Anyone else married to a non-vegan/ vegetarian?
Hi,
I've been using this site for awhile, but I'm ready to use it more now, and have found it really helpful.
I've been a vegetarian most of my adult life (I cried as a kid over eating meat!), and before I lived with my husband was pretty much vegan - with absolutely no effort put into it at all! I never even thought about it, and always felt satisfied by my food choices. My husband is a big guy from Minnesota, and although is open and understanding of my eating habits, it just doesn't work for him personally! Which I respect, but I really would like to have family meals now that my daughter is getting older (she is 3), and it seems like the only thing that makes us all happy is spaghetti - which is getting boring, and has also made me 15 lbs. heavier than I was pre-marriage. Or else we just all go our own way at night, and my husband will end up fixing himself a frozen meal.
Is there anyone else out there that has dealt with this lifestyle issue? For the wives out there, do you and your husband cook seperate meals? So far, this site has helped quite a bit in trying to be more creative making hearty vegan meals. I'm just curious if anyone else has dealt with this.
My hubby's technically an omni, & not kitchen-gifted (<--- understatement alert!!)... so I'm the house chef, & his job is to say 'Thanks, that was awesome!' with convincing sincerity, or else make something else with whatever we happen to have on hand... of course-- as it happens-- I'm the grocery shopper too, so that'll *still* be with a plant-based pantry, thank you very much!... unless, of course, he wants to run to Kroger or something, to get something else...My position, basically, is 'if you ever want something that I don't eat, lemme know-- I'll pick it up for you; but-- just so we're clear-- I'm not gonna be interested in cooking it.' That has pretty much made him animal-product-free!--at least at home... Under *NO* circumstance am I cooking multiple meals to accommodate the eating preferences of another *adult,* who just doesn't wanna learn to/ bother to cook-- however much I love 'im, that's pretty ridiculous, to me!...After 5 years of living with me, though, I've noticed that even at restaurants, hubby now orders veggie entrees more often than not-- and he was raised in a "good ol' boy/ southern deep-fried-meat-in-everything/ bacon-as-a-food-group" family culture, so that's (imo) a *hugely* cool dietary evolution, even if not perfectly ideal (yet?!)...
Part of any relationship is respecting what's important to your sweetie, as much as what's important to yourself. My hub has religious views that I (really, really, really) don't have; and I have food ethics views that he doesn't. If we had a kid-- we probably won't, given successful contraceptive performance; my boy/ his stepson is 17, & we're ready for some unrestricted-travel/ grownup time!-- but if we did, both his religion & my food ethics would be important and respected views, in the child rearing department...
Vive la difference! You guys don't have to be exactly the same, in terms of ethics & world view... but you have to respect each other, especially where you differ.
There's a current thread on 'Stroller Derby' that relates to this theme... you might wanna watch the thread at http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=30665.0, as well as following this one... other folks are working through this issue too!
I'm not married, in fact at the moment I'm single, but I lived w/ my last boyfriend who was a meat eater. Even before I went vegetarian we'd have some arguments over food b/c I'm a nutrition major and he lived off fast food and frozen pizza. But anyway, we usually just did separate meals. There were some things we'd eat together like pizza, spaghetti, burritos, etc. But for the most part we kind of went our own ways. It worked out well because our school/work schedules usually clashed so we didn't always eat together anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
My husband is a meat, potato, gravy man. He eats vegatables but doesn't like pasta or rice.
I usually cook separate main dish and will eat veggies with him. I have gotten used to it.
I trullly hate the smell of cooking meat. Yuk. But I do cook it for him and the rest of the family when they come over. My family at least likes noodles/pasta and rice.
You can buy so many types of nuts and dried/fresh fruits. As a lacto-ovo (mostly ovo) there are good sources of humane places that sell fresh eggs.
Where I live there are farms all around us. I have been able to check out some that sell their own products and who use their products to make things. I feel lucky I get to see exactly how the animal lives and is treated.
When I look into my doggies eyes I can't imagine them in a million years as a food source. Also the wild critters that roam our property. They look at you and come with their babies and I think no way no matter how hungry I got would I eat them.
