Mrs. V. eats meat. I don't (just quit a couple of weeks ago). Anyone else?

[bertha katzenengel]

I told her tonight that I'm sorry, but I can't eat meat. I apologized because 1. I do a lot of the cooking and 2. it means our diets will be almost completely different. Tonight for dinner she had mac & cheese with tuna. I had a tofu italian sausage & green beans. I offered her a sausage but she said no.

Except for Lightlife Smart Ground in chili, she doesn't like any of the meat substitutes I've tried so far. She'd rather have meat in her chili, but I've made it this way twice and she likes it ok. (Before that, the last time I made chili, I used a pound of pork and a pound of beef; she said it was the best she'd ever had.)

Anyone else here have a similar situation? Where your mate eats meat, but you don't? Do you ever have the same things for dinner? Is there any tension? (There's not here; I'm really lucky.) Anything you can tell me would be helpful.

[mzteris]

1. hubby's the only non-veg

in the family.

I don't cook meat. When he's home, he eats "vegetarian" - though he travels a LOT, (and we eat out a lot.)

He'll also keep some tuna fish and chicken pot pies in the house. He'll occasionally go out and buy lunch meat - but I won't do it.

He's okay with that.

Philosophically, he'd LIKE to be a vegetarian, but he's an addict and can't kick the meat habit.

It's really hard to cook two different meals - maybe if you do a stir fry, you could split it before adding the meat. Cook what you'd normally fix and she can have a cutlet or a breast or chop or something in addition.

I dunno - maybe she'll see the light.

:hug:

[LeftyMom]

2. I did, but I don't know how much help this is, because it didn't work.

So for the first 3 and change years I was vegan, I lived with somebody who generally avoided bringing meat in the house, but didn't think of lunchmeat or frozen shepherd's pie as meat. :eyes: Mostly he'd eat whatever I was cooking though, and only get meat when he was out of the house. It probably didn't hurt that I'm a really good cook.

I'll be honest, it was a source of some conflict. I'd try to be nice and permit things in the apartment I really didn't want to see, then I'd resent that, get angry with him and myself, and eventually have to "crack down" but eventually I'd relax rules somewhat for the sake of amity and the whole mess would start again. Then again, I'm really bothered by having a packet of cheese slices or a dozen eggs in the fridge, so it sounds like a rather different situation.

We split up over other things, but it was a contributing factor. So I decided not to date non-vegans anymore. I figured maybe I'd stumble onto somebody eventually. Eventually took a lot less time than I expected. ;)

What did I learn? That I made life harder for me and more confusing for my then-boyfriend by shifting expectations. Finding mutually agreeable rules and sticking to them would have made life easier for both of us. But since you seem not to mind Mrs. V having meat in the house, I don't know if that's any great help.

PS Have you tried the gimme lean sausage in your chili?

[Coventina]

3. DH is omni

And it is a source of mild conflict that will probably never be resolved.

I'm not likely to change, and neither is he.

Fortunately, we seem to be able to tolerate each other's choices.

The last major issue was a number of years ago when he wanted me to cook some corned beef for St. Patrick's day. I don't think he would ask that now.

I know that he would be happier if I would cook meat for him, but I think that he's accepted that it won't happen.

[City Lights]

4. My husband and son eat meat.

When a meal is cooked, it is vegetarian. My husband and son are fine with the ground beef substitutes that I use in spaghetti, chili, tacos, or any other recipe calling for ground beef. We also eat a lot of beans and soup in the winter. Black beans in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and lentils in tacos. It's my daughter, who is vegetarian, that often turns her nose up at vegetarian meals I make. (Don't get me started :mad:) I subscribe to a couple of vegetarian cooking magazines that help give me new ideas. We also eat out at least once a week, so the meat eaters can have their fix. Plus, my husband travels for work and can eat meat when he is on the road.

[femmedem]

5. My husband eats meat.

He sneaks out and eats it at lunch. But at home he eats my vegetarian meals. I don't use meat substitutes often. I just make my beans really flavorful. Lots of curries. Lots of Southeast Asian-inspired meals. He likes black bean soup. He's even okay with marinated tofu! Tonight we had a garlic mushroom pizza on whole wheat crust, with sides of sweet potatoes and an arugula salad with shallot/lemon vinagrette. Oh, and a little wine. Who wouldn't like that?

Tomorrow, though, I'm going to push the envelope a little and see if he likes lima beans. :)

[Robeson]

6. My wife still eats meat, but she will eat any veggie dish I make...

...she likes tofu, quorn, and other meat substitutes, but oddly, she still eats meat.

Have you tried Morning Star crumbles for chili and other ingredients for substituting meat? It's a great substitute. I make tacos with those, and my wife loves those tacos better than the one's she had with meat.

[emmajane67]

7. I couldn't kiss someone who ate meat.

What if they had bacon stuck in their teeth?
An old friend had a girlfriend who ate meat and used to make her carry a toothbrush at all times so she could brush after EVERY meal.

But seriously, to me it's a major part of my belief system and who I am and a partner needs to be compatible. My boy is a vege and was when I met him. People act all shocked when they find out we are both veges. Weird.

I seriously can't even share food with meat eating housemates anymore either. I lived in meat free houses for about 4 years and am currently living with meat eaters and I just wouldn't even go there.

[flvegan]

8. I feel for you, bk...

I'm very lucky to be in my situation. Actually, from what I read, everyone else is lucky to have me in their situation.

Go figure.

Remember, "meat" is just a food source.

[Ilsa]

9. I'm the only vegetarian, and I'm the cook.

But I make alot of dishes where a cooked meat is added at the last minute so I can pull my serving of whatever out of the pot first before it gets "contaminated".

At times there has been tension, but not really over my vegetarianism, and no fights about it. Mostly tension over how we can get a decent meal made that everyone wants to eat when I need to closely suprevise our autistic son. My husband is usually okay with trying meat substitutes, and I've heard both verdicts ("Yeah, I could eat this again" and "I didn't particularly like it.")

[Robeson]

10. Funny you mention cooked meat, and how you get your veggie....

...dishes cooked first. I was invited to a picnic this past summer for a cookout on a grill. Everyone knows I'm a veggie, so the host knew I would bring my veggie burgers. I got their a little late, and went to the grill, opened it up, and the their meat was already on it: pork loins, hamburgers, ribs, every part of an animal you can imagine was crammed into that grill. The thought of putting my veggie burgers in there with that, actually made me nauseous...:puke: