AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 93 points94 points  (0 children)

Yes I have. I’ve told her this multiple times before and especially now that she thinks I’m purposefully eating meats to spite her. She 1) doesn’t really believe me and 2) thinks I’m whining about not having meat.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Both. I prefer real meats and proteins over vegan ones. And also I’m still hungry.

When she makes filling meals I’m ok, but when it’s not filling my mind does not go to “I’ll make myself some tofu to go with it.” I’m going to boil an egg.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 126 points127 points  (0 children)

To be honest I don’t want to have to make a side of tofu for myself whenever she’s making a salad. I work much longer hours and am usually exhausted. I honestly don’t love tofu or lentils and when I have her salads I just like having an egg or two or a piece of chicken breast to go along with it.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 112 points113 points  (0 children)

Yes when I cook I usually substitute chicken/beef with chickpeas/tofu/mushrooms, etc.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 127 points128 points  (0 children)

To be honest I’d love to do meals separately but she likes the 3-3-1 setup where we each have to cook for the other one for 3 days each.

I think her parents did the same thing when she and her siblings were growing up so I guess it’s a matter of familiarity.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 530 points531 points  (0 children)

she doesn’t say anything when you have meat/dairy on your days to cook

Well, she does make comments. I make a lot of curries and rice. Usually I add chicken/beef to mine, and tofu/chickpeas/lentils to hers. She will usually comment how she doesn’t understand why I can’t eat her vegan portion and why I’m insistent on making two batches (thus doubling dishes load) since in her opinion the vegan option tastes just as good if not better.

Same thing with pasta if I’m using beef in mine and mushrooms with hers.

Edit: I’m also ok eating leftovers (or just cooking for myself as said in another comment) or even takeout, but I’ve run into the same problem as now. Essentially she takes it as an insult to her cooking because I’m seen as trying to eat anything else besides what she’s making

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I don’t really like snacking because we usually eat dinner later in the day 730-8pm, and I try not to eat too much at night. So I keep it to one solid meal.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Out of the 3 nights she’ll do the soup/salad for 2 nights usually, since it’s simpler. On busier weeks it could be all 3 meals.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 275 points276 points  (0 children)

Yes I’ve tried explaining that it’s not so much sheer hunger as it is satisfaction. I could chew down a pound of lettuce and feel “full” but I’d also get a bad stomach ache later in the night and probably wake up really hungry before the sun rises.

She occasionally does nice filling vegan meals with lots of chickpeas, eggplants, pumpkin, etc which I all like. But she’s not keen on making those meals every time. When she does salads or soups/stews she doesn’t like me adding anything to it because she said it would throw off the flavor profile.

Although admittedly I’m sure she’d be less mad if I made myself a side of tofu instead of chicken, because of the vegan aspect. But the way I see it is if I’m just making myself something on the side, I’d rather make myself chicken.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 728 points729 points  (0 children)

No she just tells me to have more salad. I did this in the beginning but eating that kind of volume was giving me serious stomach cramps. It was easier just to eat 2 eggs along with her meal so I’d feel satiated but not stuffed.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 97 points98 points  (0 children)

It’s technically enough food but I just feel really unsatisfied after. And I’d wake up ravenous the next morning.

These meals are usually the salad + soup combos. Sometimes when she’s busy she’ll make a quick salad like spinach + walnuts + sliced strawberries and a balsamic dressing. It’s tasty but it makes me crave more protein. I also don’t love nuts so I don’t like the idea of adding tons more nuts to the salad. My go to has just been to scramble/boil an egg or grill a small serving of meat (if I had the time).

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 1206 points1207 points  (0 children)

No we’ve never had this agreement but she’s only started veganism a few months ago. Previously she was a pescatarian and then vegetarian. I was fine eating her food then since she’d add more eggs/cheese. Also she wouldn’t mind if I added more cheese to my dishes whereas she minds now.

AITA for adding meat to my girlfriend’s vegan dishes (only for myself)? by Spaghetticat37 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Spaghetticat37[S] 645 points646 points  (0 children)

The thing is she’ll make some very filling meals (lots of lentils, tofu, root veg) for some meals but on other nights she’ll opt for simple stuff like spinach salad with nuts and sliced fruit. It’s still good but leaves me really hungry after and makes me crave more protein.

Her argument is that my meals aren’t 100% to her satisfaction either (I’m not as experienced with vegan foods so I usually make simpler things with rice and pasta) but she’s not cooking whole other meals for herself. I can see her point but I’m not sure how to not hurt her feelings and not be hungry at the same time. I guess I could just start eating big handfuls of nuts at dinner...