A Recipe For a Family Fight

I have been a vegan for nearly a decade, and I love thanksgiving!! My whole family are voracious carnivors who love to poke fun at my "tofurky" and the various accoutraments my vegan wife and I look forward to eating. Despite what the article says, tofurkey tastes awesome, as a matter of fact my wife and I usually stock up on them and eat them throughout the year. I will admit though, it can get quite tiresome hearing the same old garbage every year about how "its ok to cheat once in a while", as if the issue were similar to dieting. Thats when you appreciate the fact you dont have the same blood pressure problems and resulting volitility as many meat eating fans out there. I hate explaining the real reasons why I dont eat meat, becuase like one blogger already stated, most people get offended at your honest answer. Now I have a generic one "If you can survive and be happy without killing stuff, why not do it?". It elicits far fewer questions than "did you know a vegan driving an SUV is more eco-friendly than a carnivor riding a bicycle?", or "Do you know how many cows must be forcefully inseminated for you to have that lovely glass of udder juice?".
Bottom line: people feel most uncomfortable when they percieve something about themselves or their own lives which is incongruent with their positive self image. - So let them jeer, bring your own food without embarrassment or shame so as to not burden others, keep your answers simple, and dont be one of those vegetarians/vegans who criticizes what other people put into thier body.

So... where is all the anger coming from? I'm a vegan because I will not buy things that will kill me. Farm animals are fed their own feces, hormones, antibiotics and it's just repulsive. I don't resent meat eaters... I feel bad for them. They are slowly making themselves fat, have health problems, and paying for a useless meal. Does anyone rememeber the millions of meat recalls from the last year? The hidden video tapes of the hormone infested poor cows who can't even walk because their body is too heavy to suppor their weight? Its terrifying- why would I eat that, pay for that, support that? I believe in respect for ALL animals.. because we ARE animals. Classified under the animal kingdom just like the rest of the animals. And vegans like the taste of meat- not the cruelty or the health problems. So lets just stop the hatred toward one another. Buy TOFURKY TURKEY ROAST 100% vegan, all natural tastes just like the real thing!

You know? Enough. The vegetarian/vegan comrades should stop looking down their noses at those who eat turkey, and the turkey-eating commandos should shut the F up and let everyone do what they want. I won't eat veal or lamb, my little stand against eating baby animals, but people order veal all the time in front of me in Italian restaurants and that's their deal. I know it's not the same thing as a day like Thanksgiving when the focus is on one meat, but my "meat controversy" can come up every day of the year and this holiday is just one day. Get over it, live and let live, show some respect for your fellow human beings (some of whom are relatives). Of course the sampling for this article was drawn more from San Francisco than anywhere else: People bound and determined to have a problem with every American tradition and so twisted they'd rather "escape" to Australia than spend the holiday with their family. (Must be nice to be able to afford that air fare for no good reason; must be all the money liberals save by donating almost nothing to charity while conservatives donate a healthy percentage.) George Carlin summed up my feelings nicely about things like this on the Dennis Miller Show discussing the controversy some made of gays in the military: "We all go ashore on leave. If half the guys are gay...more _ for me! It's great. What are the straight guys thinking? WHADDARETHEYTHINKING."

I don't see the problem - I don't eat meat and just eat eveything else - If I don't want to get into the whole "why don't you want turkey" I just tell them I want to eat my veggies first and then the meat ... I don't know why people have to be so senstive - you made a choice live with it - Thanksgiving is about family & friends not turkey

How about trying Gobi manchurian (google it) an Indian dish, that consists of a big cauliflower baked with spices and other vegetables, tastes great and looks like a turkey:-)

learn how to spell vegetarian please...before I eat your face off.

Vegan foods are made to taste like meat because we do like the taste of meat- just not the cruelty or the things they feed the animals. Did you know that meat eaters ingest thousands of antibiotics, hormones and contaminated insides of malnurished, ***-fed animals? If you don't care about animals, at least care about yourself. No arterie clogging ingredients in any boca meal. Oh, and TO EASILY SOLVE THE TURKEY DILLEMA but TOFURKY ROAST 10 bucks, tastes just like turkey- even the texture is extraordinary.

