S/0 taking food for kids: taking food for vegetarians

[WillyNilly]

Bob wouldn't be the inconsiderate one. The host would be.

You are saying omnivores don't deserve to get what they prefer and should suffer for their choice to not be picky. That is not fair or polite or considerate of omnivores, it just isn't. Not being picky should be rewarded not punished. Why should Bob not get what he prefers? Why should Bob always have to suck it up and take the least desirable thing simply because Ann refuses to compromise and occasionally eat meat like Bob does even though Bob does not prefer meat?
If Bob chooses to defer to Ann that's him being extra nice and he should be thanked and recognized, but he should not be forced to take the less desirable item simply because Ann refuses to budge.

I agree with your point that the host would be the inconsiderate one, but totally disagree that vegetarianism = being picky.  I'm vegetarian because I cannot bear to eat meat and I believe it's wrong for *me* to eat meat.  I've been vegetarian for 20+ years now, even though dining out would be far easier if I could bring myself to eat meat or fish, but I can't violate my principles.  Would you claim a Hindu was being picky for refusing to eat beef or a Muslim was for refusing to eat non-Halal meat?

I don't expect anyone else to eat veggie (or non-veggie) because of my principles.  The host needs to provide enough veggie food so those who can make a choice have the opportunity to do so.

Yes.  You can pick and choose what you eat based on anything. Ethics, religion, the weather, your outfit, your upbringing, etc, but so long as its a choice (as opposed to say an allergy or reaction to illness) it is something you are picking, and therefore falls under picky eating IMO. And I consider my own self-imposed, ethics and health-based eating habits to be picky as well.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this.

i wonder if what WillyNilly is saying is that people who don't eat a lot of stuff because they don't like is should get the same respect as those who don't eat meat because they have taken a moral stance.

So it's not that "picky" = "bad."
But that "picking" = "choosing" and "all food choices (i.e., all picks) " = "worthy of respect."

Sort of yes.
Certainly I'm not saying being picky is bad.
I'm saying if you limit yourself, you can only expect those limitations to extend towards yourself. People should respect your limitations and not force you to eat things you object to (for whatever reason) but no one else should have to limit themselves based on your choices.

(all "you" and "your" statements are general)

[pierrotlunaire0]

Part of the problem here too is the fact that the lines that demarcate vegetarian vs meat eater are not strict and straight boundaries.  I eat meat but I prefer vegetables.  And at a large buffet, which is pretty informal, I am not going to be able to determine if this one dish is for a specific guest vs just another alternative dish.

If you want to restrict certain dishes to certain guests, placing it on the buffet table is not the way to go.

[ladyknight1]

I am going to use my workplace as an example, since I don't have very many vegetarian people in my social circles.

On Fridays in the summer we often order pizza. We have 10 omnivores, 5 vegetarians and 2 people with celiac disease.

We order a gluten-free pizza for each of the two people with celiac disease, as they are small. They get their own pizzas and are not expected to share.

We order three supreme (two kinds of meat with green peppers, onion and black olives) pizzas, three pepperoni pizzas, and three vegetarian pizzas. The vegetarian pizzas are the first to go.

[Outdoor Girl]

We have a couple of vegetarians in my office.  When we ordered pizza, there would be one veggie and the rest would all have meat of some sort, some all meat, some meat and veggies.  Drove me nuts that people would take the veggie and if the two vegetarians weren't near the front of the line, they wouldn't get at any.

We solved the problem by ordering two veggie pizzas and reducing the meat options by one.

See, I am not a vegetarian, but I do not like meat on pizza. Never have. Why should I have to take the pizza with meat that I do want? Am I being rude by taking what I like?

No, I don't think you are rude to take what you like.  But in my work's case, there are two known vegetarians (out of 17 people).  Everybody knows; if they don't, they've been living under a rock for the last 5 years.  I just think it is pretty thoughtless of them to take the only pizza these two folks can eat, without considering whether or not they've had a chance to get any yet.

[ladyknight1]

Then you have people, like one co-worker of mine, who are alternate vegetarians. If she doesn't like the main course and or protein offered, she becomes vegetarian. Only problem, she doesn't let you know which option she would prefer until at the event.

