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Anyone get grief mentioning youre vegan? Trying to deal w/it


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See it every day. Being vegan is one of the first things someone will know about me if food comes up. You can only be true to yourself if you're open with everything you believe in. I won't ever back down from being Vegan. People jump on you like a pack of wolves on a three-legged cat in my experience. I'm not sure if this is a phenomenon of just my circle of friends or with others

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It happens, but it doesn't bother me at all. Even my dad says vegan is a word that means poor hunter. I'm proud to be vegan tho and I want people to know that I am. I can't change the world, but I can at least be an example of how it could change.

 

I try not to fight with anyone.. there is always common ground and I find I have better success with people working with that.

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I never think to mention it. If nobody is genuinely interested in what I eat, there's no point talking about it. What I eat is my concern only. What other people eat is not my concern. I was raised a vegetarian, so been one my entire life, and I've never received any grief for it from anyone. The key is not acting like you're better than them, or portraying as if your food is better. It's not for you to say what is best for someone because then you invite people in to contend with your views. So if you don't want grief, then don't invite it.

If you want to say what is best food wise, etc, then you better be comfortable receiving the criticism towards your statements.

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My closest friends may crack the occasional harmless joke but its only banter and they fully respect and understand what I do and why. People I barely know are the first ones to attack veganism if its mentioned that I'm vegan, I find it quite funny, these people have this odd emotional attatchment to food and think I'm trying to take away their bacon or whatever. Most of the time its not even me who brings it up yet I often here "vegans preach too much" its bullshit no vegan I know preaches at all and its entirely the other way round. Sorry for the essay but just so you know it happens to all of us and after a while you'll care less and less I'm sure

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I never think to mention it. If nobody is genuinely interested in what I eat, there's no point talking about it. What I eat is my concern only. What other people eat is not my concern. I was raised a vegetarian, so been one my entire life, and I've never received any grief for it from anyone. The key is not acting like you're better than them, or portraying as if your food is better. It's not for you to say what is best for someone because then you invite people in to contend with your views. So if you don't want grief, then don't invite it.

If you want to say what is best food wise, etc, then you better be comfortable receiving the criticism towards your statements.

 

Interesting post. I like how open you are as to the whether or not I ACTUALLY act like I (and my vegetarian food) are better than other people AND whether or not I actually say what food is best for other people (given the fact I didn't say I did EITHER of these). I swear, you must be ABSOLUTELY great with people.

 

Aaand for the record, I don't state what is "the best" food for ANYONE. If someone asks, I don't lie - I tell them, Yes, I am a vegetarian, Aaand this, and ONLY this, is sufficient enough for people to go ahead and commence false statements and unopened minds trying to "educate" me on the benefits of eating Dead Animal Flesh, EVEN though I do not tell people what is best for them and never will

Edited by Own-It
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My closest friends may crack the occasional harmless joke but its only banter and they fully respect and understand what I do and why. People I barely know are the first ones to attack veganism if its mentioned that I'm vegan, I find it quite funny, these people have this odd emotional attatchment to food and think I'm trying to take away their bacon or whatever. Most of the time its not even me who brings it up yet I often here "vegans preach too much" its bullshit no vegan I know preaches at all and its entirely the other way round. Sorry for the essay but just so you know it happens to all of us and after a while you'll care less and less I'm sure

 

Not an essay. great post. What you said about "trying to take away their bacon" and people's emotional attachments to food might be what is going on

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Interesting post. I like how open you are as to the whether or not I ACTUALLY act like I (and my vegetarian food) are better than other people AND whether or not I actually say what food is best for other people (given the fact I didn't say I did EITHER of these). I swear, you must be ABSOLUTELY great with people.

 

Aaand for the record, I don't state what is "the best" food for ANYONE. If someone asks, I don't lie - I tell them, Yes, I am a vegetarian, Aaand this, and ONLY this, is sufficient enough for people to go ahead and commence false statements and unopened minds trying to "educate" me on the benefits of eating Dead Animal Flesh, EVEN though I do not tell people what is best for them and never will

 

I'm just contributing a different opinion and since I don't know you I end up making various assumptions based on my understanding of the world in order to make a point, you don't have to like it, but I'm under the impression you're the one with the grief so I figured I'd try to help. It's your choice whether you want to take it or not. All grief begins in your mind.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know I'm a little late to this party, but here's my take on it (and I apologize in advance for the novel)...

 

First off, I want to accurately portray myself... I am not a vegan. I don't claim to be. I also don't have a problem with people who are vegan; I just don't personally believe strongly in certain areas where a vegan might. That being said, I am a strict vegetarian, meaning I don't eat animals or animal by-products, so I often get lumped in with vegans when less-health-concerned individuals talk about me.

 

Now, since I don't eat animal based food, I often get grief from co-workers and friends/family. However, it's all in good fun and I know them well enough to know that they not only respect my eating lifestyle (anytime we have a work lunch or food brought in, I'm always consulted to make sure there is something I can eat; family and friends do the same), but are also impressed by the transition and commitment I've made to eat the way I do.

 

But that doesn't stop my dad from sending me pictures of shirts that have illustrated deer pooping on some foliage with a caption that reads "My food poops on your food," nor should it. It's actually a funny shirt, it made me laugh.

 

I make fun of my friends for things they do that I don't, why should the way I eat be off limits? If someone had true derision for the way I choose to eat, then that's a different story altogether, but if a friend or family member is just poking fun at me, I just poke back. Believe me, everyone has something you can tease them about.

 

From my personal experience, I've found that people usually won't respect someone’s decisions if they don't respect that person. And if they don't respect that person, there's usually a reason; I know it's a cliché, but it's true, respect is earned not given. If someone doesn't respect a decision you've made, it might be because you've previously conducted yourself in a way that makes it difficult for them to respect your decisions (I don't know you and I'm not saying this is the case with you).

 

Now, since I'm not a vegan, I don't have to stand up for "everything I believe in" (as you put it) when it comes to the way I eat. It's merely a health decision for me. But there are other things I may or may-not feel strongly about (politics, religion, etc...) and discussing those topics has to be done in a careful and delicate manner. Too many people think that if you're not proclaiming your beliefs from the nearest mountain top, you're being a hypocrite (not saying that you're like that). My beliefs are my beliefs, they don't belong to anyone else, so I am very careful not to proselytize when unsolicited. There is a right time and a right way to share your beliefs, but when you order the garden burger at a restaurant and you ask for no cheese and your co-worker asks why you didn't want the cheese on the burger, that doesn't mean you are obligated to say "because I'm a vegan." You could simply say (and in most cases probably should if you're looking to avoid conflict), "because I don't want to eat it." Both are true, one is easier for "a regular guy" to digest. This is another cliché, but there's a time and place for everything.

 

Man, I'm tired after this one... going to go take a nap

 

Cheers,

John

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Personally when I first made the switch last October, I was a wee bit hesitant to let my good mates know for the first week or so. But like Rossco said, most mates just gave me crap about it in a banter way thats all fun and laughs.

 

Since moving from Australia to Canada I can say that Canada is a lot further ahead in terms of being Vegan friendly ona personal and business level. When I mention it to people now, I just get the usual questions really and enjoy trying to impart what knowledge I have on others (In a non preachy way!)

 

Be proud of your decisions!

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