To ask why do meat eaters have such a problem with vegans?!

[CadyHeron]

Ok, genuine question, and I've been around here long enough to know this is probably going to descend into a bunfight but meh
Seriously. Why?! I've only recently noticed it since doing Veganuary and mainly carrying it on now even though it's finished. Up until then, I eat everything - fish,meat, cheese.....but at the same time eating lots of vegan and vegetarian food too as DH is a long time vegetarian.
(Who's gone vegan after completing Veganuary.)
Been out for dinner today.
"Surely you can have a little bit?!" (Erm, no )
We've also had "but it's not healthy!" (that all depends on how you do it,surely? I know I was eating a lot healthier during Veganuary as I was conscious about what I was eating and not just mindlessly shovelling stuff in - even though I love mindlessly shoving stuff in
Or you'll get a bacon sandwich shoved in your face. "You want this bacon, don't you? Don't you?"
Erm,no not really.
I don't give a shit whether people eat meat, why are they so bothered that I'm vegan for a while?!
Must be exhausting to be a proper one!
not including the militant ones that tell you meat is murder as they can just go away and practise the saying each to their own...

Growingboys why don't you bore off.

Most vegans won't go on about it. Most wont even mention it - it's everyone else that always brings it up.

Hmm it's usually the new converts who go round declaring they HATE meat .

I had 2 vegetarian friends at school who were the hate meat types. They both went back to meat after a year. I am still quietly vegetarian in my 50s.
It does piss me off when people ask "Why aren't you vegan"?
Or tell me that I must be desperate to eat the chicken or bacon on their plate.
Or do I eat that well known vegetable "Fish" (no that's a pescatarian )

I just put their tardiness down to envy because obvs , I'm going to live to be 112

they feel embarrassed or threatened by it because they see it as the better choice but can't/won't partake

Erm what now, better choice how exactly? This is the type of vegan claptrap that pisses folk off!

In the last year we me and DH have slowly made the switch to a completely vegan diet (DC are pescatarian-their choice). It gets mentioned when neccesary, never neccesary to mention it on social media. Most meat eaters have no problem with it as we dont with them but we have had a few 'BACON, BACON, BACON!!!' 'Just have a burger, it wont kill you' people

I don't have issues with what anyone else does or does not eat, it's up to them. What I do have issues with is other people trying to force their view's onto me.

I'm friend's with quite a few vegetarians and vegans and every single one goes on at length about it. If it isn't about the poor animals, it's the carbon footprint I'm creating eating meat and if it isn't either of those things it's telling me how they are so much more healthy than I am. Truth be known they all have very pale skin and dark sunken eyes, none of them look healthy.

If you want to be vegan etc go for it, just stop the preaching!

I don’t think meat eaters have a problem with vegans. Meat eaters have a problem with vegans who preach to them that the meat eaters have made the ‘wrong’ life style.

Live and let live.

they feel embarrassed or threatened by it because they see it as the better choice but can't/won't partake

I don't necessarily think meat eaters do think this but because vegetarians/vegans do see vegetarianism/veganism as the better choice for them ,many meat eaters assume they are being negatively judged so can be defensive, or as I have experienced many times, go on the attack.

Personally I have no issue with people who are veggie/vegan/piscatarian/frutarian as long as they do not preach to me about how " I" should eat..

I get to make the choice too on how I wish my diet to be. So as long as you do not try to " convert me" then I wont try to " convert" you either..

However if you have to make gagging noises look distastefully at my food choices comment on the " poor baby lamb" when I eat Or tell me all about how bad it is for my veins and general health then ALL bets are off and I get to dish your food choices just as much.

Incidentally OP I do actually (as a meat eater) understand what your saying.. Dh and I have boycot N*stle' for the last 18 years we STILL get people who feel sorry for our children " poor lambs never tasted a smartie" SO WHAT?

I am vegan too, and have found similar issues to you. Friends can't accept that it is my choice 'cant you just have a cheat day'.

A lot of criticism on mumsnet. Preachy meat eaters in real life who like to talk about torturing animals, they are absolute twats.

Free Niki you seem a little obsessed with avocadoes. The reality is that meat has a far far greater impact, and being vegan does not increase ones consumption of avocadoes. Even if it did, one would eat to eat avocadoes for nearly every meal to increase the carbon impact to that of a heavy meat eater (which is the UK average)

Dh and I have boycot Nstle' for the last 18 years we STILL get people who feel sorry for our children " poor lambs never tasted a smartie" SO WHAT?*

'Cos there's no other chocolate out there apart from Smarties to taste,you bad bad parents you said with tongue firmly in cheek but know exactly where you're coming from!

Friends can't accept that it is my choice 'cant you just have a cheat day'

See, that's what you get and how do you have a cheat day at veganism?! You either are or you aren't!

Fwiw as well, I don't preach. I only mention being vegan if it is relevant (eg meeting a friend for lunch). If friends ask I am happy to talk about being vegan, but I don't say anymore unless asked.

