What DO you eat?

[urbpan]

Thanksgiving time is upon us again and for most of us United Statesians that means an orgy of overeating above and beyond our normal gluttony. For those who have chosen not to eat animal products it means a horribly awkward time in which a beloved family ritual is transformed into an exercise in walking on eggshells--sorry! I know you don't eat eggs, I just--

Fortunately there's a handy guide on how to host a mixed vegan/non-vegan Thanksgiving. You should definitely read it, but here's what it boils down to:

1. Everyone should treat everyone else like adults. No need to feel ashamed for wherever we fall in the diversity of choices of how we eat, and no need to be a dick about it, on either side.

2. Don't be insulted that the vegans refuse your delicious food. Butter, honey, and gelatin all count, as do animal ingredients like wine clarifiers and confectioners' glaze.

3. It's not impossible to make some foods vegan, if you want everyone to have a chance to eat. You don't even have to bend over backwards.

4. Even vegans don't like Tofurkey. Don't buy that shit.

5. It's really hard to make a good tasting vegan pumpkin pie.

6. Don't choose this special time to argue the pros and cons of veganism. I would extend this to all mealtimes. The least interesting and most awkward dinner conversation possible begins "So why don't you eat meat?" (or "animal products," or "pork," or "any food not blessed by a Rabbi") There's no easier way to ruin a meal, or a conversation. You ruined Christmas last year, leave Thanksgiving alone!

Comments

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

stuff that works out well in the past: make it a pot luck... people bring enough to feed themselves for sure, and share the rest... if a vegan really wants to live it up, they can bring a variety of tempting treats ;)

a hubbard squash stuffed with season veggies, various nuts and chestnuts, seeds, and delights == way yum

hosts can easily provide pasta, [wild] rices, and steamed veggies for everyone; yar - goes down well.

for safety sake, all guests will be stripped of leather and petroleum goods at the door ;)

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[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

I can't agree more about the pot luck. I grew up on wild-gathered foods, such as candied crabapples and roasted cattail stems (better known as "Cossack asparagus"), and half of the fun of trying something like this is being able to share. I have two very dedicated vegan friends who love mushrooms and a linden tree stump next to my house that's loaded with fresh oyster mushrooms after a good rain, and I think they need to meet.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

and triffids are edible too ;)

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[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

Not mine, sadly. However, they have their various medicinal purposes, especially in using unopened Nepenthes pitchers for pain relief after bad burns.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

ah yes :)

the ones in the original story were - ground triffid mulch. rich in oils, and fibers, and oh so yummy ;)

i wonder what the ethics of eating [semi] intelligent plants would come in?

some of the newish large pitchers they found recently are very cool.

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[audacian.livejournal.com]

I have a few vegan friends and looooove the challenge of cooking vegan dishes. Its total funtimes. vegweb.com is fantastic.

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

I could add an entire category to this subject about gluten. Oh, the holidaze.

[dragonwrites.livejournal.com]

fun link! i would argue one point, which is that a good cook *can* make a big slab of tofu delicious. feeding tofu to meat-eaters and making them like it is a hobby of mine.

it's hard for college kids not to be self-righteous, regardless of what banner they take up. maybe that should be part of freshman orientation.

[gardenfey.livejournal.com]

You're making me feel very happy about having a family that doesn't have most of these issues.

food

[(Anonymous)]

I wondered about the Tofurkey...thanks for the tip!

[calypso72]

Thank you for posting this.

However, there is a really great vegan pumpkin pie recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking. I swear, no non-vegan would ever know the difference.

[shaharazad.livejournal.com]

I've found a few vegan pumpkin pie recipes using coconut milk. I made a not-quite-vegan version and it was very easy, delicious, and adequately fattening. Do a websearch and something should come up.

[iheartoothecae.livejournal.com]

I don't agree with 4 & 5, but I am a tofu/soy devotee, so... ;) But amen on the rest, especially 6. OMG.

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

Eh, I kinda like Tofurky. Quorn turkey is better on the whole meat analog spectrum, but sadly, not vegan.

[http://users.livejournal.com/purplebunnie_/]

It is much easier to make a delicious tasting vegan sweet potato pie.

[nightlove.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend's grandmother has apparently been making carrot pies instead of pumpkin pies for years, and nobody has noticed the difference. I'm going to have to research if a carrot pie is any easier to make vegan than pumpkin!

[roaming.livejournal.com]

(somewhat off topic, or maybe not): I just noticed snugged in there amongst your interests list "meat as pets." Well, I guess that's better than "pets as meat" but. . . . whassup with dat? :-)

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I discuss both options here. :)
I forget why I wrote that, but probably it stems from my relationship with Tito (pictured above), an intelligent and affectionate domestic turkey who served as an educational animal and unofficial mascot for Drumlin Farm for 6 or 7 years. She eventually died, but was not eaten.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

Well it made me think of some former friends who lived in Vermont. They got themselves 4 pigs, with the notion that they'd breed have two breeding pigs and two meat pigs. When I visited, they told me ruefully that they now had 4 "pet" pigs, because they'd discovered that pigs are smart and affectionate and funny and have distinct personalities and well, no way were they eating them. (Though I don't remember if they were okay with eating "strangers.")

It makes me wonder about the Asians who can have some dogs as pets, and others are food. I can't grok the dichotomy.

I can eat meat as long as it doesn't have a face looking at me. As long as it's chopped up beforehand into units of nutrition. (No way am I ever watching Peta's Meet Your Meat vid. Yes, I'm a hypocrite and a coward.) And as long as I get it from the local CSA (which promises a good life and a painless/stress-free slaughter). Can't eat delicious veal because of associations with veal crates (even if the veal comes from "free range" farms); can't eat lamb because I don't like the gamey taste.

But I've said it before, I do believe that vegans/vegetarians are more evolved than most of us. Surely more evolved than I. And that's not some sarcastic put down.

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

I prefer Quorn products myself. I usually have this for thanksgiving.

*Quorn products are not vegan though, just vegetarian.