Going meatless

[Guest guest]

Hi, new here, nice to " meet " all of you, as were.

 

Was vegetarian for about 6 years back in the 80's but stopped eating

that way and now want to get back to it. It won't be especially hard

for me, but I like the camaraderie of a group and sharing new ideas.

 

One thing that I always encountered when I told people that I was a

vegetarian was just plain ignorance. I worked with one woman who was

our office bully, and the ringleader of a small group of people who

were very very traditional and never thought outside of the box.

EVERY DAY, for years, she asked me the same question: 'So, why are you

vegetarian?' and EVERY DAY, I gave her the exact same answer: 'It's

healthy.' She'd nod, and blink, and the next day there she was again,

smirking and asking me the same thing in front of everyone, like a

challenge. As if the answer was going to change and she was going to

catch me in a lie, but she really was questioning my character. It

got to the point where she started answering herself along with me,

but she kept it up! I could have gotten angry, but hey, that would

have played into her hands, so I just kept smiling and answering her.

The thing about it was that she VERY seldom ate meat herself! She

liked to sup on an entire head of garlic chopped and steamed with a

pan full of red peppers or squash, and ate that way most of the time

while making meat dishes for her family. She didn't see that as a

vegetarian diet though, because being a vegetarian was just weird.

 

Which is the point that I want to make, that lots of people still see

it that way. I've gotten two digests now, and have seen several

people ask how to get non-vegetarians to accept veggie dishes. It's

mostly a matter of perception, and it's been my personal experience

that you can serve most people a vegetarian meal and they won't even

miss the meat! When they ask what you're making, tell them. If you

don't make a big deal about no meat it's not likely that anyone else

will either, as long as you feed them well. I used to say: soup,

pasta, Chinese, Italian, a casserole, whatever. Lasagna, for

instance, doesn't necessarily mean that it has meat in it. As long

they'll eat something other than just plainly cooked meat and mashed

potatoes, and aren't hung up on what I call " concept eating " (i.e.:

What's in it???? I CAN'T eat THAT! I HATE soy/mushrooms/etc.!), you

have a good shot at it.

 

I never knowingly violated anyone's preferences, but often found that

if I served a tasty meal with several dishes that people at least

tried some different things. You can't do anything about people who

are going to thoroughly enjoy a tofu dish then run to the bathroom to

throw it up when they find out what was in it, or the ones who hate

the food but won't tell you they hate it except by being passive

aggressive, or attacking your choices and character. I'd just feed

them what they'll eat and try not to have my own meals with them if

they refuse to show you some respect. If you really have to make two

meals all the time, you can try having a central dish, like rice, and

streamlining the preparations for your stuff by pre-chopping fresh

veggies and freezing vegetable broth.

 

Dang, that's apparently been sticking in my craw for years! LOL.

Thanks for reading. Happy eating and please take care!

 

Barbara

[Guest guest]

Loved it!

Jann

 

" B " <ladyb_thefirst wrote:

> Dang, that's apparently been sticking in my craw for years! LOL.

Thanks for reading. Happy eating and please take care!

>

> Barbara

>