Want to go half veggie

SpikyHedgehog

hartleysjam wrote: »

um....Hello! :wave:

After a long period of deliberation I have decided to be veggie now, I haven't eating red meat for 10yrs but i am now ready to not bother with chicken,turkey & fish.

I love quorn stuff but have never braved tofu...yet...

quick question Veggies, do/did you get really funny looks and people questioning you about why you want to be a veggie? it's really winding me up :mad: and i've also had people tell me how natural it is to eat meat blah blah blah grrrrr.....I have always hated red meat but I won't lie I do like chicken and turkey but I feel ready to not have it.

My reasons for being veggie are my own! how rude are people!!?!!:mad:
anywho...anyy money savng hints would be fab

The most recent time I was asked, it was a genuine 'please give me more information question', as you learn to tell those from people who want to hackle/convince you that you are wrong not to eat meat, you may decide to share some of your thoughts.

For example, last week I was at Beaver Scouts and they were having a party for the end of term. Both my boys were there as DS2 is still a Beaver, DS1 is the Young Leader. I'm a familiar face to the kids as I've been a regular helper. We were making fruit kebabs, with fruit and marshmallows, and one of the children asked why the boys & I didn't have marshmallows. So, I explained gently but accurately...

In terms of money saving, try to avoid having the ready made stuff all the time as it's where the money goes, just as it is for meat eaters . Try to get a few recipe books from the library so you can get ideas of how long to cook things and what to do with them - my favourite vegetarian cookery book author is Rose Elliott, and I'm currently back with a well-thumbed copy of Cheap and Easy, liberated from mum's bookshelves.

I'm trying at the moment to only use the frozen/chilled 'meat substitutes' once a week for money saving and to encourage DS2 to widen the things he'll eat. I don't count tofu as a meat subsitute any more than I count cheese, eggs or beans. I do know it's not to everyone's liking, but don't try it once and condemn it as it really does depend what you do with it.

greenman2

mrcow wrote: »

Before you start making big plans on switching to soya milk - try it first. IMO it tastes like stale pants.

LOL...I agree that it tastes horrible..I'd leave it there though as I've never eaten stale pants:D

marmiterulesok

hartleysjam wrote: »

um....Hello! :wave:

After a long period of deliberation I have decided to be veggie now, I haven't eating red meat for 10yrs but i am now ready to not bother with chicken,turkey & fish.

I love quorn stuff but have never braved tofu...yet...

quick question Veggies, do/did you get really funny looks and people questioning you about why you want to be a veggie? it's really winding me up :mad: and i've also had people tell me how natural it is to eat meat blah blah blah grrrrr.....I have always hated red meat but I won't lie I do like chicken and turkey but I feel ready to not have it.

My reasons for being veggie are my own! how rude are people!!?!!:mad:
anywho...anyy money savng hints would be fab

I've been vegetarian for over thirty years and have had to suffer many rude and inconsiderate comments from people.I was about ten when I stopped eating meat and for the first few years I'd explain quite happily my reasons etc.I soon realised that some people are just looking to wind you up.I found the whole thing very upsetting.

You don't have to justify why you choose not to eat meat.You could just say that it's through personal choice-end of story.You can elaborate of course,if you want.It might be for health/ethical reasons,but you certainly don't owe anyone an explanation.If someone persists,you could just respond with a dignified silence.If they are just trying to wind you up,then this should hopefully put an end to it.

Of course,someone might be genuinely interested.I must admit that I'm a bit sensitive,as I've met so many people who seem to be literally outraged by my being a veggie,that I have a very low tolerance.

It's fair enough to say that it's perfectly natural to eat meat (I don't dispute this fact),but this doesn't mean that everyone has to do it!There are many other examples of things that are 'natural' to do,but fortuanately are not compulsory ie having a child!I might be opening up a whole new can of worms here....

I'm always pleased when I meet someone who has decided to stop eating meat,but I do not actively try to convert someone.Each to their own.

Maybe once your friends and family have got used to the idea,it'll settle down.Please don't feel bullied into justifying yourself....

Do you have a good vegetarian cookbook?

ceridwen

Must admit thats the first time I've heard of non-veggies trying to wind up a veggie....

But - I guess it takes a certain mindset for people to be the type that think it amusing to go in for "wind ups" - so I dont think I ever encounter them outside my workplace (as I find that a really odd mindset to have and wouldnt be interested in knowing anyone like that anyway - hence I would only meet them ITRW in a "forced context" eg work...).

