You/Partner is vegetarian and you/partner is not.

meggonkgonk

I don't have this issue, but boyfriend and I have quite different palates- he likes far more meat in his meals that I do, I love all kinds of veggies he hates, so it's similar. And frankly we do a lot of separate cooking. I'll plan what I want, and he what he wants. A lot of times earlier in the day I'll say "I was thinking of having X" and he'll tell me what he's planning and we'll just divvy up the kitchen space and/or share the sharables (eg- if we both make something pasta based- we'll boil the pasta).

Your partner's dietary restrictions shouldnt have to limit what you want to eat (nor vice versa!).


Also just need to say MaximalLife, while not a vegetarian myself, I see your logic as flawed. Based on your precept, people are made out of meat, yet we do not eat them. Eating vegetarian works for some people and does not preclude any levels of fun.

jackieb1977

hi i have been a vegi for over 18 yrs now. my partner of 5 years was a very big meat eater when we got together, he does still eat meat but not as much,this is due to me doing all the shopping and all the cooking, he refuses to eat any of the susbstiitute meat protien i use , if i making spag bol for instance i will use two pans one for his and one for mine and the kids,(they are not vegi's either but mostly have what ever im eating).
i have never found it a problem, only extra washing up lol.

vanessaclarkgbr

I'd divorce her and marry somebody fun.

The way I see it, if God did not want us eating animals, why did He, in His infinite wisdom, make them out of meat?

Did you mean to be that offensive, or was it just a happy coincidence for you? I have several good friends who are vegetarians, and my daughter is veg + fish. I'm a meat eater but I honestly don't remember swinging from a chandelier by painted toenails any more than them just because I ate a bacon sandwich.

Natty0506

Neither of us are vegetarian, but if one of us were, I would cook meat for the person that eats it, and load up the other persons plate with more veggies. But I'm a very accommodating person.

luwalmsley1983

We are both meat eaters, however I have a friend that is married to a vegetarian. She happily eats meatless meals 3 to 4 times a week. On the other days, she makes meals where her meat can easily be added to the dish after separating some out for her partner. For example, she might have chicken stir fry and he might have tofu stir fry. She cooks the veggies first and the chicken separately and then just adds things together at the end. She might have a hamburger on the grill, while her partner has a veggie burger.

I'm the veggie, he isn't, generally it's fairly easy as poster suggests above, I tend to make the sauce - then separate it up - so as an example did a lovely neoplolitan sauce the other day, he had meat balls added in at the end and I had chunky veg.

Other times I do everything the same, just his meat separate and I'll have tofu etc - last night was wegdes with a cheesy sauce and I had loads of veggies, I did him chicken wrapped in bacon.

lillylightstar

When my other half and I met, we were both vegetarian/pescatarian but recently he has started eating meat. I do most of the cooking and I will not touch meat (I also won't let him cook it in my favourite pan - yes, I'm *that* kid!) but he's happy to eat vegetarian and if he wants meat, he'll just cook it himself and add it to whatever I have made. When we go out, he eats meat. It works. I feel like if main cook (whoever it is in the relationship if there is one, some people are more evenly split - i love cooking and get annoyed when people try and interfere!) has dietary requirements, that's what they focus on and the person not cooking deals with any extras they need.

tam120

I eat mostly plant-based. Sometimes it's no big deal, other times it's a real pain in the @$$. He would prefer to have meat in every meal, I do all the cooking and sometimes I'm making 2 meals which can take a lot of time and cookware.

I'm new to plant-based so until I get better at it I'm not being strict about animal products, it just depends on what's on the menu that day.

He will eat what I cook but as someone already said I'm not going to push my dietary choices on him so I try to accomodate him as much as possible. Sometimes I'll make a meal like chicken, veggie and starch and I'll eat everything but the chicken and maybe add some beans to the starch. I can get away with pasta and sauce using lots of mushrooms so he doesn't really miss the meat that much. Sometimes we'll have a big salad and I'll cook chicken for him to add to his and I'll add beans to mine.

rml_16

I'd divorce her and marry somebody fun.

The way I see it, if God did not want us eating animals, why did He, in His infinite wisdom, make them out of meat?

Did you mean to be that offensive, or was it just a happy coincidence for you? I have several good friends who are vegetarians, and my daughter is veg + fish. I'm a meat eater but I honestly don't remember swinging from a chandelier by painted toenails any more than them just because I ate a bacon sandwich.

I chose to assume that was a joke and ignore it.

charcharbec

When my partner and I met, both of us had horrible diets.... and I specifically ate a LOT of meat where-as she really only did ground turkey and steak. Currently I eat mostly vegan, though I am not super crazy about it, and I will happily cook her meat. I like to cook in general, even if it is not for me. I have found however, that when I make tasty veg dishes she will often eat it if it smells/tastes good. WIN!

