aem > wrote:

>Why all the drama indeed? I'm very surprised at all the heat this
>issue raises. Maybe it's the misplaced focus on the food itself. I
>mean, when we're invited to someone's house for dinner we go for the
>company first, because they are friends or family, and the food is
>secondary. If we expect to enjoy ourselves, we go. If we don't, we
>decline.

I see it oppositely. A person with a sufficient interest in
food is cognizant of, and at least somewhat curious about,
the concept of vegetarian dining. To thoroughly reject
the idea, to the point of not wanting to eat even one
vegetarian meal in a year, implies to me a lack of serious
interest in food as a subject area.

I agree with whoever said the whole thing is about control.

Steve