h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I always thought macaroni & cheese was at least vegetarian (if inclusive of dairy) - did I have that wrong?

Many people use the term vegetarian to include dairy and/or eggs (I'm not one of them, but I do tend to use the term "vegan" on here to avoid confusion). I no longer eat dairy or eggs, either, though, so have been unable to eat macaroni and cheese for a few years now. Cheese is one of those things that, if the dish calls for it, is often difficult to do without. Fortunately there are lots of good soy cheeses. (Some of them are not so good, though, so it has been a bit of trial and error... )

Yes, we've discovered the issue of finding suitable vegan cheese alternatives for DT... some have been OK though.

We recently tried a really awful cheddar version, but have since found one that's fantastic. I found a company that makes gouda and blue versions, but they're not stocked locally, so I've been waiting for the weather to cool off enough to mail order and give them a try.

DT adores Linda McCartney non-sausage rolls. No idea if you'd get those in the US, but he loves'em. Myself, I don't see the appeal of sausage anythings, real or not, so I don't partake.

I was never a huge fan of sausages myself. The one thing we do get is the non-chorizo stuff. But I am sure I've seen Linda McCartney somethingorother around so if I ever see some I will get a box just for the heck of it.

I froze the rest of my soup, because I was getting tired of it.

Now I have the opportunity to get tired of my casserole, which has noodles, onions, and a lot of hokaido pumpkin. Topped with (real, sorry) sheep cheese, because I had that huge tin of it sitting in the fridge

A lot of vegans swear by nutritional yeast for a "cheesy" flavour in dishes...

(And what's the difference between your version of vegetarianism and veganism, just out of curiosity? To me, "vegetarian" implies not eating meat, but accepting eggs and dairy, while "vegan" means doing entirely without animal products.)

Mala, I agree completely with your definition, which is why I was surprised at PCs comment about macaroni & cheese - but she avoids dairy too...

I use nutritional yeast, but I don't think it has a cheesy flavor and don't usually use it for that purpose. I use it in tofu scrambles, mainly for the slightly smoky flavor, and sometimes in seitan, where it seems to make the texture a bit less dense.

"Vegetarian" to me means eating a vegetable-based diet. I'm not sure why anyone who eats eggs or other animal products would want to identify as vegetarian- but it's neither here nor there, so I do frequently (unfortunately) use the term "vegan" in internet discussion to avoid confusion. I personally don't consider dishes which contain eggs/dairy to be vegetarian- they're just dishes made without meat. Though I do lose patience with people who say they are vegetarian and eat seafood, etc. We have a "vegetarian" in my office who eats a can of chicken soup everyday. Apparently, it doesn't contain any actual pieces of chicken, so that makes it vegetarian, in her eyes.

And for what it's worth I'm not picking arguments here. Just answering the question.

most definitions of "vegetarian" would include the consumption of milk and eggs and other such "not a dead animal on a plate" foods, vegan however is seen by many as "no animal products whatsoever" i tend to find that people are more sensitive to my dietary requirements if i claim to be vegan rather than lactose intolerant vegetarian.

oh and i didnt just eat a bowl of baked beans for my dinner.

mini

I just find it odd. Because vegetable-*based* to me doesn't mean it can't include other things. Bread is wheat-based, but would be terrible without salt and yeast.

But if that's what it means to you, by all means, go ahead. Use it to mean "herbivore". (though many of those eat dairy, at least as babies , and many of the others eat egg as babies )

Ok, Mala's got me on the vegetable part. Yes, I also consume some minerals. But no, vegetarian meals wouldn't contain animal products or by-products, so generally speaking, if I whip something up, it doesn't have any honey, gelatin, milk, dairy, or anything like that. At least not if I can avoid it.

Which reminds me... I did send back that wedding invitation response, indicating "vegetable only please". I'll let you know how that works out. Obviously it's not a major problem, though. My boss hasn't fired or uninvited me or anything.

"oh and i didnt just eat a bowl of baked beans for my dinner"

I love baked beans and think they make a lovely dinner, especially in cooler weather. I've got the hang of a recipe for baked beans using tomato paste and brown rice syrup instead of molasses and brown sugar and they're delicious.

Oh, well, let's not turn it into a battle of semantics. I was just wondering why you define it differently than the general definition - and how you'd differentiate yourself from a vegan. Would you still use leather?

on the invite.

I don't mean to get into semantics, either. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years now, and never heard the term used to include those who do consume animal products until very recently- which is when I started hearing people use the term vegan. So I tend to use the word the way it was used when I stopped eating meat. I don't differentiate myself from "vegan", I just choose not to change the way I identify myself after all these years. When dining out I steer toward vegan-friendly restaurants because I've learned the hard way not to trust the vegetarian label- I know I mentioned the Middle Eastern place by my work that made their vegetarian couscous with chicken stock.

Leather- I don't buy leather products but have thus far managed to justify hand-me-downs; we have a hand-me-down chair in the living room and I was given a jacket about 15 years ago I still own. Same with wool. I don't care for silk but would feel the same way about it. Actually going out and buying it would make me feel guilty, but hand-me-downs seem a little less exploitative, if only because the damage is done and the life has been lost, but at least the end product is being used instead of going to waste in a landfill. I always buy faux leather shoes. They get a bit stinkier but that's a small price to pay.

sorry for the resurrection - i am making roast butternut squash risotto for dinner (veggie-not vegan), but could be adapted.
carry on....

Oooh ismarah, that sounds wonderful! I've just had a big dinner but that made me make yummy noises

Risotto isn't hard to veganize- the only things that need substituting are the butter and the grated cheese, both of which I have substitute-a-plenty. I've always thought squash would be nice in a wild rice risotto with some nice fresh thyme or sage.