Do you get much grief over being vegetarian/vegan?

Tom65

As the title asks, do people give you much stick over being vegetarian/vegan? Just wondering so I can compare my owns friends. I've only been vegetarian for about a year, but I was surprised by the level of hostility I get off some people.

I've found there's 3 types of people:

1) people who are outright hostile about me being vegetarian, and will pass a comment every time I'm getting food/eating. I've never got this as I make a point not to really talk about my own vegetarianism because I think it can come off as very self-righteous. So it's not me provoking it.

2) people who occasionally make jokes, but don't mean any harm. Some people will make jokes, then go out of their way to make sure I'm catered for when I have dinner with them

3)people who just don't care.


Do you people get any grief over it?

Aoifums

I get a good bit of grief. Most of it is just plain immature, given that I mainly hang around with 16 year old girls (being one myself).

Some of my friends are curious. But it's the kind of curiosity where they are half laughing as they ask. But they still eat vegan cake when I make it. Most of my friends don't care but I do have one friend who is so considerate. Whenever she brings sweets into school, she always tries makes sure that there is something vegan in the mix.
I am known as Queen Label Reader in school due to constantly checking labels.

My brother is also immature. He constantly tells me that soy cheese isn't real cheese. Pizza isn't pizza without oodles of cheese. My lentil bolognaise isn't real bolognaise. Just small things like that.

My mam's side of the family are a bunch of type 1's. With the exception of my granny and one cousin. They are all very antsy about change and things that are outside their realms of normality. Veganism is insane to them and they let me know that. They are very forceful, with my aunt getting very angry because I was eating something different to everyone else. Not surprising seeing as how everyone else was eating turkey with breadsauce.

sweet-rasmus

Aoifums wrote: »

I am known as Queen Label Reader in school due to constantly checking labels.

aha! yes, you usually become an avid label reader if you want to be careful about what you eat if you are out with someone and reading labels, people are always surprised about it. and they indeed learn a thing or two!

Aoifums

I know. I still find it hard to control my laughter when I tell someone that there's cow in their Haribo's. Or their orange drink. Everyone freaks out over that.

The label thing is annoying. But at least the "suitable for vegetarians" label, followed by the "contains..." makes it so handy.

Tar.Aldarion

You forget people who occasionally make jokes, but do mean harm.
Anyway yes, there are all sorts of people but just ignore hostile ones or answer their questions seriously but do not get flustered, there are always idiots. I embrace questions showing an interest. I know people that I went to school with that were hostile towards vegetarianism but are vegetarian now, so there are all flavours of people.

Mentalmiss

I have been vegetarian since the early seventies when it was even more unusual. I think that a lot of this must be in the minds of the recepient as I have only once been on the receiving end of bad feelings and that was on the continent. Never in Ireland.
I do hear the occasional joking remark "what you need is a big steak" but I take it in the joking spirit that it was delivered in and certainly do not get upset by it.

taram

My bf is very considerate, being veggie is the least of his problems when it comes to making me food due to a strict diet my doctor put me on Most people don't care, but some do go out of their way to offer me ham sandwichs and such over and over, or if I say I'm tired, they go 'oh ho, must be anemia, you need some steak'. :rolleyes:

Zwillinge

Now that I think about it, not really.
Everyone of my super close friends I've known since primary school and I've been a vegetarian since then, so they're just used to it, it's nothing shocking or amazing to them.
When I first got to college, I had a few fellow vegetarians wanting to have chats about how healthy and amazing we are. They actually made me feel super awkward
Only the odd person will make a passing why don't you eat fish or chicken and also iron levels comment but most people are fairly considerate and ask me in advance to going out for a meal where I'd like to go.

vinchick

For me the reaction is mostly one of facination. People seem to think it takes a huge level of com and they dont think they could do it. Then comes the questions which are 99% of the time good natured, people are geninterested in the why, how, when.

