To wonder why so many people try to 'convert' vegetarians into eating meat?

[justnotaballetmum]

I have not eaten meat for a number of years but for a period of time did eat fish.

I am now vegetarian. I am not vegan, but I try to avoid dairy.

As such, I choose not to give my children meat and fish although they do eat dairy.

I get a number of comments/stories like 'Ooh, I had this friend who was veggie - Until I gave her BACON! And now, she can't stop eating it!' I also get people commenting on I must miss roast lamb (I miss chicken more, actually!) and passing judgement on my children.

Since moving more towards veganism the critical comments have multiplied.

What are people's problems with my diet?

Some people just can't understand why others are different to them. If that person is a meateater then they just won't accept a vegetarian's choice. If they are a vegetarian they won't accept a meat eater's choice. Their minds can't cope with the fact that different people have different thoughts to them.

It's rude to talk someone down on their choices that don't affect yourself. Somehow these people never understood that.

It's like when someone decides they don't want children and another can't get why they wouldn't. Or when someone likes to wear no makeup regularly and someone who likes lots can't get it. People like different things but they just don't get it. I wonder how they get through life without getting seriously wound up about everything!

We're not a vegetarian household, but I do cook vegetarian meals as it's a good way of increasing veg in the diet in new and interesting ways, and also to sample different meals so I'm not stuck in a rut.

I couldn't care less if someone is vegetarian. If I have a veggie/vegan guest, I'd ask for ideas on what to cook, so that a) my guest has a good meal and b) I'll nick tasty ideas from anywhere.

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and I noticed a couple of friends of mine who were amazed that vegetarians don't all like the same things

PS, if anyone can link me to a decent vegetarian tart/flan recipe, I'd be grateful

Well I have it the other way around, friend turned vegetarian (I know them since they were meat eaters) who is raising her kids as vegetarians also but she has explained her 6 yo DD about why they should be vegetarian and also avoid diary in very drastic ways which resulted in her DD telling my DD that if she keeps drinking milk and meat she'll get cancer.

So my DD keeps repeating it even now about 3 years later from time to time.

Oh and her DH also lectured me for over an hour at a bbq once how I am putting my life at risk drinking milk and eating red meat and what an amazing long life they'll live because they gave meat up and only have soya milk...

I think they are judging themselves by your choices & feel uncomfortable with what they have found so they try to make you just like them

I think it must be because vegetarianism is demonstrably the morally superior diet, and this makes meat eaters edgy

And I say that as a meat-eater -- vegetarianism is better than eating meat, and veganism is better than vegetarianism, by every metric.

And although some meat-eaters (and remember, I am one) go on about "preachy vegetarians" there are FAR MORE preachy meat-eaters, IME.

Plus, I've never understood the big fuss about bacon -- people go on about it like it's crack or something. The one thing guaranteed to break the resolve of a veggie. I don't really like bacon. I mean, it's OK, but nothing amazing. I'd take a lovely slice of fried haloumi over a rasher any day. Don't believe the hype, veggies!

Your friends sound mean. I have vegan and veggie friends and I would never try to make them eat meat. It's their choice and I respect that :) I do believe children should be offered both until they are old enough to make their own decision but I could be in the minority here. I guess it's like anything, such as religion. Christians will take their children to church for example!

But I'm sorry but I have to say that I have witnessed lots of veggie and vegan people saying mean things about me eating meat. Including some of my own friends who have given it up. It's annoying because I wouldn't say anything to them so what gives them the right to make me feel guilty for eating meat. It's not fair. Make your choice and live with it, but don't make other people feel guilty for doing something perfectly normal.

Because they feel guilty and don't like it.

I am now almost completely vegetarian. I've been weaning myself off meat for the last few months, though I do sometimes eat and enjoy fish.

DD1 helped give me the nudge by becoming veggie whilst at university, and DD3, who worships the ground DD1 walks on, wanted to follow suit. DH and DD2 want to continue eating meat, as is their right, so I do cook it several times a week for them - a meat and a veggie version of the same dish at the same meal very often.

