Vegetarian Gets Criticized By Her In-Laws For Not Serving Ham During The Christmas Day Dinner She And Her Husband Hosted

by May

Ham is typically the centerpiece of a Christmas feast. But it doesn't always have to be.

For vegetarians and vegans celebrating Christmas, there's a range of delicious food options to serve at the most wonderful time of the year.

There are different vegetarian deli products out there that mimic the taste and texture of real ham.

Vegetarian dishes are just as delicious as typical meat dishes. Even meat lovers would agree!

Sadly, a lot of people who prefer meat (and hate veggies) think that vegetarian food doesn't taste good. Since they don't eat veggies, they're quick to assume that they won't like the taste.

If a vegetarian person serves you the food they cooked, appreciate the gesture. Try the vegetarian dishes — you'll likely find one that suits your taste.

Today's post is about a woman who did not serve ham on Christmas day because she has been a vegetarian all her life. She asked the "Am I The A**hole?" (AITA) community if serving all-vegetarian food on this day was wrong,

The original poster (OP) mentioned that she wanted someone else in the family to host the feast, but her in-laws insisted that she and her husband host it this time. Since she's a vegetarian, she served vegetable dishes and plant-based roast.

During the Christmas dinner, the OP's father-in-law asked for the ham. So her husband explained that she isn't comfortable preparing and eating meat.

The celebration ended on a sour note because her husband and in-laws argued about the food she served.

The OP opens the post with how she was raised.

According to family tradition, since she and her husband recently got married, they need to host the upcoming Christmas feast

The OP feels she misunderstood her mother-in-law's food request.

Her father-in-law asked for the ham, since it's a Christmas food staple.

The OP's husband got into an argument with her FIL who threw some negative remarks about the food.

She asked the community for objective opinions.

Her brother-in-law saw this post and told his parents about it. They wanted to apologize for what happened.

She ended the post with words of appreciation for the community.

The in-laws were wrong for assuming she'd serve ham even if she's a vegetarian.

It's because of the family tradition that the in-laws didn't get to eat ham on Christmas.

Why did they expect a vegetarian to prepare meat during the celebration?

It's like the OP is a victim of hazing.

The tradition took the opportunity away from the people who genuinely wanted to host the Christmas feast.

People should put a stop to the traditional that involves the newest married couple doing something for the family.

Some Redditors believe that the tradition was created to create an opportunity to bully the newest in-law.

Another Redditor shared another reason why this tradition exists.

The in-laws should've allowed the OP to pass the hosting duties to someone who's willing.

The OP is the host. She gets to decide what's on her menu.

They already know she's vegetarian, so why are they complaining about the food?

She spent a lot of effort only to get criticized in the end. And it's only because of her dietary choices.

It seems like the husband's reason for snapping at his family is beyond their disrespect for the food.

The in-laws should be thankful for the feast that the OP prepared by herself.

Would she be willing to meet halfway with her in-laws next time?

We don't know what the motives of the in-laws are. Perhaps it was a miscommunication between the OP and her husband's family.

However, they already know that she is a vegetarian. So why are they expecting her to serve ham?

If they really wanted ham for Christmas, they should've brought one.