Then there was my nan who told me the bible tells me I should eat meat cos humans have dominion over the animals. That one I can ignore, she is nearly 90.

entropi

Tom65 wrote: »

As the title asks, do people give you much stick over being vegetarian/vegan? Just wondering so I can compare my owns friends. I've only been vegetarian for about a year, but I was surprised by the level of hostility I get off some people.

I've found there's 3 types of people:

Do you people get any grief over it?

I've only managed to find one type myself thankfully, the ones that wonder why i am vegetarian, and how i can stay away from meat products when most others around me eat them every day, and do i not miss meat?

Never got any grief about it, another veggie friend has not and a vegan friend afaik got no grief either so far...:)

Tar.Aldarion

Off topic nonsense deleted, if you do that again Faylum you will be banned. If you want to discuss your views in a thread make one.

Crumble Froo

ive been in new zealand most of the time since ive turned veggie, and i've found it great. even, actually, started a new job this week, and on the first day, one of the guys was running round to the café to get sandwiches, asked me if i wanted one, and before i could even mention it, he asked me if i was vegetarian! dont think ive ever had any hassle over it here... my boyfriend is a veggie, one of his mates who i get on awesome with used to be a veggie, and is great about it, another mate just discovered (after nearly a year) that i dont eat meat, (i usually avoid telling people, simply cos the vast majority do not need to know, it's my business), and he was suprisingly cool about it, apparently having even done it himself for a few year. but yep, ive found people in general to be great about it, bar an ex-housemate when i initially turned veggie, but we never quite saw eye to eye anyway.

Censorsh!t

During my years in school i got a lot more hassle over being vegetarian. Me and my friend would constantly have to endure jokes and stupid statements like "but if we didnt eat cows, they'd eat us". There was especially one person who just woudlnt let it go, and at the end of it all, i just have bitter feelings for him, he annoyed me so much.

Up until about last year, some of my friends would remark everytime i'd eat, jokingly, but also in a nasty kind of joking way like "oh you have to make it difficult" and would carry their jokes on just a bit too far.

Funnily enough, one of my friends who used to mock me and call me "stupid" because i was vegetarian turned vegetarian herself, and only recently has started eating meat again, due to lack of iron.
This also funnily enough, is when some other friends seemed to give up with the mocking, and only throw in the odd joke, but they'd still make sure to try cater for me.

It really was just an immature phase for most of my friends, and they really dont even bother with the jokes anymore, because they know i just laugh along with them.


Edit: I just remember now, last year, my 'friend' (I really could not stand her) asked me and a friend why we were vegetarian, because she just could not get her head around it. The she says "DO you think they are killing too many animals?" and burst out laughing saying how stupid that was. She then tried telling us that we didnt make a difference, and that someone else will buy the meat we dont buy (I find this is the hardest bit to explain to people, the whole demand for meat decreasing thing). She then told us we'd die from iron deficiency, and saif "if you were president, would you force everyone to become vegetarian? You'd have to give out free iron tablets though, because otherwise everyone would be sick". A few months ago, she turned vegetarian. haha.

Tom65

Censorsh!t wrote: »

Up until about last year, some of my friends would remark everytime i'd eat, jokingly, but also in a nasty kind of joking way like "oh you have to make it difficult" and would carry their jokes on just a bit too far.

I get a lot of things like this, I'd like to say it's immaturity, but these people are 23/24. Strangely, I don't get that much of it in Ireland. People are usually very nice here. It's usually friends from abroad. Foreign bastards

monellia

If anything it's me who gives them grief. I'm like the Shirley Phelps of vegetarianism haha. People are generally accepting of vegetarianism and don't view it as strange, but when I tell people I'm a vegan they tend to be more intrigued (asking about my reasons for being vegan, curious about what I eat, etc etc. The only person who really annoys me is my mam. Now don’t get me wrong, she accepts my choice at the end of the day. She’s just very adamant about not letting me influence her eating habits - and I don’t even try to because she’s so close-minded. Any time I politely suggest she try a vegetarian meal she dismisses the idea as absurd and goes on and on about how she loves meat, as if she’s trying to TEMPT me into eating it (yuck!). I know that she was brought up differently to me and we have very different attitudes to food, but there’s no need for her to be so god damned smug about her meat-eating. There is a great double-standard in this society where veg*ns have a reputation for being self-righteous. Self-righteous meat-eaters tend to be overlooked :rolleyes:

When people give you hassle about being a vegan, it's mostly the case that they're subconsciously envious of your willpower.