I cook veggies sides and separate mains. What makes the fact that he is so anti vegetable now funny/ironic is that when he was a little kid he wouldn't eat meat (except fish sticks for some odd reason)
Also, this website is super awesome: http://www.cooking4carnivores.com/ it's a blog by this vegetarian woman whose husband is an omnivore... it hasn't been updated in a while but alot of the entries are really helpful.
edit: I need to not post things when I'm 1/2 asleep.
Yeah. Wife and 2 kids who are "non" but I do all the cooking. It keeps me from going vegan because kids seem to love cheese for some reason. Whenever I am out of town they go hardcore carnivore. . . meatloaf, hamburgers, etc. Sorry, but I cannot even enter the house with them smell of pan-fried burgers lingering.
I'm happily married to an Omni. I respect and support his right to eat meat if he wishes (I am not vegetarian for moral/ethical reasons).
I cook for him, I see that as only fair since he has a full-time-plus job and I stay at home with our baby.
I cook vegetarian meals for the whole family, and on days when he wants, I make or buy a meat side dish for him. I make marinades and rubs that work with both chicken and tofu and make a meal that is almost identical for all of us (George Foreman cookbooks are a good recipe source for marinades and rubs). Or, as others have mentioned, top-your-own pizza, fill your own tortilla night, pasta bar, etc.
Sometimes, I have a veggie entree with a meat "side" for him.
Sometimes, I make a traditional roast for him, and roast (the same potatoes, carrots, onions,etc) separate veggies for me -or even have peanut butter or hummus on that night.
I find it very easy to figure out how to accomodate someone you love. He, likewise, is very easy to please with vegetarian offerings.
As with any other part of a relationship, food involves loving each other enough to do what makes the other person feel loved.
I have been a vegan for about 2 years now. My wife is not vegan however she have now started to try out some of my vegan cooking. At first it was like tasting poison to her.... however I understand because it is something new and it's not that easy trying something new sometimes. Now she will cook me vegan food and eat some of my cakes and pies. Everyone have there own path you just have to respect them for who they are as long as it's not hurting you are someone else. Plus with all that you hear on the news about bad meat etc. makes you really think to your self .. "Do they really care or is it all about making money" Even some of the vegan foods you see in the stores are not good for you so you really have to be careful and think for yourself.
a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Peace
i've been vegetarian for 10 years and recently vegan (past 5 months). When my husband and I got married I was not vegan, but hes accepted it. We don´t cook separate meals. Though he sometimes adds dairy or meat to his food. For example, if we make a pizza his half might be with cheese (he always cuts my side first so the pizza cutter has no cheese on it!--he is great!), or if we're having at home chinese and i have tofu, he might have chicken. but it has been a long time since he's made meat in front of me. he does eat dairy products and meat occasionally when he is at home for lunch and i am at work. Me being vegan and him eating meat has never been a problem for us. My family assumes I'm starving him and that when he's not with me he pigs out on meat and dairy, but he never does.
I usually make a big pot or pan of one meal and he makes a side portion of meat for himself. If he doesn’t like what I’m cooking he just makes himself a sandwich or a burger but he isn’t fussy about it because he barely eats meat as it is. He absolutely loves salads and has been open to trying new dishes I make. I think as long as I don’t use tofu or any other meat substitutes he’s okay with it. Sometimes he makes dinner for me and separates the meals himself, so when I come home from work I don’t have to cook. It’s been a lot harder satisfying my mother with meals than my hubby because she always complains that I am not getting the proper nutrients. *sigh*
i was pescetarian for 2.5 years and recently began transitioning to being vegan. when i first started dating my partner, she gave up meat as well. she abandoned that pretty quickly, but still doesn't really eat too much meat. we hardly have any meat in our house, just frozen lunches she takes to work. she eats whatever i cook and loves it! when she cooks for us, which isn't so often, she has always cooked keeping me in mind. i totally get respecting your partner's wishes and their choices, but i'd feel kinda silly cooking with meat and animal products when i don't support that. if she wants meat, then she buys it. i wouldn't want to put my money towards the meat industry (even though my money = our money in the end). but i guess it's just on principle.