LOOK AT ME... I AM THE MINORITY... DON'T LOOK DOWN on ME..>WHEEEEE... Listen I was a vegitarian for lifestyle and dietary reasons for almost 6 years. I enjoyed every bit of attention I got from the "normal people" that would quiz me on why I didn't eat meat. There is a difference between a person looking for ATTENTION and someone whom is CHOOSING that lifestyle. It is a choice and people making that choice shouldn't cowtow to other people that don't agree with them. It isn't Dr. prescribed, in most cases... It isn't diabetes or thyroid disease.

Let the whining stop. If you are a vegitarian, stand by your convictions... We just want to enjoy our meat and not feel guilty for eating it, just like you don't want to feel guilty for NOT eating it.

No matter what you do or don't eat, family will always comment, it's the nature of the beast. Hubby and I are hosting this year, we are not having turkey because I hate leftover turkey. We aren't having squash, sweet potatoes or cranberry relish because those are not dishes we are fond of. We have some favorite stand-bys that everyone enjoys and there will be plenty of food. If my 95 year grandmother (who has a sharp tongue on occasion) comments on the lack of something, we will just smile and be thankful that she is still around to enjoy the meal with us.

My wife is a vegitarian and i have come to like the diffrent foods that she has. I still eat meat and won't quit. As far as being healthier to be a vegitarian, I don't buy it for one minute. About 90% of the people at my gym eat protein, fruits and vegitables. I for one eat 2 (two) chickens for dinner with vegitables. very little in the carb catagory. I work out 3 times a week for about an hour and a half. I am 6 foot 3 and weigh 248. about 5% body fat. At thanksgiving you eat whats on the table whether you like it or not. If its just a dinner or a lunch my family accomadates my wife. That is the right thing to do. But Thanksgiving without out a dead bird. Thats as unamerican as Obama.

I have been a vegetarian for 8 years and can definitely relate to this article. Tried the Tofurky one year and I must say I am not a big fan. Of course there are dozens of other meat-like options I could bring to the table, however, I have instead decided to go to Vegas every Thanksgiving for a mini-getaway and avoid "Turkey Day" all together. I figure I can make it through the so called family heckling at Xmas time -- and once a year with my extended family is enough anyway! ;)

Rightousness in or out of the kitchen is just plain ridculous. To each their own, I say. BUT, we need to NOT waste food & it would be wise to get off the top of the food chain esp. since the oceans are fished out! Sign me a part-time veg.

Thanksgiving is also an extremely hard holiday for people with an eating disorder. I know this because I've been anorexic for over 7 years. Before becoming anorexic, I was already a vegetarian facing the challenge of saying "no thanks" to turkey. But now, I skip the whole meal altogether due to the enormous amount of food, not to mention the amount of fat and calories in the traditional dishes served at Thanksgiving. For someone with an eating disorder, holidays can be a miserable and stressful time.

I still cant figure out why vegan foods,are designed to taste like.......meat.

Then too,the idea that there are not enough other vegan foods spread around is odd,since at even an average table you can find the following:

The dressing itself. While usually oysters in areas of New England,most is made of sourdough,cornbread or other breads ingredients

Vegetables. Usually in a cassarole role,Green bean/mushroom soup/fried onions appears to be catching on all over. Salads,either fruit or vegetable. Eggplant,gourds including zuccini and squash are also prevelant at Thanksgiving tables.

The ever-present potato,in a sweet yam [closest relative: The Morning Glory flower], or mashed ''Idaho''or ''Red''form,usually accompanied by gravy,of which several meat ''flavoured''types without meat base are available.

Breads of course.

As well as pies/cakes.

I dunno about anyone else,but this alone would pack a walloping calorie punch and leave one,stuffed,as it were,even without the bird or ham.

Meat eaters in the family should cut slack. Vegans need to quit with the self-righteous attitude of the fundementalist. As we can see above,Thanksgiving offers something for everyone,with plenty to spare[something to keep in mind in a season of need.Even vegans will agree with this].

My son-in-law and granddaughters are vegetarians. If they don't want to eat turkey who cares, some people don't like turkey or pumpkin pie. I fix a turkey or the meat eater and something differendt for the vegetarians. I would do the same for anyone who had a medical reason for food restrictions. It's no big deal, just more turkey sandwiches for the turkey lovers!

all i know is that i've been a vegetarian for 10 years and i've never once asked/expected to be accomodated at thanksgiving. i'm well aware that the holiday is centered around turkey and meat based meals. so i show up and eat mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, pie and i'm completely happy with that. we're not all picky and demanding.