Let Them Eat Cake?

[gladcow]

My son has been to many birthday parties lately. How do you vegan parents handle the cake issue? We have been skipping the cake and getting him a treat later on. What do you think?

[Artichoke47]

Well, I don't have any kids, but if I did, I think I would make a vegan cake in addition to the omnivore cake, and let the parents know ahead of time that my child does not consume animal products and that I would appreciate their kindness in serving the vegan cake to my son/daughter and anyone else who would like some. It's not like kids think to themselves, "Oh, I can't wait to taste those hen's eggs in my cake."

[shedonteatmeat]

I just make some vegan cupcakes or brownies or something and send them along with my son--- that way he doesn't feel left out and the other kids can see that Vegan kids get to have goodies too! :) At one party recently, the hostess joked that she'd have tons of cake leftover because everyone was downing our brownies instead.

We've had alot of these situations lately... my son's tball team gets snacks after each practice & game (2-3 per week) and everyone takes turns bringing snacks. I just always make sure there is something vegan in his equipment bag in case what is provided isn't vegan. And I try to bring extra cool snacks when it's our turn so veganism is shown in a positive light. (last time we brought spiders made out of crackers, peanut butter inside w/ pretzel sticks for legs and chocolate chips for eyeballs ;) )

[dropscone]

Aw, that sounds adorable!

I'm going to make those for my birthday party :)

[Rosemary]

I send along a piece of vegan cake. If possible, I find out what kind of omni cake is being served and make the vegan cake look as similar as possible.

[jesa]

weirdness....

i don't have kids but i was just thinking about this today. if i ever do have kids (which i hope to) i would raise them vegan but i wouldn't want them to feel 'secluded' or anything. i like the idea of sending them with their own special cake/brownies.

and i love that spider snack idea! that would be awesome to see :D

[shedonteatmeat]

and i love that spider snack idea! that would be awesome to see :D

I'm making the little spiders for Shae's class's halloween party this friday and his end-of-the-season soccer party this saturday, I'll take a pic :D

We did variations once, using smuckers marshmellow topping, jelly, licorce strings, and let all the kids make them however they wanted to. Went over well!

[jesa]

cool! i look forward to the pics.... :D

[Sunshine]

My little petunia is just 6 weeks old so we haven't had this problem .....yet - but I like the idea of sending her out with vegan cake or brownies.

I've never heard of smuckers marshmellow topping - but is it made with real marshmellows? - 'cause if so it's not vegan

[shedonteatmeat]

I've never heard of smuckers marshmellow topping - but is it made with real marshmellows? - 'cause if so it's not vegan

*laughs*
You know, I don't think I've ever mentioned this stuff without people telling me it probably isn't vegan... as far as I can tell it is! (http://smuckers.com/fg/ict/default.asp?groupid=4&catid=48&prodid=91) It's really yummy---and totally unhealthy and horrible for us! :laugh: . It's artificially flavored, basically pure sugar. Sold as an ice cream topping.

[garn]

I believe that marshmellow fluff is generally vegan, it's just the actual marshmellows that use gelatin to hold form. My friends and I were playing with fire once and some people went out to get 'smore ingredients (I just assumed they'd get non-vegetarian [just vegetarian at that time] and wasn't planning on having any). They asked at 2 different grocery stores about vegetarian marshmellows, but came back with fluff instead. It was a bit messier in some ways, but worked.

[Sunshine]

that's cool!! I must admit I've never heard of marshmellow fluff

[gladcow]

Another birthday party coming soon. The invite said they will be serving cupcakes. I think I will make a batch, send him to the party with one, and put the rest in the freezer for later birthdays.

[beka]

I believe that marshmellow fluff is generally vegan,

whoops...maybe you meant to say vegetarian? marshmallow fluff has eggs in it...i believe it's just the whites. it must help give it that wonderful fluffiness. that smuckers stuff isn't like fluff..i'd say it's more like creamy marshmallow syrup. hehe.

