Guest guest Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hi, We have had some challenging experiences with my husband's family. When his mother died, we drove 6 hours and arrived just before the afternoon wake, returning to his brother's home where they had catered food. Other than some iceburg lettuce for salad, there was no food we could eat. My husband and I decided to go out and bring back some food. His sister asked if my daughter could stay and play with her cousins who she doesn't see often. When we returned the sister let us know they had given my daughter macaroni and cheese and hoped it was ok. Last year's winter holidays they planned a family dinner and I was very apprehensive, having asked that we go out so we could eat according to our choices. Instead were were served a tofu lasagna that had " just a little " mozzarella cheese for flavor (and when I didn't eat it or give it to my daughter they felt snubbed). Anyway, sorry for the rant but it does help me to have some place to express a bit of outrage (most of our friends are not vegetarian). I have never understood why others find vegetarian food to be so threatening or even " weird " to them. I have been vegetarian since age 16 and have made compromises over the years, but I feel more strongly with my daughter that I want to live our values. When my husband and I married it was very important that we had a vegan spread (lovingly prepared by friends according to recipes we shared). We stayed home this Thanksgiving and enjoyed a veggie feast. My hope is to have more veggie friends over time (we have just started socializing with a veggie family group, although we have to travel a bit) and we have hosted a series of vegan community dinners for friends last winter (we haven't had the funds this year but hope to start up again when we do). For me the family thing is about tolerance and communication and respect. With my family it has changed over the years and made a big leap when one of my nieces became vegan (yes, numbers do help). My husband's family seems for the most part a bit angry that we don't accept their food choices but I hope that will change over time. Until then, I'm planning to politely decline the invitations for family dinners. Bea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Politely decline... I wish I could do that!!! I'm trying everything to get out of going to my in-laws' anniversary party in April. Luckily we have unruly, destructive, unvaccinated dogs who can't be boarded and no one but me knows the secret to feeding the rodents. Really. They would suffer and likely perish after four days. Whatever, I think eventually it'll end up with me handcuffing myself to some unmovable object in the house, chain the kids to my legs, and swallow the key to the lock. They're having an Atkins-friendly buffet. Need I say more? Bea <veggiefamily wrote: Hi, We have had some challenging experiences with my husband's family. When his mother died, we drove 6 hours and arrived just before the afternoon wake, returning to his brother's home where they had catered food. Other than some iceburg lettuce for salad, there was no food we could eat. My husband and I decided to go out and bring back some food. His sister asked if my daughter could stay and play with her cousins who she doesn't see often. When we returned the sister let us know they had given my daughter macaroni and cheese and hoped it was ok. Last year's winter holidays they planned a family dinner and I was very apprehensive, having asked that we go out so we could eat according to our choices. Instead were were served a tofu lasagna that had " just a little " mozzarella cheese for flavor (and when I didn't eat it or give it to my daughter they felt snubbed). Anyway, sorry for the rant but it does help me to have some place to express a bit of outrage (most of our friends are not vegetarian). I have never understood why others find vegetarian food to be so threatening or even " weird " to them. I have been vegetarian since age 16 and have made compromises over the years, but I feel more strongly with my daughter that I want to live our values. When my husband and I married it was very important that we had a vegan spread (lovingly prepared by friends according to recipes we shared). We stayed home this Thanksgiving and enjoyed a veggie feast. My hope is to have more veggie friends over time (we have just started socializing with a veggie family group, although we have to travel a bit) and we have hosted a series of vegan community dinners for friends last winter (we haven't had the funds this year but hope to start up again when we do). For me the family thing is about tolerance and communication and respect. With my family it has changed over the years and made a big leap when one of my nieces became vegan (yes, numbers do help). My husband's family seems for the most part a bit angry that we don't accept their food choices but I hope that will change over time. Until then, I'm planning to politely decline the invitations for family dinners. Bea Kadee Sedtal Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm the rest of his life. " THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!! " -Captain Picard, Next Generation, " Chain of Command part 2 " Check out my new , Classical 2 at http://launch.classical2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 >They're having an Atkins-friendly buffet. Need I say more? > > Yucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 OMG...i thought that fad passed. don't they know atkins has been debunked and the whole business is bankrupt? On 1/3/07, darranged <darranged wrote: > > >They're having an Atkins-friendly buffet. Need I say more? > > > > > > Yucky! > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at > http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to > http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to > provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a > qualified health professional. > > edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health > professional. