If you're vegetarian, is it rude to refuse meat you're offered at a guest's house?

I was brought up learning it's extremely rude to refuse what you're offered at a guest's house and it's rude to their cooking.


Etiquette question.If you're vegetarian, is it rude to refuse meat you're offered at a guest's house?
This may not be a popular answer - but since you are talking about family and the culture that you are - - have you thought about just taking a small portion of it - VERY SMALL portion of it - and sort of shred it up and leave it mixed in with other things on your plate that are going to be left over and not eaten so that they won't know that you didn't really eat it??





It is a trick that I learned years ago from being with the military and having to be and eat in places that - - one wouldn't normally eat what is presented to them - - and you could help them 'save face' and you don't insult them sort of approach that might work for you in such family situations.





You do indeed have a very tricky and sticky situation with this one. Hope you figure it out and keep peace within the family.If you're vegetarian, is it rude to refuse meat you're offered at a guest's house?
no way its ur choice they should respect it


i mean, in any other situation it might be but vegetarians made a choice and everyone should be courteous and respect that u dont ear it.
I think when you are invited you should let them know asap that you are a vegetarian, that way there is not a problem.
No way, it is your lifestyle to be meat free and if anything if your friend is offering you meat and knows you are a vegetarian, that is rude. I often go without a dinner at other's houses or with a pb%26amp;J sandwich because I don't eat meat, I never want them to feel bad because I understand I am hard to cater to... I don't mind going without dinner! If I ate meat I'd probably vomit anyway, if you don't eat it for a long time your body doesn't accept it
It's not rude to refuse food if you have a dietary restriction. Just make sure you explain your restriction (';no thanks, I'm vegetarian';, or ';no thanks, I'm allergic to ____'; or whatever).





It is rude to refuse something without giving a reason. If you do that, it seems like you don't trust them.
Just smile and said you are vegetarian... it is not rude, imagine if someone offer you nuts and you are nut allergic? Rather die by eating it than ';not being rude';?
Answer with, ';Im sure you can cook great, but not to mean any disrespect I cant eat any type of meat, it would disrupt the diet I am on now.';
It is your obligation to let them know your diet before they make the food. If they make something against your diet after being warned than it is ok to refuse it.





If it is not possible to warn them than it is ok to refuse as well, but one most explain why in a non-challenging way that lets them understand it is not the cooking.
i might seen a bit rude to who was cooking but its your preference in the end
I don't care if they think it's rude or not. I would consider them extremely inconsiderate if they already knew I didn't consume animals and tried to get me to eat some. Would you shoot up heroin if your host offered it to you and would be upset if you didn't?
It will depend on the culture.





In the majority of Western cultures, the chef may be a little offended if you had the opportunity to tell them you don't eat meat, yet chose not to. Most people are curious, and more than happy to accommodate their guests. Remember, you were invited, they want you there.





They may be more hurt if you just eat what they cook, if they find out later you are a vegetarian, and chose to forgo your morals in lieu of speaking with your host. They may feel you assume them to be ignorant and intolerant of others.





As a vegetarian, and especially a vegan, one should ALWAYS offer to bring your own dish to the meal. The host will be sure to appreciate it, and while it seems like more work, everyone is certain to want to try your different and delicious meal! And because the host may feel a little guilty for not providing you a full meal on their own, they will very likely have some vegetarian side dishes.





Honesty is always the best policy.
Not rude if you're vegetarian. What would be rude is for meat-eaters to expect a vegetarian to eat meat just to not rock the boat. But make sure you don't belittle them for their choice if you get into a discussion about it or explain your reasons. You are still their guest (but you are obviously aware of that). If you feel weird about it, then eat plenty of the vegetarian items so it doesn't seem like you're making an excuse.


It's great that you were brought up to be polite. I was also. But I was also taught to do my own thing and not apologize for it if it doesn't coincide with everyone's else's thing.
I'm Baha'i and vegetarian. Most Baha'is are not vegetarian. There are a lot of Persians in our Baha'i community, I have been to their houses and they have been to my house. They have never made a big deal out of me not eating the meat they cook and they don't eat everything I serve either.





The only thing I have to be careful about is to make sure my dog doesn't bother them because most of the older Persians aren't comfortable around dogs.





I have heard of Persian vegetarians before; it's out of the ordinary, but it happens.





I don't see how bad it can be as long as you are respectful.





