Chelsea Clinton's big fat vegan wedding
Well, except for that grass-fed organic beef option.
Mon, Jul 26 2010 at 11:26 AM EST
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Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Photos In case you haven't heard, Chelsea Clinton is getting ready to tie the knot this week with fiance Marc Mezvinsky at Astor Courts, the former estate of John Jacob Astor IV.
The gorgeous property sits on 50 acres and overlooks the Hudson River.
Location aside, I'm psyched to hear that Ms. Clinton is focusing on a heavily "green" menu.
“Chelsea is a vegan. The food will include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes, but there will also be grass-fed organic beef on the menu.”
According to the Vegetarian Star, Chelsea has been cutting meat and dairy since childhood — and leaned on White House chefs to help in preparing her vegan meals.
"Before Chelsea Clinton went off to Stanford, Hillary asked the White House cooking staff to teach her daughter how to prepare delicious vegan meals. But this was more than just a weekend of 'helpful hints'. Chelsea spent an entire six weeks learning the craft and upon completion, she received a Walter Scheib Cooking School certificate."
Looks like Chelsea's wedding menu will certainly be reflective of her talent in whipping up some gourmet vegan grub — even if the beef option does seem like a bit of a compromise. More people could stand to try something new and see that eating meals without meat or dairy can be a delicious — as well as healthy — alternative.
Now how about a honeymoon to Val Kilmer's eco-ranch?
Related on MNN:
- Will Chelsea's rehearsal dinner be down on the farm?
- Who will make Chelsea's gluten-free wedding cake?
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Comments
Katie
04/01/2011 22:37 PM
I'm asking the question "Do vegans wear leather?" in all sincerity. With all the leather shoes, handbags, coats, furniture, etc., I'm wondering if they forego leather, too? If they don't, then I believe they are being hypocritical. But then, I have to admit, I know nothing about vegans except that they don't eat meat. Do they drink animal milk? Eat cheese? Yogurt? Or is veganism a select way of eating as long as it's convenient?
Katie
04/01/2011 22:37 PM
I'm asking the question "Do vegans wear leather?" in all sincerity. With all the leather shoes, handbags, coats, furniture, etc., I'm wondering if they forego leather, too? If they don't, then I believe they are being hypocritical. But then, I have to admit, I know nothing about vegans except that they don't eat meat. Do they drink animal milk? Eat cheese? Yogurt? Or is veganism a select way of eating as long as it's convenient?
Tonya
02/20/2011 11:15 AM
Weddings are all "Bride this" and "Bride that" but everyone seems to forget that it's not all about her. Weddings are as much about the groom as they are the bride. This is HIS wedding too. We don't know much about her groom, but maybe he's a meat and potatoes kinda guy. Maybe he wanted something he really enjoyed to eat at his reception. She's got her veg*n food. He's got his beef.
There are few things that grooms actively care about in weddings. Music and food tend to be those.... More
jos
08/05/2010 10:51 AM
too bad the non-vegans cant tell the animal: my taste buds are more important than your life.
jos
08/05/2010 10:50 AM
too bad the non-vegans cant tell the animal: my taste buds are more important than your life.
Tara
08/03/2010 22:53 PM
Making a choice such as vegetarianism/veganism makes no veg people look at their own choices often leading to a defensive, response from them. Make your own choices in your life and accept others choices. I accept and respect their choice to eat meat. If people respond negatively to me, it's their issue not mine!
dan south
08/03/2010 15:23 PM
what i think,
is that we should give her some space. we should also try running our own lifes and leave everyone else to run theirs.
Gigi
08/03/2010 15:04 PM
The self-righteous BS of how some Vegans think they are so much better than everyone else is why I started eating flesh again. Pass the steak sauce.
Nettierose
08/05/2010 00:54 AM
Gigi,
Even if you think every vegan in the world is a jerk, why eat animal products? Veganism is about abstaining from cruelty and exploitation. It's a way to reduce the immeasurable suffering of helpless, innocent animals. Why did you go vegan in the first place? If you don't want to participate in cruelty, and if you want to help animals, then don't eat animal products. What other vegans do is not the point. Veganism is for the animals.