Ones on MSE - I've learnt to just "walk away from" and, if they are particularly bad, put them on the "Ignore" list.

*********************

Anyways - on a more positive note - isnt it good that we have so much bigger a selection of foods available to us than we had when I first started being vegetarian? - ie literally decades ago now..I'm now trying out new foods at the rate of several a week some weeks now..

marmiterulesok

ceridwen wrote: »

Must admit thats the first time I've heard of non-veggies trying to wind up a veggie....

But - I guess it takes a certain mindset for people to be the type that think it amusing to go in for "wind ups" - so I dont think I ever encounter them outside my workplace (as I find that a really odd mindset to have and wouldnt be interested in knowing anyone like that anyway - hence I would only meet them ITRW in a "forced context" eg work...).

Ones on MSE - I've learnt to just "walk away from" and, if they are particularly bad, put them on the "Ignore" list.

*********************

Anyways - on a more positive note - isnt it good that we have so much bigger a selection of foods available to us than we had when I first started being vegetarian? - ie literally decades ago now..I'm now trying out new foods at the rate of several a week some weeks now..

Think teenagers,boys in particular (wee niafs),think small fishing/farming community.We used to have a camping holiday in France every year and stayed with friends out there.The French just plain don't 'get' vegetarianism.

ceridwen

marmiterulesok wrote: »

Think teenagers,boys in particular (wee niafs),think small fishing/farming community.We used to have a camping holiday in France every year and stayed with friends out there.The French just plain don't 'get' vegetarianism.

....ah right...think large-ish "sophisticated" urban community in "greenie" area ...now I see where you are coming from:cool:

I often toss up as to where would be worst for someone like myself - large industrial city or small (former) mining village - and the jury is still out on that one...

Apologies for not realising those were the prevailing circumstances..

marmiterulesok

ceridwen wrote: »

....ah right...think large-ish "sophisticated" urban community in "greenie" area ...now I see where you are coming from:cool:

I often toss up as to where would be worst for someone like myself - large industrial city or small (former) mining village - and the jury is still out on that one...

Apologies for not realising those were the prevailing circumstances..

Hi ceridwen,no apology needed,but thanks anyway!:)

dawngermain

hartleysjam wrote: »

um....Hello! :wave:

After a long period of deliberation I have decided to be veggie now, I haven't eating red meat for 10yrs but i am now ready to not bother with chicken,turkey & fish.

I love quorn stuff but have never braved tofu...yet...

quick question Veggies, do/did you get really funny looks and people questioning you about why you want to be a veggie? it's really winding me up :mad: and i've also had people tell me how natural it is to eat meat blah blah blah grrrrr.....I have always hated red meat but I won't lie I do like chicken and turkey but I feel ready to not have it.

My reasons for being veggie are my own! how rude are people!!?!!:mad:
anywho...anyy money savng hints would be fab

I really dislike it when people question me about my diet. It must be difficult as a veggie though as you can get all sorts of "hypocrite" stuff thrown at you. It would be easier as a vegan - then you can just tell them you don't practice speciesism! Probably best to go down the 'health' route when next asked - plant based foods are much better sources of protein (which is a favourite of most - why are they so hung up on getting protein when you only need a minimal amount, and it depletes your calcium/mineral levels?). Good luck

PennyGSD

Getting back to the original poster's subject matter, I recently tried the cheese & lentil loaf from the long veggie thread on here, and can happily report that it is stunning. Who needs meat when you can create something that tastes like that without it.

The only changes I made to the original recipe was to swap one of the carrots for a courgette (I grow my own so everything has courgettes in it at the moment!), and add some marmite and wholegrain mustard - but I'm not a veggie, I just refuse to eat 'mean' products so only buy meat and eggs from a farmer's market.

I do agree with the other poster (sorry, didn't note the name), in that the only way to increase welfare standards is to create demand. I appreciate in difficult economic conditions it is difficult to spend more. But we simply eat less meat now and supplement our diet with veggie food. And I'm also happy to forgo the occasional bottle of wine to allow for money to pay for the meat. I couldn't drink the wine knowing I'd had to buy a battery chicken to balance out the budget.

Enjoy the loaf though if you can find the recipe on here.

mrcow

Sorry if this is too on topic

I just wanted to add my BBQ tip for Lotus-Eater.

AsDA Meat Free burgers imo are the best for barbeque-ing as they have a certain amount of "fluid" in them and don't disintergrate like some burgers. For sausages, I would suggest Linda Macartney's as most others I have tried are too dry for the BBQ.