Veggies.....can they tell???

[fatboy47]

Couple of veggie friends coming round tonight and Fatboy's cooking.

I had it in mind to do a big tasty spagbol...just checked and there's everything I should need already in the cupboards, including enough pork and beef mince to fill a wheelbarrow.

I'm not enthralled by the prospect of a long trail down to the coop to score a bag of that imitation meat protein muck though...Quorn or whatever they call it.

I'm inclined to just crack on with the real thing and tell them its soya beef...they are always saying you cant tell the difference anyway.

Am I out of order doing this? They aren't the normal woolly hatted bean eaters that go in for that kind of nonsense, so maybe they'd see the funny side if I was rumbled, but they're lifelong herbivores....it's a tough call for me...any advice on offer here??

[starting_11]

You're not the one being unnecessarily fussy... Crack on with the real stuff!

[conyoviejo]

Don't give them any meat whatsoever ,just vegetables.

[Lancasterclaret]

Do a fish dish instead?

Should be possible to do a tuna bolognese I'd have thought.

[HiroshimaClaret]

Evil stuff! What a great friend! Veggie for 20 years...they will know. It`s not `fussy` living by a principle. They will rightly fume if they find out and question, quite rightly, your friendship. Make the `effort` and crack the qourn out!!!!!!

[AlargeClaret]

Quorn tastes so sh1te they will probs know.That said a decent strong sauce should easy neautralise the beef.
Go forth and feed them meat.Perhaps after a few cheeky glasses of red,you can reveal the meat based Tomfoolery and a good laugh can be had alround.

[cricketfieldclarets]

You can tell the difference. As much as i love veggy food quorn is ****.

[LS7]

Of course they will know - and you will have shown complete disrespect for them

[duncandisorderly]

Quorn Beats Meat is very different to Quoon Beats Meat.

[Funkydrummer]

Good friends don't do that to each other in my opinion. Whilst you (and I) don't particularly
agree with their principles, it is not for us to judge them nor betray their trust. You may run the
risk of spoiling a good friendship.

I personally wouldn't do it, and if you're honest with yourself, you won't either.

[Erasmus]

Don't do it. They will be able to tell and will possibly feel sick afterwards as the stomach is not used to digesting meat. And anyway, as has been said above, it is a horrible thing to do to a vegetarian. It's not what friends do.

[hampsteadclaret]

- be very careful fatboy, you're about to lose two good friends with that one..

- don't do it..[they'll be able to tell after two mouthfuls anyway..]

[Hipper]

You could use beans, like kidney beans, chick peas and carlotti beans. You could probably by a tin of 'three beans' or similar.

[Damo]

My Mrs is a veggie.
I say go for it. They will definitely see the funny side if you get rumbled

[Croydon Claret]

My Mrs is also veggie and she would be fuming. Not a nice thing to do

[Lancasterclaret]

There is a she doesn't like meat based gag in there somewhere Damo, and I for one will not be making it.

[LeadBelly]

I think OP is joshing. Nobody would really contemplate doing that to mates.
If somebody did that to me, they'd be wiping food off their dining room walls and carpet for a while (just for a laugh).

Lentils make a good spagbog, no need for Quorn, plenty of recipes online. Red lentils are a lot cheaper than mince or quorn anyway, you can get a 5 kilo bag for under £10. You can use it in stead of or to "thin out" in mince recipes. I'm not a veggie but keen on healthy / cheap eating, I always thin out lamb mince with equal red lentils when doing Shepherd's Pie - tastes great.

[Damo]

There is a she doesn't like meat based gag in there somewhere Damo, and I for one will not be making it.

A "She doesn't like meat based gag" led me to do a bit of sofa surfing early on in our relationship mate

[fatboy47]

consensus seems to favour the honest approach.....tbh I've always seen vegetarianism as a subtle form of attention seeking...barely better than munchausens...but I guess I dont need the grief



checkin out the lentil recipes as we speak leadbelly

[Lord Beamish]

You keep minced pork and beef mince in a cupboard? I wouldn't use that stuff! You'll end up with food poisoning!

[SalisburyClaret]

They'll probably be able to tell straight away on the way in - if not they will definitely know on the way out - if you catch my drift...

They'll probably smell it as they walk through the door - it's a bit like the smell of cigarettes to a non- smoker

As Hipper suggests - use beans - or just veg.

[MACCA]

I wouldn't be replacing the meat in the dish for a substitute, I'd replace the friends at the meal with a substitute .

I'm sure you'd get half a dozen off here willing to be cooked great food by you.

[COYC73]

Just do your spagbol for your family....then tell them they can either have what you’re having or they’re quite welcome to make something themselves....if you went to their house they’d just offer you whatever they were having! It’s not like they’d go out and get you some bacon in and cook you up a bacon butty....

[HiroshimaClaret]

Do a fish dish instead?

Should be possible to do a tuna bolognese I'd have thought.

