Accomodating special diets on Thanksgiving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please never invite me.

No one is inviting you. OP already has 20 + guests and you sound like you also expect a custom meal.

I’m pretty sure normal meals annoy her as well.

Based on what?

The massive moaning posts, the way the guests are described, the set in stone menu.

The original ost was 6 lines long with a few short responses later. Massive?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you don't want to accommodate. But for those looking for an idea, try the skinnytaste quinoa patties with spinach for vegetarians. (Not vegan, can be made gluten free). Hearty, protein, goes well with all the sides. Or meatball shop's lentil meatballs, though those are far more labor intensive.

We have lots of vegetarians and kosher-style people in the family. So we make a turkey. Something like the options above for a veg main. Then all the sides are regular thanksgiving sides but dairy free - margarine or olive oil is an easy replacement for butter. A mushroom gravy. Veg broth instead of chicken broth for things like stuffing. It's honestly not hard. Basically everything is veg except the turkey. People who are dieting can eat white meat and roasted vegetables. I think it's one of the easier holiday meals to adapt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please never invite me.

NP. Stay home. If you can’t make a meal out of turkey and numerous sides—including vegetable sides—because you are either too precious or lack even a small degree of self-control, we’ll all be happier if you keep your dramatic, entitled self to yourself.

Ahhhh. So here we have the random accusations and assumptions. I guess we were due as no ones asked about a vegan dessert lately.


I don’t have any special dietary needs and often host myself, and change up the menu as needed or as I feel inspired to. A set meal, even for a holiday is boring AF.

Then don't take OP up on her hospitality. Think her food is "boring AF," or it doesn't work for your fad dieting? Decline the invitation. So simple!

[Anonymous]

Make a nice green salad with balsamic dressing. Roast a pan of squashes, onions, or any root vegetables. And for dessert have a bowl of fruit salad. That should accommodate everyone regardless of diet. All are easy to make and would not look odd on a thanksgiving buffet

[Anonymous]

Accommodating special diets on Thanksgiving ~ I wouldn't. Bring something with you that you can eat.

[Anonymous]

It’s really not that hard to accommodate many diets. If it’s a large crowd, I’ll do many dishes rather than massive amounts of the traditional goop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s really not that hard to accommodate many diets. If it’s a large crowd, I’ll do many dishes rather than massive amounts of the traditional goop.

Some people might find making a lot of dishes to require a lot of effort.

OP, my usual approach when inviting people is to ask "Any dietary restrictions I should know about?" In this case, you know there are, so I'd go with "We're having X,Y, and Z. Are you going to want to bring something that fits in your diet better? Let me know if I need to leave some space in the oven for you to heat it up."

[Anonymous]

The “traditional” meal is out dated. Not trying new things or adapting is stodgy and old fashioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I think if we were just told that the family was vegan now, I could just accomodate that. I would not change the standard menu that the rest of the family look forward to but I would add 1-2 vegan dishes and a vegan dessert. This is more complicated.

That’s why I recommend that you TELL them what you are making with plenty of lead time for them to make other plans accordingly. As long as your side dishes include a salad and one or two other plain or plain-ish vegetable dishes, there’s no reason why a Noom type and an “other” type of non-medical-restriction dieter can’t make it work for one damn meal.

Restrictions and allergies are one thing. Mysterious, moving-target preferences and “just kidding now I DO eat sweet potatoes” dieters are quite another.

+1 My DD has a gluten sensitivity but we don't ask the relatives who host Thanksgiving to do anything special. I'll bring a GF dessert that she can eat since otherwise it's all pies. But other than that she can eat turkey and ham (SIL always has both), deviled eggs, vegetables, mashed potatoes. The only place that might have non-obvious gluten is gravy and a vegetable casserole that might use flour as a thickener but DD doesn't eat those anyway.

[Anonymous]

Personally I would not want to attend a dinner where the host had the OP’s attitude of intolerance and disdain of other people’s dietary needs or preferences. Why even have these people as friends if you do not respect their needs and choices? And for the suggestion of sending an email saying here the menu so you can plan around it, that is completely inhospitable. If I received such an email I’d be offended and decline the invitation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The “traditional” meal is out dated. Not trying new things or adapting is stodgy and old fashioned.

My family's daily meals, takeout/restaurant meals, and general entertaining meals are varied and represent a wide range of cuisine.

