Vegetarians who won't cook someone a meal with meat?

Question

I've been a vegetarian for about 12 years and I still get wound up by people who accuse vegetarians of not cooking for non-vegetarians. I cook meat for my family, I have no qualms about handling raw meat and carving cooked meat. My dogs eat meat, I handle and cook meat for them and recently skinned two dead rabbits for them, which I admit to finding unpleasant and I did have to put a bag over their heads. One rabbit was a fresh roadkill, and the other was from a friend. The most horrific thing was when I came to remove the cooked meat from the bones I found very early stages of development of 4 babies in the roadkill rabbit and that upset me a lot, although I guess that makes me a hypocrite? But seriously, I choose not to eat meat but other people don't and it's not my business if they want to eat meat.

The question, by the way, is why do some vegetarians refuse to cook meat for non-vegetarians and yet expect to get a vegetarian meal cooked by a non-vegetarian?

To be honest, the rabbit wasn't actually dead when I found it, it was dying and I asked a passing gent if he could do the deed for me so I could take it home for my dogs. I should really have left it for a fox, but didn't think about it at the time. If I hadn't found it it could have lay there, beside a quiet road, for a long time suffering. Yes it would have died, massive internal injuries. But I don't think I would have cooked it if I'd known it was pregnant. Maybe I should have gutted it properly and I would have known. Oh and the fella who says he ate a dog, yuck! But that's your choice, I just wouldn't do it myself. Likewise, Koreans, Chinese etc have the right to eat cats and dogs, but it's the way the keep them and slaughter them that's very, very wrong. Oh, but I do think it's very wrong of them to eat partially developed duck/hen embryos. THAT is just sick. But again, it's just my opinion.

I chose to become vegetarian when I saw what happened to pigs prior to slaughter, and indeed all reared-for-food animals. I just felt I couldn't eat any animal that had to die in such a horrific way. I suppose that makes a principle vegtarian, yes? I do eat eggs, but free range only. And the reason why I believe it's wrong to eat unhatched poultry embryos is because my hobby is raising poultry chicks! But again, that's just my opinion and I wouldn't expect to influence anyone with it.

On a different level, why is vegetarian food so expensive? I mean things like Quorn fillets. And why is Linda McCartney food just so yuck?
P.S. I skinned the rabbits because my doggies like rabbit meat. It would be wrong for me to pass up the opportunity of 'fresh' meat just because I'm vegetarian. I do wish that I'd left it somewhere for a fox though. That's the only regret I have.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question. I'm not going to pick a best answer because they're all good. I think you should all have 10 points.

Answer 1

true

Answer 2

It's a personal thing, just as vegetarianism is personal for each person. There's no "shoulds" about anything people do. I don't handle raw meat and I would object to anyone forcing me to do so. I would find it upsetting and disgusting so why should I be told by anyone that I an obliged to cook a meat meal for them? I would tell them to go jump! On the other hand I'm not bothered by someone eating meat in front of me like in a resturant, although some vegetarians probably wouldn't like that. At the end of the day it's about respect for eachother's beliefs and viewpoints. If you feel you can skin a rabbit then fair enough, but I think you'll find a lot of vegetarians couldn't. If people truly respect eachother's beliefs then there's no problem. My friends know I'm veggie and they wouldn't ask me to do anything that I didn't feel comfortable with.

Answer 3

Respecting people's decision to eat meat does not mean you have to make it for them! I don't like curry, so I'm not going to cook that for my friends when they come round- never once has that been an issue.

Why do some people feel like they should compensate for being a vegetarian- a very valid lifestyle- by saying "but i will cook it, and i don't care if anyone else eats it". You're allowed your choices too, even if it limits options for the omnivores you dine with. But that's life- if you do things with other people, you will ALWAYS be limited. Sometimes I go shopping with my larger friends and we don't go into certain shops because they don't go up to their size. If I go to a movie with my boyfriend, I don't feel disrespected because he won't see a chick flick. It's called compromise!!!

I can understand if it's a case of them not being able to eat anything, but vegetarian food doesn't exclude omnivores- they can eat all the same stuff as we do. Most people dont have meat at every single meal.

Besides, I can't imagine you'd expect a Jewish person to cook non-kosher for their guests, or a Hindu person to serve beef? No one seems to question their diets. Is it OK just because it's religion and not- god forbid- a moral thing?

Answer 4

I don't cook meat personally, but I wouldn't automatically expect someone to cook a vegetarian meal for me. I'd be OK with serving up some non-veggie items, but I couldn't handle roasting a joint or something like that.

In addition to ethical concerns, I just don't like handling meat, and don't know how to cook it either - I turned veggie before I learned much about how to cook.

