Fucking meat eaters.

[feuervogel]

So I'm going to DC this weekend, and I'm staying with my sister Friday and Saturday nights. We're trying to work out what to do for dinner Saturday. (Friday we're going to Agora for Turkish food, which sounds awesome.)

I suggest the lazy-ass pasta bake and throwing in some Quorn (chunks or grounds) for extra filling properties. She says "BF is a real meat-eater..." and I'm just like "if he's that inflexible, I'm happy to go out again."

So she replies with this "you threw a tantrum when you were younger and couldn't eat in restaurants, and we prefer to eat real meat. You don't like meat, I'm just trying to cover all our preferences."

First off, our grandmother decided it was a good idea to take a vegetarian to Steak and Ale. The only options that weren't meat were starches (baked potatoes) and sides (spinach, etc). Not exactly what I call dinner! Second off, it's not a "preference." If I eat meat, I have gastrointestinal distress. I found this out by accidentally eating ground beef a few years ago. (I was really hungry and brain-fried from an all-day tai chi workshop.)

Third off, is it that fucking hard to not eat meat just ONE fucking time? Seriously?

Fucking asshole meat-eaters. This is why I hate you.

Comments

[thesmallwonder.livejournal.com]

Her reply seems more like a reaction to you calling her husband inflexible more than anything to me. Which from your perspective wasn't intended ans an insult, but from hers it was probably viewed as one.

[feuervogel]

Her boyfriend. They don't live together, either.

My main problem is that they are both completely unwilling to entertain the idea of leaving meat entirely out of one meal. Which is inflexible and stupid.

[kurai-seraphim.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to prep some kind of "assembly dinner" like burritos where you simply make two protein options (one meat, one not meat) and the entire rest of the meal can be applied to everyone?

As for the root issue, I've found that the meat vs no meat argument largely gets pushed to extremes because one party can't eat meat at all and the other party doesn't like having its diet dictated by the former party. I think most people are inherently understanding about dietary needs when presented neutrally, such as "can we maybe not include peanuts because I will die," but it sounds like your sister has some baggage from previous food conflicts that she's bringing into this one.

I imagine if you politely and calmly express that meat physically makes you sick and that you would appreciate a compromise option, they would be okay with it. Using "meat eaters" as a derogatory term and calling them inflexible can be antagonizing, which results in the extreme backlash response. You'll have to let the frustration go and approach them from the honest and rational position in a positive and educational tone if you want them to chill out and realize that yes, you're asking for support for one meal and will not hold it against them if they go steak-tastic the night after you end your visit.