[lilac wine]

Good News!
There is now a vegan version of marshmallow fluff. Suzanne's Specialties makes it, and it is called Ricemellow. I don't think it is commercially available yet, but it is GOOD. I got to try it at the Natural Products Expo East in DC a few weeks ago. Suzanne's was an exhibitor. SO... keep your eyes peeled. You could also send them an inquiry about it to find out when/where/how it will be available or about placing orders if you were interested. Their website is http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/

[ConsciousCuisine]

I don't understand the "other" replies to the poll. What "other" is there? You either *do* or *don't* allow your children (if you have them) to eat non-vegan items... ??? Anyone who picked "other" please respond (is it those of you who have no children that picked "other" ? )

[Kat]

I didn't vote (I don't have kids), but if I did vote, I'd have to vote "other" to account for my not having kids :P

(If i did have kids though, I think I'd do like the other parents here and send the kid along with some cupcakes or another sweet)

[bird]

Good News!
There is now a vegan version of marshmallow fluff. Suzanne's Specialties makes it, and it is called Ricemellow. I don't think it is commercially available yet, but it is GOOD. I got to try it at the Natural Products Expo East in DC a few weeks ago. Suzanne's was an exhibitor. SO... keep your eyes peeled. You could also send them an inquiry about it to find out when/where/how it will be available or about placing orders if you were interested. Their website is http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/It's out now:

http://www.veganessentials.com/catalog/ricemellow-marshmallow-crme.htm

http://store.foodfightgrocery.com/ricrfl.html

http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/Catalog/ricemellow_creme_3778093.htm

[gladcow]

Another birthday party coming soon. The invite said they will be serving cupcakes. I think I will make a batch, send him to the party with one, and put the rest in the freezer for later birthdays.
I did this. Now I keep cupcakes in the freezer all the time for quick birthday treats. If I know in advance, I take a cupcake out the morning of the party. If not, 1 minute in the microwave on defrost and they are ready to go. This has turned out to be a very easy solution to the "cake problem". Now that my son is in school, he gets invited to 5 times as many parties (at least). I just let them know when I RSVP that he will be bringing his own cupcake. No problemo!

[bird]

That's a great idea, gladcow!

[rantingsteve]

I don't have kids, but if I did, there's no way I'd let them have non-vegan cake. I would hope to explain why well enough that they wouldn't want it.

That's a very cool idea, Gladcow!

[bluesky]

I don't have kids either. If I did, I'd send yummy vegan treats, I'd send something extra special for the other kids to take notice. With the many yummy vegan treats available to buy or make, there is no need for a child to have anything other than vegan food.

[gladcow]

couple of weeks ago I made a dozen cupcakes and frosted them. I split them between the kids and let them decorate them. Now they each have 6 cupcakes (decorated differently) in the freezer waiting for birthday parties.

[veganella]

Gladcow, that's a really good idea! Certainly for Grace's parties I'll make a vegan cake and nobody's even aware. But she's actually vegetarian, not all the way vegan. Reason being her father, who she's with half the time, is kind of omni. He's good about giving her Boca "chik'n" patties and soy milk and he's mostly vegetarian himself anyway and doesn't eat much, if any meat at his house...But some of the stuff he makes does have eggs in it, and he has cheese and other dairy, so she's exposed to it at his house. At ours, she's vegan. So if she goes to a b-day party I don't freak if she eats their cake because I only have control over so much of her diet, anyway. She's almost 6 and understands veganism but hasn't yet been able to advocate for herself at friends' houses as to why she "can't" have ice cream and cake, etc. It's a battle I haven't fought--I'm glad her dad has agreed to at least keep her vegetarian when she's with him (he will advocate for it at school--he's a teacher there--when they want to give the kids crap like McDonald's as a special treat, or something). The seeds are certainly well ingrained in her mind and I'm sure she'll probably be full veg when she's older and can cook her own things.

