I recently received an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party.

Now, New Year’s Eve is more about drinking and socializing than food, but I took a look at the snack menu anyway in order to decide if I would attend. Menus give you an idea of the host’s worldview, including their education or prejudices. Sometimes they’re clued in. Sometimes they need to learn a few new recipes. But sometimes they need something more, some genuine respect for others.

Here was the menu:

• Petite Meatballs served in a Sweet Honey BBQ Sauce
• “World Famous” Chicken Crunch Bites with Creole Mustard
• Parmesan Spinach Dip served with Warm Tortilla Chips
• Vegetable Crudités served with Ranch Dip
• Imported and Domestic Cheese and Crackers

If I found myself at a work function with this menu and I was hungry, I’d make due by eating plain vegetables, crackers, and chips. But the menu as it is looks unappealing to anyone remotely sensitive to religious, health, environmental, allergic, or animal issues.

Since there was not a single true vegan option, I decided the invitation wasn’t really meant for me and I declined the invite. If they had wanted to include me (or if they had wanted to be inclusive of a variety of eaters) they would have offered something purely plant-based.

Vegan food is the most inclusive type of food. That’s why the Duke of Edinburgh chose a vegan feast to offer to hundreds of religious leaders when they came to eat lunch at Windsor Castle.

When a menu doesn’t include a vegan option, it’s like a big FU to a variety of people who eat vegan for religious, environmental, or other reasons. When a menu includes a limited token vegan option, that’s less offensive but still annoying since only nonvegans have a real choice about what to eat. When a menu is mostly or all vegan, that’s a truly respectful menu that offers more people real choices.

Let’s take a look at an appetizer menu that’s more respectful to animals, the planet, and to people with allergies, religious requirements, or ethical obligations. Let’s take a look at a sample vegan appetizer menu:

• Warm Tortilla Chips served with Guacamole and Salsa
• Mushrooms stuffed with Soft Cashew Cheese and Herbs
• Hummus and Baba Ganoush with Warm Pita Bread
• Fresh Fruit Platter and Nut Bowls
• Vegetable Crudités with Sunflower Seed Pâté
• Sweet Potato Fries with Applesauce

When hosting events for a variety of people with a range of eating habits, it’s not only a good idea to offer a vegan menu, it’s also a good idea to carefully label each item with titles such as “raw vegan” “vegan” or “gluten-free” as well as to list the ingredients. This way everyone – even the meek people who’d rather starve than make a fuss – can make informed decisions about what to eat. Remember, the outspoken and annoying vegan stereotype is NOT representative of all vegans. Many vegans politely ask for what they need without making a scene while even more others don’t say anything at all.

If you serve a vegan feast, you might be surprised by just how many people will enjoy it and prefer it. So try it next time you host a party or other event with food. Be respectful and inclusive – of all people and all sentient beings – by serving vegan food.

Sections: Vegan Food
Topics: appetizers, diversity, event, Food, host, inclusive, invitation, menu, new year's eve, party, respect