AIBU to expect vegan guests to avoid preaching at shared meals?

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I’m a flexitarian. Meaning I have a mostly plant focused diet. But if invited to, say, a work event or a wedding or to dinner at my oldest friend’s parents house, I’ll eat a lot of salad, potatoes, and bread. Maybe even a bit of their chicken or beef roast to not cause offense or awkwardness. So, that’s my choice. I have long term dear friends who are vegans. I respect that. But I want them to contribute an appropriate dish to share with everyone if it’s that’s so important to them. That said, I think they should just eat and shut up. Do what works for them and leave other people alone. Judging and preaching at
your host and other people is bad manners. No matter how passionate you are, there’s no need for that. You don’t persuade people by bullying them. Am I wrong?

I'm not having a go - I'm genuinely interested in your answer.

We do know that eating animals is murdering animals, and that it's very bad for the environment, and I'm interested in how people un-see this when there is another option.

As an aside, being 'had a go at' is such a minute inconvenience in the context of what is being had a go about. I'm always embarrassed for those who use this rhetorical device.

Or just doesn't delve too deeply. For example, I suspect I've had soup with meat stock on occasion.

Though I did send one back one time when I ordered a vegetable soup which had ham floating around in it!

You've hit the nail on the head Bringing.
It's part of being vegan isn't it..thou must preach and bore the tits off people with your vegan views

I have vegan friends, I have veggie friends, I eat meat on occasions. I've never had anyone criticise my food choices. If anyone "preached" their choice of diet, I would just distance myself from them. Can't be bothered with judgemental behaviour.

I've only once debated with a meat-eater in person and they started the discussion themselves.

I think meat-eaters construct these tropes/jokes because they know that their position is very hard to defend. It conflicts with their self-image as a decent, moral person, and makes them deeply uncomfortable. So they frame 'preachiness' as a worse crime than animal cruelty and helping to destroy the planet.

It's like being accused of murder and making a counter-accusation of 'your mum'. It's such an underpowered 'crime' in comparison with that of which they feel accused that it's (almost) laughable.

Eating animals is not inherently bad for the environment.

It's the global over consumption that is driving the environmental issues.

I genuinely believe we should eat meat, just not every meal every day! You just have to look on the threads on here about vegetarian weddings and how people kick off that there's no meat for one meal in one day of their entire life. It seems that some people think they should have meat every single meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. And they can't comprehend meals without meat being perfectly fine!

What I found an interesting watch is the TV series a few years ago called back home in time for tea or similar. And it was very striking that in the 20s, for example, they had one rasher of bacon to share between the whole family for a meal. And these days, people think you're being tight if you only put two in a sandwich.

Ok.... So they're still contributing to it?

Of they want to be preachy, they should be prepared to be preached back at, just because they think they're right, doesn't mean they are right and vice versa.

We're all allowed different opinions,and nobody should be telling anyone what they should and shouldn't be eating.

I did - sorry

Honestly, do either of you know anyone whose vegan? Believe it or not, we don't spend our days 'preaching'. FFS

Plant-based food sources such as tofu generally have a much lower carbon footprint than meat. That doesn't mean the footprint is zero. I doubt it would be possible to live life without having any environmental impact at all.

I took this graph from a United Nations food and climate change report (note - I think soy would fall into the legumes c category):

The report is here if you want to check the source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food

People who adopt a vegan diet due to environmental concerns are taking a sensible approach to reducing their carbon footprint, I don't see how that's hypercritical. And besides which, some vegans choose to be vegan for other reasons.

Oh for some reason my image wasn't included!

And also utter bollocks @AmazingGreatAunt