A good friend of mine has turned Vegan (rant alert)

[LEMmingaround]

And is banging on about how disgusting the meat industry is etc etc, putting provocative shit on facefuck and generally shoving it down my throat. (and her other friends too i imagine). She has two young children and is now thinking about feeding them a vegan diet too - great, im sure its very healthy, whoopie. But i don't want to become a vegan, i was veggie for a while but found it too restrictive i am too lazy and expensive to eat properly. Whatever.

You know what - if you want to be veggie, great, if you want to be and can manage to be vegan - respect! but fuck off with trying to make me feel guilty for not doing the same thing. EVERY fucking time i see or talk to you. especially when the last time i saw you shopping in tesco before you met a new group of friends you were buying battery farmed eggs

She tried to make me have soya milk and really got shitty when i said, no i'll have proper milk please, because actually, and i can't be 100% sure it was the soya or quorn but i had an allergic reaction and had to be blue lighted to hospital when i ate a veggie spag bol once before, so no thankyou very much. Thinking back i could have just had black coffee but was tired and mind fucked from her going on about the poor fucking cows....

Rant over

Cute is right, it has to be said. I have been veggie for several years, but if someone found out that I didn't eat meat at the time there was a pretty good chance that an interrogation would immediately ensue, complete with assumption after assumption about motivations for that choice. Still, doesn't make any difference to this person being a total arse.

I'm Vegan, I don't preach to people.

Animal cruelty is an important issue to me, though, so if the subject comes up, I talk about it.

Re, eggs, it's complex, but the main reason is that your body gets use to not having to break down animal products and so you get the shits/are in pain etc, if you eat an animal product.

I bought a "add boiling water" pot of porridge, that out of the packet, is Vegan.

I sharted that evening and the next morning, thanks to the milk in it.

Iceland sells Vegan jellies for a pound. They are nice and not full of crap. I would also recommend Vegan crisps. I have to hide them from my meat eating family/friends.

To clarify - I no longer am, it was some years ago.

Vegans and vegetarians getting mixed up in this thread.

I agree Tilly, we all make our choices. That's the point - they are our choices.

The problems begin when people start the holier than thou shit.

Not really - there's huge overlap in the general issues, despite the obvious differences.

YANBU. It seems she's really caught up in her new passion and probably doesn't realise how she comes across though. If you want to remain friends try and grit your teeth (smile and nod) and hope she reins herself in when the novelty has worn off.

"Why are they poor cows?"
Joules, basically the cows need to have a calf to produce milk. Problem is we want the milk, so generally the calves are removed from their mothers well before they'd naturally wean (traumatisng for both cow and calf) and fed formula. Male calves are commercially of no use to the dairies so are shot or raised for veal (hopefully not abroad where they will spend the rest of their sad lives in crates in dark sheds). In the meantime we push the cow to her milk producing limit, having calf after calf, knackering her out so much she's only fit for an early visit to the abattoir. There's plenty of info in the internet about the horrors of the dairy industry should you wish to look further.

"...I've never understood why they can't eat free-range, organic, un-fertilised eggs..."
carcharodoncarcharias, probably because flocks of laying hens get slaughtered en masse when they are no longer commercially viable, i.e. when they won't guarantee laying a certain number of eggs a year. They are still young, still lay loads of eggs, but just not quite guaranteed to make the quota. The farms get rid and bring in new stock. So even though it's natural for them to lay eggs, and it could be argued they might have a reasonable life (although that's debatable), it's possibly one of the things that upsets vegans.

"...I never understood the egg thing either. I have three chickens. They have a big cat proof enclosure, cozy bedding, plenty of chance to free roam when I'm out in the yard, good food, kept healthy, and in exchange they let me have their eggs which is essentially a waste product (no rooster here). Seems like a great deal to me and I'm at a loss to find any ethical concerns about it."
MidniteScribbler, I've kept chickens too (rescued ex-battery hens), but we really can't compare our back yard pets with commercial egg farms. What Topaz25 said.

Birds what's not vegan about regular ready salted crisps?

Genuine question. DD2 (13) is vegetarian (not vegan). As in doesn't eat Haribo etc.

OP, you have a potentially life threatening allergy to a common substance, but haven't figured out what you are allergic to???