There is a bit of a double standard there I suppose, and to be honest I do prefer not to eat out or at other people's houses as I feel like it's too much of an imposition on them.
I guess the work around is that most people who eat meat have no objection to handling non-meat products, and are unlikely to be preparing a meat only meal (maybe foxhunter guy does though), so it's a bit less of a stretch to ask them to provide meat-free foods.

I will say though, I may not cook meat for the non-vegetarians I live with, but I have no objection to them buying and cooking meat for themselves - it is important to respect people's choices.


Oh, and Ronald S - humans are definitely not carnivores. Our teeth are fairly generalised actually, and definitely very suited to an omnivorous diet.

Answer 5

No way would I cook a meat dish for people who were visiting my house for a meal. I would cook a delicious, yummy, and filling vegan meal followed by a scrumptious vegan dessert, mmm.

I don't care if people cook meat at their house when I am visiting. I am happy to eat some vegetables, salad, bread etc. but then again, most of my friends accomodate my vegetarianism!

I have no idea how a vegetarian skinned a roadkill rabbit, and fed it to his/her dogs... yuck. Even when I ate meat I would have never done that! :-(

Answer 6

It really depends on the reason a person eats a vegetarian diet. If it is strictly for their own health, environmental, or other personal reasons such as they just don't like it, then it makes sense that it doesn't bother them to cook meat for others. However, if a person abstains from animal flesh for ethical reasons, i.e., they believe that other animals are not ours to use as a means to an end, then it is logical that they would not want any contact with meat. Personally, I have never expected a person who eats meat to prepare a vegetarian meal for me. If I am going to a dinner party, I bring a vegan dish. One of the best, most comprehensive sources of information on this subject is at: http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

An extremely compelling article about this subject from The Washington Post is:

Modern Meat: A Brutal Harvest
'They Die Piece by Piece'
In Overtaxed Plants, Humane Treatment of Cattle Is Often a Battle Lost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A60798-2001Apr9

Answer 7

No. If there is a few thing my customer for notwithstanding reason does no longer consume (working example mushrooms) i'm happy to oblige. it quite is being a gracious host. yet a customer stressful to be served a particular variety of meals is being an ungracious customer, and that i do no longer invite ungracious travelers into my abode. My husband (additionally a vegetarian) has much less of an argument with this than I do, and has cooked meat for others on social gathering. it quite is large too. yet for me it quite is crossing a line.

Answer 8

Two wrongs don't make a right. You've made the right decision to go vegetarian and I don't expect you to impose it on anyone else, but it's your choice and your lifestyle and others should respect that when coming into your environment. .

Why not cook them a wholesome vegetarian meal and show them that meat isn't necessary in a diet, educate them with actions, your good cooking etc. you don't need to confront them, argue with them or even appease them, just do what you do, show them the right way, then leave it at that.

When in Rome do as the Romans do. If you're a vege people must respect that, it's wrong for them to expect you to compromise your ethics and fulfill others bad habits. So please stop it.

P.S. Oh! I nearly forgot to say. This question is about doing something you don't like doing for someone else. Not about being vegetarian because to quote -

Albert Einstein -

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

Answer 9

I can understand why a vegetarian wouldn't want to cook meat for somebody else, I am a veggie myself and to be honest I wouldn't know how to cook meat even if I wanted to!
Obviously meat eaters don't mind cooking veggie stuff because its not offensive to them, but a lot of vegetarians don't like preparing meat because they find it unpleasant and against their ethic code.

Answer 10

It would depend how far down the moralistic path you were, wether you choose to give your guests what they would like, or wether you would give them a vegetarian dish.
My brother is a vegetarian, whereas I have never eaten vegetables apart from potatoes, mash chips, roast, boiled, ..etc, and processed peas! Even as a child!..Go figure!
I don't expect to given a roast dinner with all the trimmings when I go round his place. I don't think he would anyway given his views on the subject. But, thats him. Others may wish to give their guests meat. It genuinely is up to the individual.
By the way, it doesn't annoy me that my bro' would not cook or serve me meat. He's a vegetarian, i'm not. It's just the way things are.

Answer 11

I'm a vegan and I don't cook meat for others because it grosses me out. I see meat as dead body parts, and just like I wouldn't want to handle a dead person's arm or leg, I don't want to handle an animal's either.

If someone wants to eat meat because it *doesn't* gross them out, then they should go ahead and do whatever they want. If they're coming over to MY house, however, they should expect a vegan dinner. If they don't want a vegan dinner, they should bring their own meat, eat before they come or not come at all. My house, my rules, I guess you could say.