y'all would feel the same, right?
Posted by carmenmichelle on Jun 30, 2007 · Member since Apr 2005 · 233 posts
my roommate (the one that is about to go vegan starting in july) has been using my cast iron skillet to fix her meat and eggs!
this makes me so very upset because the iron absorbs the flavorings/remnents of what is cooked in it!
it's forever tainted! :'(
i can't bring myself to use it now
i need to buy a new one now, one that is untainted, and use it--and tell her that if she goes back to her omni ways after july that she can use the old pan, but to please not use my newer one...
i'm not being overly dramatic right?
It's your pan.
For me, personally, I'd be upset. I'd probably ask her to buy the new one.
But that's me, and I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you/your feelings and probably didn't even think about it after it was used and washed.
I'm sorry.
well i live with omnis and i don't mind sharing regular cookware. but like you said, cast iron retains animal fats and stuff. i'm guessing she probably wasn't aware of this, but you're definitely not being wierd or anything by asking her not to use it.
i don't know that i would expect her to pay for a new one, but that's up to you
The reason it would bother me is that you can't wash cast iron, so it's still there. I don't like a knife of mine touching animal, but if my omni parents are using a knife of mine to cut something when they visit, I'm okay if I wash it really good. You can't do that with cast iron.
It's your pan.
For me, personally, I'd be upset. I'd probably ask her to buy the new one.
But that's me, and I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you/your feelings and probably didn't even think about it after it was used and washed.
I'm sorry.
yeah, i'm not sure i'd ask her to pay for it, i'm (too) easy going about that kind of stuff, especially because people who aren't vegan really don't understand our feelings on the "minor" details.
but, if she uses my new one, it's on! ;)
it's all about educating people, and i'm not sure i can completely educate here on my heart's feelings if i'm also asking her to pay for it, you know?
I always asked my roommates in college if I could borrow something, big or small, before I even used it. So yes, I would be upset. She not only borrowed it without asking you. She ruined it!
It doesn't sound like it was intentional so I don't think you should let her have it. I think you should gently explain why you can no longer use it, before she freely uses and possibly ruins any other cookware of yours with animal carcasses.
but, if she uses my new one, it's on! ;)
Oooh yeah, that's the fightin' spirit! :D
I think the word "ruined" is a little strong for this situation.
I don't think I'd toss the pan.
It sounds awfully wasteful to me to do so over this issue. And there is a finite amount of iron available in the world. Wouldn't it be kind of contradictory to the vegan (not to mention environmentalist) spirit to throw it out?
My palate isn't so sophisticated that I would be able to taste the meat essence after it was cleaned and (if necessary) reseasoned. But then I also don't get the idea of keeping a kosher kitchen, either. I don't see veganism in any way similar to any religion.
BTW, I think it was very presumptuous and insensitive of her to take your pan and use it w/o your consent. She owes you an apology.
i really don't mind people using my stuff, taking, etc.
it follows my socialist mindset, my hope to create a my personal utopian world by example and love...
i figure, i am blessed to have what i do, and i want to share my blessings
as long as someone doesn't use the last bit of something i have and not tell me (so i can replace it for when i'll need it next--say, er, salsa, onions, any of my fruit/veggies...) i don't mind
i wouldn't throw away the pan, just designate it as the "one i don't use" and have mine--that can only be used for veggies/tofu/seitan/etc...
yeah, i never throw anything away (hence my post back when about eating sprouted potatoes that a creature burrowed through) ;)
I would be a little upset, but I wouldn't toss the whole pan. If she does it again, well then that's grounds for some serious ass whoopin'... at least where I come from! ;)
You can do what some Kosher-keeping Jews do when someone breaks Kosher with their stuff. Either put it in the oven on a high heat to "purify" it (or, in the case of an iron pan, I have seen an acetylene torch used, but that's a little dangerous in my view), OR you can bury it in the ground for three to seven days. I'm not mocking, this is actually done.