If it's soy, you must be rushing to A&E fairly often, as soy is in lots of things.

Your friend sounds quite self righteous, but so do you--

carcharadon Walkers ready salted are vegan. Don't know about others.

Some salt and vinegar contain dried skimmed milk powder and so are not vegan. It's what they put in the coating to carry the flavouring. Walkers got rid of theirs in 2011. I believe Pringles are the worst offenders for sticking milk in their crisps (dated knowledge from 6 months of attempted veganism in 2002.)

Free range unfertilised eggs etc. ... They kill nearly all the male chicks and keep the females to grow into hens to lay the eggs. So chicken death is inexorably linked to egg-production.

Vegan jellies in Iceland?! Fab! Shall forget my prior boycott (based on the 'mums go to Iceland' crap) and go! See? No morals.
As others have said, as a veggie, I have never lectured, but every meal out with new people, formal dinner etc., the interrogation begins...

My ex was vegan and I was because he was. We were a pair of boring, sanctimonious shites. I am now a fully fledged carnivore again...yum! Yabu op. Wait til she gets the animal rights leaflets out. Yawn.

Im a vegan but hardly anyone knows. Ive never preached or ranted about it. Its my personal choice.

The main reason I dont tell anyone is that Ive had the same as OP but in reverse, ie. You need a bit of meat/protein, come on, Ill cook you a bacon sandwich or my personal favourate - "how could you kill those tiny baby veggies and eat them???" Etc etc etc

Im slim, really hardy and healthy, loads of energy despite being actually quite old now also would like to shag Rich Roll

Theres a lot of stereotyping and distrust of vegans, even just reading the replies. its a healthy diet. Your friend sounds annoying, but sounds like she would be annoying about anything. Its just a shame shes a vegan and giving us bad publicity.

I've just realised I've got to 35 years old and have never interrogated any vegetarians or vegans about their choice of diet

That's good. Most people don't, but plenty do.

YolandiFuckinVisser

having said that, as a recent convert she will be prey to the full gamut of vegan consciousness. A hardcore vegan (i'm talking ALF/conflict types) must attempt to convert, influence, evangelise their friends & family or they're not a proper vegan. If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem.

My friends are definitely at this stage. It's a bit like religion isn't it? Which is funny with the people I know as they are vehemently anti religion.

the problem with vegan pets is that, as a committed animal rights activist one shouldn't be exploiting animals by keeping them as pets.

I thought that the ethos of pet keeping was at odds with living a pure vegan life; I'm not sure what they think is going to happen to pets and animals kept for food if people decide their ethics didn't allow them to keep them any more.

Actually I have tried the nut milks as an alterntive to dairy because there is a school of thought that says cutting down dairy can improve asthma and have found I quite like them but I dislike soya milk. Having said that though I have tried the Sojade soya and rice desserts and they are delicious, I don't think anyone would guess they were not dairy based.

I've also tried the Biona Organic Potato Chips Himalayan Pink Salted which are vegan certified and really nice.

I'm not averse to trying vegan food, I just dislike being lectured (I don't do it and would like others to not do it to me) and by people who are actually not following their own beliefs if they have pets.

I think there is a little blurring of the lines on this thread between vegetarians and vegans.

Where is this 'blurring' when the basic issue here is preaching about food choices to others?? Applies to vegans, vegetarians of all kinds, and omnivores.

It's not the diet, it's the sanctimonious preaching that goes with it that annoys me. It is almost cult like in the belief that if everyone was vegan than we could save the planet.
I've no doubt that it is a healthy diet when done properly but cutting out whole food groups can be dangerous. I think it's the obsessive nature of it and restrictiveness of it that got to me when I was vegan. It is so nice just to be able to tuck into a delicious bacon sandwich without fretting about whether it is organic , humane, meat and dairy free. I also found it very socially isolating.
Part of the thing about food is socialising and having fun. As a vegan I found that I only wanted to associate with other vegans, I was obsessed with food and I was boring as hell. All the meat eaters gave me a wide birth anyway because of the preaching.
As for animal rights... I love animals but as an animal myself I have to acknowledge that I'm top of the good chain...animals aren't sentimental about diet and eating meat and I cannot afford to be.
Funnily enough when I left my vegan ex I started to eat normally again. I got the full on vegan preaching from him including animal rights leaflets and refusal to kiss me if I are meat.

