First of all, I live in an area where hunting is very popular. People are proud of their redneck status and are always boasting about their latest kill. I've never fit in here. But, hey, I like being different, so it's ok.
Anyway...to do the vegetarian/vegan thing is a completely alien concept to most people around here. I don't have any support here, but I do get a lot of support from my vegan friends on Facebook. They have excellent recipe suggestions! Anyway, lately, my non-vegan friends seem to feel the need to make off the wall comments. They update their status with "So glad I'm not a vegan. GIVE ME MY MEAT!!" comments. Or "Those dishes sound gross. What are they thinking?", or my personal favorite "Meat.... freshly killed..... slowly roasted...... carefully savored...... yummy". Why?? Why do they feel the need to do that? Fine, you're not a vegan, you don't get my lifestyle, sure, ok. That's fine with me. But why go so far to rub it in my face? I guess there is always the option to hide their posts or unfriend them, but that seems a bit extreme. Besides, I've had people say that to my face, too.
Just curious if you guys get that reaction too and how you handle it? So far, I just ignore them, but it's that TOM and it's bothering me today.
Oh, yeah. I'm a vegan and get that crap alll the time. I work with twelve meat-eating men, so I'm sure you can imagine. At staff-evenings where we hang out and eat together, they always make a big deal of offering me meat and wafting it in my face. It never gets old for them. I just smile and nod, because they're just trying to provoke a reaction. Or I'll say "Nah, you go ahead. You look like you could use a few hundred grams of un-digestible rotting flesh in your colon for a couple weeks." ;x
I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I used to be lacto-ovo veg in high school and I still enjoy meatless meals. I think it boils down to personality for a lot of it, and human nature. It is a common theme to make fun of the "outsider", that being said a lot of vegans/vegetarians I know tend to be very vocal about it, and post a lot about it on facebook and such. Is it possible their comments are related to that.
I've been vegetarian for 16 years and vegan for the last 3. I guess I'm lucky that I don't get much of the "in your face" types of comments, but it does tend to get uncomfortable when people I don't know well ask about why I'm vegan over a meal at a restaurant or something like that. I sort of have a rule about not talking about it while people are eating, so I usually just say it doesn't make good dinner conversation and move on to a different subject. If people are genuinely curious and interested I am more than happy to answer questions honestly and help them out with info and resources, but if they're just being immature or trying to get a rise out of me they're not worth my time.
Oh I think it has something to do with where you are from! We live in the south and everyone we know HAS to say crap like that. my husband and I have been vegetarian since birth and I have lived in India so I find it so offending when they make crude remarks like that. In India there are both vegetarians and non vegetarians and there is a respect about it.
Honestly, I just don't tell people anymore. I have been a vegetarian for the last 18 years and I do the vegan thing on and off (meaning I still enjoy certain fish so that makes me a vegetarian instead of vegan. Not interested in the cheese or milk though.) People are ignorant and have lost respect. I feel sorry for those whom do not understand the whole concept.
For the people who know me and we go out for dinner I never bring it up cause then they make a statement that we had to come here cause you don't eat anything. Or where can we go, where do they serve "your food"
Seriously anywhere you go you can get a salad and a baked potato on the side with no sour cream or butter. There area always options.
It is a personal choice and I salute those for making that choice, for all the others out there - go on enjoy the meals you choose.
I get this too...I've been a vegetarian for 15 years and vegan on and off (currently on).
Honestly, I think the problem people have is that so many veg*ns are preachy and they feel the need to retaliate or defend their choice to eat meat.
Even I can't stand preachy vegetarians, I've had many preach to me assuming I am omni. Um, thanks for even asking me my dietary preferences before you go off on me with an AR rant!
Lead by example, give information where welcomed.
People can be jerks, that's all I can say. If someone put that on my FB I would probably post something snarky like, "Gee, your compassion for others who don't share your opinion is stellar." or maybe just a "dislike" or I'd ask them directly what their problem was.
Generally, I try to ignore them so they don't know it gets a rise out of me.