Matt
08/04/2010 14:09 PM
I doubt you were ever vegan. How could you be against the eating of animals but because you didn't like the *perceived* self rightousness of other vegans you went back to putting corpses in your mouth....please. If you really thought it was unethical you would have continued to abstain regardless of other vegans attitudes. But I guess this way you get to eat flesh and feel self righteous about it...Bravo!
Barbara
08/03/2010 15:11 PM
Gigi - And do you feel that by eating dead animals again you have shown those self-righteous vegans a thing or two? Pass the hummus.
Barbara Saunders
08/02/2010 09:52 AM
Some people are vegan because of their morality around animal rights; other for their health; others because it is their food preference (sound strange, but I know someone who did that.)
My question - if you care about animals, isn't any reduction in animal killing good? You don't have to praise people, but you could just ride on the publicity rather than taking the opportunity to scold and confirm the image of the strident vegan wingnut.
I also don't get the animus coming from.... More
Siubhan
08/05/2010 11:59 AM
Serving the beef isn't really a compromise, it's a cop-out, and despite the fact that the non-vegan food won't pass Chelsea's own lips, she is effectively "sponsoring" the slaughter and torture of animals by feeding it to her guests. The money paid from her, or her family's, pocket to the caterer will contribute to the industry.
It's a difficult situation for any vegan, but when I have a dinner party most of my friends love the opportunity to taste some vegan food and are always amazed.... More
Srsly?
07/30/2010 15:18 PM
look it up.
Although I consider myself a conscientious person with my life choices, I can't help but to feel the need to disassociate myself from all these lifestyle fascists. Sure, the beef industry is wrecking our habitats and natural landscapes (along with many other industries doing the same and much worse), but these are symptoms of a systemic problem, namely that of the human population's magnitude. None of these industries would be doing even a small percentage of this damage if.... More
gretchen
07/30/2010 13:40 PM
I'm sure it has less to do with the guests and more to do with the groom. Nowhere does it say that he's vegan. I'm vegan, and my boyfriend is not. He eats vegan most of the time, though, of his own volition, not by my hand. When my family visits, they eat vegan. His family do not, as I cannot force them to. At my high school graduation [the last big party I had], it was meatless, but that's because it was *my* party, and no one else's. I can see trying to discuss with the fiancee why you.... More
MotherLodeBeth
07/29/2010 19:44 PM
Its my understanding the food will be kosher as well. At least vegan, vegetarian is the main focus, even if the option of having green grown beef is there. Am just glad she wanted vegan as the main idea.
windowsyl39
07/30/2010 18:31 PM
Are you saying that being Vegan is better than being Kosher?
Are you Mel Gibson?
Barbara
07/29/2010 15:14 PM
I agree that on the surface, it seems a little hypocritical to allow beef to be served at your wedding if you're vegan. But there are so many factors we don't know about that must have gone into her decision so we should be considerate and give her some slack. I'm just happy that, through news stories like this one, she's helping people be more aware that there IS another way to eat and it's good for the body, good for the environment, and REALLY good for the animals. GO VEG!!!
Guest
07/28/2010 19:33 PM
My daughter is vegan and I just served a 100% vegan graduation meal for her. Everyone was impressed with the taste and no one missed the meat. If the bride and groom want a vegan meal, why not let them without the beef?
Grandpa John
07/28/2010 18:03 PM
At 84 my health was going none, so I change to vegan diet.
At 85 my health has been inproveing.
Grandpa John
Guest
07/29/2010 10:19 AM
I almost didn't bother reading the comments to this post because I knew it'd be filled people harping on the fact that Chelsea isn't vegan enough for their standards. I can see my beloved vegan community hasn't let me down.
It is people like you who prevented me from choosing a vegan lifestyle because I didn't want to be associated with your holier-than-thou "it's never enough" attitude. Maybe you should consider how many animals die because YOUR negative attitude prevents people going.... More
Matt
08/04/2010 13:59 PM
I find this attitude so lame. Who cares about other vegan's attitudes. I think eating animals and their "products" is wrong, I could care less about the attitudes of other vegans, I would be vegan even if I was the only one. Saying that you won't give up eating animals because of other people's attutudes is a cop out and a way to get rid of your guilt.
Jenna
07/27/2010 14:17 PM
Hmm...most murders and other criminals eat meat, but you don't mind being "associated" with them?
