I'm glad it went well. Kudos to you for figuring out what to bring, and sharing the recipes.I have been a vegetarian for just under 2 months. Tonight was my first family dinner with my in laws since the change. My in-laws are Mennonites from a small town so it goes without saying that I am the first vegetarian who has ever come over for dinner. I told them ahead of time that I had changed the vegetarian eating instantly they asked why I explained to them it was because I am as they know a crazy animal person. They were surprised but dropped the subject.
I have literally spent the last week reading blogs reading forums and trying to figure out how to properly diffuse the situation that I knew would come.
My father in law brought it up a few times but not in the argumentative way I would have thought. He seems confused but not upset about the dicision. The one thing he had difficulty getting past was that I wasn't eating fish that confused him somehow. The rest of the family we're surprised by the decision but did not push it. I made a butternut squash casserole as a dish for dinner they had never had butternut squash before. They all really liked it though and my father in law said something to me I would have never expected. As I was grabbing the various side dishes and rifling through their fridge he came up to me and looked at my plate in front of the whole family and said you know "I see how you can do this you have some pretty good flavor pairings going on there". My sister in law gave me a good for you I couldn't do it comment which I actually appreciated.
At the end of the night my in-laws loaded us up with the vegetarian groceries that they enjoy in their house and sent me home with some cheese he made himself, crackers, beans, some jelly and these peppers he smoked and his smoker which were amazing.
It really could not have gone any better. Even my husband was flabbergasted by their behavior. It just goes to show I think sometimes we think about it too much and worry about it too much but we don't really stand out as much as we think we do.
First Dinner With Inlaws Since the Change
I have been a vegetarian for just under 2 months. Tonight was my first family dinner with my in laws since the change. My in-laws are Mennonites from a small town so it goes without saying that I am the first vegetarian who has ever come over for dinner. I told them ahead of time that I had changed the vegetarian eating instantly they asked why I explained to them it was because I am as they know a crazy animal person. They were surprised but dropped the subject.
I have literally spent the last week reading blogs reading forums and trying to figure out how to properly diffuse the situation that I knew would come.
My father in law brought it up a few times but not in the argumentative way I would have thought. He seems confused but not upset about the dicision. The one thing he had difficulty getting past was that I wasn't eating fish that confused him somehow. The rest of the family we're surprised by the decision but did not push it. I made a butternut squash casserole as a dish for dinner they had never had butternut squash before. They all really liked it though and my father in law said something to me I would have never expected. As I was grabbing the various side dishes and rifling through their fridge he came up to me and looked at my plate in front of the whole family and said you know "I see how you can do this you have some pretty good flavor pairings going on there". My sister in law gave me a good for you I couldn't do it comment which I actually appreciated.
At the end of the night my in-laws loaded us up with the vegetarian groceries that they enjoy in their house and sent me home with some cheese he made himself, crackers, beans, some jelly and these peppers he smoked and his smoker which were amazing.
It really could not have gone any better. Even my husband was flabbergasted by their behavior. It just goes to show I think sometimes we think about it too much and worry about it too much but we don't really stand out as much as we think we do.
I have literally spent the last week reading blogs reading forums and trying to figure out how to properly diffuse the situation that I knew would come.
My father in law brought it up a few times but not in the argumentative way I would have thought. He seems confused but not upset about the dicision. The one thing he had difficulty getting past was that I wasn't eating fish that confused him somehow. The rest of the family we're surprised by the decision but did not push it. I made a butternut squash casserole as a dish for dinner they had never had butternut squash before. They all really liked it though and my father in law said something to me I would have never expected. As I was grabbing the various side dishes and rifling through their fridge he came up to me and looked at my plate in front of the whole family and said you know "I see how you can do this you have some pretty good flavor pairings going on there". My sister in law gave me a good for you I couldn't do it comment which I actually appreciated.
At the end of the night my in-laws loaded us up with the vegetarian groceries that they enjoy in their house and sent me home with some cheese he made himself, crackers, beans, some jelly and these peppers he smoked and his smoker which were amazing.
It really could not have gone any better. Even my husband was flabbergasted by their behavior. It just goes to show I think sometimes we think about it too much and worry about it too much but we don't really stand out as much as we think we do.
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I'm glad it went well. Kudos to you for figuring out what to bring, and sharing the recipes.
I call it luck.jocelyn3113 said:It just goes to show I think sometimes we think about it too much and worry about it too much but we don't really stand out as much as we think we do.
I think that's awesome! It might also have something to do with the weird looks they probably get for their faith that makes them more in tune to how people's comments about someone just doing what they feel is right can feel. I grew up in a heavily Mennonite area in Florida, and while we always made an effort to get along, I can imagine that there was probably a lot that went on out of my sight to them because they were very different from the rest of a tourist-y beach town in their dress and lifestyle.
These guys are more c&e Mennos you couldn't pick them out of a crowd. That said that you know a little something about being judged my husband's brother was born when his mom just turned 16. I never thought about it like that but that may have something to do with itI think that's awesome! It might also have something to do with the weird looks they probably get for their faith that makes them more in tune to how people's comments about someone just doing what they feel is right can feel. I grew up in a heavily Mennonite area in Florida, and while we always made an effort to get along, I can imagine that there was probably a lot that went on out of my sight to them because they were very different from the rest of a tourist-y beach town in their dress and lifestyle.
I'm so glad it went well for you!
The part about them never having tried butternut squash before made me chuckle! My inlaws are small town former dairy farmers and have only ever eaten a certain way for years and years. The first time I introduced them to hummus was priceless lol. They really ate that stuff up.
The part about them never having tried butternut squash before made me chuckle! My inlaws are small town former dairy farmers and have only ever eaten a certain way for years and years. The first time I introduced them to hummus was priceless lol. They really ate that stuff up.
I have had very, very few negative reactions to being veg*n. I think that, for the most part in daily life, one gets treated the way one treats others, and I think you've just experienced this, Jocelyn.
Thanks guys! I too was surprised that no one in the family had tried butternut squash. Next time we're going to try falafels with them I think they my enjoy those too. I just need to find myself a recipe for them
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