How to Be a Vegetarian at Thanksgiving (Without Being too Awkward)

I love Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and friends and talking about what we are so grateful for, even if we don’t have that much. I love snuggling with my pup, drinking hot cocoa and watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (which is turning 40 this year: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Charlie-Brown-Thanksgiving-Classic-turns-40-4981328.php). And the food. So.much.food. The leftovers? Yes please. There is one little problem, though: I’m a vegetarian. This is a minor complication when the main symbol of Thanksgiving is a huge turkey in the middle of the table. And you guessed right: At Thanksgiving this year, I will be the only vegetarian. However, this does not mean that I’m stuck with eating cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie until my teeth fall out. Here are some tips on having a very vegetarian Thanksgiving: 
 

-          Make sure the host knows your veggie status: If you are pescetarian or the extreme raw diet vegan, make sure that whomever is hosting the Thanksgiving feast knows. That way they can plan for it. Vice versa, if you are hosting Thanksgiving realize that some of your guests might have dietary restrictions. Contact them so you can make sure that the vegetarian stuffing is indeed made with organic, non-GMO, MSG free vegetable stock.

-          Don’t be THAT person asking these questions/making these comments:

o   “So like, what do you eat?” I think the better question is what don’t I eat.

o    “Are you sure you don’t want any turkey? Maybe just some white meat?” No.

o   “This is [insert name]; he/she’s a vegetarian.” I have other qualities besides my diet.

o   “Why are you a vegetarian?” Haven’t we gone over this already?

o   “Do you eat that weird tofurkey stuff?” Don’t hate because you can’t appreciate a good tofurkey sandwich.

o   “Are you sure you have enough to eat? Because I could just run out …” Trust me, in all my years of being a vegetarian, I have never gone hungry.

-          Be gracious: Always bring at least one dish from home so that you won’t go hungry and it takes the pressure off the host for providing vegetarian dishes. And because you made it, your family members should eat it and (at least pretend) love it! Spread the vegetarian love.

-          People don’t realize how much Thanksgiving food is actually already vegetarian:

o   All the desserts are vegetarian (let’s be honest, dessert is the most important anyway).

o   Cranberry Sauce

o   Green bean casserole (usually, but ask just in case)

o   Sauerkraut

o   Wine. 
 

Have a great Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble! 

Have a gaggle of hippie vegetarians coming over or you yourself are a veggie and need recipes?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/vegetarian-dishes-for-thanksgiving 

Here’s a little more visual into what it’s like being a vegetarian at Thanksgiving: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/what-its-like-being-a-vegetarian-at-thanksgiving.