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 let your " atkins friendly family " know about this link: http://www.atkinsexposed.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Apparently not... I didn't even know that! I don't know how in the world anyone could think that diet is healthy. In my own opinion that whole thing was just a nice way to make money for whoever Atkins is. Just me though. earthmother <earthmother213 wrote: OMG...i thought that fad passed. don't they know atkins has been debunked and the whole business is bankrupt? On 1/3/07, darranged <darranged wrote: > > >They're having an Atkins-friendly buffet. Need I say more? > > > > > > Yucky! > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at > http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to > http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to > provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a > qualified health professional. > > edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health > professional. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Scary. Especially the bit about how he dismisses the criticism from pretty much every knowledgeable source as " dietician talk. " I bet people could lose weight even faster by just starving themselves! Maybe I'm just uneducated, but I like my diet. I eat an absolute ton of food and I don't worry a bit about ever being overweight. On that subject- I'm hungry. " k.beauford " <karen wrote: let your " atkins friendly family " know about this link: http://www.atkinsexposed.org Kadee Sedtal Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm the rest of his life. " THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!! " -Captain Picard, Next Generation, " Chain of Command part 2 " Check out my new , Classical 2 at http://launch.classical2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 i am a bit overweight, although i'm 5'11 so you kind of can't tell...but i do hope to get down to a healthier weight. i just had a baby 5 weeks ago so i'm redoubling my efforts at becoming healthier trying to get healthier. but i'm doing that by EXERCISING, not by changing my diet one bit. and now my focus is not on a number, but just on being healthy overall. i went vegan 3 weeks after my son was born 21 months ago; i lost 40 pounds in the year after he was born without tryign at all. i wasn't at all active and i ate seemingly constantly, but the weight just flew off. then i got pregnant again and stopped losing of course. i could lose another 20 to get down to my ideal weight, but i'm not the least bit concerned; i know it will come off with no problem, especially if i up my activity level even just a little bit. that's the number one thing i say to try to convince people how great it is being vegan - that it is SO easy to lose weight and, more importantly, maintain that weight loss, on a vegan diet, without the least bit of starvation or keeping yourself from eating yummy things. people fell in love with atkins because it gave them an excuse to eat like crap, which is what everyone was doing already anyway, but now they had some sort of reconciliation for it. chandelle' On 1/4/07, Kadee M <abbey_road3012 wrote: > > Scary. Especially the bit about how he dismisses the criticism from pretty > much every knowledgeable source as " dietician talk. " I bet people could lose > weight even faster by just starving themselves! > > Maybe I'm just uneducated, but I like my diet. I eat an absolute ton of > food and I don't worry a bit about ever being overweight. On that subject- > I'm hungry. > > > > " k.beauford " <karen > wrote: let your " atkins friendly family " > know about this link: http://www.atkinsexposed.org Kadee Sedtal > > Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire and > he'll stay warm the rest of his life. > > " THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!! " -Captain Picard, Next Generation, " Chain of > Command part 2 " > > Check out my new , Classical 2 at > http://launch.classical2/ > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2007 Report Share Posted January 7, 2007 Didn't the guy who invented the diet actually die not too long ago? Thought he was totally obese when he died too. Funny how that part of it didn't make much of a turn around for the diet itself. earthmother <earthmother213 wrote: OMG...i thought that fad passed. don't they know atkins has been debunked and the whole business is bankrupt? On 1/3/07, darranged <darranged wrote: > > >They're having an Atkins-friendly buffet. Need I say more? > > > > > > Yucky! > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at > http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to > http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to > provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a > qualified health professional. > > edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health > professional. