)

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Vegetarians: Do you cook meat for social events when you know carnivores will be present?

Yes. When I invite guests to my home it is polite to make them feel comfortable, and that includes cooking them foods they will like but that I might not really be a fan of. I don't really drink that much, but I will still buy or allow alcohol in my house. I can't stand fruit cake, but my mother is a fan, so I make her one every year. It's not about me.

The problem with that, is that vegetarian fare is -inclusive- while meat dishes are -exclusive.-

By that, I mean:

People who eat meat are -not- carnivores. They are omnivores. That means they will include meat in their meals, but they don't require meat in their meals. An omnivore can enjoy a meatless meal just fine.

People who don't eat meat are vegetarians. This means they cannot, or will not, eat meat.

When you're hosting a party, you should serve whatever will *include* the guests - not *exclude* them. Since meat-eaters -can- eat vegetarian food, but vegetarians -cannot- eat meat, then the logical choice is to offer vegetarian fare.

If the meat-eaters want meat, they can eat it at home, or ask the host if they are allowed to bring it for themselves and any other guests who might like a meat dish.

However- in a KOSHER home, you are more likely to find vegetarian foods being served at parties, instead of meat foods. And that is because - meat dishes -cannot- be served with dairy. So the meat eater will get a nice piece of steak and potato, but they won't get to put butter or sour cream on that potato. No cheese on the beef taco, no meat on the nachos. No butter on their bread. And no cream in the coffee.

If it were my home and I was inviting vegetarians, I would accommodate them, because as an omnivore, I have no problem eating vegetarian meals (except for the aforementioned analogues, brussels sprouts, and eggplant). I'd probably pick up a jar of pickled eggplant anyway as an appetizer, because it's pretty popular and it's appropriate in an italian antipasto. I'd just put some on the side so the vegetarian guests don't feel left out when I add it with the pepperoni chunks on the serving platter

[Wilson513]

For what its worth, as a non vegetarian, I never expect a non vegetaroian meal from my vegetarian friends and family.

I would much much rather have your best vegetarian meal than something that you do not like and would not eat.

[Stumbler.]

Social events where carnivores will be present?

Cool! Is that stuff like the lion taming show or something? Watching tigers jump through flaming hoops and all that jazz. Or watching a diver do some stunt in a shark tank?

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

People who come to my house for a party know I am a vegetarian. They would (I hope) assume that I will be serving meatless food.

I will say this though. 2 years in a row I had a Cinco de Mayo party. The first year I had green chile stew, layered dip, fresh fruit, and chips and salsa. The green chile stew had veggie meat in it. I didn't not announce that to anyone except another vegetarian friend, and everyone raved about how good it was. I doubt the meateaters even knew it was veggie. The second year I did a "build your own taco salad" bar and had salad shells, lettuce, refried beans, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onions, black olives, and cheese. I also had a small container of taco meat that I did cook. I was okay with doing so, and only did because I know not everyone would be happy with a refried bean salad. The salads were a hit.

Otherwise, though, other parties have always been meatless and no one complained or went hungry.

Exactly!

It's a matter of respect. I eat meat but I have the highest of respect that you do NOT eat meat.

[sheena12]

Guests are coming to my house this week for the Easter holiday and they will be staying for a week. I've carefully planed meals to include dishes that will be familiar, but I would never prepare meat. We are eating out for Easter dinner at a restaurant that is veg friendly. My brother and his wife may eat what they want, of course, at the restaurant. I would never dream of telling someone what to eat. But they are both understanding that I don't prepare it, and I don't have it in my home.

[TexasHorseLady]

I find this interesting, as an omnivore who, when I have a gathering at my home that includes food at which friends who I know are vegetarian are going to be present, am careful to prepare a vegetarian version of the main dish (and carefully choose a main dish that, while most delicious in an omnivore's version, can readily be made tasty in a vegetarian version), as well as leaving an animal ingredients (broths, etc.) out of side dishes that would normally include them, even though I, personally, prefer the omnivore's version. Thus making it all about my guests and not all about me.

