Re: advice dept.

blake murphy <blakepmNOTTHIS@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

from an online discussion with *slate*'s 'dear prudie:

Boston: My question is about how a vegan should host a holiday dinner for
nonvegan guests.

My family recently decided to rotate holidays, and this is my first time
hosting. I have been vegan since I was a child, and I am strongly against
the killing of animals for food. It would be completely against my values
to serve traditional, nonvegan food, but the rest of my family does not
share these values and is extremely upset. I am excited to have my family
over and cook for them, but they said they will not come if I refuse to
compromise. [..]

Emily Yoffe: It's great that your family wants to rotate hosting duties,
but it's not good that they want to rotate you on a spit because of your
moral objections to eating animals. You should say you're delighted to
host, but you can't compromise your principles. So they either agree to
come or they agree that your house is not the proper venue for the holiday
meal. If it's the latter, you could say you will contribute numerous salads
and vegetable dishes to make up for the fact that you can't have the party
at your house.

As for telling you you're rude and selfish to open your home and offer to
feed them, or that you will have an unacceptable wedding because you won't
serve meat¡Xhmmm, I wonder who's being rude and selfish? Stop inviting them
to dinner parties. But when they make nasty comments about the wedding, say
you are sorry to hear they've decided they won't enjoy it. Explain you're
excited about your wedding and hope it will be a joyous day for everyone no
matter what the main course.

so what do y'all make of that?

Her answer was far too gentle.

I think that people who are (a) absolutely insistent on eating meat
each and every day and (b) beyond that, insistent upon harassing vegans
should be disowned completely.

Those who insist upon crossing others' boundaries like that
are potentially dangerous. I would not want them to even know
where I live.


Steve
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: What If...We All Became Vegan?
    ... calories from animals requires twice as much vegetable matter as the 85% of non-animal calories consumed worldwide. ... if we all went vegan we would need only one third of the cropland we use now. ... The immediate cause of malnutrition today in a world with enough food is not meat-eating but inequality. ...
    (uk.environment)
  • Re: For Dutch/RE:Wife swap episode....
    ... while the hunters got most of their ... I don't know if you're vegan or not, ... the animals are just as dead. ... are now left with no cover and no food. ...
    (talk.politics.animals)
  • Re: Im a Meat eater and proud of it!
    ... Factory farmed animals are treated very poorly, not just at slaughter, but through out their entire lives. ... A vegan diet is proven to be the healthiest diet you can eat, and there are many documented cases of serious, life-threatening diseases being reversed by "going vegan". ... the average U.S. slaughterhouse line accelerated 22% during the 1980s. ... The food that could be saved if humans consumed plant foods directly would be enough to feed the starving people of the world many times over. ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)
  • Re: For Dutch/RE:Wife swap episode....
    ... >> The vegan family shopped at a local market, imported nuts, fruit, ... > That's an excuse used to assuage their guilt, because the animals are just ... And then there is the use of poisons. ... > left with no cover and no food. ...
    (talk.politics.animals)
  • Re: advice dept.
    ... My question is about how a vegan should host a holiday dinner for ... nonvegan guests. ... I have been vegan since I was a child, ... the killing of animals for food. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)