Don't toss the pan, that's wasteful and won't help anything. DO tell your friend seriously not to use your stuff without asking, and explain why. I understand that you're upset, but I can guarantee that if you heat-treat the pan, it will be fine and so will you. It's like ordering something you didn't realise wasn't completely vegan--you didn't know and it's not your fault.
ew i just think thats gross. i would give it to a family member or good friend thats not vegan and get another one. but now that its july, i guess it wont be happening that much anymore!
I would just give her the pan and purchase a new one. Just explain to her how important it is to you to have no meat or dairy ever used in your new pan. She obviously had no idea that she was doing anything wrong and I'm sure would not have used it if she had known. I do have separate pots, pans, knives, etc. for dealing with meat for my dogs.
I would be quite upset if my roommate did this. In my house, my mom has her own fry pans that she puts meat in and I have my own fry pan that she does not touch. I agree that once meat has been in the pan, the remnants will always be there. Some of my friends have all their own dishes in their houses.
If the person who used the pan for meat and eggs is the same person who is supposedly going vegan this month, are they sure they actually understand what "vegan" is? Sounds to me like they're not really ready for veganism--maybe an ovo/lacto or both vegetarian is a better starting place...
I love cast iron. I've purchased several pieces for $2 or less at garage sales. Some are over 100 years old. I like the idea of saving/trying something old before buying new. I'm positive (duh) that all of my garage-sale cast iron has been used to cook many meat products over their long histories. This fact, that previous owners most certainly cooked animal products in the pan, doesn't really bother me for some reason (I have reseasoned all of them). It is more important to me that I have something that I paid almost nothing for that was first made and used so long ago. I haven't exploited any animals, I'm not hurting the environment, and I'm not hurting my health by using these old pans.
However, if I had a roomate who knew I was vegan and used my pan to cook animal products (especially cast iron) I would be upset. This isn't some long past owner who didn't even know me. Make sure you make your feelings known. If you are good friends, I'm thinking your possible offense to her actions didn't even occur to her. As for the pan, I would simply reseason it. It would be wasteful to not use it anymore.
I wouldn't toss it. I, too, have cast iron - all purchased at garage sales as well. So, I'm 100% certain meat has been cooked on my cast iron. But, I'm not religious nor am I what I like to call a "kosher vegan." I mean, when I go to a vegetarian restaurant, I'm sure those forks have been used to eat some of the cheese dishes. I don't bring my own fork. It's my choices that make the impact - not what my silverware has been used for.
Having said that, I'd simply inform her to never use my pan again. And, that, if she wants her own - she's welcome to purchase one at the store. If I caught her using it again, I'd get rid of all the meat products in the house and simply tell her that if she can't respect my things, I won't respect hers. Ok, maybe I wouldn't actually do that last bit. But, I would make it VERY clear that she could lose a roommate if she doesn't respect my things.
Hopefully, she is respectful and simply didn't realize what she was doing. And, so, just a talk will suffice.
update:
bought a new one today, (this also the first day of her veganism)
i told her about it, and she honestly didn't understand
she didn't know it'd upset me, because i didn't have a role in that animals suffering, she did, she apologized saying she really didn't know it'd affect me that way
so, we're keeping the old one--which she'll use
and the new one is only for veggies and seitan/tofu/etc, and some awesome vegan cornbread!
it's all about educating people, in the end
:)
Glad it all worked out.
You seem at peace with how you handled it, and that is what matters.
8)
The reason it would bother me is that you can't wash cast iron, so it's still there. I don't like a knife of mine touching animal, but if my omni parents are using a knife of mine to cut something when they visit, I'm okay if I wash it really good. You can't do that with cast iron.
You *can* wash cast iron. You'll have to re-season it. It's the oily seasoning that retains the animal fats. Start early in the morning, scrub it really, really good with a good grease dissolving dish washing detergent. Then put a good amount of all vegetable Crisco or other shortening in the pan and set it in a low oven until it melts then turn off the oven and let it sit until midnight. Then take it outside and do the ritual re-seasoning of cast iron dance and sing the ritual re-seasoning of cast iron song. You can google to find them. ;D ;D
I wish I had a cast iron pan just so I could do the dance and sing the song.
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