I've been a vegetarian for over 8 years. I'm not an overly healthy vegetarian but vegetarian none the less. I eat eggs and drink milk ect, I'm not a vegan. I've gotten to see a lot of different reactions over the years, some people look at me like I'm a mythical creature that couldn't possibly exist, others don't care but what I have noticed is men tend to care more. Why is this? Men tend to be the ones with longer reactions, meaning they ask over and over why. I don't have a good reason, no great story, just a choice I made and stick with. Women tend to take it for what it is and move on, more of a it doesn't affect me so why care attitude and thats how I am. I don't care what others eat or don't eat. Even when I date someone I could care less if they are a meat eater or not but the guys I've dated almost always care that I'm a vegetarian and eventually make a thing of it. Why?
I am still trying to figure out what a vegetarian cannibal eats.
If you figure that out, I'm all ears. On a side note, two cannibals were eating a clown one day. One stopped & asked the other, "Does this taste funny to you?"
It's expensive. Then you go to a fancy restaurant and you get a salad. Just like the one at McDonalds but it costs 16 bucks.
I rarely eat salads but I promise the salad at McDonald's is not the same as you'd get in an upscale restaurant. I spend less on food then most ppl in my experience.
When I cut meat & dairy out of my diet, I was able to cut my food budget in half
@davyjones Yes, I know. My wife did the same thing but she doesn't like fresh fruit and only tolerates vegetables. She eats a lot of salad. That way isn't healthy. I eat tons of veggies plus fish. The fish is expensive. It's still frustrating that she always orders salads at restaurants, I mean why bother.
A factor is possibly wondering where to go for dinner or lunch. All my favorites don't really offer non-meat based meals
Are you sure? Most ppl just assume that but haven't actually looked. I rarely run into restaurants that don't have something I can eat. I prefer not to go to steakhouses bc I'm not one to eat a ton of salads but they would at least have that
@Gypsy31771 And if there was nothing on the printed menu, when i asked the response was often that they could make a vegetarian platter for me. Like when i used to do a lot of flying, the pre-ordered vegetarian meals were usually better than what everyone else received, as i often heard. LLOL
I could be very wrong but it's my experience that vegies purchase and cater only for themselves despite who else may be there and expect others to cater for them when they're guests.
That said vegie food is great but its missing the meat. Bacon would make every vegie meal edible and I wouldn't feel the meal was incomplete.
I do only buy and cater to myself, bc I'm single and live alone... Do you keep your fridge stocked for random other ppl who may or may not come into your life? That seems waistful. However when I'm living with someone I do buy and cook meat for my partner, or at least I have in the past.
@Gypsy31771 I keep the cupboards stocked so anyone I know could be fed or snack at mine. Fridge stuff not so much. Although I buy considering others its only stuff I can make use of if they don't turn up.
You are clearly better than my experience with vegetarians. I realise that my initial comment does sound as though all of you are the same. I know thats wrong. I apologize for that.
@Gypsy31771, @Gwendolyn2018 if its just cows and pigs you don't eat then you are only a little fussy. Thats easy to deal with. So many chicken and fish options for a start. My wife can't eat lamb (or crab but that's not so much of an issue).
Please tell me what you regularly buy and keep at home that you don't consume yourself but have only for when others visit?
@Gwendolyn2018 Question was for stealthbeard
Damn I could use a rack of baby back ribs right about now
me being a full-blown carnivore the thought of never eating meat again is just absolutely horrifying
I don't know, but there is sampling bias here, or so it appears. Unless you date men and women (put them in the same situation, a controlled experiment!) and then compare their reactions, your premise that men care more about what you eat is not correct. Obviously your date would be more than interested in why you made such a choice than some friend.
I date men and women. Only the men get hung up on it, in my experience. The women I've dated have been omnivores, and have only mentioned vegetarian eating in context of "does that place have stuff you'll eat?" Or "I'm making this meat dish for the picnic, do you want to bring another main, so you have something, or are you eating desert for lunch?" (I was eating desert for lunch. Lol) Whereas guys are like "how do you not eat meat? Don't you miss it? But, meat is so good? Wanna try my meat?"
I would not say anything unless asked.
I will say respectfully though that I would be and am concerned for your health. Humans evolved eating animal fat and protein, and there is ample evidence that when we transitioned to a more grain and plant centric way of eating stature, bone density and brain size decreased. The brain shrinkage started about 20K years ago, and the best theory is that we had hunted to extinction many of the largest, fat rich animals. Small animals just don't pack as much nutritional value.
