If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, then you'll know that while meat products are a no-go, there are other meat-free alternatives you can tuck into, with one of the most popular substitutions being tofu.
However, although tofu has become a staple in the diet of many veggies, the soy-based product isn't solely used in meat-free cooking - as one party host recently proved to their guests when they were left outraged after discovering they had included pork and tofu in the same dish.
The anonymous host said they made a dish containing tofu, minced pork, ginger, and spring onions, and served it as part of a potluck where all their guests also brought dishes with them.
They claimed that nothing at the event was labelled so their dish wasn't listed as being vegetarian or not, and insisted that no one asked them about what the dish contained, except for one who asked if it was halal.
When they said it wasn't halal as there was pork in it, the vegetarians in the group "freaked out" as they realised they had been eating meat - and blamed the host for mixing tofu and meat together, as they had assumed it was vegetarian simply because it contained tofu.
But the host has defended their dish, as they pointed out tofu is "just an ingredient" in many dishes, and isn't solely used in meals suitable for vegetarians.
In a post on Reddit, they said: "Am I the a**hole for putting meat in a tofu dish? This happened at a potluck. I brought a dish that was tofu stir-fried with minced pork, ginger and spring onions. Similar to Mapo tofu but not spicy.
"Everything was fine except when someone asked me if my dish was halal, and I said no, it has pork. That's when Jen overheard and freaked out that she ate meat. And it turns out a lot of other vegetarians ate my dish assuming it was vegetarian.
"For the rest of the party, I've had so many people (including non-vegetarians) tell me I'm an a**hole for putting meat in a vegetarian dish. But this is a dish I grew up with, tofu for me is just an ingredient, not strictly a meat substitute. Also, no one asked me if my dish was vegetarian."
In an edit to their post, the host added: "Since so many people are asking, nothing was labelled. I just left the dish on the buffet table along with the rest of the dishes. There were many other meat dishes. About 20 people were at the party, four were vegetarian. No one asked about my dish except for the person asking if it was halal."
Commenters on the post were quick to take the host's side, as many of them pointed out that it's a "weird misconception" that tofu only exists for vegetarian dishes, and said the guests with dietary restrictions should have asked about the food before tucking in.
One person wrote: "They assumed it was a vegetarian dish because they have a weird misconception that tofu exists only for vegetarians. That they didn't bother to ask is on them."
While another said: "If someone has dietary restrictions, they need to check, not assume."
And a third posted: "I can get why people saw tofu and assumed vegetarian, but like, if they looked closer they should have also been able to see the minced pork. Also ultimately it is up to an individual to make sure anything they eat conforms to their dietary preferences. If there is an unlabeled dish at a potluck it is definitely best to ask."
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