Would you tell a vegetarian relative that your MIL has been sneaking meat into their food?

[Anonymous]

I don't think soaking a live chicken in a bath tub would yield broth. The flavor comes from bones. Even if it did work, this is a pretty extreme technique to ask a host to do to replace chicken broth. Where would someone get a live chicken to soak? Would they have to keep the chicken? What if the chicken pooped or peed in the water? Its just not practical people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. There is a little more to this. I found out because I arrived early to help MIL. I brought a few of the dishes. We both cook. I found out close to when everyone was arriving and about to sit down. MIL told me to say nothing and like a child I didn't say anything. Throughout the whole meal I kept wondering what to do. Should I interrupt everyone, out MIL and start WWW3? Should I pretend to trip and knock SIL's plate on the floor? If I did this though she would just get another serving and I'd have to keep doing it which would be even stranger. So I said and did nothing. Afterwards MIL, told me that she has been doing this for years. BIL/SIL have been married for over 10 years .

I really doubt that SIL knows. She is very passionate about being a vegetarian for environmental reasons. She doesn't cook so I don't think she makes any of these dishes on her own. I go out of my way to make real vegetarian dishes which she seems to appreciate. Her appreciation though turns into a lecture to everyone at the table about how we should be eating this instead of the meat. BIL "became" a vegetarian when they got married but sneaks meat in the kitchen at every family event or dinner. I'm sure he is ordering a streak at business conferences or work travel. She freaked out once when she caught him in the kitchen sneaking some of MIL's roast. I really doubt that she is politely eating MIL's food and pretending not to know it has meat.

I could tell DH and have him tell his brother but it will still come back to me. I will have both of them angry at me and I'll be in the middle. SIL will be furious that I didn't tell her that night and will be lecturing for the next 10 years. MIL will be furious that I outed her and I'll be hearing about that for the next 10 years. I love my husband so getting a divorce to escape these two is not going to work for me. If I stay silent, I know that I will be complicit in this fraud for every future family event. I'm sure that MIL pulls other crap on people. I really do not want to build a relationship with her where she confides or confesses anything else.

MYOB and don't show up early.

If this was an allergy issue that would be different. What your MIL is doing is wrong, but your SIL is also a piece of work. She should be contributing a dish or two to family dinners and refrain from evangelizing about vegetarianism.