Does a Muslim have to accept alcohol or pork just to be polite? I don't think so. I think they are capable of understanding your preference.
i dont think its rude at all, they shouldnt be mad that you dont eat a certain kind of food


they should understand
That depends on your personal conviction and how well you know your friends. I have been to places where the host did not know I was vegetarian and I have eating meat because I knew they had gone through alot of trouble and I really didn't mind. (This has only happened twice and I took just a small serving of the meat and loaded up on the salad and bread!) However, that was my personal choice. If at all possible, alert your host ahead of time AND offer to bring a vegetarian dish to share. What would be rude would be to preach the virtues of not eating meat at the dinner table in front of others! If you really don't feel comfortable eating the meat, politely refuse it, and tell your host it looks great but you are vegetarian. Most people are very understanding.
depends on how you refuse it.





If you say no thank you, then it is not rude.





if you say...YUCK..how could you think I would eat a dead animal you sicko...then it's rude.
If your family get so offended by it, I would make it a point ot remind them that you dont eat meat when they invite you to dinner.





otherwise, no it isn't. I'm a picky eater and always have been. If I dislike what is being served, I take a small portion, eat what I can, and fill up on side dishes.





or, in extreme cases, I leave early and stop for dinner on the way home.





EDIT: also, the hades with their gossip. what do you care?
no not different than a person that observers Kosher.


It is a part of life.


we have to respect other people's customs and practices.
How is that rude? so I'm supposed to only be a vegetarian if no one else may view it as rude? I don't care about that to a point that I'm going to compromise what I believe is best for me.
I was brought up the same way, but it's not rude. If it was for a religious reason, no one would think twice, but because it's a lifestyle choice, it could be rude? No, this is one of the harder things to deal with as a veg. But this is what you chose, and good on ya for that!





You just say ';Oh, no thanks, but I would love some of those beans over there.';





:)
it's not exactly rude, because many people can't eat certain foods because of medical, religious or moral reasons. If you're allergic to strawberries, I'm sure your hosts would prefer that you refuse the strawberry shortcake instead of having to call 911.


My family is Jewish, and I kept kosher when I was a kid, so I had to refuse a lot of foods offered to me at my friend's houses, and I don't think that anybody was too offended. It's similar with vegetarians- I'm sure your hosts won't be offended as long as you tell them that you don't eat meat in general, so that it doesn't look like it's their cooking you're repulsed by, and don't start denigrating them for eating meat.


The best way to go about it is to inform your hosts in advance that you don't eat meat so that they know what to prepare.
It depends on the situation it can be rude if you say it in a rude way and the people aren't used to it but other than that it isn't really rude. You can ask for a non-meat dish that you can try, or try to explain that you are vegetarian if you haven't already.
If it were me I would respectfully decline, and eat the veggies and fruit available. You can tell them that it's not your preferred diet without busting out with a ';ewww gross!'; I do eat meat, but I am pretty picky about lots of things, and I think it's all in how you say it.
Depending on how was your manner in refusing it. If you are polite about it , then no. A gracious host will not be offended. but if you were rude, then of course any host will be offended.


Although some may be a bit annoyed especially if the refused food is their ';specialty'; served with pride and all that. But my experience is that most polit and gracious hosts will be more embarassed than offended because they end up having to serve very little to a guest. It depends more on the host and the manner by which you refuse the food. A polite '; Thanks, that looks quite delicious and would really love to have some but you see I don't eat...'; you get the picture..
iam a nudrinker. is it rude to sat no to some one who offers me a ? hell no. sticking to you beleaves .dont care what people thinks .
It really depends, this is a cultural issue. Dietary customs and traditions vary from country to country and even regionally! There are countries where it is considered extremely flattering and polite to burp after a meal, for instance...





To sum it up, it really depends where you are. You said yourself that you were raised to believe that it's rude to refuse food, so maybe your family's cultural background might cause them to have a hard time accepting your vegetarianism.





If you politely decline and explain that you have made a personal decision to not eat meat (but don't preach or talk about animal corpses - ';I decided not to eat meat, but thank you anyway'; will suffice, don't spoil other's appetite), they will probably not try to force you, as it is doubly impolite and possibly even more so to try to force food onto someone's plate if they have gracefully declined.
Well, if you're going to make it about choosing vegetarianism or your culture, you leave yourself with those two options.





If you really care about abstaining from animal flesh, they'll get over it. Why can't you explain that you don't eat animals no matter who has cooked them?





A person that can't refuse meat as a guest definitely isn't a vegetarian.
no not at all. Just tell them your stance on the situation and if they repect you then they will accomodate you. It happens to my veggie friend all the time. you just have to be confident and tell ppl.
no. how is that rude? it's your decision not to eat meat. it's your body so if someone gets offended then honestly too bad. you can't just change your beliefs and give in to meat if someone doesn't agree with your dietary choice.


would you change your religion if someone gets offened you don't belong to the same religion as them?
No way. A Jewish person wouldn't eat pork to be polite.





It would be rude of them to expect you to.