Why explain myself?

[Grayveggie]

Why am I constantly having to explain myself to coworkers, friends, waitresses in restaurants, etc about why I decided to become a vegetarian???????!!!! I don't want to be rude or be a jerk, but my goodness these people ask such dumb questions!! I feel it's MY business what I do or don't eat and I'm tired of explaining that THIS IS WHAT I FEEL CALLED TO DO. I was meant to become vegetarian and later transition to Vegan. I'm doing it FOR THE ANIMALS and I just can't eat meat any longer because I feel it's wrong. I'm sick of people asking over and over why at my age (47) I feel the need to "go hippie" or "be extreme" . That is what they are saying. I said well deep down I AM a hippie that wasn't born until 1969, and if eating fruits & veggies, whole grains, nuts & seeds, drinking plant milk is EXTREME, then so be it. Any other people have to go through this 20 question game with "concerned friends/family"??

 

[PTree15]

It does get tiresome, especially the questions concerning health and nutrition. I'm amazed at how many "health experts" come out of the woodwork to advise/interrogate me on everything from protein to fats to calcium, etc., etc. And while the questions get tedious and may seem rude and ill-informed, I look at these instances as opportunities to get people to at least think about what they eat. So many people are disconnected from the fact that their food was a living being at one point. They look at it as stuff that comes in packages of styrofoam and plastic wrap.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

 

[Tom L.]

That IS a pain.

If you don't want to discuss it, you have nothing to apologize for. Myself, I don't mind answering, but I keep it short: I stopped eating the foods which I stopped eating because animals are killed and injured specifically to produce them. I don't go into the details unless asked to (e.g., 1: there's no such thing as "humane slaughter" or "happy meat"; 2: I may not believe a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy, but I absolutely believe a rat is a pig is a dog is a cow is a turkey is a deer is a gerbil is a cat is a chicken is a...... and I love them all equally; 3: eating a vegan diet is quite doable for me because I have no other dietary restrictions; .....other points to be discussed as they come up.)

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Ask these pesky dumb-asses if they'd give the same kinda crap to the likes of Gandhi or Charles Darwin or George Bernard Shaw or Mark Twain or Thomas Edison or Ben Franklin or Carl Sagan or Nikola Tesla or Albert Einstein or Leonardo DaVinci....
ALL VEG-HEADS!!

 

[Grayveggie]

Oh wow!

 

[kita]

You can just ask to be left alone. I know that's a little hard to do. Maybe just say "can I eat in peace"

I love how these people will bother others while they themselves are eating meat, fast food, etc. Totally normal of coarse. Compared to those weirdos not eating meat or dairy.

My mother stopped eating meat in her 60's. It's never too late.

Don't let them get to you.

 

[shyvas]

It does get tiresome, especially the questions concerning health and nutrition. I'm amazed at how many "health experts" come out of the woodwork to advise/interrogate me on everything from protein to fats to calcium, etc., etc. And while the questions get tedious and may seem rude and ill-informed, I look at these instances as opportunities to get people to at least think about what they eat. So many people are disconnected from the fact that their food was a living being at one point. They look at it as stuff that comes in packages of styrofoam and plastic wrap.

Yes, and they all eat sugar, smoke and over indulge with alcohol.

 

[silva]

Ask meat eaters where they get there potassium. Three different events I've seen people taken away by ambulance for low potassium levels. People given supplements (which can be dangerous), griping about not eating salt so it doesn't interfere...All the while they should be eating lots of beans, lentils, spinach, yams... but no, they choke down a banana a day which isn't much at all.
The most concentration is in beans and legumes

 

[Andy_T]

Ask these pesky dumb-asses if they'd give the same kinda crap to the likes of Gandhi or Charles Darwin or George Bernard Shaw...

Well, I guess, they would ....

 

[Katrina]

The questions should die down once you've been vegetarian for a while and everyone gets used to it. Although, I can't say that a waitress has ever asked me about it...

You could try keeping your answers short, like "I just like how it makes me feel" or "I don't feel comfortable eating animals." As for the age thing.... I would turn it around on them and ask "Why does my age matter?"

as for the extreme comment... I would say that my diet may seem extreme to them, but that I feel the same way about the typical American diet (high in sugar, salt, excess amounts of meat). Depending on who you're talking to, that could either shut them up or start a debate. lol.