A fish is an animal...not for us veggies!!!!! "If it`s got a face, don`t eat it!!!!".

[martin_p]

Just tell them the meat is from animals that committed suicide, they shouldn't have a problem with that surely?

[Foshiznik]

Just give them a plate of Spaghetti and some sieved sauce.

If they are still hungry, offer them some wafer thin ham.

[Lancasterclaret]

Lentils would be excellent.

We have cut down our meat in our meals at home (we love curries and sauce based food with rice and pasta) using Lentils so we are using half as much meat in our meals.

Not sure if its making much difference, but it does taste the same.

[HiroshimaClaret]

You can tell the difference. As much as i love veggy food quorn is ****.

I really miss quorn. The pieces are fabulous and the quorn and mushroom pie (if it still exists) is magnificent. My sis is hiding some in her suitcase in 2 1/2 weeks.

[HiroshimaClaret]

consensus seems to favour the honest approach.....tbh I've always seen vegetarianism as a subtle form of attention seeking...barely better than munchausens...but I guess I dont need the grief



checkin out the lentil recipes as we speak leadbelly

What an absolute load of tosh! Come on, now! Possibly the Hollywood `veggies` are fake and just following a lifestyle but the vast majority either won`t eat meat on principle (like me), aren`t eating it for their health, don`t eat it because they don`t like the taste or simply feel like trying something different.

[Foshiznik]

Fatboy, you are confusing Vegetarians with Vegans. Vegans are the attention seekers in my experience.

[Hendrickxz]

Could they maybe have some wafer-thin ham?

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

What an absolute load of tosh! Come on, now! Possibly the Hollywood `veggies` are fake and just following a lifestyle but the vast majority either won`t eat meat on principle (like me), aren`t eating it for their health, don`t eat it because they don`t like the taste or simply feel like trying something different.

And don't forget the environmental issue.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Could they maybe have some wafer-thin ham?

That's probably one of my favourite lines ever

[quoonbeatz]

Quorn Beats Meat is very different to Quoon Beats Meat.

you'd be surprised.

[duncandisorderly]

you'd be surprised.

Pleasantly?

[ŽižkovClaret]

And don't forget the environmental issue.

Thing is, the environmental issue is different ultra-local, vs global.

lentil farts are evil in close proximity, yet worldwide beef production is environmentally awful

[quoonbeatz]

Pleasantly?

the reviews are decent.

[4:20]

Don't do it, they might get the blood lust and go on a rampage.

[FactualFrank]

Just tell them the meat is from animals that committed suicide, they shouldn't have a problem with that surely?

You mean, like this?
https://factualfacts.com/in-2005-in-tur ... first-one/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Blackrod]

You can tell the difference. I eat both and like both. If you are a good cook Quorn dishes can be very tasty.

[Blackrod]

There was a Vegan on the Tony Livesay show who had it pointed out to him that there would need to be a huge culling of animals if people didn't eat meat and animal products. I'm not sure he had thought this out.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

I use soya protein flakes in ragu sauces.
I've cooked it several times for meat eating friends and it's always gone down well.

[dsr]

If you can't be bothered to cook food they can eat, why not ring them up and tell them you don't want them to come?

If you do invite them round and give them meat, it's a huge insult.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

There was a Vegan on the Tony Livesay show who had it pointed out to him that there would need to be a huge culling of animals if people didn't eat meat and animal products. I'm not sure he had thought this out.

The artifically high levels of intensively farmed animals would go.
Any vegan of vegetarian of reasonable can see that.
It's not like they think they'll all be walking about the streets.

[HatfieldClaret]

Just do your spagbol for your family....then tell them they can either have what you’re having or they’re quite welcome to make something themselves....if you went to their house they’d just offer you whatever they were having! It’s not like they’d go out and get you some bacon in and cook you up a bacon butty....

Oh I don't agree, in the 70's I went to an uncles for Sunday lunch. They all had a rather nice smelling nut roast and brough out some meat separately for me and my sister.


A tin of effin Spam.

You have the Spagbol and give them a packet of dry roasted.....

[KRBFC]

Would you invite your friends over and purposely cook something you know they wouldn't eat?

[ngsobob]

Of course they'll be able to tell, and they'd learn a lot about you, too. Cook a veggie lasagne or spag bol with lots of wine for all of you. I've been veggie for half my life - I assure you, I'd know.

[Goobs]

Just order a takeaway, then you don't have to leave the house and everyone can order what they want

[Dom]

I make a mean vegan 5 bean chilli for when we have fussy friends round. I love it and I am a big meat eater.

[what_no_pies]

There was a Vegan on the Tony Livesay show who had it pointed out to him that there would need to be a huge culling of animals if people didn't eat meat and animal products. I'm not sure he had thought this out.

I’m not a veggie before anyone jumps on this comment but those very same animals are gonna be slaughtered or exploited regardless so it’s a moot point really. Woulda thought the vegan would ‘field’ that one with considerable ease.