I can see being bothered by comments on your own status - for example, if you put "Had wonderful vegan chickpea curry tonight - delicious!" and they responded with "Vegan food is gross". But I read your post as them putting this as their own status - that they enjoyed a meal involving meat or that they are glad that they include meat in their diet. I guess I'm asking why that would be construed as an attack on you (the "Vegan food sounds gross, what are they thinking" is definitely more borderline on this...mostly I am wondering about the other examples).
I have many vegetarian friends who have put up statuses, for example, like "enjoying a delicious vegan meal with friends - so glad I no longer eat meat!". I don't consider those judgment on my choice to consume meat...just expression of their happiness at their personal dietary choices.
I'm also wondering if I've inadvertently made people feel like I was judging them/rubbing their face in them on either side of the spectrum when posting things like "enjoying an amazing local organic grass fed steak from <Local Farm>...delicious"...because I have friends who are both vegetarian (and therefore might view it as "rubbing it in") or who eat conventionally farmed meat (who might see it as me acting sanctimonious). My intention is neither...it's to say something about my delicious meal. But this post made me wonder.
I am not a vegetarian, but in the last few months, my family has started having "Meatless Mondays" in order to just try some different foods, and get more veggies into our diets. We live in Los Angeles, where supposedly "anything goes" and I still get weird looks and comments like "why would you do that?"
I think people just like to tease and make fun of anything that is not "normal"
Overall, I would say blow off the comments, but I agree they are rude. I am usually a smart alec and would probably respond as such.
Mandalinn - I would not have a problem in the slightest with either of those posts! What you are doing (eating) is different than making a comment about a choice in general.
I have been a vegetarian for the last 18 years and I do the vegan thing on and off (meaning I still enjoy certain fish so that makes me a vegetarian instead of vegan. Not interested in the cheese or milk though.)
Just for the sake of accuracy, I feel the need to point out that fish is not vegetarian. I'm not saying your should or shouldn't eat fish, but when self-identified "vegetarians" eat fish it can be really confusing to people who aren't vegetarian, and they may assume all vegetarians eat fish. When I was vegetarian I got offered fish quite a lot. I found out a place I used to order Thai food from used fish sauce in otherwise vegetarian dishes, when I found out I told them they needed to inform people of that if they were asking for vegetarian options. They insisted that fish was vegetarian and actually tried to argue with me about it. It's sort of one of my pet peeves, sorry if that got a little ranty there.
mandalinn, I don't think there's anything wrong with the types of fb posts you're describing. I will admit I have hit the "hide" button for some people that post pictures of themselves posing with animals they've killed, or frequently post things I find exasperating or disturbing. That goes for people that post political/religious/etc stuff that I just don't care to see, not just stuff I don't want to read/see as a vegan. It's their fb and they can post whatever they want. I can also choose not to look at it, so I don't really see it as a problem.
Nah, it doesn't bother me that people eat meat. I know we are all different and as such are very diverse. The woman hadn't posted directly to my status (which was about my happiness that my new vegan bread recipe came out nicely), but did mention it in hers. It started off with a "I keep seeing my friends posting vegan recipes and to them I say 'Bring on the meat'!" or something like that. I felt like I was being baited and since it was that TOM, I was ready for battle. I didn't want rise to that though, so I came on here and vented instead. It helped and I'm all good now.
That's just childish and mean, sorry you have friends that think saying stuff like that is ok. But glad to hear venting helped! Ignoring bad behavior is really the best thing you can do in situations like that.
I found out a place I used to order Thai food from used fish sauce in otherwise vegetarian dishes, when I found out I told them they needed to inform people of that if they were asking for vegetarian options. They insisted that fish was vegetarian and actually tried to argue with me about it.
I know how you feel on that one! I haven't been vegetarian for very long yet (it'll be 2 months tomorrow!) but I'm worried about what I'm going to do next month, when I'm staying with my friend in Japan, since fish is in EVERYTHING, even where you wouldn't expect it, like in all their soup stock. And I'll be staying at her house with her family... in Japan at least, being vegetarian is almost unheard of.
Annoyed with Comments
I guess there is always the option to hide their posts or unfriend them, but that seems a bit extreme. Besides, I've had people say that to my face, too.