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 Funny you mention this -- I was thinking of congratulating everyone on this list who survived a family holiday visit. Xmas day we bundled toddler onto subway and bus for the long trip to suburbia to visit my wife's dearest friend and cousin. " It's OK -- she knows what I eat, " said my wife. Well, KNOWING apparently has nothing to do with DOING something. Mr. Atkins would have been right at home at this meal (had he survived). Thank goodness our toddler loves olives ... b/c that was almost all there was we would eat or let her eat. NEXT TIME, if I lose the argument to stay home (!) we will bring our own dish so we can be assured there is one thing we can eat. I like that approach -- showing by example that vegan food is delicious. That's why I wish more of our relatives would visit us so they could see it is about positives, i.e. what we DO eat, not negatives. But if I caught any relative feeding dairy to our daughter, there would be a scene!! That's a terribly disrespectful thing to do -- and risky, imho. Fortunately my experience so far has been that people ask first. I am glad to carry snacks in case strangers ask to feed her cheese puffs and she sees their kids eating them. Happy New Year, everyone -- congrats on surviving your family/inlaws! ~Paul 62N 114W Bea wrote: > > > Hi, > We have had some challenging experiences with my husband's family. > When his mother died, we drove 6 hours and arrived just before the > afternoon wake, returning to his brother's home where they had > catered food. Other than some iceburg lettuce for salad, there was no > food we could eat. My husband and I decided to go out and bring back > some food. His sister asked if my daughter could stay and play with > her cousins who she doesn't see often. When we returned the sister > let us know they had given my daughter macaroni and cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2007 Report Share Posted January 15, 2007 I was actually glad to stay here in Illinois for the holidays, 1000 miles away from all relatives. Our neighbors came over with some stuffing- ingredients were fine for us- and I made tons of really good food for all of us. It was very good. One Thanksgiving my dad's brother and his fiftieth wife, or whatever she is, both " jokingly " told me and my daughter hunting stories... we now have to avoid being around them, and they sure won't stay out of my grandparents' house just because of little old me. So we didn't have to deal with that this year, which was nice! At midnight on New Years Day I was busy cleaning my mice's homes... no booze, no party, not even TV! That was nice as well, only I could have had some rum and not been unhappy. I hope everyone had a good time. Paul Falvo <pfalvo wrote: Funny you mention this -- I was thinking of congratulating everyone on this list who survived a family holiday visit. Xmas day we bundled toddler onto subway and bus for the long trip to suburbia to visit my wife's dearest friend and cousin. " It's OK -- she knows what I eat, " said my wife. Well, KNOWING apparently has nothing to do with DOING something. Mr. Atkins would have been right at home at this meal (had he survived). Thank goodness our toddler loves olives ... b/c that was almost all there was we would eat or let her eat. NEXT TIME, if I lose the argument to stay home (!) we will bring our own dish so we can be assured there is one thing we can eat. I like that approach -- showing by example that vegan food is delicious. That's why I wish more of our relatives would visit us so they could see it is about positives, i.e. what we DO eat, not negatives. But if I caught any relative feeding dairy to our daughter, there would be a scene!! That's a terribly disrespectful thing to do -- and risky, imho. Fortunately my experience so far has been that people ask first. I am glad to carry snacks in case strangers ask to feed her cheese puffs and she sees their kids eating them. Happy New Year, everyone -- congrats on surviving your family/inlaws! ~Paul 62N 114W Bea wrote: > > > Hi, > We have had some challenging experiences with my husband's family. > When his mother died, we drove 6 hours and arrived just before the > afternoon wake, returning to his brother's home where they had > catered food. Other than some iceburg lettuce for salad, there was no > food we could eat. My husband and I decided to go out and bring back > some food. His sister asked if my daughter could stay and play with > her cousins who she doesn't see often. When we returned the sister > let us know they had given my daughter macaroni and cheese Kadee Sedtal Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm the rest of his life. " THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!! " -Captain Picard, Next Generation, " Chain of Command part 2 " Check out my new , Classical 2 at http://launch.classical2/ Want to start your own business? Learn how on Small Business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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