Vegetarians do not live on salads alone!

[hucifer]

Wow, I was right!

You get a star on the forehead! Teacher is so proud.

 

[chadfromdallas]

but it annoys me to no end when some really skinny girl tells me, "Oh, I had a salad for lunch and now I'm sooooo stuffed."

Those people that can control their diet are just oh so annoying eh?

 

[hucifer]

Those people that can control their diet are just oh so annoying eh?

Oh Chad.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Where I live, Portland, Oregon...most people are vegetarians and I don't even think they really eat salad...

I don't think that there's enough sunshine to grow lettuce for the salads in Portland! At least that's how I felt living in the western side of the mountains in Oregon.

T&B

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I love telling people that my 11yo (we're all vegetarian) doesn't like many vegetables. That really confuses them. In general I don't mind people asking questions if they are really interested in finding out what we eat, how we handle raising vegie kids, what we'll do if they don't want to continue being vegetarian, etc. Some people ask and don't really want to hear the answer, though. They're basically asking to be difficult, if that makes any sense. I never criticize others for eating meat and am careful to word my explanations in such a way that I don't offend others and expect the same courtesy from them.

BTW, my two oldest have tried meat--my rule is I won't have it in the house and I sure won't cook it, but when they are old enough to venture to friends houses and out to eat without me, they can try whatever they want. Neither of them eat meat, though, and only tried it a few times.

And as far as salads, I love them and will occasionally eat one for a meal, but only if I want something very light.

T&B

 

[MinnieM21]

I don't think that there's enough sunshine to grow lettuce for the salads in Portland! At least that's how I felt living in the western side of the mountains in Oregon.

T&B

So true! It's always raining!

 

[Sparx]

You get a star on the forehead! Teacher is so proud.

 

[chrissie123]

DH & youngest DD are vegetarian and i find it easy to feed them...quorn in casseroles, veggie mince for spaghetti bolognais, chilli, lasagne,...Quorn burgers, sausages, veg stir frys,the list is endless...lots of veg to accompany their meals too, in fact me & eldest DD are begining to favour the veggie option more too...May i add we have both felt healthier also due to my lack of time(laziness ),,, preparing a vegetarian option & meat option...

 

[jacksonsmom]

I feel your pain!
But I do have to say being a vegetarian is MUCH easier today then it was 15-20 yrs ago!!!!! Back then when I would say I was a vegetarian people looked at you like you were from a different planet! LOL

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I feel your pain!
But I do have to say being a vegetarian is MUCH easier today then it was 15-20 yrs ago!!!!! Back then when I would say I was a vegetarian people looked at you like you were from a different planet! LOL

VERY true. At least many restaurants have something vegie and people have heard of it and don't question a person as much.

I became a vegetarian in 1981 and my DH several years before that (after working at McD's as a teen). My mother had a real problem with me marrying a vegetarian, let me tell you. It was almost ok that he was a Californian (I'm from Oregon and Oregonians tend to have a "closed gate mentality" when it comes to Californians moving to Oregon ) and fine that he was Jewish, but a vegetarian? You've got to be kidding! And she's still talking about it all these years later. I both shake my head and laugh about it just thinking back!

T&B

 

[Laura]

I haven't been fed too many salads, fortunately. And I like salads with protein in them too, though, like chickpeas and hard-boiled egg. But I usually have something to go with it.

I've been a vegetarian since 1999. A lot of people will just take a dish like lasagna or chili and make it for me without the offending animal flesh. 99% of my family has been awesome about it; even my grandmothers and my MIL. Only one family member has given me any crap about it, but she doesn't do it any more.

But I have encountered people who bug me about being vegetarian, like I'm threatening their very existence because I don't eat meat. I don't mean someone asking because they're curious, but because they're confrontational. That's really irritating. I don't bug omnivores about eating meat at ALL; I don't bring my vegetarianism up unless it's necessary, like to tell someone who's hosting a party. I wonder if vegetarians make them feel guilty or something.