[MissLovely]

Gladcow, that's a really good idea! Certainly for Grace's parties I'll make a vegan cake and nobody's even aware. But she's actually vegetarian, not all the way vegan. Reason being her father, who she's with half the time, is kind of omni. He's good about giving her Boca "chik'n" patties and soy milk and he's mostly vegetarian himself anyway and doesn't eat much, if any meat at his house...But some of the stuff he makes does have eggs in it, and he has cheese and other dairy, so she's exposed to it at his house. At ours, she's vegan. So if she goes to a b-day party I don't freak if she eats their cake because I only have control over so much of her diet, anyway. She's almost 6 and understands veganism but hasn't yet been able to advocate for herself at friends' houses as to why she "can't" have ice cream and cake, etc. It's a battle I haven't fought--I'm glad her dad has agreed to at least keep her vegetarian when she's with him (he will advocate for it at school--he's a teacher there--when they want to give the kids crap like McDonald's as a special treat, or something). The seeds are certainly well ingrained in her mind and I'm sure she'll probably be full veg when she's older and can cook her own things.


I think that is completely acceptable. :) Not that you were asking for my approval. :silly:

[Chijou_no_seiza]

i've been wondering to the parents who send their kids with their own treats. Do your kids mind? or ever argue that they want to eat cake? Or have you been doing it so long that they've become accustomed to it? I wouldn't want my kids resenting me, and it sounds like none of yours do, I just wasn't certain if there have been mini-battles in the past...?

[Joda]

My two are old enough to make their own decisions on what they would prefer to eat (with no judgement passed on my part)...
although...
my baking/cooking usually out-does the other attempts!! ;) :D

[gladcow]

i've been wondering to the parents who send their kids with their own treats. Do your kids mind? or ever argue that they want to eat cake? Or have you been doing it so long that they've become accustomed to it? I wouldn't want my kids resenting me, and it sounds like none of yours do, I just wasn't certain if there have been mini-battles in the past...?
I keep a vat of cupcakes in the freezer, as I mentioned, and they help me make them and they decorate their own share. I think that helps them to feel like it is their choice, too. Sometimes it is hard for them at school because there is no way to make it equitable. Ultimately, my son can't have what the other kids bring (because of his milk allergy), so it's a bit of a non-issue. I do wish that the teachers/parents were more concerned about including him, though.

[Jessica]

I found the poll to be worded weirdly. If the kid is vegan, then isn't the answer obviously that the kid doesn't get regular cake? Otherwise the kids aren't vegan...

[gladcow]

Yes, sure, Jess. But I want my kids to make the choices they make regarding animals for their own reasons, not just because I say so. My son is vegan, my daughter is vegetarian. I think that it is very important to allow them to make well informed choices about diet, the kind of choice many of us didn't have as children. If that means they choose to do something non-vegan, I'm not going to immediately revoke their veg*n card. It's a journey for them as well. Lastly, as I've stated before, I don't feel like veganism is about personal purity. It's about making the best choice to reduce suffering in each moment.

[MercurialMary]

Yes, sure, Jess. But I want my kids to make the choices they make regarding animals for their own reasons, not just because I say so. My son is vegan, my daughter is vegetarian. I think that it is very important to allow them to make well informed choices about diet, the kind of choice many of us didn't have as children. If that means they choose to do something non-vegan, I'm not going to immediately revoke their veg*n card. It's a journey for them as well. Lastly, as I've stated before, I don't feel like veganism is about personal purity. It's about making the best choice to reduce suffering in each moment.

+1 for baby Mary

very well put, gladcow

[emzy1985]

Like so many people before me, I don't have kids but when I do have them they will be raised vegan and sent to parties with vegan food. The parents at those parties will be informed of my child's dietry needs.

At the end of the day, if my kid decides it wants to eat meat/ be a hypocrit...no wait I mean vegetarian, later on then that is fine. I of course will be devastated, however I would never buy them non-vegan food or have it in my house. It would be entirely up to them to eat it when out of my house. Hopefully with an ethically sound upbringing they would make the right choice anyway.

By the time I am ready for kids, the world may have moved on a little. **In my dreams**

[manchicken]

My son is only 6 months old, so we haven't quite gotten there yet. He's already enjoying some tasty vegan vittles though. He's had all sorts of veggies, as well as vegan cookies and of course some nice fried tofu.

It's really hard to find a vegan friendly formula to supplement with with he won't nurse though. Even the soy formula has Taurine in it.

[KaliMama]

Have you checked on the source of the taurine? I think most of it is synthetic these days.

[lisa75]

Yes, I've used that product. Everything Suzannes' makes is really good, they make rice syrup as well.