Do your friends and family ever try to convert you to eat meat again?!
Do your friends and family ever try to convert you to eat meat again?
i don't understand why it's anyones business what i chose not to eat.
why would my friends and family genuinely try hard to argue and bargain with me to eat meat. it doesn't affect them in anyway.
my brother even offered me $100 to eat a piece of meat! i think he was joking but still!
does it happen with anyone else? or do i just have a terrible support network
Answers:
yes! (especially in the early days!) but, even 18+ years into being a vegetarian, they'll still say things like, "oh, just pick the pepperoni and cheese off the pizza and eat it." ick. no thanks.
it also doesn't help that a cousin of mine was a vegetarian for about 5-10 years and then recently has started eating meat-- and LOTS of it; so naturally, the rest of the family assumes i'll start eating meat, too. (so now i get a lot of: "see, there's nothing WRONG with it!!!")
my mom will instantly detest ANY "fake meat" i have her try, even if she can't tell the difference.
i think it's more with how people are raised (read: brainwashed!). as in, when my mom was young, i'm sure she got: "you NEED 5 glasses of milk a day to be healthy", which is a total fallacy!
in short, most people just go with the flow of things and don't want to open their eyes.
Yes this happens to me to, More along the lines of my mom trying to sneak meat in my food. She does this because "it is not a big deal"
yes yes yes i know how you feel... im vegetarian, and every time someone finds out they shoot at me the classic: "but they're already so why not just eat it"... or the other: "god put animals on this earth so we could eat them"... or the good ol' "do you just have weird taste buds?".. its so annoying and i just wanna let you know your not alone.. you just have to say that it is your choice and if yuo wanted meat you wouldve eaten some by now, and offering it to you will just be a waste.
My mom keeps "forgetting" that I don't eat meat even though I have been a vegetarian for three years now. Their reaction is due to the fact that they don't understand why you are choosing to be different, why you are choosing not to partake in something they see as normal and good for you and something they enjoy themselves. Just don't worry about it and stick to your guns. If you stop reacting to their arguing and bargaining, then they may stop doing it. Someday they should just accept your decision and leave you alone. Or they may not...it may be the family joke forever...but who cares if you are doing what you think is right and what makes you feel good.
Only every day!
Don't eat anything you really don't want to or believe in. But as a diet expert I will say, Meat eating is not that bad for you. The human body is designed for both meat and veggies, not just one or the other. I've know many people who have come down with cancer and other diseases' beacuse they eat nothing but veg. Also, many people die from eating just meat.
So, it's all about alittle of this and alittle of that.
Hi there! Well the good news is you are not alone!!
My husband and my brother both have tried to bribe me to eat some meat as well.
And I always get comments from acquaintances who have just found out that I do not eat meat-("you don't know what you are missing" and I reply you are right I don't- ha ha...etc)
The bad news is I am sure there are tons of people who feel this way as well! : (
The "why don't you eat meat" questions are annoying but the comments and bargaining are even more annoying!
Bottom Line= You are NOT alone! : )*
My friends and family are supportive, and so is my boyfriend, but he still teases me about it, and less close friends will wave meat at me or chew meat with their mouths open, hoping to gross me out (it doesn't work).
Some meat-eaters try to force their opinions onto you, but I can understand that, because some vegos do exactly the same. I never make a fuss about it, and - for the most part - nobody makes a fuss about me. It works well for me.
my friends and family used to do that until... I started to throw facts at them about vegetarianism. I would say things like "at least no one had to die for me to be fed" or "it's funny how you are fat and I'm not" or "we could end world hunger tomorrow if everyone stopped eating meat" once someone said that animals eat other animals. I said "it's true, but some animals eat their young" as humans, we should know better. Eventually they left me alone.
My brother-in-law always manages a comment about his vegetarian friends when we are at dinner. It's always something about their weird reasons for being vegetarian. After the third or fourth comment I just say "well, it's not the eating of something that was once alive that bothers me, it's the eating of something that was beaten, abused, tortured, and probably boiled alive that makes it unappetizing for me." At that point everyone at the table is grossed out. What can I say?
There is nothing wrong with not wanting to eat meat, or wanting to eat meat. I think you have the right to decide what you want to eat. No one should try to convert you one way or the other. Stick by your choice.
