"Don't worry, they'll let you know."
One of my best friends greeted me with that joke the other day, ostensibly hoping I'd scowl with disapproval.
But I get it. Most who eschew animal products have a tendency to be evangelistic, and, more often than not, extremely annoying.
In this upcoming week, I will be (quietly) celebrating my first year of vegetarianism. So, believe me, I know the urge to tell everybody about the pros of a meat-free existence.
...but I've also seen the other side of the coin- for 18 years of my life!
The vegan and vegetarian community often do a horrible job when it comes to relating to the omnivorous public. Many act as though it's a cardinal sin to enjoy the taste of meat and to not want to think twice about what's on one's plate. They also act like they've never eaten an animal in their life, even if they aren't lifetime herbivores.
But what a lot of them forget is just how difficult it is to be vegan or vegetarian in our meat-laden world.
I've made it my goal never to forget how hungry I was during the second (not the first, oddly enough) month of meatlessness. I was extremely fatigued, "fussy," and contemplating going back to my vital amino acids. So I definitely know that vegetarianism or veganism is not for everyone.
If you like meat, good for you. I never did, so I personally will never understand you, but I can't blame anyone for following our basic instinct, as humans, to eat other animals! Yes, the meat industry is awful, but so is the fashion industry...but I'm not going to tell you to stop wearing clothes!
So that's my first gripe with meatlessness: We are no better than any of our herbivore counterparts, and we shouldn't bother them about switching to our lifestyle.
But my second gripe is a little bit whinier (but hopefully not hypocritical).
Why on earth aren't some people aware of what a vegetarian is? It seems like it should be part of a basic diversity education!
I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if chicken "is okay," or if I still eat fish...or even bacon! And don't even get me started on the gasps and pointed fingers I get when I eat scrambled eggs.
The general rule is this: vegetarians don't eat the flesh of anything that has eyes. If you still eat fish, you're a pescatarian. If you still eat poultry as well, you are not a vegetarian; to be obnoxiously specific, you're a polo-pescatarian, but for dichotomy's sake, you're an omnivore. And if you still eat bacon...you're probably just picky but, sorry, cannot be called a vegetarian!
As for the eggs bit, that's where the line generally varies. Some vegetarians won't eat eggs but will still eat milk products. I happen to be the opposite (because I'm lactose-intolerant and carry a suite of Lactaid pills in my wallet), so I do eat eggs but often eschew dairy.
Some people do not partake of any animal products, and they are vegans. Vegans do not drink milk, do not eat anything made with eggs and butter (so no cookies, cakes, etc. unless they are vegan alternative products), and often don't even wear leather, down coats, or silk. It's a difficult life style that I aspire to follow someday, but for now I can't afford to simply cast aside my duck-feather-filled coat (not getting adequate protein makes you cold) and many of my dress shoes.
I think it goes without saying we vegetarians and vegans work very hard to maintain our lifestyles and that we definitely don't like seeing others steal our "credit." It's in the same boat as calling a TA "Professor," I think- you have to earn the title!
In summary, we all still have a lot of work to do- omnivores and herbivores alike- to make vegetarianism into a mainstream lifestyle instead of a fringe cult of annoyance. But it's easy to start: just learn to accept others' differences, even the ones they choose.
To conclude, here's a hilarious stab at vegetarians that I saw on a t-shirt just the other day:
"Vegetarian"
An ancient tribal slang term for the village idiot who couldn't hunt.
I'm a proud gatherer, thank you very much.
One of my best friends greeted me with that joke the other day, ostensibly hoping I'd scowl with disapproval.
But I get it. Most who eschew animal products have a tendency to be evangelistic, and, more often than not, extremely annoying.
In this upcoming week, I will be (quietly) celebrating my first year of vegetarianism. So, believe me, I know the urge to tell everybody about the pros of a meat-free existence.
...but I've also seen the other side of the coin- for 18 years of my life!
The vegan and vegetarian community often do a horrible job when it comes to relating to the omnivorous public. Many act as though it's a cardinal sin to enjoy the taste of meat and to not want to think twice about what's on one's plate. They also act like they've never eaten an animal in their life, even if they aren't lifetime herbivores.
But what a lot of them forget is just how difficult it is to be vegan or vegetarian in our meat-laden world.
I've made it my goal never to forget how hungry I was during the second (not the first, oddly enough) month of meatlessness. I was extremely fatigued, "fussy," and contemplating going back to my vital amino acids. So I definitely know that vegetarianism or veganism is not for everyone.
If you like meat, good for you. I never did, so I personally will never understand you, but I can't blame anyone for following our basic instinct, as humans, to eat other animals! Yes, the meat industry is awful, but so is the fashion industry...but I'm not going to tell you to stop wearing clothes!
So that's my first gripe with meatlessness: We are no better than any of our herbivore counterparts, and we shouldn't bother them about switching to our lifestyle.
But my second gripe is a little bit whinier (but hopefully not hypocritical).
Why on earth aren't some people aware of what a vegetarian is? It seems like it should be part of a basic diversity education!
I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if chicken "is okay," or if I still eat fish...or even bacon! And don't even get me started on the gasps and pointed fingers I get when I eat scrambled eggs.
The general rule is this: vegetarians don't eat the flesh of anything that has eyes. If you still eat fish, you're a pescatarian. If you still eat poultry as well, you are not a vegetarian; to be obnoxiously specific, you're a polo-pescatarian, but for dichotomy's sake, you're an omnivore. And if you still eat bacon...you're probably just picky but, sorry, cannot be called a vegetarian!
As for the eggs bit, that's where the line generally varies. Some vegetarians won't eat eggs but will still eat milk products. I happen to be the opposite (because I'm lactose-intolerant and carry a suite of Lactaid pills in my wallet), so I do eat eggs but often eschew dairy.
Some people do not partake of any animal products, and they are vegans. Vegans do not drink milk, do not eat anything made with eggs and butter (so no cookies, cakes, etc. unless they are vegan alternative products), and often don't even wear leather, down coats, or silk. It's a difficult life style that I aspire to follow someday, but for now I can't afford to simply cast aside my duck-feather-filled coat (not getting adequate protein makes you cold) and many of my dress shoes.
I think it goes without saying we vegetarians and vegans work very hard to maintain our lifestyles and that we definitely don't like seeing others steal our "credit." It's in the same boat as calling a TA "Professor," I think- you have to earn the title!
In summary, we all still have a lot of work to do- omnivores and herbivores alike- to make vegetarianism into a mainstream lifestyle instead of a fringe cult of annoyance. But it's easy to start: just learn to accept others' differences, even the ones they choose.
To conclude, here's a hilarious stab at vegetarians that I saw on a t-shirt just the other day:
"Vegetarian"
An ancient tribal slang term for the village idiot who couldn't hunt.
I'm a proud gatherer, thank you very much.