Since hubby doesn't cook, he doesn't always keep to the the plant-based path when I'm not cooking... if I happen to be in 'sandwich mode' due to work demands or whatever, he tends to rely on freezer dinners & restaurants, where even the 'veggie' options usually have eggs/ dairy. Well, a couple days ago he was at a restaurant & ordered a burger... got SO sick to his stomach, he missed work the next day. I was like, umm... learning experience? maybe? That's some nasty shit... just don't eat it: problem solved!
Felt bad for 'im & all... but I think a person's body just gets use to not having to DEAL with processing meat, ya know? So, just order other stuff, already! duh... (love him! but sometimes he's kinda silly.)
;)
When my wife and I met, we had totally opposite eating habits. I was vegetarian, and she ate at McDonald's. For a long time, I was the only cook, so it made things simple, except when we went out to eat. Things got more complicated when we had kids, and she started cooking (meat) sometimes. Over time, she's become more comfortable eating vegetarianly, and doesn't eat much meat these days, and I'm mostly vegan. But the kids are not vegetarian, so it's definitely complicated. There's some meat in the house, though it's mostly deli slices for the kids to make sandwiches with.
(or if anyone knows of another thread that relates to my question that'd be great also)
I'm marrying my omni fiance this October, and he's pretty OK with me being vegan. He even tried my first try at Weekend Pancakes from Vegan Yum Yum two nights ago and liked them. I won't cook anything he eats that has meat in it, except I might stir bacon he's trying to brown if he doesn't have a free hand. I'm grossed out by the feeling of raw meat anyway.
He's gotten into eating Morningstar Farms products, but that's basically ALL he's eating right now. The only meat he's eating besides those is bacon. And he doesn't eat most fruit/veggies/beans...I pointed this out to him the other day--he can't subsist off of processed TVP all the time :)
From the Happy Hour board:
Vegan producer seeks married vegan/non-vegan for TV show!
From the Happy Hour board:
Vegan producer seeks married vegan/non-vegan for TV show!
I want to see a vegwebber on this looking awesome and proving how great veganism is.
Not married, but my SO is definately a carni. He's fine with my veganism, and if I cook something he will most likely eat it (draws the line at vegan cheese though...)
I DO cook omni meals for him and my family though. I expect them to respect my lifestyle, so I show them the same courtesy.
Yeppers. I've been a vegetarian for 6 years. My wife of two and a half years (we've been together about five) was a big meat eater until we met. I do most of the cooking since I'm picky about what I eat, so she has been semi vegetarian for years now. Recently she decided to be a pescatarian and I couldn't be happier. My wife is very supportive of me being a vegetarian and cooking vegetarian for her. She never gives me a hard time about my vegetarianism, and she routinely tells me how proud she is of me that I am disciplined enough to continue being a vegetarian (even though now years after being one it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me).
(or if anyone knows of another thread that relates to my question that'd be great also)
I cook meat for my boyfriend. I dont mind it because im more of a 'pure vegetarian'. im vegan for health reasons. Not to save animals( no offense to people who are). So I dont not mind cooking meat.
Some meat does make me sick. Cooking eggs has always made me queasy. But..I do it.
I wish my boyfriend would eat healthier..but I know over time he will. I educate him on food and when I cook, I sneak things in.
I am trying to get him out of the habit of eating so much red meat. He loves Carne Asada( UGHH)...so when I cook, i use free range chicken and fresh veggies. He doesnt like brown rice so I mix it in with white.
But it works fine.
Eating out is the biggest problem. All he wants to eat is mexican...all the time. We live in LA so he loves to go to the eastside or downtown to get a burrito..in infuriates me because most of those ma and pop restaurants use lard in their beans. and besides...I dont always want to eat beans..
anyways...im degressing...Lol
eating out is difficult but at home...i just make two similar meals. one with meat and one without
Thanks again!
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