I can’t help feeling guilty about being a vegetarian
I can be a real pain in the neck sometimes. I know this because I’ve had 22 years of people telling me.
Now I’m not trying to pretend that I’m 22 – sadly, I think those days are well and truly over. What I mean is I’ve been a vegetarian for that long.
You’d think that, in this day and age, being a veggie would be easy. But I’m telling you that little has changed since I first became one at the tender age of seven (I think I’ve told you before I was a pretty strong-minded child).
Yes, there are definitely more options at the supermarket. These days there is even a vegetarian alternative to fish – which in my opinion is just plain wrong!
But the experience of going to a restaurant is still pretty much the same as it always was.
The obligatory ‘tomato and basil pasta’ is still there on the menu as an option for vegetarians. So inventive! Come on all you chefs, surely you can do a bit better than that?
Another thing that hasn’t changed is the inconvenience caused to people who want to invite Matt and I round for dinner – hence the ‘pain in the neck’comments.
As we approach the weekend, I still feel the same amount of guilt about going round to someone’s house for a meal that I’ve always done.
We have a group of ‘bank holiday friends’ – who, as the name suggests, tend to catch up on bank holidays.
But now we’ve decided to break with tradition and meet up this weekend at the home of Laura and Aaron.
They’ve kindly offered to cook us all a meal. But because there’s a veggie in the group (me), poor Laura is having to make a meat lasagne for everyone else and a vegetarian version just for moi.
And I can’t help feeling bad about it.
Apart from the extra amount of time and preparation that has to go into cooking separately for a veggie (and you can’t mix the utensils or cutlery you know, it all has to be separate) it’s blinkin’ expensive!
Maybe that’s the reason why we don’t get invited to people’s houses very often. They just don’t want the hassle of catering for a veggie.
So I’m guessing that the next time we’ll see the bank holiday crowd will be in a pub, not any of their houses.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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KateM1977
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 07:39 PMI don't agree that it is still really difficult to be a vegetarian I'm afraid. I was a veggie in the mid 90's and it was hard, these days you have alot more choice. Where you're friends are concerned, they don't sound like very good friends if they make you feel awkward? They are the ones eating dead animal flesh, they should respect your views. Have you cooked for them? Sounds like they need some lessons in cooking good vegetarian food? Surely, if they cared, they could go one meal without meat so that you can all enjoy the same meal? It would be healthier for them too :-) I do have to say though, if you think vegetarianism is bad (choice wise) you should try veganism :-)
BaldKev
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 11:15 AMI am a pescetarian and don't feel guilty at all. Having said that I don't insist that different utensils are used, nor do I insist on different food. Just give me the same as everyone without the meat. (Not easy with lasgane admittedly) Roast Dinners, especially Christmas, are particularly good. Take the meat away and you're still left with a variety of root vegetables. I also find that restaurants cater for us nicely these days. Perhaps you're still in a time warp.
Old-Fashioned_Chair
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 06:52 PM"and you can’t mix the utensils or cutlery you know, it all has to be separate"..... You reckon?! Don't feel guilty, most of us are happy to cook for our vegetarian friends. Just as long as you don't try to feed me Quorn when I come to your house - I object to that stuff based on principles almost as strong as yours in relation to being a vegetarian.
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