OMG TV moment

[figmo]

My TV turned on to "Sara's Secrets" on the Food Network. She was making a meal that was supposed to be for "both vegetarians and carnivores." One of the items she made was two versions of a savory strada. When she went to plate it, she first stuck her spatula in the sausage-laden strada, then, without cleaning the spatula, stuck it into the vegetarian strada.

I blurted out "Oh my gawd!" so loudly I awoke Warren, who was sound asleep two rooms down with the door closed.

For those of you who aren't chefs, if you're feeding a vegetarian, that's like dipping your spatula in poison before serving your guests.

Comments

[madfilkentist]

I wonder how the amount of meat-stuff transferred on the spatula compares with the amount of insect life which people inadvertently ingest in their daily lives.

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

The issue is avoidability. As noted in OP, the meat dish contained sausages. I'd expert a person keeping Kosher to have exactly the same reaction.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I kept thinking "if that sausage had been mushrooms, I'd have been in the hospital."

She could have at least dished the vegetarian entree first (the only difference between the two, AFAIK, was the inclusion of sausage in the carnivore version).

Better yet, the show could have budgeted for a second spatula so each version of the strada could have its own uncontaminated plating utensil.

[howeird]

I kept thinking "if that sausage had been mushrooms, I'd have been in the hospital."
Meat won't kill a vegetarian, and vice versa.

She could have at least dished the vegetarian entree first
It's the same as milchig vs fleishig - you use a different spatula.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Meat won't kill a vegetarian, and vice versa.

Depends upon the carnivore and the vegetarian. I can think of at least one carnivore who'd have been in the hospital from the sausage-laden strada, and if someone were to flip a Gardenburger_TM with a spatula and then use it on my burger, I'd be in the hospital, fighting for my life.

[madfilkentist]

In fact, I was thinking that two, which is why I consider the "poison" comparison to be overblown. Getting a small amount of mushrooms into your food means major trouble; a trace amount of meat in a vegetarian's food isn't going to do anything.

Was it discourteous to use the same spatula? Yes. Was it over-the-top, screaming AAARGGGHHH, I've been poisoned? That's silly.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

This has nothing to do with whether it's right or wrong to be vegetarian; it has to do with consideration of folks with differing dietary needs and choices.

Given that the only difference in the two stradas appeared to be the inclusion of sausage in the carnivore version, if she only had one spatula, she should have plated the vegetarian one first.

A better solution would have been to use separate spatulas for each. You never know whether someone's a vegetarian by choice or because of a meat allergy (I know at least one person who's severely allergic to pork).

[bovil.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine doesn't keep kosher, but he eats no pork. He's allergic to pork and rabbit.

Your initial argument would have probably stood up better if you had avoided the hyperbole. Mixing utensils is inconsiderate, and if done intentionally, disrespectful, but hardly murder in the general case. In the case of a food allergy, it's always best to be specific rather than reply on the general.

Even in just discussing vegetarianism, it's best to be specific. There's such a spectrum, and what's "vegetarian" to one (say refined sugar, which doesn't contain animal products but often uses animal products in processing) might not be to another.