 

[Lewisc]

Sometimes it's because people don't know what you mean when you say you're a vegetarian. Some are vegans. Some will eat fish. A few, not technically vegetarian, will eat chicken but feel eliminating red meat makes them a partial vegetarian.

A lot of people don't know what you eat, in addition to salad. Beans, tofu aren't foods a lot of people know much about.

 

[jx3smom]

Try cooking for our family. DS#2 is a vegetarian, DS #1 and #3 are not. DH eats chicken, turkey and fish (no other meat) and I only eat fish (no meat). There are a lot of veggie options now compared to years ago so it is pretty easy. When all else fails there's always pasta.

 

[Chicago526]

Wow. I'm as big a meat eater as you get, but if I had to come up with a veggie meal for a friend, I'd make a meatless pasta dish or a veggie-burger with french fries and baked beans (making sure there's no pork in those beans!). Those are two things I though up off the top of my head, I'm sure I could come up with more...

 

[CajunDixie]

I wonder if vegetarians make them feel guilty or something.

What is there to feel guilty about?

I've had people tell me they were vegetarians then they turn around and eat fish and chicken. Are fish and chickens not animals?

My S-I-L told all of us she was a vegetarian yet she eats ham and turkey at the holidays and I've even seen her eat Wendy's chili. I think she just likes the idea of being a vegetarian but can't follow through with it since she doesn't like to cook. I used to try to specifically make a few vegetarian dishes for her but why should I bother after seeing her eat meat elsewhere?

Maybe the vegetarians can get a few more people interested by posting some of their favorite recipes.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I consider myself a semi-vegetarian, which means I don't eat red meat (other than the occasional burger from McD's ). Just fish and poultry. I hate salads, they make me hungry!

 

[missypie]

OP, were you complaining about WDW options, or when dining at someone else's house?

If you can put yourself in my shoes, think how I felt when, two days before Thanksgiving, our neighbors whom we had invited for dinner told us that their grown vegan daughter would be joining us. Running though my mental list of the many many foods I was serving, I think that EVERY dish contained animal products except the cranberry orange relish. So in addition to everything else I was making, I added a nice ratatoulle and made "special" mashed potatoes for her without turkey broth, milk or butter. Of course, it really surprised me when the two dishes that the vegan's mom brought were not vegan friendly!

 

[jacksonsmom]

I've been a vegetarian since 1987. Although I started out as a partial veggie, ate chicken/turkey. I later omitted those out of my diet around 1990.

I met my husband in 1996. He was a little taken back when I told him I was a vegetarian. (He never met one before! ) but he quickly realized that I just don't live on salads alone!
Btw--my husband is now a partial veggie. He omitted red meat & pork from his diet. He rarely eat chicken & turkey, usually if we are dining out he will oder a chicken dish. At home we mainly cook with soy/soy protien.

Now my MIL is another story. She thinks vegetarians are "weird"
Oh and you should have heard the comments I got from her (still do) that my son is 5 yrs old & has never had any meat products! She can not believe I can raise a healthy child as a vegetarian. I think she really believe his asthma is caused by not eating meat

As far as meals. We will buy the soy protein crumbles & cook it up like hamburger & make lots of good meals out of it. We love making tacos & sloppy joes out of it. If you really look you can find lots of yummy substitutions for almost any kind of meat.
We even found last month some vegetarian "tuna fish". We haven't tried it yet, but I am thinking of buying some & making a tuna hot dish. I haven't had one in YEARS!

 

[jx3smom]

If one of us mentions we're tired or not feeling well we get the "that's because you don't eat red meat" from some relatives or friends. It drives us crazy!

 

[browneyes]

This carnivore "gets" that. My brother was a vegan for a few years and I always made sure he had more than a salad when he came to see me. Actually, I don't think I ever made him a salad when he was a vegan.