84 VegNews HOLIDAYS 2019
VegNews Editor JASMIN SINGER
(thinks she) knows a thing or two
about love, and is baring all.THERE ARE FEW BIGGER
headaches—I mean sweeter moments—
than finally being invited to meet your
partner’s family for the very first time.
They say that winter is a time when we
nest, which means we human animals
tend to pair off and huddle close together.
By the time the cacophony of the yuletide
season rolls around, you can almost see
the pheromones floating around amidst
those snowflakes (or is that just exhaust
smog?). This lovebird duet can easily veer
into that dreaded moment you’re never,
ever prepared for, when your new love
asks if you’d like to come home with her
for the holidays. Ready or not, it’s time to
meet the family.
For vegans—especially if you’re
dealing with your partner’s non-vegan
loved ones—this can start off as an
innocent enough request, but as the date
nears, you might find yourself wishing
for any excuse to back out (“Sorry, I
can’t come, babe ... I need to keep my
eye on my Beyond Meat stock to see
how high it gets!”). But with just a little
bit of planning, you can absolutely get
through the dreaded family get-together;
you might even find that you and your
honey grow closer as a result of suffering
through it together. But word to the wise:
in order to make it through your first
meet-the-family event, make sure you
have a plan in place.
DOS & DON’TS
If you’re vegan, you might need to
take the extra step to fit in with your
partner’s family. Go that extra mile
to always be courteous and gracious,
perhaps a little more so than you would
with your own family, knowing that
it will pay off in the long run for your
relationship. Try these tips:
DO: Bring a vegan dish to share—
perhaps a meat analogue such as Tofurky,
any of the traditional side dishes (made
with vegan butter, of course—they won’t
even know, but you can choose to tell
them if you want), or a creamy pumpkin
pie with vegan whip.
DON’T: Make vomit noises if your hosts
bust out a turkey.
DO: Offer to help with things you’re
comfortable with, such as setting the
table and refilling the drinks.
DON’T: Put yourself in a position where
you have to handle animal products
if that will upset or disgust you. If you
come up with a list of things you are
willing to do (which don’t involve you
canoodling with a corpse), your hosts
won’t even notice.
DO: Ask your partner’s family a lot of
questions; it’s polite and demonstrates
that you have interest in them, which
means they’ll like you.
DON’T: Ask them questions about whythe hell they still eat meat. It won’t go
over well.SAY WHAT?
A tip: when your possible future in-
laws utter a highly offensive comment
that makes your blood boil, before you
respond, remember your sweetheart
sitting beside you. You aren’t there to
make friends, necessarily; you are trying
to be a kind and supportive partner. So
be careful before you open your mouth to
respond (this is especially true if you’ve
had something to drink). Here’s a little
tried-and-true advice.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Her uncle will not
understand what vegan means. He will
call it “vay-gun,” and he will quickly getSo You’re Going to
Meet The Family
The holidays are here, and all you want to do is stand
under the mistletoe smooching your main squeeze. But then
your darling brings up the possibility of you finally meeting
her family, and you freeze. Are you ready for this?veg LOVE
JasminSinger:^ DerekGoodwin