mrs07312012

Hello,

I am a vegaterain on my way to vegan ( I don't use any dairy, meat products at all, I once and while eat fish or shrimp but very very rarely and I am trying to cut this out of my diet as well). My fiance is not a cook at all (mac and cheese and oddle of noodles is his specialty) We eat very very different (plus he is trying to gain as I am trying to loose). Sometimes it can be really difficult but we make it work. Since I do the majority of cooking he has learned to like more vegies and is now more open minded to try new things ( he came from a household of a very ummm I hate to say "perfect" but a mother who catered to her families every needs, she would make 3 different meals a evening to cater to each of her family members, when my fiance and I bought a house together he did not eat ANYTHING it was so though now it's getting easier, I even got him to try asphargus!!) I will cook chicken for him on occasion, it's a whifley duty type thing and I do the same that if I am making say brocolli and rice as a side dish I will make him chicken and make something like a Morning Star veggie burger or tofu for myself. Some things I just let him try and see what he thinks , last night I made chili and instead of using ground beef I used morning star veggie crumbles , he kept telling me it was so good and my best chili either, I had come home from a late dinner meeting for work so he didn't think anything of it because I was not eating it, he figured it was ground beef. On occasion when we go to his mothers on Sundays or go out to dinner , I tease him and tell him he better get his meat in. But a big part of it is making the same side dishes for the both of us and cooking up something he likes at the main dish and something else I can eat. It is tireing sometimes but relationships are all about compormise and considering he is now eating more veggies and organic products than he was when we first started dating 6 years ago , I can push him too far.

P.S. The chicken and meat that I do cook him is non hormone free range from a local farm in our area

binariiangel

My husband and I are not vegetarians, but my parents who we rented the basement apartment from before they moved are. I did most of the cooking though because while I love my mom dearly she could burn water lol. The easiest way I found to deal with this issue is to just plan meals such as Sloppy Joes which has a vegetarian alternative, I would make our burger or turkey in one pan, then in another pan I would use Morning Star Meal Starts crumbles and just do it like I would the normal sloppy Joe. Same with stir fry I would make the veggies and rice and whatever meat, and just leave it all separate so then that way everyone could kind of build their own stir fry. Also a great alternative for burgers is portabello mushroom caps with garlic, salt, pepper, and McCormicks steak seasoning and then with some melted cheese of their favorite variety in them. They're a great crowd pleasure because my husband and Grandfather who are meat eaters love them as well. Hope this helps, feel free to message me/add me as a friend if you need any more help with meal ideas!

monroe61

I am the only veggie in my whole family! All we do is cook everything the same and then take some out for me.
We cook the meat separate and my husband adds it to his own dish later.

Spaghetti, tacos, Alfredo!

I do make creamy baked ziti with no meat but he loves it and I make a red and white tortellini with just cheese tort. I have been a vegetarian for 17 years now and been with my hubby for almost 11 so he is just used to it by now and actually prefers some stuff without the meat now.

erickirb

My wife is vegetarian, and so me and my son eat about an 85% vegetarian diet as well (flexetarian). If you are the vegetarian and you do most of the cooking tell them they eat what you make or they have to make their own.

FairuzyAmanuzy

We my husband isn't vegetarian , but we do eat differently. I am eating Primal, so I don't eat wheat/gluten, processed foods, sugar, legumes, or dairy. Leaving me with Meat & poultry, veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts. He is whatever the hell he wants. haha. SO basically I will either cook for us both and just cook a side of rice or pasta for him.....or we just make seperate meals. I usually cook mine but he is a big fan of the chef boy R Dee or sandwiches...quick stuff. I think if you are both relaxed and non judgemental of each other you can work out any food differences easily.

KayakAngel

I'm a vegetarian, my husband and sons are not. My husband does almost all the cooking, though since going vegetarian, I do jump in and do more cooking than before. It really hasn't been a problem. I eat mostly what they eat, replacing whatever meat they're eating with a sweet potato or other veg. When we stir fry or make pasta sauces, we just add the meat/tofu separately. When they have burgers or sandwiches with meat, I have a veggie burger. Honestly, if your partner supports you even a little, there shouldn't be a huge problem.

fakeplastictree

Just add meat to one dish. Ex) Quesadillas - I put mushrooms and squash in mine, and chicken in his. Lasagna - mushrooms in mine, beef in his. Burgers - Portobello burger for me, beef/turkey for him. Or if I make something like squash casserole or eggplant "meat"balls then I just add a meat like shake and bake chicken or pork tenderloin for him. It's not that hard it just takes planning.

madamepsychosis

I'm vegetarian, my boyfriend isn't. It's not a big deal. We like to cook together and he's not one of these people that feels like a meal isn't complete without meat in it. He's actually said he'd rather eat a tasty, vegetarian meal than some cheap grade F burger before. If he wants meat, he generally just cooks it himself. We're moving in together in a few months and we'll cook together when we want something similar, but are equally fine with making our own, separate meals.

PeaceLoveVeggies

I'd divorce her and marry somebody fun.

The way I see it, if God did not want us eating animals, why did He, in His infinite wisdom, make them out of meat?

You're made out of meat too. Shall I cook you up for dinner with some potatoes on the side?

jaebarnett

My husband and I had this issue the first 4 years of our relationship. Either he ate what I cook or he cooked for himself. Usually he ate what I cook. He had meat when we went out, and if we were having burgers at home - whoever cooked made 1 veggie and 1 hamburger. The first answer on this thread had it in a nutshell perfectly.

ADobs

I'm a pescatarian and my husband is a full on carnivore and does not eat fish, so we eat different things. I do cook for him about 2-3 times a week and don't mind cooking meat for him. He on the other hand, won't really make anything for me, but that's at my request. It has never been a problem.

When we eat with my family (who are European and only eat meat!) or with his family who also eat a lot of meat, I just eat the non-meat food, but neither go out of their way to make something special for me, which is fine by me and I don’t expect them to. It’s not like I’m sitting there starving with nothing to eat watching them all eat.