Once or twice a year, we love the traditional Thanksgiving spread, sometimes repeating it at Christmas. It brings back memories and helps to create new ones. If you don't like it, good for you. But many people do like it. When I smell a turkey roasting, I am transported to my Grandma's kitchen. And when I eat a holiday meal on her china, I cherish good memories and make new ones as our family grows and we bring in friends.

I like traditions sometimes. You do what you like--that's great. But why do you feel the need to disparage something that other people enjoy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The “traditional” meal is out dated. Not trying new things or adapting is stodgy and old fashioned.

My family's daily meals, takeout/restaurant meals, and general entertaining meals are varied and represent a wide range of cuisine.

Once or twice a year, we love the traditional Thanksgiving spread, sometimes repeating it at Christmas. It brings back memories and helps to create new ones. If you don't like it, good for you. But many people do like it. When I smell a turkey roasting, I am transported to my Grandma's kitchen. And when I eat a holiday meal on her china, I cherish good memories and make new ones as our family grows and we bring in friends.

I like traditions sometimes. You do what you like--that's great. But why do you feel the need to disparage something that other people enjoy?

I’m with you. But also there is room for variety. You can do both we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally I would not want to attend a dinner where the host had the OP’s attitude of intolerance and disdain of other people’s dietary needs or preferences. Why even have these people as friends if you do not respect their needs and choices? And for the suggestion of sending an email saying here the menu so you can plan around it, that is completely inhospitable. If I received such an email I’d be offended and decline the invitation.

That's the point...to weed you out. We're not talking about not wanting to accommodate *needs and restrictions.* But "preferences" can go hang. I'm not in charge of Paleo-Today-Noom-Tomorrow types who are all over the place and suddenly have new restrictions every month, only to come to the table with a "Oh never mind the mashed cauliflower you made me--the mashed potatoes smelled so good and it's a holiday so I'm going to treat myself."

Picky eaters or Speeeecialllll Dieterrrrsssss who can't make a plate from multiple options, which always include a plain green vegetable and/or a green salad in many Thanksgiving spreads, in addition to the lean protein that is turkey--can get over themselves. If you're so picky and precious, don't come. That is, indeed, the point. Allergies and legitimate restrictions, I'm happy to work with you. Suddenly South Beach, you can stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The “traditional” meal is out dated. Not trying new things or adapting is stodgy and old fashioned.

My family's daily meals, takeout/restaurant meals, and general entertaining meals are varied and represent a wide range of cuisine.

Once or twice a year, we love the traditional Thanksgiving spread, sometimes repeating it at Christmas. It brings back memories and helps to create new ones. If you don't like it, good for you. But many people do like it. When I smell a turkey roasting, I am transported to my Grandma's kitchen. And when I eat a holiday meal on her china, I cherish good memories and make new ones as our family grows and we bring in friends.

I like traditions sometimes. You do what you like--that's great. But why do you feel the need to disparage something that other people enjoy?

I’m with you. But also there is room for variety. You can do both we do.

My husband and I host often, and we cook most items from scratch. It's a lot of work, and we do have a fairly set-but-room-for-variations menu. If you want more "variety" than what we have on offer--which is all delicious and not inexpensive to produce, by the way--then you are welcome to bring a dish and contribute, instead of criticizing what your host has taken time, effort and expense to prepare and provide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I would not want to attend a dinner where the host had the OP’s attitude of intolerance and disdain of other people’s dietary needs or preferences. Why even have these people as friends if you do not respect their needs and choices? And for the suggestion of sending an email saying here the menu so you can plan around it, that is completely inhospitable. If I received such an email I’d be offended and decline the invitation.

That's the point...to weed you out. We're not talking about not wanting to accommodate *needs and restrictions.* But "preferences" can go hang. I'm not in charge of Paleo-Today-Noom-Tomorrow types who are all over the place and suddenly have new restrictions every month, only to come to the table with a "Oh never mind the mashed cauliflower you made me--the mashed potatoes smelled so good and it's a holiday so I'm going to treat myself."

Picky eaters or Speeeecialllll Dieterrrrsssss who can't make a plate from multiple options, which always include a plain green vegetable and/or a green salad in many Thanksgiving spreads, in addition to the lean protein that is turkey--can get over themselves. If you're so picky and precious, don't come. That is, indeed, the point. Allergies and legitimate restrictions, I'm happy to work with you. Suddenly South Beach, you can stay home.

The problem is you’re interpretation of a legitimate restriction. If some has heart disease and does not want to eat a fat laden meal is that legitimate? Is being a vegetarian legitimate to you? Vegetarians don’t want to eat just steamed kale.