[Hmmmmm]

I am going to use my workplace as an example, since I don't have very many vegetarian people in my social circles.

On Fridays in the summer we often order pizza. We have 10 omnivores, 5 vegetarians and 2 people with celiac disease.

We order a gluten-free pizza for each of the two people with celiac disease, as they are small. They get their own pizzas and are not expected to share.

We order three supreme (two kinds of meat with green peppers, onion and black olives) pizzas, three pepperoni pizzas, and three vegetarian pizzas. The vegetarian pizzas are the first to go.

So why aren't more veggie pizza's ordered?

ETA: I never considered a black olive and mushroom pizza a vegeterian pizza. It's just pizza.

[ladyknight1]

We used to have the ratio of 2-veggie pizzas to 6-meat pizzas, and added another even though there are not more vegetarians. I guess this summer we will increase to 4-vegetarian and 4-meat to keep it even.

[SamiHami]

We used to have the ratio of 2-veggie pizzas to 6-meat pizzas, and added another even though there are not more vegetarians. I guess this summer we will increase to 4-vegetarian and 4-meat to keep it even.

That makes sense, especially if you are having the pizzas on Fridays. Remember, some religious people don't eat meat on Fridays.

[Twik]

I am going to use my workplace as an example, since I don't have very many vegetarian people in my social circles.

On Fridays in the summer we often order pizza. We have 10 omnivores, 5 vegetarians and 2 people with celiac disease.

We order a gluten-free pizza for each of the two people with celiac disease, as they are small. They get their own pizzas and are not expected to share.

We order three supreme (two kinds of meat with green peppers, onion and black olives) pizzas, three pepperoni pizzas, and three vegetarian pizzas. The vegetarian pizzas are the first to go.

So why aren't more veggie pizza's ordered?

ETA: I never considered a black olive and mushroom pizza a vegeterian pizza. It's just pizza.

I agree - a pizza with, say, mushrooms, onions and green peppers is not a "vegetarian pizza", it's just a pizza with vegetable toppings. And it sounds like more people like that than the meat ones. I might try next time switching one of the meat pizzas to the veggie one.

[ladyknight1]

Let me point out that I have no voice in the pizza ordering.

[hobish]

I am going to use my workplace as an example, since I don't have very many vegetarian people in my social circles.

On Fridays in the summer we often order pizza. We have 10 omnivores, 5 vegetarians and 2 people with celiac disease.

We order a gluten-free pizza for each of the two people with celiac disease, as they are small. They get their own pizzas and are not expected to share.

We order three supreme (two kinds of meat with green peppers, onion and black olives) pizzas, three pepperoni pizzas, and three vegetarian pizzas. The vegetarian pizzas are the first to go.

So why aren't more veggie pizza's ordered?

ETA: I never considered a black olive and mushroom pizza a vegeterian pizza. It's just pizza.

I agree - a pizza with, say, mushrooms, onions and green peppers is not a "vegetarian pizza", it's just a pizza with vegetable toppings. And it sounds like more people like that than the meat ones. I might try next time switching one of the meat pizzas to the veggie one.

Exactly. I just can’t wrap my head around pizza without meat automatically equaling vegetarian pizza, or pizza for vegetarians only – and I used to be one. Erm … a vegetarian, not a pizza.

WillyNilly, I get what you are saying and have tried to express that a few times, but it never really comes out right. I think you’ve got it.

[NyaChan]

I think it is the default issue - for some people, pizza with meat is the default pizza.  For myself, pizza starts with cheese as the default and then you add whatever toppings you want whether they are vegetables or meat. 

[Ms_Cellany]

Not relevant to the core issue, but a side anecdote: When I was in grad school, we used to order what we called the "Bill Special" - a black olive & anchovy pizza. It guaranteed that we never had to share.

[Hmmmmm]

You would have needed to share with me.

[CocoCamm]

I do not think it is rude or inconsiderate to choose to eat a meatless dish regardless of the reason. As long as you take a polite sized portion a guest should be able to try whatever dish they like at a party without fearing that another guest is going to call them out or silently judge them about what they eating.

I do think it is a bit entitlement minded to think that vegetarians have a greater right to a meatless dish then say someone who is on a diet, or has ethical issues with certain meats, or who just simply does not want to eat meat that particular day.