vegetarian to carnivors and omnivors

[dances]

I am often discouraged, when people invite me over for a gathering which involves food ... well I mention that I don't eat meat ... they just go crazy .. eventually they throw their hands up and say "I'm sure they have salad" ...

Is it just me or are some people totally lacking in the imagination area? For example ... if you leave the bacon out of the green beans they stay vegetable ... simple enough, same with anything else. Sure I can remove the pepperonis from the pizza ... but the greese is pretty much saturated, it stinks and tastes aweful to someone who doesn't like it in the first place.

Some folks say "she won't know the difference", now I do eat eggs on occasion, preferably free range from my sister who has chickens, but when fried in bacon greese ... umm well ... at any rate, I was unaware the eggs were being cooked in bacon greese, other than they tasted bad ... eventually it got back to the cook that I was sick at my stomache after eating these eggs ... that was when I was told they were cooked in bacon greese. It wasn't just in my mind, after years of being strict vegetarian, and only recently adding some seafood to my diet, it wasn't just the idea of flesh in my food, it was actually the flesh in my food that made me ill.

retorical question: why do meat eaters eat vegetarians anyway?

Food for thought www.meetyourmeat.com

 

[anneke]

Welcome Dances! You'll find us generally vegetarian friendly around here.

We recently had an interesting discussion about the limited choices offered vegetarians when dining with their omnivorous friends. Have a look and please share your feelings: http://www.cheftalkcafe.com/forums/s...ght=vegetarian

 

[kuan]

Not simple enough for some people. Some people will need a recipe for vegetarian green beans. In some places green beans, by definition, includes bacon.

I feel your pain though. For some people it's actually a lot of work to accomodate vegetarians because it's either out of their comfort zone or they just don't get the concept of vegetarianism. Some people actually think of vegetarians as if they're off some "weird" religion. They don't talk about it in public, but who knows what they say behind closed doors. They're tolerant but not accepting. Kinda like some people's attitude toward homosexuality.

 

[chefboy2160]

Dances, "why do meat eaters eat vegetarians anyway"?In awnser to your question it is and was strictly survival.Our human braines would not have developed to there capacity without the addition of animal protien to our diet.So in retrospect you would not be a vegetarian now if our ancestors had not been realy good hunters because the homo sapien species would have went extinct without this ability to eat what was present at the time!
This evolution went from hunter gatherers to farming and husbandry which enabled us to live in cities and to develope culture.I hope this helps you with the why we eat vegetarians.
In my opinion our evoloution and genetics have made us to be able to eat whatever we can make palatable and which gives our bodies fuel.I embrace your stand on your food policies but most of this western culture will not be of like mind so as you allready know your food encounters can be realy tough in a society that mixes meat with veggies(green beans and bacon).
Good luck with your food Dances and keep cooking,Doug.........

 

[dances]

Thank you much for the threads ... I thought of something ... which is really really sad, Denny's Restaruants serve veggie burgers ... and you can get all the usual toppings .. at least it's a start ... odd that finer restaruants aren't capable.

 

[dances]

okay thanks for the history lesson ... but why don't meat eaters eat meat eaters? ... I assure you I'm well aware of the Western mind set .. being from a long long line of real cowboys. It's the inhumane treatment of this particular food that bothers me .. but then as evolved as we are .. I guess that makes it okay to ignore those issues. Happy Trails

 

[chefboy2160]

Dances, no you cant ignore these issues but it is as it is now.I know first hand what you mean as a real cowboy camp.The ritual of killing on the farm or wherever life is growing can be quite cruel and callouse. Remember that the majority of people living in our cities do not realy even know where there food comes from be it farm or slaughter house.Remember though that life is change and things never stay the same!Perhaps we shall become food for ourselves someday as in the movie "Solient Green". peace , Doug........

 

[shroomgirl]

There are no vegetarian restaurants in STL a city of a pretty sizable population. For 2 years I ran farmer/chef dinners that had vegetarian options, most were done well....they were in top fine dining restaurants.

So, now Chef Peter Berley is coming to STL for a booksigning and 4 course vegetarian meal (meat option). It will be interesting to see if the vocal vegetarians will come out and support a dinner.
Several years ago I catered a weekend for the Missouri Mycological Society, (wild mushroom group) there were 90 people showing up for a weekend....out of this group I figured because of all the talk there would be 10% veg....nope
3 and one eats white meats sometimes....it seems they were the prominent members that ran the group for years, they were vocal but in the vast minority. Tempeh was an option and actually it was very popular, we had to make sure the veg had some saved for dinner.

