Vegetarians

[jomifl]

When vegetarian friends come to stay with us we have to go *** restaurants and eat mediocre food so that they can indulge their fad. Are they being unreasonable?

[jomifl]

How pure does a veggie have to be ?

[Mamyalynne]

Have you told them how you feel? As you're friends with them - I find it easy to be honest with people.

[Retrochic]

Are you obsessed with food? Does it rile you up that much to compromise your carnivorous gluttony once in a blue moon? Try and educate yourelf as to the wonderful vegetarian food out here on offer and maybe you will find its actually a treat to dine in a totally vegetarian restaurant once in a while

http://restaurantsbrighton.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Gluten-free-Tasting-Plate.jpg

[Retrochic]

wrong link -there you go -enjoy!

http://www.terreaterre.co.uk/

[jomifl]

Actually Retro, I have no objection to eating food that does not contain meat, in fact I don't eat as much meat as most meat eaters. I just like to have a choice, in much the same way as do veggies. Veggies it appears are not prepared to compromise ....

[viv41]

Yes, veggie food can be delicious.

[viv41]

Mmmmm think I'll do something veggie for tea tonight after all this talk.

[Retrochic]

We are having homemade cauliflower cheese which contains garden potatoes and tomatoes, soft boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes covered in a cheese and leek sauce and topped with grated red leicester -and a salad.

[jomifl]

Sounds delicious...unfortunately only got a few cauliflower heads this year.

[EcclesCake]

I have a beautiful romanesco that will be turned into a rich and hearty gratin tomorrow. I think a leek may well make its way into the cheese sauce.

Doubtful that any meat will make the plate though.

[237SJ]

I`m having a whacking great fillet steak with peppercorn sauce tonight. I hardly ever eat red meat but fancy it at the moment. It must be the weather plus I`m trying to run the freezer down.

[Mamyalynne]

Roast chicken tonight, children are coming and I promised, roasties in beef dripping and yorkies too.

[viv41]

Love cauliflower cheese Retro.

[jomifl]

Why can't restaurants do menus like this..

[chokkie]

why can't you check out the menus from the restaurants in advance - most have them online and if you don't think your friends will fancy the veggie options then don't book there! Find another restaurant with both great veggie options and great non-veggie options. I know you're hosting your friends, but why should you have to suffer!

[jomifl]

Chokkie, Your suggestions would work if you didn't live in the meat eating heartland of SW France. What many vegetarians aren't aware of (including our veggie friends) is that outside the metropolitan hubs restaurants restaurants cater for the working people of the region. The most popular foods are meat with varying amounts of vegetables. Some restaurants only do a menu du jour at lunch time and do not have the ingredients for a veggie meal. In many cases the small staff only allows them to cook and serve the planned menu, they cannot do a la carte. We once asked a local restaurant a couple of days in advance if they would do a veggie meal for our friends.....they forgot or couldn't be arzed.

[Retrochic]

You should have explained you lived in France jomilf. Most Provinces haven't caught up with vegetarian food yet though a nice Ratatouille with crusty bread or a Tarte de l'oignon shouldn't be too hard to find surely?

[jomifl]

Retro...we wish,. I actually like all kinds of dishes , I'm not an obligate carnivore. The problem with the French is that they don't like strong flavours so any Chinese or Indian restaurants dumb their food down to the point tastelessness. There is a restaurateur a bit too far from us whose wife is Indian and occasionally does Indian meals. The French complain that it is too strong whilst the British expats complain that it lacks 'impact' :-)

[EcclesCake]

So the problem has chuff all to do with vegetarians, more to do with your country of residence?

[Jackdaw33]

I'm surprised the French don't like strong flavours. I always used to look forward to a ripe, runny Camembert, reeking of ammonia. Sadly no longer available in the UK.