It is one of those times that you need to smile, nod and ignore. Do not get drawn into even discussing it.
'Really', said very mildly, with a change of subject is the most you need. Do not cast an opinion or respond to hers.
If it doesn't work and she keeps on the subject just say 'we are all different and I am bored with talking about food' and change the subject.

superstarheartbreaker
It's not the diet, it's the sanctimonious preaching that goes with it that annoys me. It is almost cult like in the belief that if everyone was vegan than we could save the planet.

This is so true especially the almost cult like behaviour, it is very like someone converting to a new religion.

As for animal rights... I love animals but as an animal myself I have to acknowledge that I'm top of the good chain...animals aren't sentimental about diet and eating meat and I cannot afford to be.

I think this is what I was trying to say but not explaining it very well. I think that we can do more like trying to improve the conditions of food animals by buying responsibly than opting out altogether if we want to continue to eat meat. Even though I eat meat there is some that I wouldn't eat such as pate de foie gras because I don't like the methods that are used to produce it. I wouldn't eat veal because I don't like the traditional way it is produced and although there seem to have been some moves in the EU at least to make it less cruel I don't think it is enough. I eat eggs and I try to buy the ones that come from birds that are properly free to roam and fed the diet they are supposed to be fed (not just given access to the open in a playing lip service way).

In a capitalist economy, I think these are the choices that will help things to change rather than opting out completely and they are the only ones that are available to me on a daily basis as I want to continue to eat meat. Eating less but better quality and cared for meat is surely the best choice as we (as a country) probably eat more meat and other animal products than is good for us and could do with eating more vegetables and fruit as well.

I think Delphiniumsblue has the right approach, being preached to and being 'holier than thou' usually annoys more than it converts!

Just say to her - "yes I know you are vegan. Good for you. I am not, I like meat". If she goes on about the living conditions of the animals, say "Yep, yep I get it, now can we talk about something else, this is boring".

If she goes on and on about it still, then maybe not see so much of her.

I am vegetarian by the way, but hate preaching of any kind.

In any case, if everyone came around to her way of thinking, what does she think will become of the animals that were reared as food -in whatever conditions. A few chickens, cows, etc will be put in a zoo. The rest would disappear not only off your plate but out of the field/pen/etc etc.

Deathraystare

That's what I have always wondered about the radical vegan view of life, there would be no incentive to keep animals traditionally bred for food alive if they were not eaten and of course pets/companion animals do not feature in their world.

I have looked (not very extensively I must admit) to see if there is an argument/discussion about this but have not yet been able to find one that answers my query about this issue (which is purely curiosity on my part).

I have a friend who has become vegan in the last few months. Oh my god, he used to be so lovely and he's now a sanctimonious pain in the arse.

I don't actually care what he chooses to eat/not eat so I expect the same courtesy from him, not him going through my cupboards ranting on about the tin of ravioli that's been there since 1996

He's also taken up cycling, and is berating everyone left right and centre for daring to drive.

I've put him on limited FB profile and just hoping he reverts back to his normal loveliness as soon as the first flush of the new convert passes

Anyone who goes on about food is annoying unless it's a shared obsession. Between friends and colleagues I've got the following irritating people:

• Vegans who make a song and dance insisting on soy milk "because I'm a vegan so I don't consume animal products" every time it's your time to do the tea round
• Vegetarians (who still eat fish and haribo etc)
• People with allergies who feel the need to constantly tell you about their allergies
• People on the Atkins diet who thinks everyone else is selfish for eating carbs around them
• People on the 5:2 diet who basically turn into moody gits for 2 days of the week
• Anyone who's ridiculously fussy about food but thinks that they're not fussy and that everyone else is BU
• People who can't keep kosher or halal without a 20 minute talk about why they can't eat certain foods
• Obsessive foodies who want to explain the origin of everything you're eating (also applies to wine buffs...)

I find zoning out or obviously yawning tends to shut them up. If not a "Yes, I know. You've told me quite a few times actually" conveys the right level of disdain...

YANBU and it's normally people who only just 'converted' to veganism who bang on about it. Boring.