Censorsh!t

monellia wrote: »

When people give you hassle about being a vegan, it's mostly the case that they're subconsciously envious of your willpower.

I definitely agree with that. I think also, they are trying to justiy their guilt by trying making you feel like crap

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

monellia wrote: »

When people give you hassle about being a vegan, it's mostly the case that they're subconsciously envious of your willpower.

Censorsh!t wrote: »

I definitely agree with that. I think also, they are trying to justiy their guilt by trying making you feel like crap

I'm sorry but I think that's a really arrogant attitude, and is a large part of why veggies tend to get grief. Some people-most people in fact- genuinely just really don't care about the plight of animals or whatever, and can't comprehend why someone would follow what they see as a very restrictive diet for reasons they don't care about. They don't have guilt to justify. Now of course there's no excuse for giving us hassle, but it goes two ways tbh.

Tom65

Xavier Fierce Place wrote: »

I'm sorry but I think that's a really arrogant attitude, and is a large part of why veggies tend to get grief. Some people-most people in fact- genuinely just really don't care about the plight of animals or whatever, and can't comprehend why someone would follow what they see as a very restrictive diet for reasons they don't care about. They don't have guilt to justify. Now of course there's no excuse for giving us hassle, but it goes two ways tbh.

I agree. This is why I don't talk much about vegetarianism to non-vegetarians. Reasons tend to sound really sanctimonious.


Though I will say that the person I get more grief off was a vegetarian until a few years ago. Make of that what you will

Aoifey!

I'm 16 and have been a vegetarian for 7 years. First people thought I was too young to make a mature decision and stick to it, to their surprise I did. So at first I had people treat me like I was going through some sort of phase, not to mention being forced to sit at the kitchen table starring at a sausage until my nother realised I was being serious about the whole vegetarian thing. I think some people are genuinely interested in why I am a vegetarian and respect my decision, some friends like to make jokes, but as long as it's not serious I don't mind, I don't force my opinion on others and wish to get the same respect back, and then there's your occasional ignorant, immature person who likes to tell you how your personal choice is wrong and not their pre-conceived notion of "normal".

Censorsh!t

Xavier Fierce Place wrote: »

I'm sorry but I think that's a really arrogant attitude, and is a large part of why veggies tend to get grief. Some people-most people in fact- genuinely just really don't care about the plight of animals or whatever, and can't comprehend why someone would follow what they see as a very restrictive diet for reasons they don't care about. They don't have guilt to justify. Now of course there's no excuse for giving us hassle, but it goes two ways tbh.

Sorry, i didnt mean all people who give vegetarians hassle, but a few are in fact like that. A few of my friends have in fact admitted it. Sorry that you picked that up the wrong way.

MadgeBadge

Myself and my sister play a little game when we're out to dinner with my Dad. It's called 'Count the Awful Vegetarian Jokes'. It generally includes classics such as 'is that a vegetarian glass of water?' and the ol classic 'a cow would eat you if it had half the chance'. Fun times :rolleyes:

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Censorsh!t wrote: »

Sorry, i didnt mean all people who give vegetarians hassle, but a few are in fact like that. A few of my friends have in fact admitted it. Sorry that you picked that up the wrong way.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to jump down your throat or anything, it's that general attitude more than your particular post which bugs me. And indeed probably some people do feel guilty about eating meat or secretly respect vegetarians, but I'd imagine it's the vast, vast minority.