I don’t discuss it have to tell anyone I’m an omnivore. I however can tell you every vegan I work with. It’s more that people seem the need to tell you, instead of just do it. Similar to same sex and heterosexual. I think when you’re in the minority instead of just getting on with your life, everyone has to be made aware of your life. Leads to more commenting because some seem to encourage the commenting.

Because Vegns are always preaching about being a vegan and pushing it in peoples faces, always have to have the last word,
Always have to butt in other peoples conversationsregarding anythigng to do with animal cruelty
Just shut up

I don’t discuss it have to tell anyone I’m an omnivore. I however can tell you every vegan I work with. It’s more that people seem the need to tell you, instead of just do it

Thing is,if you're vegan you kind of sometimes have to say "is it vegan?" when out. Whereas if you're an omnivore it's more flexible and you don't have to really check as it's usually suitable.

Dicks across all eating choices!
Lifelong vegetarian had meat eaters try to put meat in my food question me excessively why I’m veggie and just generally be dicks. Also had vegans aggressively question me why I won’t go vegan and make comments while I’m eating egg etc

@CadyHeron. Not at work. We all provide our own lunch. Or buy it at the cafe. There is never a need for me to know.

The post immediately before mine by hibbledibble sums up my problem with some vegans. "Preachy meat eaters who like to talk about torture of animals" - just utter rubbish.

I have zero problems with vegans. I don't really pay enough attention to what other people are eating.
What I do find annoying is when vegan people try to make you feel guilty for eating meat. If people just go about their days eating whatever they like then it's all good right?

I think you find most people dont care. You generalising too much. Each to their own. Never meet a meat eater unless its a dog. Im a omnivore myself. Not a bacon fan through so anyone putting a bacon sandwich in front of me id not be pleased although id love a sausage sandwich but like most people id equally be happy eating vegetarian. Its food and if it tastes good id eat it. Sadly vegan cakes ive tasted so far are not worth eating.

Vegan food is brilliant, love it. Except when it's pretending to be meat or cheese, then it's generally over processed crap.

I cook veggie or vegan a lot because I love vegetables and most of the vegan protein sources like beans and lentils. But I do find that a lot of great vegan food is even better if you put a bit of cheese or bacon on top.

I wish there were more interesting vegan choices in restaurants, it's not hard to do and it's cheap for the business to provide.

As long as everyone is polite about each other's food then everyone should just rock on.

I suppose I have a slight (internal!) 'hmmm' kind of reaction to veganism but that's because I have had an eating disorder for nearly 20 years and therefore know huge numbers of eating disordered, recovering, 'recovered' and recovered eating disorder sufferers. It is incredibly common for 'recovered' people to become vegan and use it as a way to keep their calories low, stay underweight, obsess about and control food intake, have a 'healthy' set of food rules etc. So I suppose I tend to get sceptical about people's motives for veganism. But that's really my issue, not theirs anyway.

A faddy or fussy eater is someone who will only eat chicken nuggets or chips. There is a lot of ignorance about vegan food. It is actually very easy to find and very healthy. It's just not full of processed crap. You don't see many obese vegans

Don't agree with that at all. A faddy or fussy eater is someone with a very limited diet that they are unwilling or frightened to expand.

I only eat chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, yogurt and plain pop corn. That's incredibly faddy and fussy and drives people up the wall. It makes eating at someone's house impossible unless I know and trust them well and makes eating in restaurants difficult. I imagine veganism has similar restrictions in many places/homes and I would definitely class it as fussy (and faddy if it is only a phase - not faddy if it's lifelong/years).

Fussy eaters fuss about what they eat - whether it's an internal, organised fuss or an external, annoying fuss. People who aren't fussy don't care what they eat. Vegans care!

Meat eating is like a religious belief, just like gun owners in America, climate change deniers or football fans. It becomes part of their identity and is put aside from any rational introspection.

Anyone who demonstrates a different belief like Vegans are viewed as challenging their core identity and potentially exposing them as cruel/evil/immoral/wrong/stupid. Very few people have the courage to look at their core beliefs because their whole world might crumble and they potentially have to deal with living a lie.

Julie - I'd say it's veganism that's like the religious belief, not meat eating.

Meat eating (in the majority of cultures) is the default. Veganism follows a set of rules for a strong reason (moral or health)

Just like atheism (in modern, western culture) is the default and religion follows a set of rules for a strong reason.

People who follow the less common lifestyle (veganism and religion) are more likely to talk about it and be very enthusiastic about it.

People who follow the 'status quo' don't need to talk about it because it's assumed.

OP I'm veggie and two of my closest friends are vegan

I'm with you, I find people go on about it being weird but I've never talked about vegetarianism or veganism. That alleged joke about "how do you know someone is vegan" - I really don't get it. We get so much hassle for our choices we only mention it if we need to.