Controversy over the Easter brunch: vegetarian or not?
Everyone gathered around the table and enjoying a meal together—that’s more or less the idea behind an Easter brunch. And if you’re having vegetarian guests, of course you make sure they have enough to eat. But what about the other way around? Say you’re vegetarian, but your guests aren’t. Would you still prepare dishes with meat and fish for them?
Are you expecting guests with lactose intolerance? Then you provide a dairy substitute. And do people eat gluten-free? No problem, make something without gluten. A recovering alcoholic gets a lovely glass of soft drink, pregnant women don’t get raw-milk cheese, practicing Muslims don’t get a slavink, and for a vegan you dive into the cookbooks to put something cheerful and plant-based on the table as well. But what if it’s the other way around?
Impolite?
If you’re invited to people who eat vegetarian food, but you happen to appreciate a tasty roast, the chances that you’ll stick your fork into meat aren’t particularly high. Not surprising: they probably have no idea how to prepare it, and how can you cook something delicious if you don’t like it yourself, or if you’re not going to taste it? Are there official etiquette rules for something like this? Is it impolite not to accommodate your guests if doing so goes against your own principles?
Etiquette expert
A similar question was put to etiquette expert Beatrijs Smulders. She gives advice in the Modern Manners column in Trouw and on her own website. A vegetarian couple explains that they’re hosting the whole family for Christmas, and that it has already been subtly hinted that Christmas without turkey isn’t really festive. So what should they do? Should they set aside their principles and prepare something with meat for their guests after all, or can they keep it vegetarian?
Plant-based
Beatrijs reassures them: cook delicious plant-based food and don’t make a fuss. She writes: ‘You have gradually gained plenty of experience with vegetarian cooking, so you’ll undoubtedly succeed in making something that will be eagerly enjoyed.’ Good to know. So check your guests’ food preferences before they sit down for your Easter brunch, so you can be a good host, but stick to your own guidelines too. And check your hosts’ principles when you’re invited somewhere. If you really can’t do without ham rolls or chicken nuggets, you can always stop by McDonald’s on the way home, right?
