That said, when I go out to eat with someone who doesn’t know me well, I always plan ahead – either I have a snack first, or secrete a granola bar in my purse and try not to make an issue of it.

I do kind of find christmas dinner amusing though. I really dislike turkey. However, I love dressing/stuffing, brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and all the other yummy things that go with the traditional turkey dinner…so I’m always QUITE happy to skip the bird and just eat the other good things…much to the consternation of the host or hostess who are just surprised that someone could dislike turkey…*lol*

(because its just a dislike, I don’t mention it ahead of time – I don’t feel like the host/hostess should have to prepare something special for me, when I’m more than content with all the side dishes!)

Fabrisse: poached pears in wine and spices are not only wintery and vegan, but one of the most delicious things in the world!

A fruit pie or tart in a shortening crust (forget the egg or milk wash) is vegan. So often, my vegan friends don’t get dessert either because pumpkin, pecan, and custard pies all have eggs and/or milk. A simple apple pie or tart, or even just a fresh fruit bowl can help make people feel included. Poached pears in wine and spices are simple, festive, wintery, and vegan

Make the appetizer, if you’re having one, vegan. (I often do wild mushrooms with shallots and white wine. It’s easy and quick and vegan.)

Succotash is a traditional Thanksgiving/Christmas dish in my part of the world and thanks to the lima beans, it’s a protein for vegans.

Roasted root vegetables look beautiful (I usually do a mix of carrots, beets, and parsnips — shake together a half cup of olive oil and a quarter cup of orange juice with a teaspoon of salt to dress it).

Mango, you bring up an important point. Some friends of ours wound up at the last minute with an extra Thanksgiving guest who was terribly allergic to onions. All she could have were green salad and mashed potatoes, because everything else had onions in it…oh, except the pumpkin pie. If they’d known about her allergy before she walked in the door, they could have made arrangements. But in general, this article was meant for when you have prior information. There’s not much you can do if someone hasn’t mentioned dietary restrictions beforehand.

Everyone should try to be considerate of all their guests when planning food and drink for an event.

I’m often the only vegetarian at gatherings as well, and you wouldn’t believe the number of people who say things like

“Oh I thought you could eat chicken.”/”But turkey doesn’t count!”
“Well I don’t see why you can’t eat some meat just for today, its a holiday.”
“Well maybe you could bring your own food, just to be sure.”

(That last one is the most insulting – that I’m invited to a dinner just like everyone else but I should provide my own food, since the host can’t/won’t be bothered.)

Not as annoying but tiresome is explaining to the same people every holiday that I cannot just ‘turn off’ my diet. I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 6 years now and if I ate their roast, I would be incredibly sick later – my body just isn’t used to breaking down those enzymes anymore. And I hate having to explain, every single holiday, that its a choice I made *with my doctor*, and then have to defend it again, every year.

Please, for the love of shoes, if someone says they cannot eat X, just ACCEPT IT. And if you invite them to dinner, make sure there is some non-X food, and don’t force them to bring their own.

It’s sometimes furstrating to go somewhere where the only vegetarian things have very little protein. It’s not always satisfying to fill up on, say, rice or potato.

It’s really easy to make a “roast” out of lentils/beans/nuts/tofu. Look for nut roast or lentil roast recipes. You can even get vegetarian “ground meat”. It works pretty much like making a regular meatloaf. We go now and then to pubs that do a British Sunday roast meal, and nearly all of them now have something like this. Yum!