I'm really sorry that your impression of vegans is so negative that it stopped you from freeing your diet of animal products. Not all of us vegans express ourselves that way. Maybe someday you'll let your own heart and mind guide you back to veganism. And if you don't want to be "associated" with those holier than thou vegans, just tell people you don't eat meat and forget the vegan label.... More
Get Real
07/27/2010 12:31 PM
Insects are animals with faces that live, breath and do not want to die, correct? Vegans eat more insects than any other diet. There are hundreds of animal parts in cars, asphalt, cement, ceramic/glass, water filters, fire extinguishers, appliances, etc. Just because you didn't eat it, doesn't mean you didn't kill it. NO sacred cows for anyone (or do only the cute and fuzzy ones count?)
Anon
07/27/2010 12:47 PM
Vegans eat more insects than any other diet? What insects?
Get Real
07/27/2010 13:21 PM
Any plant-based food has insects and insect parts in it. Go to the FDA's "Food Defect Action Levels" webpage. Packages can have up to: frozen broccoli = 180 insects parts; coffee = 10% insects; ketchup/tomato paste = 30 fruit fly eggs per 100 grams; cinnamon = 400 insect parts per 50 grams; peanut butter = 30 insect parts per 100 grams; macaroni = 225 insect parts per box; etc., etc. Interestingly, the FDA calls insects a "defect" only for aesthetic reasons. Insects actually add nutrition to.... More
Ross
07/27/2010 16:17 PM
Most vegans realize that there's no way to completely eliminate harm from our lives as we are beings that affect our environment and inherently have an impact on it. It's about doing what you can.
But what you forget, is that in order to feed all the billions of animals we raise to produce meat, they're first fed plants grown en mass(of course killing massive numbers of insects) on millions of acres. So not only are all the insects killed in harvesting/growing, the animals specifically.... More
Michael
07/27/2010 15:15 PM
Yes, and the average person swallows three spiders a year in their sleep. It can't be helped.
The point of being a vegan is making a "conscious" decision not to eat something that was derived from animals.
Patty Shenekr
07/27/2010 11:30 AM
I hope Chelsea doesn't look back with regret- not about getting married but for serving murdered animals at her wedding celebration. I do! I was vegetarian for many years when i got married & allowed meat to be served. I did it for my parents but i regret this every day of my life! And the marriage didn't last! I wish Chelsea the best!
Mike M
08/02/2010 20:59 PM
Im sure your marriage ended for reasons other than serving meat at your wedding. It's views similar to your own that keep people from adopting a lifestyle that includes little or no animal products in their diet.
Barbara
08/03/2010 15:06 PM
Well, Mike, THAT wasn't a very nice thing to say, was it (the cheap shot marriage remark)? And how can Patty's views keep anyone from doing anything, including stopping eating meat? And why, just because vegans are doing what their consciences tell them, do you get angry? Would you prefer that they ate what you eat so that you would feel better about it? Would you prefer that they continue to lead compassionate lifestyle, but never talk about it so you don't have to examine your own? I just.... More
M. Butterflies Katz
07/27/2010 04:40 AM
The title of this piece was misleading. There is nothing vegan about the menu that includes vegetarian food and grass fed beef. I'm quite sick of people's lies in journalism and misrepresenting what a vegan is. It's really sad.
Diana Case
07/27/2010 09:44 AM
Weddings are tough...lots of people...lots of opinions...and the groom's family tends to have strong feelings. :) I think it's great that she is giving guests the chance to go down this path....and it could be that the other events are completely vegan (I hope!)
Candice
07/27/2010 02:33 AM
maybe the beef was his idea, it takes 2 to get married you know
m
07/29/2010 10:43 AM
I hate the idea that the wedding day is all about the bride. Somewhere along the way, the groom was reduced to the status of an accessory.
anon, anon!
07/29/2010 15:35 PM
well said. it's perplexing to see so many of you act like Chelsea has completely failed at life because there's a beef option on the menu. come on - marriage is about compromise. the ideal wedding should be a reflection of their shared vision, not just an episode of the Chelsea Clinton Show. her groom gets to have an opinion too.
PetalPower
08/04/2010 15:30 PM
I'm vegan and my boyfriend is not. We bought a house together, and we have a backyard. We like to have barbecues back there, and when it's just the 2 of us, my boyfriend is happy with our all-vegan barbecues. However, when we invite all of our random friends over, he is not comfortable with us mandating that all food is vegan; i.e., he doesn't feel comfortable requiring that other people eat vegan, not even for just one meal at our house. (He himself is not vegetarian or vegan, although he.... More
Vegan in Vegas
07/27/2010 00:27 AM
going to a "kosher-style" whatever and being served a cheeseburger.
