5 Things Vegetarians Are Tired Of Hearing

One of the biggest perks of being a vegetarian is seeing a cute farm animal and not feeling guilty because you ate that type of animal for lunch earlier.

The biggest drawback? Comments from other people.

I’ve been a vegetarian for almost a year, and most of the conversations I have about it are, if not great, at least tolerable. Yet, I keep hearing the same few things over and over again, and if I’m already tired of them you can rest assured other vegetarians are as well.

 

So, to help you not drive your vegetarian friends crazy, here are five things we’re tired of hearing:

Your guilt driven reason why you’re not a vegetarian

 

You’re not a vegetarian. Great. You made your choice. Do you know who doesn’t need to hear your guilty defense of your dietary choices? ME.

 

“Don’t you miss it ???”

 

No, actually. I really don’t miss knowing that my consumer choices directly encouraged the slaughter of animals. Also, going vegetarian gets easier and easier the longer you keep at it – it isn’t torture.

Your relentless questions about how we get protein

 

I let this one slip when it is a genuinely interested question coming from one of my close family members or best friends. Coming from anybody else, this line of questioning usually sounds like an interrogation by someone doubtful of your capability to properly feed yourself. It also makes me want to fire back, “I don’t know, how do YOU get all your protein??”

 

Your comments that make us sound like we have a disability

 

If I hear one more person quietly say, “Kelvey can’t have that,” or “Kelvey can’t eat much here,” while shooting me a pitying glance, I might actually scream. Are there people who are vegetarians because their bodies genuinely can’t handle meat? Sure. Am I one of them? No.

Loving creatures to the point where you don’t want to eat them isn’t a condition, it’s a choice. We’re not broken. WE’RE FINE. IT’S OKAY.

 

“Mmm, I bet you wish you could eat this.”

 

Okay, I take it back. I won’t scream the next time somebody talks to me like I have a disability – I’ll scream the next time somebody waves the piece of meat they’re eating in my face and makes this comment. All of the things I’ve already mentioned are just annoying; this is a JERK move. Don’t be this person.

If you want to talk about your friend’s vegetarianism, try this question: “What inspired you to give up eating meat?” That takes the focus off the food they’re consuming and places it onto something they’re passionate about, a much better choice.