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BBQ
Started
by Jenna
on February 12, 2010
Whenever my family gets together for family functions we ALWAYS get BBQ to eat. Pulled pork, baked beans, potato salad and slaw. The last time i had this meal with them was Christmas Eve and I quit eating meat, dairy, and eggs the first week of January. So this weekend we're having a 90th bday party for my Grandpa and I'm not sure what I should eat. I really don't want my diet to become the topic of conversation at the party if I'm just sitting there with a piece of rye bread. Do you think the baked beans would be vegan? Any suggestions on how to get thru this situation smoothly.
In these types of emergency situations where your family is not aware of how you are eating and are not on board, and it's not the appropriate time to start WWIII, your only option may be to eat vegetarian instead of vegan. I would just take some bread, baked beans (if it has ham or something in it, just descreetly pick it out) and coleslaw and make a yummy sandwich out of it! No one will know you don't have meat in there. Then put a pile of coleslaw on the side as well (I realize the coleslaw will most likely have mayo in it and then you will have to decide to eat it or skip it) Your plate will look so messy and full that noone will know. The better option is to bring a couple dishes from Alicias book to pile on your plate along with the bread, beans and coleslaw. The best option is to tell them you are eating vegan and begin the journey with your family. Remember that even Alicia cheats and eats cheese once in a blue moon, she admitted, which makes her human like all the rest of us, so don't fret. I wish you luck!
Thanks for the great suggestions Maryann! I think I'll try to make some kind of a baked bean sandwich with a little coleslaw. My parents and brother know that I've changed my diet but I just don't want to take anything away from my grandpa's day. 90 is a big deal! And I don't want my grandma to try to start trying to force feed me like she did went I was a little kid lol!
Great attitude! It's not about being perfect, it's about small changes and easing the other people in your life into your new lifestyle. At 90, many people can't change the old school way of looking at nutrition so take it easy on them! I eat this way for health reasons (I have IBS) and so when I tell people that it's for a medical reason, they leave me alone. Like I said, bring a couple dishes to share like ooey gooey cheesey bean dip or something so that you can pile that on your plate and fill up mostly on that, go back for seconds, etc. The major reason Grandma's are opposed to this eating is that they think you're not getting enough! If you go back for thirds, she won't notice what's on the plate. Good luck!
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