Either you're vegan or not. The poor dead cows make it not.
Jan
07/27/2010 17:31 PM
"Either you're vegan or not. The poor dead cows make it not".
I could not disagree more; somebody avoiding meat a couple of days a week are contributing much more to less animal suffering than those who don't even make a try.
Maria
07/27/2010 00:21 AM
What a missed opportunity to let people experience vegan food and let them see that non-vegan products are so unnecessary.
Archpope
07/27/2010 00:00 AM
I'm not vegan, but even I don't see the need to compromise her principles for wedding guests. If this were, say, a Jewish wedding, would there be a need for a special, non-Kosher item for the Gentiles attending? Besides, it's one meal, and the bride doesn't "owe" anyone anything.
IMHO
07/28/2010 17:30 PM
I am not a vegan either, but I absolutely agree. This is the Bride's day. There is so much delicious vegan food from which to choose, she doesn't owe anyone a "meat" dish. I've been to many weddings, where I was not offered, nor did I expect a vegetarian option. Neither she nor her parents should feel obligated to cater to out-dated expectations. What's next? The Electric Slide? I don't think so.
Marya
07/26/2010 22:47 PM
I had a vegan wedding 2 years ago. Out of about 85 guests, there were only a couple vegetarians/vegans in attendance (aside from my husband and I). To this day, people are STILL talking about how fabulous the food was (and often not even to our faces!). While I applaud Chelsea's personal vegan status, I can't help but to feel that serving beef--ANY kind of beef--is the worst hypocrisy; furthermore, doing so will send mixed messages, and therefore, many of her guests won't take the concept of.... More
PetalPower
08/04/2010 15:36 PM
If the groom is not vegan, he may have actually wanted the beef to be served. I know, it's sad that beef is offered when people could have realized how wonderful a totally vegan wedding would be... but ... if if was important to the groom to have beef available as an option ... then, his wishes should carry some weight.
Susie
07/26/2010 22:34 PM
Don't be such hard heads! You can attract a lot more people if you approach it with choices. This is HER wedding and I applaud her for her effort! Since going vegan 2 years ago it has been amazing at the interest from our friends and neighbors who have been at our house when we celebrated by roasting a pig in the ground (it was raised by us and had a name). Since then at least 5 have made the choice to change their diet - I just gave them some direction on what to read and watch to help.... More
Huh?
07/26/2010 23:59 PM
What the hell are you talking about, Susie? You're "vegan" but you "roasted a pig in the ground"? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. (And for the record, who cares if the pig had a name? Sounds like you still killed the animal & ate him/her. And I doubt his/her last thoughts were, "Well, at least I had a name!" Stupid rationalization.)
At any rate, good for Chelsea for having a mostly vegan wedding. I myself would never serve meat at my wedding, but this is a heck of a.... More
:(
07/30/2010 03:21 AM
try actually reading the posting you are commenting on... the person went vegan 2 yrs ago... BEFORE going vegan, the author had previously had a neighborhood party where they roasted a pig... the author is NOT stating "well, at least it had a name"... but, rather, commenting on the way things were BEFORE going vegan and how those neighbors who had been @ the party where the pig was served have responded to the author's conversion to veganism...
wei
07/26/2010 22:32 PM
If you heart is, truly loving, merciful green, peaceful???
One would never compromise on life and death, not for humans, not for animals.
Organically feed animals for human food supply, is plain -PLANNED MURDER - the cows, chickens thought you loved them, therefore looked after them, but, little do they understand, we greed humans only want to kill them in the end.
Until we grant others free living, we and our children will have to pay for our unkind, uncaring way of life..... More
PetalPower
08/04/2010 16:01 PM
The problem is, not everyone sees killing animals for food as murder. When it comes right down to it, many people think killing any animal is okay as long it is "for food."
Society has not agreed on something like "Killing animals for food is wrong and from now forward, we will ban the practice and criminalize anyone who does it." People who wan to eat meat are operating 100% within the accepted norms of our current society. So ... if the groom wants to have beef at the wedding, I.... More