I thought that was what good hosts do.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I find this interesting, as an omnivore who, when I have a gathering at my home that includes food at which friends who I know are vegetarian are going to be present, am careful to prepare a vegetarian version of the main dish (and carefully choose a main dish that, while most delicious in an omnivore's version, can readily be made tasty in a vegetarian version), as well as leaving an animal ingredients (broths, etc.) out of side dishes that would normally include them, even though I, personally, prefer the omnivore's version. Thus making it all about my guests and not all about me.

I thought that was what good hosts do.

What's so hard to grasp? Human omnivores eat vegetarian food all the time, unless the only thing they eat is meat but then they'd be carnivores and I know nobody like that. I don't think any friends or family would want me to cook dead animals for them. Anyone who knows me knows that I think it's unnecessary and pretty horrific to snuff out other lives and eat their corpses when when we have no need to do so. They wouldn't want me to violate my ethics to fry them up some animal bits. I do take my guests preferences into account, if there are allergies or certain vegetables that are loathed I won't make those items.
You are making it sound like veganism is just about food preferances and for most of us it is not. I won't cook you meat if you come to my house because it is completely against my ethics to do so, however, you can prepare me vegetables unless you have some moral objection to preparing plants. "Good hosts" don't completely abandon deeply held ethical beliefs because someone is coming over for dinner. Are your ethics that fluid?

[TexasHorseLady]

I don't think I've cooked for any vegans, though I did have a client who had to be on a vegan diet for a while while adding things back in to determine what was causing her health issues (it wasn't meat, by the way). For the record, I work in animal rescue, just to get that out of the way.

The vegetarians I know either aren't doing it for ethical reasons (and I have my own ethical reasons, having to do with respect for the other animals in the great circle, for not pretending I'm superior to them and can and should remove myself from my place in the circle because I think I'm so much better than they are - respect for nature, I guess you'd call it - for eating meat, health reasons aside), or don't feel it's up to them to enforce their beliefs on others.

As noted, I will go out of my way to prepare a full meal for any vegetarian guests even if I don't share their dietary choices.

I suspect that if I knew someone who was likely to proselytize or, just as bad, look down on the other guests and the host(ess) for not sharing their "ethics" (if anyone thinks that attitude isn't obvious they're deluding themselves) that I wouldn't be inviting them to dinner out of respect for my other guests, though, so it's not likely to be a problem that's going to arise.

[Drowningintherain2]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I don't think I've cooked for any vegans, though I did have a client who had to be on a vegan diet for a while while adding things back in to determine what was causing her health issues (it wasn't meat, by the way). For the record, I work in animal rescue, just to get that out of the way.

The vegetarians I know either aren't doing it for ethical reasons (and I have my own ethical reasons, having to do with respect for the other animals in the great circle, for not pretending I'm superior to them and can and should remove myself from my place in the circle because I think I'm so much better than they are - respect for nature, I guess you'd call it - for eating meat, health reasons aside), or don't feel it's up to them to enforce their beliefs on others.

As noted, I will go out of my way to prepare a full meal for any vegetarian guests even if I don't share their dietary choices.

I suspect that if I knew someone who was likely to proselytize or, just as bad, look down on the other guests and the host(ess) for not sharing their "ethics" (if anyone thinks that attitude isn't obvious they're deluding themselves) that I wouldn't be inviting them to dinner out of respect for my other guests, though, so it's not likely to be a problem that's going to arise.

Oh give me a break. I don't have any desire to feel superior to anyone. I think it's ridiculous that I should cook meat for others so that they don't feel like I'm judging them. It's their problem if they feel judged.I'm not going to throw a corpse on the grill to help them feel better. I am friends with many meat eaters and we get along just fine. They have never indicated that they feel judged. I go to other people's homes where meat is served and I say nothing and am happy with my food. You seem to be making an awful lot of assumptions about me.
I don't think I'm superior to other animals, in fact that's one of the reasons why I'm vegan. I don't think I have the right to take their lives when it suits me. Thousands of animals locked in barns or pigs in gestation crates....sounds so "natural" and "circle of life"...right.... I'm the one deluding myself.

[TexasHorseLady]

Go back and read your posts and try again saying you're not trying to feel superior to anyone. Any assumptions I'm making are based solely on your choice (deliberate or unconscious) of language. "Throw a corpse on the grill", for example.

By the way, other animals have absolutely no problem taking the lives of their fellow beings. It's how the system is designed to work.