Sitting down with friends to cheese, coffee and wine
yogicarl
Posts: 1,260 Member
I admit, I struggle with these times.
My yoga friends and teachers are more than just a class; we are a community. So these times of sitting down, enjoying food and conversation are as much a part of our yoga community and progression as the yoga practise itself.
But often I will sit down and before I get a chance to control the situation, a cup of milk based expresso is put in front of me, the cheese board comes out and the wine is poured. The point is our yoga teacher loves to entertain and feed us and his wife is proud of her hosting skills.
Bring my own pot of hummus - is that a bit ungrateful and dismissive given the situation? The wine is hit and miss whether it is vegan or not - bring my own? doesn't that feel like I am being just a bit snobbish and judgemental?
In another group setting we go to where it is "bring and share", I simply bring my own vegan options and no-one is any the wiser, but the first scenario is harder to approach without causing not offence, but it feels hurtful.
What do others do?
My yoga friends and teachers are more than just a class; we are a community. So these times of sitting down, enjoying food and conversation are as much a part of our yoga community and progression as the yoga practise itself.
But often I will sit down and before I get a chance to control the situation, a cup of milk based expresso is put in front of me, the cheese board comes out and the wine is poured. The point is our yoga teacher loves to entertain and feed us and his wife is proud of her hosting skills.
Bring my own pot of hummus - is that a bit ungrateful and dismissive given the situation? The wine is hit and miss whether it is vegan or not - bring my own? doesn't that feel like I am being just a bit snobbish and judgemental?
In another group setting we go to where it is "bring and share", I simply bring my own vegan options and no-one is any the wiser, but the first scenario is harder to approach without causing not offence, but it feels hurtful.
What do others do?
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Replies
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I would say if you're as close with everyone as you say you are, then explain your feelings and explain your veganism, and they'll probably be fine with it and accept you as you are. Offer to bring vegan items every time, or just see if its alright with everyone if you just brought your own snacks. They should understand and be completely okay with it (:0
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Just talk to your fellow yogi's. Tell them that you're vegan and if it would be okay if something vegan friendly could be served along with the other foods that they serve. And if it's something that they don't know how to accommodate, then educate them and tell them some of your favorite vegan snacks and things. There are even some vegan cheese brands that are awesome that you could bring and you could be eating cheese with everyone else! Make sure they know, no dairy milk in your coffee and bring your own milk if they don't mind/don't have any to accommodate for you with.
I've learned that it's much better to be up front about my veganism with people when they are hosting me because then they know and possibly you get a chance to educate more people about veganism and they don't have to waste food that you wouldn't eat anyways and overall it's just better. I understand being timid with approaching someone with such a subject, particularly a host, but I'm sure that the person would much rather know because in this day in age, that person is probably going to encounter more vegans and vegetarians in the future
. I've also learned that I underestimate people a lot in how they handle me being a vegan and accommodating for that, but I think that's from my mom, who yells at me for my diet choices and truly does not agree with it at all. But most people aren't actually like that. Sure, they may not understand, but it's up to us to educate and and regardless of whether they understand or not, we're not going to give up being vegan just for them.
Overall, just tell them. Talk to them. I'm sure it'll go over much better than you think it will. Sorry for the rambling...I tend to do that. 0 -
Seems to me, they should be the ones concerned about offending you, with their gelatin-laced beverages and rennet-laden snacks!0
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You're so kind to worry about offending them, but they are most likely also kind and would be upset to know you're fretting about this. Be prepared with your own snacks (grapes, olives, hummus, figs, etc) that would go along with their offerings so you can enjoy the time together. They don't care about the food: they care about having your company.0
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My only advice is to talk to them. If the wife is proud of her hosting skills, she may relish the challenge of feeding the vegan!
Also, personally, I wouldn't worry about if the wine is vegan. It might be a bit much and hard to figure out. It's much easier for someone to avoid putting diary in something than check if a wine is vegan. Might push you into pain-in-the-*kitten* status.
If everything goes well at first, maybe bring it up at a later date.0 -
I would bring something of my own to share with everyone else. This way everybody wins. 0
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I'd have thought that if anyone would understand, it would be people who practice yoga. Everyone I know who does is either veggie or vegan.
I agree with previous post, bring something for everyone to share.0 -
I would bring something of my own to share with everyone else. This way everybody wins.
This. Just the thought of cheese, coffee, and wine to me is awful (coffee on rare occasions, I guess). This isn't HS peer pressure, if your friends respect you they'll let you eat whatever and hopefully will be supportive and willing try new things.0
