What do you think?

[Johnboy]

Hi Retro and Stephen,
I am relieved to hear that my SIL is atypical of vegetarians.
As another example I have a cousin and his wife, who are both vegetarian, and when their children were born, on medical advice, they included meat dishes in the children's diet. Four children later, now all grown up and flown the nest, and two are vegetarian and two meat eaters and this is about the most harmonious of families you would all wish to know.
They have no qualms about cooking for each other and this is why I find it strange the apparent reluctance to coexist and make any compromise by some vegetarians. I feel sure that most meat eaters fall over to cater for their vegetarian friends wishes but there is a lack of compromise by vegetarians to cater for their meat eating friends.
If either of you can explain that I would be more than grateful.
JB.

[Stephen]

I feel sure that most meat eaters fall over to cater for their vegetarian friends wishes but there is a lack of compromise by vegetarians to cater for their meat eating friends.

Johnboy - is this the bit to which you want a response? If it is, then I have no idea. If people ask, I always say, keep it simple.

In terms of catering provision, I would liken the situation to a cup of coffe - if served black (au naturel), then milk can be added. If served white, then those who chose to drink it black will have to abstain.

[richard p]

my mother in law is vegetarian, she is sure it helps her arthritis, so the wife cooks them both something veggy every sunday, (she hasnt told mum that shes reverted to a normal mixed diet the rest of the week). on the odd occasions that we eat out mum often orders roast beef, passes me the meat and enjoys the yorkshire pud and vegetables... she often doesnt fancy the limited veggy options on the menu.

[mandylew]

To Gilly C

I dont wear leather shoes, although i find most vegetarians do (on some daft presumption that the animal is dead anyway ). However we have a (second hand) leather sofa, I call that recycling!.I am reaching a point where i am trying to reconcile myself with the pros and cons or man made v's leather.

Johnboy, I would not welcome anybody, relative or other into my home who refused to eat from my kitchen in such an objective manner, the guy seems to be suffering from OCD, which can affect vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Mandy

[Gilly C]

Hi Richard I have arthitis but the diet is far too restrictive so I didn't even try no red meat no dairy products etc, Your MIL is not vegatarian in the strict sense as there are meat juices in the gravy and maybe dripping in the Yorkshire pudd and roas potatoes or maybe duck or goose fat. I have worked in catering and it is not as straight forward as people think to just serve vegetables and vegans are just a nightmare ! veggie children are the worst they say anything to not eat what they are given say they are vegatarian or allergic, we run an outdoor ed centre,but the selfsame children stuff their faces with sweets most jelly sweets have gelatin in and for nut allergies even a mars bar is banned as made in factories where nut products are made and then there are gluten intolerant, and religous objections sometimes a simple dinnder for 40 people takes hours to organise yet I always respect their choices but it does make me

To Mandy thanks for you reply and you are the first vegatarian I have known to not wear leather shoes, at last someone with principles I am also into recycling and use 3 Freecycle sites so I can allow you the sofa

[retropants]

Hi JB,
You are right, my friends do all try to accomodate me and my DH,some actually go out of their way to do something exciting and different, and they really want to do this, and we are extremely grateful. When they eat at my house, they are very happy to eat home cooked vegetarian meal (its only once in a blue moon after all), a take away with meat in, or if I do a bbq, both are catered for. I have never been expected to cook meat for anyone other than my dad, and that is only at christmas, when mum brings the hot turkey round ready to go. My oven is too small you see! It is full of roasties, parnips, stuffing etc etc!!
Apparently, my vegetarian cottage pie is the best they've ever tasted, and that's coming from 3 carnivores!

[Johnboy]

Hi Retro,
Thank you for your reply. The final questions I wish to ask are;
What makes a person a vegetarian so unwilling to handle meat although they are obviously not expected to eat it?
If there is absolutely nothing else to eat other than food prepared with say lard, gelatine or similar meat based product would you go hungry for several days to defend your ethical stand?
JB.

[WestHamRon]

Hi Retro,
Thank you for your reply. The final questions I wish to ask are;
What makes a person a vegetarian so unwilling to handle meat although they are obviously not expected to eat it?
If there is absolutely nothing else to eat other than food prepared with say lard, gelatine or similar meat based product would you go hungry for several days to defend your ethical stand?
JB.

I've met plenty of meat eaters that don't like handling raw offal.

[lizzie]

As the starter of this thread, I think it only right to tell you the following.

I've now declared an all out strike.....a complete strike. He has now really got my dander up over the last week.

I have been decorating and my brother has been helping me. That "thing" that I live with has had a hissy fit cos my brother has helped and "thing" has done nothing. He then said that I "don't contribute anything to the house"

There is now no cooking for him, no washing of clothes, no ironing of clothes, no tidying his s***, no cups of tea, no buying of "his" food and there will be no pandering of any shape or form from me to him for the foreseeable future. He's no longer insured to drive my car either.

Lizzie is mad as hell.....and that's not a good way to have me. War is well and truly declared.

[Johnboy]

Hi WestHamRon,
I am sure that what you say could well be true and I would add that if people had to kill and butcher their own meat there would probably be many more vegetarians. But Ron that does not answer the questions I have asked.
JB.

[Weed]

Lizzie

Can I feel an extended trip to Dublin coming on...unannounced of course

[Chantal]

Go for it Lizzie

JB, I don't like handling raw meat, it often makes me queasy, but I do like eating it, especially rare roast beef. Bit contradictory, but there it is.

On a different note, there was a letter to our local newspaper a couple of years ago which had me in fits. This person wrote in to say that everyone should eat only meat and not vegetables. The reasoning was all the vegetable growers were killing and injuring all the worms when digging the ground. "spare a thought for the millions of worms that are murdered when a field is ploughed" was my favourite line.

[Gilly C]

You go for it Lizzie a women after my own heart , selfish men I have done similar usually only lasts a day or two though before he comes crawling

Chantal
One of my daughters is just the same about handling raw meat she uses tongs or a fork but loves her steak blue almost breathing

[pongeroon]

Good for you, Lizzie, stick with it until you get a result.

I wish I had had the balls to do it when I was married the first time. He expected me to do all the 'womens work' (and he actually called it that)and conveniently ignored the fact that I did a lot of 'mens work' too. But that wasn't enough, in the end he wanted me to 'mother' him as well. F**k that!

My new husband (still haven't got used to calling him that!) is totally different (obviously...) and pulls his weight. He was fully trained when I got him, and only needed a bit of fine tuning...

[lizzie]

The Barsteward has now denied saying what he did........he's had it now. That is it.

An extended jolly may be on the cards....like a permanent jolly. He has to face my brother yet so that should be fun. He's very placid but, when he gets annoyed, it's another matter.

Now, where did I put that suitcase.......?