Nobody has the right to judge or criticise anyone else's dietary choices. We all eat what we enjoy and what suits us, for our own reasons.

Ooh, I had this friend who was veggie - Until I gave her BACON! And now, she can't stop eating it!' I also get people commenting on I must miss roast lamb

These don't sound critical to me, just people saying stuff in response to learning you're a veggie. It's probably a bit clunky, but not malicious I wouldn't think.

I'm surprised if i'm honest. So many people are vegetarian these days, it's not exactly unusual.

Because they're ignorant twats.

I haven't eaten meat for over 40 years. An idiot in my family thinks it's a phase I'm going through I'm slim and healthy, he's very fat and unhealthy so I don't take any notice.

Normally the subject of me being vegetarian doesn't come up in conversation. My friends just accept it and they are a mixture of meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans. I honestly never preach about it.

If anyone questions my choice, I ask if they'd eat their cat or dog. That usually shuts them up. I don't question their choice.

Bringing up vegetarian children sometimes bothered people though. My health visitor was concerned until she realised I knew far more about nutrition than her. She did have the good grace to apologise.

It's a two way street. I have never tried to convert a vegetarian but I have had vegetarians (specifically a friend of DW) go on about how terrible a person I am for eating meat and being a beef farmer.

I would never bring it up, each to their own and all that. An auntie of mine and Dsis are veggies but you'd never know it, they just quietly get on with it and if they come round we cater for them without making a big deal.

DW's friend doesn't come round any more, I got so fed up with her that I 'accidentally' left a deer that I'd shot the day before hanging in the larder once . In fact she won't even speak to me.... no great loss she was a miserable, morally superior old bore anyhow!

I think given the dozens/hundreds of people we engage with during a given period of time, it must be a small, if not tiny proportion that pass comment.

Try to focus on the majority, who don't give two hoots what you eat, rather than the relative handful who make the odd clunky remark.

Actually I find it's the other way round. A lot of vegetarians are very passionate about animal rights and I have received lectures about how much better it is for the planet and how much eating meat increases the risk of cancer from nearly every friend I have who is a vegetarian.

Also some vegetarian celebs do feel the need to shout about it and tell everyone how much kinder the world would be if everyone was vege.

People don't like the truth. The truth is that a vegan diet is morally-superior to a meat diet. Eating meat harms humans, non-human animals, and the environment. It's bonkers really.

ds has decided to go veggie apart from haribo I doubt his df will support him in that. ex is of the opinion that they will miss out on some nutrients...yet could not name which ones. also that vegetarian cooking is too hard... whilst eating a vegan main course.

ds wants to go vegan when he is older. that will piss off ex no end.

I couldn't give a toss what someone else eats, as long as they leave me alone for what I choose to eat.

I'm looking at you, rude bitch a work, who comes in to the lunch room every day and peers in people's lunches and says 'so how many little animals died today for your lunch?'.

I've experienced more judgement the other way... By leather shoe wearing, harbour and jelly eating vegetarian sis in law!

Woops should have said haribo and jelly eating sister in law!

It always seems a bit defensive to me.

Yes, that. ^

Eat meat, don't meat its nothing to do with me but why are you so obsessed with trying to get me to eat bacon?

I've experienced more judgement the other way... By leather shoe wearing, harbour and jelly eating vegetarian sis in law!

Depending on your SIL's reasoning for vegetarianism, she could still wear leather shoes and eat Haribo while remaining consistent.

It might be that she thinks meat is just bad for the environment and she wants to reduce the demand & all the deleterious environmental effects, which she will still have achieved in spades.

It might be that she wants to reduce animal misery, and she still will have accomplished this.

People can do small, medium or large things to agitate for change; we shouldn't point out to the people doing only medium-sized things, for example, that they could in fact do large-sized things.

YANBU - It's infuriating

BlackEyedSusan Haribo have their own veggie sweets now. they were on a promo trial in Tesco recently.

Lots of nice vegetarian jelly sweets in M&S too.
Veggie Percy particularly nice.

Veggie percy's are wonderful.
As a jewish friend pointed out recently, the aren't just for vegetarians!