Censorsh!t

Xavier Fierce Place wrote: »

Yeah, I wasn't trying to jump down your throat or anything, it's that general attitude more than your particular post which bugs me. And indeed probably some people do feel guilty about eating meat or secretly respect vegetarians, but I'd imagine it's the vast, vast minority.

General general attitude, or my general attitude?

If it's my general attitute you were referring to, it isn't like that's what i presume of everyone who eats meat. I know that it's a lack of education with the majority, and I really don't care that deeply what people choose as a diet. I wasn't trying to imply thats how everyone who will take the piss of vegetarians are, i was referring to a few people, whom I personally know. When I said "they" in my original post, I was referring to some people I know. i should have made that clearer. But oh well.
Also, I'm not directing this particularly at you, but for anyone who took my post wrong and sees my attitude as arrogant and presumptious.

Sapsorrow

ha this is funny, I started a thread ages ago about this, I rather naively named it 'why do ppl hate vegetarians' it got completely out of hand as loads of people with nothing better to do came in and used it as an excuse to have a good laugh talking about why they hate vegetarians and how we're hipocrites, weirdos, deluded and just plain wrong (in their opinion) and the usual veg vs meat debate took over! I think it got closed down in the end, I gave up on it almost as soon as I started it.

Steffi

I'm lucky, I haven't had much hassle about being a vegetarian and later a vegan.
When I went vegetarian at 14 most of the people in my life were very accepting, I even had a couple of friends who were vegetarian themselves. However, I did have one friend who took acception to my decision and couldn't quite get her head around vegetarianism as a concept (silly rants about how human teeth are made to chew meat were commonplace), which placed quite a fatal strain on our friendship.
When I went vegan last year at age 18 my friends and family were largely positive about it, despite not knowing much about it (none of my friends are vegan). My ex made wasn't very nice about it, making 'jokes' that were obviously quite malintended. Hense why he's an ex!

maameeo

when i first became a veggie as a teen, the boys i hung around with would love nothing more then to eat their burger right in my face, one even broke up bits of burger and threw it at me saying the cows gona get me! sad!

but generally now, i get people saying 'really? what do you eat then???'

or if im sick i always get people saying 'get bit of meat into ya and youll be grand' or 'if u ate me u wudnt get sick so often'

duno how that works! lol

phic

The thing I've always noticed, is people ask you why you're a vegetarian, then argue with your reasons, and then start calling you self righteous for explaining your reasons!
Why ask if you only want an arguement? I make a point never to critiscise anyone for what they eat, and yet people always seem to think it's fine to call me an idiot etc. for not eating meat.
Sigh, some people just like to argue methinks

maameeo

phic wrote: »

The thing I've always noticed, is people ask you why you're a vegetarian, then argue with your reasons, and then start calling you self righteous for explaining your reasons!

i get that a lot too, mostly try avoid telling people until i really need to, like when they offer me meat! lol

-lala-

phic wrote: »

The thing I've always noticed, is people ask you why you're a vegetarian, then argue with your reasons, and then start calling you self righteous for explaining your reasons!

Exactly.

Why do so many people do this? I think vegan-bashing must just seem like fun to some people... *sigh*

maameeo

i think they just cant imagine living on such a diet and then they feel intimidated.
plus its ireland, we are very so at change, vegetarian/vegans are kinda new words to a lot of people.

phic

maameeo wrote: »

i think they just cant imagine living on such a diet and then they feel intimidated.
plus its ireland, we are very so at change, vegetarian/vegans are kinda new words to a lot of people.

Ha I suppose! If its not meat and two veg its not food kinda mentality I think! Thought the best one though, was a relative of mine who's obesity is so bad that its caused numerous health problems, telling me my diets unhealthy and I'm an idiot! While his wife went on about how I have make sure to eat nuts for protein...sigh some people dont realise their hypocrisy!