I know this is fairly common but it sounds like you need to make a stand. Maybe if you say something like "I am not having this discussion anymore" and leave the room or even leave completely if it continues? Or in some other way make it plain you will not change your mind. It's wrong for those who should be your biggest support to pressure you like that-maybe they just don't see what they're doing.
well, Im 21... im a veg, i dont live with my mother. :) my husband is a veg and so is my sister and young brother. they do live with my mom, and she isn't a vegetarian but loves cooking them meat free meals! she says that its something different and creative for her to do. lol. now, on the other hand... my husbands mother is full blooded puerto rican... she says the craving for flesh is due to her ethnicity. and she cant fathom the very idea why some people wouldnt eat meat. she sucks the fat off of chicken bones *cringe*
I dont know exactly why some people have such a problem with it. Ive been told by people they feel so sorry for me... and they were sincere! no one forced me to be this way... its a choice. I dont walk up to people and say wow... i feel so sorry for you. (although i may pity them a bit because they dont know exactly where their food is coming from.)
Just ignore it. its your life, and your decision. if your a vegetarian for the ethical reason of cruelty, well you need to explain to them: "my choice to not consume meat isnt just because I hate the taste... I strongly believe I shouldnt, and being a vegetarian, to me, is more spiritual than a 'diet'. should we condemn Christians because they truly believe in Christ? should we sentence a Jew to death just for his beliefs? then, please respect my path in life, and i will respect yours."
don't change anything about yourself, being a vegetarian was the best thing i did not only for my body, but my mind and soul. keep your compassion. Im proud that my family is vegetarian, and very exited about my lil vegetarian on the way :) Just dont persecute others for their choice, treat them as you would want to be treated. best of luck to you!
Peace. :)
Oh goodness, my family never stops. Not only are they annoyed that I don't eat meat, but they are absolutely ticked that I won't eat seafood. They think it's so much different and that I'm just being a pain.
What people don't understand is vegetarians don't choose this "diet" to be different or get attention and a true vegetarian wouldn't accept money to eat meat. (as you rejected it, good job). If a true vegetarian would accept money to eat meat, they might as well eat it every day.
My roommates are also really bad about this, they always offer me salmon and oysters. I think they are determined to get me to eat it someday. I'd rather starve.
Your family does this because 1) they are concerned about your health ... 2) they do not understand why you have chosen to stop eating something that seems normal to them ..3) you make them think about what they are doing .... you are strong and have already made your decision ..as time goes by you never know what happens ...2 of my 4 sisters became vegan years after I did and my parents have almost cut out all meat ... family dinner get togethers that were once meat oriented are now almost meatless .. It is tough going through it solo .. but there are many others that have been and are in your position .. Educate them on being a vegetarian so they can understand ....try to copy some good information for them ..in small doses so they can read about they health benefits as well as the cruelty .. it will get better ..!
It use to happen when people thought I was just going though a faze (you have no idea how much I hate anything I happen to do being labeled as a faze). After a few months when they realized I wasn't kidding my family actually started cutting back on they meat that eat.
Just a side note, wile I do agree with you that it's not their business what you eat, I do think that it is our business what ommnis eat. They are part of a system that kills billions of non-human persons yearly. Their actions harm others. Because of this, like any other action that harms another human or otherwise, they make it our business.
It happens all the time.... When they refer to it as "meat." I reply that I do not eat flesh. I will tell them that I enjoy my meal. I would ask if they would like more blood laden gravy with their flesh. It sort of stops the question immediately.... If that doesn't work, I go into the treatment of animals and how they died for that person's "meal." Works all the time
You do have a terrible support network, but unfortunately, so do most of the other vegetarians and vegans on this site. Seems like omnis are so feeble/closed minded!
Luckily for me, my family ignores my eating habits ... :)
And OMG I feel for all the people who have ignorant family members who try to sneak meat into their meals! How disgusting and inconsiderate! I would disown them!
It happens to me a lot. My father always jokes about me being vegetarian and it makes me furious. I don't understand why he can mess with my feelings like that. Many other people I know try to give me food that has or had meat in it and I always say:"sorry but I won't eat that." and starve. They oftentimes do it on purpose and I find it really hard to believe it. On the other hand I have some people who tell me they admire my choice and don't know how I do it.
I think the people just admire you or don't understand your decision. Try to explain and tell them to please accept your feelings and to not mess with them.