New Orleans Business Daily - How do you handle family objections to Vegetarian choices?

How do you handle family objections to Vegetarian choices?

What is the best approach to dealing with your significant others family when they are not accepting of a food choice? I am a vegetarian and I do not try to push my beliefs on anyone but somehow they feel the need to make fun of my choices. Any thoughts on polite confrontation?

Public Comments

yea, it's a phase, you'll grow out of it and realize that there are much much worse atrocities going on in our world than a few cows and chickens being killed for food.
I had to deal with this one and I still deal with it with new people I meet..I told my in-laws That I have no problem with what they eat I just choose not to eat meat after that I just ignored any further comments after awhile they just got use to it and it didn't matter any longer..I also made sure to make something really good each time we were invited to their house that helps too.. Good luck
Invite them to try some of your choices. People eat vegetable dishes as sides to meat, so why not cook up some of the things you eat that the rest of the family can eat as side dishes? Or surprise them with a veggie lasagna, some cheese enchiladas, or some other type of veggie main dish for everyone to share, to show them that you're eating just as well as they are! Here's some recipes: VEGETABLE LASAGNA 9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained 1 (19 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach or broccoli cuts, defrosted and squeezed dry 1 (32 oz.) carton Ricotta cheese 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (plus a little to grate on top) 1 (32 oz.) jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (with mushrooms is good and keeps the recipe vegetarian) 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning/herbs Combine the spinach or broccoli (and any veggies leftover in the refrigerator), Ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and herbs. In a 9 x 13 inch pan, layer ingredients in the following order: 1/2 cheese mixture 1/3 sauce Repeat and top with 3 noodles, sauce, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. __________________________________________________________ DOUBLE CRUST BEAN PIE "Black beans, cheese, bell peppers, onion and spices baked between 2 pie crusts." INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 1/3 cup salsa 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 3/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 (9 inch) unbaked 9 inch pie crusts 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and green pepper until tender. Sir in beans, salsa, red bell pepper, chili powder, cayenne and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. 3. Spoon half of the mixture into one of the pie crusts and cover with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining beans and cheese. Top with remaining crust. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. __________________________________________________________ SPANISH RICE CASSEROLE Ingredients * 1 small can tuna, packed in oil * 1 large onion, finely chopped * 1 tsp. chopped garlic * 2 cups raw white rice * 2 cups crushed tomatoes * 2 cups water * 1 tsp. oregano * 1/2 tsp. dried basil * 1 tsp. dried parsley * 1/2 cup good quality bread crumbs * 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated or cut in small chunks Preheat oven to 400°F. Open can of tuna, and drain oil into large pyrex casserole. Put onion and garlic in casserole, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Add rice, spices, tomatoes, tuna, and water. Cover, and microwave, 5 minutes on high, 20 minutes on low. Stir well, sprinkle bread crumbs and cheese on top, and bake at 400°F. for 30 minutes. Serves 5. __________________________________________________________ And this one, fresh from Rachael Ray's 10/10/08 show: AUTUMN HARVEST CHILI ~ 4 servings Ingredients: * 2 small butternut squash, cut in half and seeded * 4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided * Salt and ground black pepper * 1 medium onion, chopped * 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated * 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped * 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped * 1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered * 2 small zucchini, diced * 1 tablespoon smoked paprika * 3 tablespoons chili powder * 1 10-ounce box frozen corn * 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained * 1/4 cup tomato paste * 1 lager beer, as needed * 2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese 1) Preheat oven to 425ºF. 2) Place butternut squash cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and some salt and pepper. Roast squash in oven until tender, about 45 minutes. When they've finished roasting, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. While the squash is in the oven, place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the spices, corn, black beans and tomato paste to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the beer to the pan (start with about half the bottle and add more as needed -- you want a thicker chili) and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Scoop the finished chili over the butternut squash halves and sprinkle with the cheese. Place the squash under the broiler to melt the cheese then serve. _______________________________________________ Above all, continue to be polite, and ask them to respect your choices as you respect theirs. Hope I was able to help!
just tell them to watch the (meat your meat) by peta.they'll sure understand why you wanna become a vegetarian.my parents never disagree on eating vegetarian.is just my mum always said that vegetarian shop is so far away.you wanna call your dad to buy for you again?and my dad sometimes you can also eat meat.no,i hope i won't.i manage to convince my mum to try vegetarian shark fin soup at the place i eat just now.it's really good.hopefully she'll like it and satisfied with vege shark fin soup instead of the meat one.
I consider myself really lucky as my parents have always given me the freedom to choose wether i want to eat meat or not. my mum was always vegetarian but never had a problem when i started meating, and my dad (who ate meat occasionally) never had a problem when i became vegetarain again the key is not to argue or take their comments too seriously. just stand your ground and tell them you have made a deicsion and you dont want to talk about it - so would appreciate if they left you alone and let you decide for yourself what you want to eat.
People are idiots. My family was really annoying at first. They thought that I was going to a phase. After three years they finally backed off. Vegetarianism really bothers meat-eater. As a vegetarian I don't give meat eaters a hard time. To eat his own. Let them make fun. Don't let it get to you. Talk is cheap. Don't worry about a polite confrontation. Don't say anything other than you don't bother them for being meat eaters so they shouldn't bother you for being a vegetarian. It's a personal choice.
I smile and shrug it off, but if it was to be a bit hurtful, then I'd just quietly ask them to respect my beliefs. Tell them you have your reasons, and if they want to know about them then their welcome to.
First, I am not a vegetarian, just pescatarian. But my parents object to that and keep on including meat in meals when I'm at home (I go to college but sometimes come back home on weekends). So for now, the choice I've made to reconcile that is I don't specifically prohibit consumption of meat - I only prohibit purchasing or having someone purchase meat for me, as well as cooking it or obtaining it in any way, which per se eliminates it from my plate. But when I'm with my parents, I still eat it and I have less qualms about it because I had no role in how it was obtained and didn't ask for it.
Just tell them that it is good to be a vegitarian and when you are you save animals.if you tell them that maybe they will understand more as to why you are one.
My Fiance (spelling?) is a vegetarian... and now my 15 year old daughter is as well (kinda - she eats fish). My suggestion is to make a few really good vegetarian meals for them. These days there are so many options for good vegetarian food. The other night I made (I'm not a vegetarian) chili-cheeseburgers.... All veg and much better for you than the real thing.... The best part is that they were really tasty and filling. Let them "discover" how good vegetarian cuisine can be if it is made right - nobody will complain if the food is good. If they still give you hard time - and it seems like that is really all it is - ignore it and just let it roll off your back.
Don't tell them what your serving. If you can substitute ground tempeh in a tomatoe sauce or use soy cheese in place of real cheese, go ahead. Don't think that meat eaters won't notice the difference between grilled tofu or Tofurkey as compared to a grilled steak or roast turkey. If it's such a big deal, you might not want to invite them over for dinner. Avoid the situation and meet them at a restaurant where they'll be vegetarian options.