And yes, I get and somewhat share the ethical concerns. However no matter what you eat, animals die. And mono crop agriculture requires biocide.
I eat almost 100% ASF, animal sourced foods. Healthy fats, protein, few carbs. I am 63 and take no medicine for anything, no aches and pains, BP is good etc.
Good luck.
Lotsa people just feel guilty about being a meat-eater and don't want to be reminded of their feelings of guilt by the presence of a non- guilty person ?
It's a bit inconvenient to locate suitable options when dining out with a vegetarian, but it isn't too bad. It's similar to dining out with gluten free people. If someone makes a big deal about it, I'd consider changing dinner companions. I make a lot of vegetarian meals. If it's got cheese, it's hard to dislike.
I don't know I just don't get the whole vegetarian but I eat eggs and milk. Some even eat fish. What's the point? Ya know, cows and chickens wouldn't even exist if we didn't eat them. There would be no point in raising them if it weren't for food, leather etc.
Eating meat, eggs, etc keeps them from going extinct. So to say "I don't eat meat" but I do eat eggs and milk is ridiculous. Even vegans are ridiculous, if we all followed the vegan life style all chickens, cows, etc would die out and they would no er exist! Do vegans really hate all animals and wish they would disappear?
Eat a burger and stop pretending that you are better than everyone else.
"I'm not pretending I'm better than anyone else", really because I have never posted anywhere how much I like to eat meat. But people who don't love to tell everyone how much they don't.
Just wondering - how many men question you and does their livelihood depend on the slaughter of livestock? I would think that if you just eat what you eat, and don't order meat, that they should be okay with it... my guess is either they're feeling guilty for their choices, or maybe think you need taking care of.
The biggest example: Over the last 3 years I dated the same guy off and on Everytime we got back together he'd look in my fridge and say "your really still a vegetarian? Will you ever change?" He also hated that I'm an athiest . We never argued on either topic but it always became clear he expected me to Change to try to stay with him and I wouldn't. I just never understood why it mattered. We didn't argue, we didn't have a hard time finding places to eat that both of us could get food we enjoyed, and religion was never brought up. It's over now and I'm completely at peace with that but I guess I just still question why things like that matter when they were of no real consequence in the actual relationship
@Gypsy31771 They may have been "of no real consequence" to you, but maybe they were more important to him than he let you know. Or maybe he was hoping it was 'just a phase' with you and something you would get over so he could show you later that you were wrong and that you had come around to his way of thinking, which, of course, had to be the right way, and then you could both be happy!
I have tried going vegan before and can’t do it. I like chicken and turkey too much.
go to CDC and Mayo clinic websites and read about it
They don't want YOU to make them stop eating meat.
They see you as the cook of the household, and think they'll never eat steak again.
Sounds like dude need to learn how to cook...
I work at a fast food chicken place if I was bothered by cooking meat I wouldn't have a job. I've also been in relationships where I cooked for my partner at the time I would usually make the same dish for us both just his with whatever meat and mine without
@Gypsy31771 They don't know that. Most women force their partners to eat as they do.
@Minta79 I agree with you
@birdingnut how are you going to force a grown human to eat anything? And as a grown human, how are you going to let your partner force you to eat a specific diet? Sorry, that's just weak sauce. They can be grown. Learn to cook. Contribute equally, or step off.
@Minta79 LOL! Most cis hetero women just withdraw attention, affection and/or sex unless the man conforms to her will. If he's resistant, she just moves on to someone more cooperative.
@birdingnut Then she's weak sauce, too! Lol Ain't nobody got time for that.
@Minta79 No, she's the one whose man will stay with her and take care of her. I have too many male characteristics to do that, and, like a male, I put up with anything, In no time my male romantic interests are taking me for granted, walking all over me, and eventually cheat on me because there are no consequences.
Most women you see crying about men 'doing them them wrong" are these type masculine instinct women who make excuses for men's bad behavior. Most cis hetero women don't cry over men or make excuses..if the guy doesn't put her first, she dumps his stuff on the lawn, changes the locks, and moves on.
@birdingnut There is a big difference between allowing yourself to be mistreated and "forcing" your dietary preferences on another adult. Frankly, I wouldn't want a partner who allowed me to control their diet (see above re: weak sauce). And, I see lots of cis hetero women crying over their guy doing them wrong, while they sit back and allow it. On the other hand, I'm not putting up with that shit, or trying to be anybody's mama (I mean except my kid's, I am trying to be his mama...). You can be an equal partner or you can move along little doggy.