How do I get my "meat-loving" husband to try vegetarian meals?

Question

How do I get my "meat-loving" husband to try vegetarian meals?

Answer 1

i only cook vegetarian meals at home....my hubby agreed that if he wants meat in his meal he can cook it on the side.  he got so sick of cooking his own meats all the time that now he eats vegetarian food about 90% of the time!! every once in a while he'll grill out, but for the most part he eats what i cook for him.

we decided together that it was fair because if i'm going to be the one cooking every night i should be able to eat what i'm cooking.  

in my opinion, asking a vegetarian to make a meal with meat in it is like asking a jewish person who abides by kosher laws to have a hog roast.  

if you tell him that he has to cook the meat himself, i can almost guarantee that he'll put things in perspective, lol.

it's also going to take effort on your part though.....try to cook foods that meat eaters like anyway, like veggie lasagna, eggplant parmesan, stir fry, etc.  if you suddenly introduce a bunch of foods he isn't used to eating he may feel like you're trying to force your diet on him.

Answer 2

There are many types of fake meat you could try him on and some taste quite good too try quorn.

http://www.quorn.co.uk/CMSPage.aspx?ssbi...

their chicken is really good in vegetarian stir fry.

Answer 3

Cook meals with meat substitutes for a while and see what happens.  You will be amazed at how people react to it.  I especially liked using Tofurky's sausage in meals, people had no idea.

Answer 4

What you can try is to stop having meat in the house and just force him or you can try to convince him(good luck with that)

Answer 5

You could hand him some tofu while you're giving him a bl*wjob. In fact, you could suggest anything at that point, and he'd probably do it. Go for it!

Answer 6

Slowly work veggies into his "meat-loving" meals! Then gradually increase! Or find him a vegetarian equivalent to his favorite meat foods...

Answer 7

I love the answers on here, "Trick him!"  But the hypocrites raise holy h*ll when someone tricks them. Amazing.

Answer 8

If you cook for him, use meat substitute instead of actual meat, but don't tell him until after he eats it.

Answer 9

You could trick him one time. Say it's real meat, after he tries it, ask him how it was. If he approves you could tell him. If he doesn't, you could try a different meal and see how that goes! Good luck!

Answer 10

I like Minna's answer, I hope she gets best :-)

I'd say don't emphasize a meal is veg until the end.  Like have a multi-course meal, so he won't mind that one or two courses don't have meat, then he won't make a comment like where's the meat?  Or you can make falafal pocket, but roll them so that they're small and he won't notice that there's no meat in the balls.  Mexican food is also good, if you make enchiladas or tostadas.  If you make asian food, they use so little meat in their cooking that I don't think he'll really care, since there was so few to begin with.  Like cut the tofu so that it's not cubes, and he'll think it's slivers of meat.

Honestly, I'm surprised that he can't go ONE MEAL without meat.  Even my carnivore friends were surprised that we ate the exact same meal at the college dining hall, since the veg choices simply looked too good.  g/l

Answer 11

You could buy those meat flavored soy products such as Not Bacon :-)

Answer 12

depends on whether you are trying to make him vegetarian or if you are wanting him to sometimes have a vegetarian meal to save you cooking 2 different meals occasionally

my OH enjoys meat, but who am i to pick and choose what he eats? i make vegetarian dishes, and he will eat them and enjoy them, but i do not try to make him choose the lifestyle, i make tasty dishes and he will eat them without complaint but its about 50% meat dinners and 50% vegi dinners, i see that as a wonderful comprimise

i dont eat 50% meat for him, so i am happy

as for HOW to get him to at least try, well, i would suggest using something like quorn mince, make a lasagne or spag bol, something he is familiar with as a meat dish, this way he MAY just find it acceptable, i think many meat eaters imagine that vegetarians eat lettuce leaves all the time, i love quorn mince, i made a cottage pie yesterday, it was awesome, and so easy, once he eats ONE dish that he enjoys it will make him more open to the possibility that eating vegetarian doesnt mean a salad!

Answer 13

Say : I made it, you're eating it like it or not.

Answer 14

There are lots of analogues out there, such as veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie sausage, veggie crumbles, and veggie deli slices.  You can make chili with crumbled tempeh instead of ground meat, and it's just as good.  Ifyou know how to make your own seitan (and neither of you is wheat intolerance), that's an excellent meat substitute.

Make meatless stir-fries, casseroles, etc.

But do have a talk with your husband and let him know that for health/environmental/whatever reason, you'd like to see him eat less meat.  Ask him to at least try to foods you're giving him.

Answer 15

Don't tell him that a dish is vegetarian. Many dishes (especially Indian ones) a mixed items so that us men have no clue what is in it.