If I hadn’t brought my own food I’d have ended up with a beer.
That’s it!
It’s my 10th year having the others run things.
At least last year, because Mom had broken her arm, we went to a restaurant and I could order for myself.
This year again my relatives all insisted on cooking and not allowing me to bring anything. They swore this year would be different and “there will be plenty to choose from”. Then they covered everything with stuff they know I can’t eat. The hors doevre were swedish meatballs and things with crabmeat (“What? You can’t eat that either?”). The mashed potatoes had gravy pre-mixed in, the salad had bacon, the jello salad had chicken chunks, the bread was pre-basted in pan drippings. Cookies made with lard.
So I brought in some old trail mix I had in my car, and THEY were ticked off at ME. I was ruining THEIR day!
I would have just left, except I like the parts of the party before and after the meal.
Nah, this year wasn’t a feast. A lot of the family is back in LA, so there isn’t much of a celebration here. I did eat something at work that I later realized was “suspect”, but what are ya gonna do? I wasn’t going to stress out over it.
Usually, my family has been pretty decent about making a few veggie dishes, and my one sister (another veggie) and I are also asked to bring some food. My sister makes a veggie version of stuffing (yum!) and I usually bring dessert. I often eat a veggie burger or something at Thanksgiving, and then tank up on all the yummy side dishes.
I think it’s outragious that your family won’t at least allow you to bring your own food. I mean, that sounds like the least intrusive thing to do. If it (apparently) is too much for them to try to accomodate your diet, fine. So why not let you bring your own stuff? And yet they insist you mustn’t bring your own food? They can’t have it both ways.
See, I was so distressed that I made a stupid typo.
Last year we had Thanksgiving with some friends and they did the most fantastic traditional meal I have ever had. This year when they invited us, we reminded them that we had cut more meat out of our diet and were down to just seafood, rather than seafood and poultry.
They didn’t even blink. They said “ok, we’ll do a Mediterrannean Thanksgiving.”
Just got home. Lobster, shrimp, couscous, hummus, flatbread, grilled vegetables, some kind of feta dip (forget the name) that was just fantastic. I so love these friends.
Your family (probably) isn’t trying to make you miserable. A lot of folks can’t even conceive of meatless cooking. Don’t leave it up to them to figure out what’s gonna work for you-- Insist on helping with the preparations, and make damned sure it’s good. Handle the basics, like the whipped spuds. Make mushroom gravy. You could get fancier… I dunno your culinary abilities. Don’t even try to get them to eat tofu. If you need a “meat” replacer, make a gluten or TVP dish. My family used to ride me about being vegetarian until I started cooking for them from time to time. (Your family probably thinks trail-mix is all you do eat. Show 'em that’s it’s not all lentils and tofu, and they’ll understand.)
That’s what worked for me anyway. Of course, your family is not my family. Good luck at Christmas!
Oh, one other thing – you know that besides the chicken chunks, the Jell-o salad had gelatin in it, too, right?
Veggies aren’t bad, I sympathize with them at some doin’s. At work we have one gal who only eats bagels, not doughnuts. 'course we always bring a dozen doughnuts and one bagel for her.
I find it kind of annoying, is this a veggie thing too?
I had a friend invite me to a dinner party, where every item had either pork or ground beef, except for the potato chips. I don’t eat pork or ground beef, and never have.
She’s lactose intolerant and complains if I invite her over and serve ONE dish with milk products.
She’s not a very good friend. I sympathize with you.
I hung out with zyzzyva, who made a gluten-based “turkey.” It was pretty good. Made me feel like I was on last Sunday’s episode of “The Simpsons,” where Homer and the gang dined on a “turkey” provided by R.E.M.
Not that we have thanksgiving, but Christmas and other big family gatherings are equivalent, so I thought that I’d share.
My grandfather was head chef at the London Hilton for 30 years (back when it was a real hotel). Two aunts are vegetarian and my mum used to be. He sure knows how to cook for them. By gods, does he know how to cook.
My veggie girlfriend on the other hand was told “don’t expect me to make anything special for you” when she made her choice at age 13. She’s always had to make her own stuff and has been left out at Xmas etc.
So the first time she came to one of my family banquets… well let’s just say that she was rather pleasantly surprised.
How many of you have the situation where your partner pesters you to go visit your grandparents?
Candy: your family, if they already know you can’t eat the stuff and then expect you to eat it…well, you might want to take someone to the side and explain the concept of “assholic behaviour” to them.
I just realised how lucky I am - almost my whole extended family is vegetarian. I’m in england, so I’m talking about christmas dinner, but it’s generally a nut roast, roast potatoes, apple sauce, salads, etc, and very good, and the couple of meat eaters get something cooked for them special. Most meals they don’t
(And I have great fun with my friends - I’m vegetarian, James doesn’t drink coke, phil doesn’t eat nuts, Rosy’s allergic to absolutely everything…)
They didn’t even have the obligatory “pre-meal veggies”? Sliced celery, carrots, green peppers, and cucumbers? That’s been a custom in my family for years, and I think I look forward to it more than the heaping piles of mashed potatoes at dinnertime.
Candygram, all vegetarian concerns aside, from that menu it sounds like your family is trying to kill themselves with saturated fat. Bread pre-dipped in drippings? Gravy pre-mixed in the potatoes? Ai-yah! I don’t think I would have enjoyed this meal either, and I’m a bona fide omnivore.