 

[dances]

ummm green beans are already vegetarian ... don't need to take anything out if nothing is added ... and as far as homosexuality ... sometimes I wonder if some folks aren't aware what century we are in. Even racism is still an issue .. and what about God Bless America ? ... did God make the rest of the world by mistake?

 

[dances]

seems I posted reply in wrong space ...
Shroomgirl great research, you'd think vegetarians were like women asking the right to vote or something ... hahaha .. Many years ago I read a report that listed the amount of land and food to raise cattle, not to mention the air pollution ... they even mentioned the difference natural differences in the way land erodes from catttle much different than Buffalo ... and not too long ago read that the wild mustang in AZ was being culled again, though the land was designated a sanctuary. Gov. was culling the heards in half (4000 to 2000) to make room for more cattle ranchers. Now the former mentioned report, I'd like to run across it again and find an updated version, it didn't ask anyone to not eat meat ... it did however suggest cutting back to save our natural resources, and stated the amount of natural resources that would be salvageded as the result of not eating just one burger per week. One persn can make a difference, just by cutting back, nothing more. Even more recently, last week the news mentioned they are adding fish to cattles diet. This tampering with nature stuff seems to really be getting out of hand. What next?

 

[phatch]

We do eat meat eaters, fish being a prime example. Bear has a culinary history as do some of the sea mammals which are also carnivores. Cats too.

Eating carnivores has unrewarding "economics" in general though as compared to other meat sources. Higher risk to harvest, much less availability due to their location in the food chain. Greater cost to raise if farmed.

Phil

 

[shroomgirl]

Yep, I've never been into eating cats......though I did buy one in a farmer's market once....interesting that the pet store is owned by the butcher shop!
I still have her son and still don't buy unidentified meat at that market.

 

[suzanne]

I'm not sure what you mean by "finer restaurants" but really good restaurants that cook a la minute are more than capable, if you don't expect them to do some sort of sleight of hand with their menu (like take the meat out of a Bolognese sauce ). It's a great way for the chef to be creative. And if you give them warning ahead of time, you might be amazed with the great stuff you can get.

It's the great middle range where there are problems for vegetarians, especially with the chains that must adhere to the company way. Remember, too, that many dishes are prepped and/or cooked in advance, in whole or in part, and it's just not possible to "take the bacon out of the green beans."

 

[chiffonade]

As a host, I am most appreciative when a guest divulges a food preference. This saves me from offering foods which the diner will not enjoy (or be able to eat) and it saves the diner from having to go out for hummus after a visit to my house.

We had a friend in southwest Colorado who was a vegetarian and who insisted we not make a fuss when she came to visit. This inspired me to work even harder to provide her with a great selection of dishes. I wanted her plate to be as full and varied as any carnie who might be visiting. She always appreciated the effort (and the food raves didn't hurt).

With the advent of specialized diets like Atkins - one must ask invited guests for their food preferences. (This is me not going into my usual tirade about Atkins...Moving on...) My husband makes some of the best bread I've ever had but if we set out a big basket of bread which no one touches, I consider it a terrible waste of his energy and expertise. (Although in my house, it would never go to waste.)

What about Vegans? Geez, do they ever get invited anywhere??

 

[campchef]

I must live in an unusually enlightened area, for vegetarians, vegans and even a few micros frequent my place. I change the menu weekly and ALWAYS have at least one vegetarian item that can be made vegan. If the micros give me a little notice, I can whip something up for them, too. Having a vegetarian item or two on the menu ( out of the usual five to seven entrees) is a great way for me to come up with some really fantastic dishes. Many have reappeared as a "normal" entree! Keep looking, I'm sure there is a place around you that would love to see you come in a couple times a week.

 

[campchef]

One more thought, actually a quote from long ago:

"In all conflicts and wars in history between meat eaters and non meat eaters, the meat eaters have always won."

I just wish I could remember who said it. I am not a vegetarian of any kind, and have a hard time understanding the philosophy, but they are my guests, so I serve.

 

[shroomgirl]

Vegan dinner with Peter Berley was as I expected. 44 showed and only 2 vegetarians, though it was publisized on the Vegetarian Society website and direct invitations issued. 40 out of 44 went for the tempeh and it was great!
Super meal, great chef!