Dinner party question

yayi

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If etiquette dictates that there should be a veggie dish for vegetarian guests at a dinner party, wouldn't it be also proper to have a meat dish in a vegetarian dinner party for omnivorous/carnivorous guests
? I am hosting a party for my animal loving friends (and their dates) so no meats in the menu but then this question came up. Opinions please. Thanks in advance.
 

godiva

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I've always thought of it this way... if you're a vegetarian, you will NOT eat a dish with meat. If you're a omnivore, you CAN eat a vegetarian dish, so I believe that is why the etiquette rule is the way it is.
Yeah, it kind of gives the vegetarians the upperhand in a way, but that's okay with me... I can deal with a vegetarian meal once in a while (in fact, I like them and I'm almost vegetarian), and I feel bad for them... choosing between being polite or going against their conscience isn't an easy place to be.
 

theimp98

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sure just feed them what the vegetarian are having(we can stop on the way home and get some meat)
 

rapunzel47

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I'm about as close to carnivore as a human gets. I looooooooove my meat. That said, I love all kinds of food, often serve a meal that hasn't a scrap of meat in it, and would not be in the least offended to find no meat offered. Good food is good food, and I think the two scenarios are not equal. A vegetarian meal does not contain anything that a meat eater cannot eat, whereas a meal of dishes which all contain meat or meat products offers nothing that is acceptable in a vegetarian diet.
 

swampwitch

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Originally Posted by Godiva

...choosing between being polite or going against their conscience isn't an easy place to be.
It's more of a choice between eating or not eating if there aren't any veggie dishes.

When we have omnivores and herbivores over for the same meal, I'll make all the dishes vegetarian plus one meat. Vegetarians know they can eat everything except the obvious. I agree veggie dinners are good for everyone, too, but not everyone feels that way.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by Godiva

I've always thought of it this way... if you're a vegetarian, you will NOT eat a dish with meat. If you're a omnivore, you CAN eat a vegetarian dish, so I believe that is why the etiquette rule is the way it is.
I'd have to agree with this, Maria. Besides, just think how much healthier the meal will be for those who eat too much meat.
 

satai

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

When we have omnivores and herbivores over for the same meal, I'll make all the dishes vegetarian plus one meat. Vegetarians know they can eat everything except the obvious. I agree veggie dinners are good for everyone, too, but not everyone feels that way.
This is a good approach, I think.

The main ettiquette rule relating to food is to be blind to what others do or don't put on their plates, and what or how much they eat. Traditionally, a polite guest would try a little of everything (but realistically, few of us can do that), so the host isn't supposed to keep track, to allow the guest to save face.
 

snuzy

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Originally Posted by Godiva

I've always thought of it this way... if you're a vegetarian, you will NOT eat a dish with meat. If you're a omnivore, you CAN eat a vegetarian dish, so I believe that is why the etiquette rule is the way it is.
Yeah, it kind of gives the vegetarians the upperhand in a way, but that's okay with me... I can deal with a vegetarian meal once in a while (in fact, I like them and I'm almost vegetarian), and I feel bad for them... choosing between being polite or going against their conscience isn't an easy place to be.

I wouldn't make a meat dish for anyone. And I certainly wouldn't eat meat just to be polite either. Of course, people who know me well enough to invite me over know i'm a veggie, so there is always something I can eat.
 

februa

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I would say it depends on how many meateaters are in the crowd, if its a 12 person dinner and 10 are veggies....then the meat dish is pointless....
You could also fool them! Make a tofu chili, and *forget* to mention its Tofu....Im not vegetarian, but I love veggie chili, and have definately fooled others into eating it bwa hahah
 

fwan

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Originally Posted by Februa

I would say it depends on how many meateaters are in the crowd, if its a 12 person dinner and 10 are veggies....then the meat dish is pointless....
You could also fool them! Make a tofu chili, and *forget* to mention its Tofu....Im not vegetarian, but I love veggie chili, and have definately fooled others into eating it bwa hahah
I taste the tofu automatically, so nobody can fool me, and if i do eat it, its really out of politeness that it really does taste like merde!
 

satai

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Originally Posted by fwan

I taste the tofu automatically, so nobody can fool me, and if i do eat it, its really out of politeness that it really does taste like merde!
I can taste it too - and as I'm not a small child who needs to be "tricked" into trying something new (not that tofu is new to me; I don't love it, but I find it alright) I really hate the implied insult to my intelligence.

It also makes me concerned that I can't trust them to tell me if a dish contains something that really could make me sick (hard cheeses for example).
 
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yayi

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Originally Posted by Satai

The main ettiquette rule relating to food is to be blind to what others do or don't put on their plates, and what or how much they eat.
Methinks a good host would make sure his guests are fed.
 

epona

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The only meat in our house goes in the cat dish!

Any guests we have round for dinner a) know that we don't eat or cook meat, and b) would rather have a tried and tested and honed to perfection meatless dish than have us messing about with things we don't know how to cook!

I think Nate would go ballistic at the thought of meat touching any of the pans or dishes that he uses at home - he's barely ever eaten it in his life and the thought turns his stomach (it's been so long that if he sees someone else with meat on their plate he has to ask what it is because he can't recognise whether it's chicken or beef
)
 

satai

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Originally Posted by yayi

Methinks a good host would make sure his guests are fed.
Strictly speaking? No. A good host tries to give plenty of options to be well fed - but actually keeping track is a no-no.

Hey, I don't make the rules.

If you're asking "what do you think I should do/is the right thing to do", I can't tell you - if you're asking what ettiquette says - I usually can.
 

yosemite

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If the folks invited were my friends I would obviously know if they were meat eaters and/or vegetarians and would cook accordingly. That, is, I would ensure I had veggie dishes to sate the vegetarians and I would also include at least one meat dish for my meat eating friends. I know a lot of men who just don't like a lot of veggies and I think it would as unfair to them not to have food for them as it would be not to have veggie dishes for the vegetarians.
 

abigail

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I am a niclusivity wuss so when total vegetarians are coming over or I am going there I wouldn't want to insult them by bringing meat into their home. Many avoid meat for ethical or religious reasons. When its MY house - and i know the people very well - I just serve both and let the vegetarians pick. But I also avoid the foods that someone kosher or halal wouldn't eat so anyone feels comfortable eating at my house.

I eat non (biblical) kosher food out all the time.
 

clairebear

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Originally Posted by Godiva

I've always thought of it this way... if you're a vegetarian, you will NOT eat a dish with meat. If you're a omnivore, you CAN eat a vegetarian dish, so I believe that is why the etiquette rule is the way it is.
Yeah, it kind of gives the vegetarians the upperhand in a way, but that's okay with me... I can deal with a vegetarian meal once in a while (in fact, I like them and I'm almost vegetarian), and I feel bad for them... choosing between being polite or going against their conscience isn't an easy place to be.
I agree..
 
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