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How to deal with annoyingly persistent questions about vegetarianism from the relatives
If you are dealing with well-meaning people who want to know why you don’t eat beef / chicken / ham and why you always ask people what is in the casserole / where did you get the soup / how the vegetables were made and so on, then I’d like to present a little primer I like to call How to deal with annoyingly persistent questions about vegetarianism from well-meaning friends and relatives without killing them.
Or eating them.
How to deal with annoyingly persistent questions about vegetarianism from the relatives
There are only two members of my family who are vegetarians. Actually, I’m just an “almost;” he’s a strict vegan. At least, that was true until I got this phone call from my aunt . . .
“Oh, he’s eating proper food, now.”
By “proper food” she means meat. Damn. That means I’m on my own with the vegetarian questions.
So for all of us trying to follow a vegetarian diet, here’s a quick and easy primer.
Good luck.
The five most annoyingly persistent questions about vegetarianism from the relatives
Now, this is just meant to get you started. I’m sure there will be questions I didn’t think of. Ditto, responses.
And, erm, is it only me or do the same people ask the same questions every year, or what?
Do you eat fish (or pork or chicken or . . .)?
This question inevitably comes up right after I’ve explained that vegetarians don’t eat meat or meat byproducts, such as gelatin. I don’t know why they think beef is the only meat that counts.No. No meat. No beef. No pork. No game, no fowl, and no fish. Never.
Isn’t it our birthright to eat meat? After all, our ancestors ate meat.
I love you men, I really do, but I always, always get this question from a man. Now why is that, do you suppose?Well, our ancestors did a lot of fun things. Like drag their knuckles on the ground. Me? I have evolved to walk upright. And eat a vegetarian diet.
If we all stopped eating meat, wouldn’t all those cows and pigs and such starve to death?
I find it a little ironic and more than a little sad that people who consume meat suddenly feel concern over the welfare of their dinner.Think supply and demand. If the demand went down, the supply would naturally dwindle as farmers slow their breeding programs. But I doubt, alas, that this will happen overnight. So I’m not that concerned about starvation for existing animals. Slaughterhouses, yes. But not starvation.
Aren’t you worried about getting enough {insert nutrient here}?
Everyone is always afraid I am about to perish from malnutrition or, at the very least, faint dead away from lack of everything from protein to iron.An enormous variety of vegetarian foods contain quite a range of nutrients associated with meat. Soybeans, for example, contain a lot of protein. And spinach is loaded with iron. And, even better, these foods don’t contain nasty things such as, oh, cholesterol.
Do you miss meat?
Not really. I’m too busy eating everything from fresh bread and crisp greens to sweet fruits, crunchy nuts, succulent grains . . .
And now, I’d like to leave you with a giggle I like to call, your non-vegetarian family is not as bad as my non-vegetarian family
And here’s the link to prove it.
Happy vegetarian holidays, everyone!
Comments
14 Responses to “How to deal with annoyingly persistent questions about vegetarianism from the relatives”
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March 9th, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
” I don’t know why they think beef is the only meat that counts.”
Because people are confused, that’s why. Some people will call themselves vegetarians even though they eat fish, or have a single exception to the meatless rule. I think part of the confusion comes from the cultural/ historical/ linguistic distinctions that’s been made to various kinds of animal flesh. Catholics, for instance, eat fish on Fridays when they can’t eat meat, and in Spanish, the word “carne” means both beef and meat. The best way to explain what “meatless” means is to shout “NO DEAD ANIMALS!” But that gets a bit obnoxious.
Also, for some reason people are hung up about protein. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero have a great suggestion in Veganomicon: Next time somebody asks you how you’re getting enough protein, ask back which amino acids they’re worried about. Most likely they’ll have no clue.
March 9th, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
” I don’t know why they think beef is the only meat that counts.”
Because people are confused, that’s why. Have you not heard of people who call themselves vegetarians even though they eat fish or have a single exception to the meatless rule? I think part of the confusion comes from the cultural/ historical/ linguistic distinctions that’s been made to various kinds of animal flesh. Catholics, for instance, eat fish on Fridays when they can’t eat meat, and in Spanish, the word “carne” means both beef and meat. Probably the best way to explain what going meatless means is to shout “NO DEAD ANIMALS!” But that gets a bit obnoxious.
And, for some reason people are just hung up about protein. The authors of Veganomicon have a great suggestion: Next time somebody asks you how you’re getting enough protein, ask back which amino acids they’re worried about. Most likely they’ll have no clue.
March 9th, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
Great blog and very motivating. I read about your blog on another weight loss blog (kimkinsdiet.blogspot.com). I’ll visit again soon. Happy losing!
March 9th, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
thank god i’m not the only one…
people ask me to justify my vegetarianism ALL the time. and saying “for my health” and “for the animal’s welfare” isn’t enough for most people. i’ve only been vegetarian for a year, so i think people are suspicious as to why i switched over. i’m going to start asking people to justify their diets, and why they DO eat meat.
March 10th, 2009 @ 11:56 am
Hilarious post….especially with the witty responses. I mean ‘hilarious’ in a good way here
I also face such questions, although not very frequently. I guess the most important thing is to respect people’s lifestyle and choices. Friendly bantering is alright but someone shouldnt look at anyone else as ‘different’ just because that person chose to be a vegetarian. I’ve never had meat in my life, I dont miss it one bit and I’m not planning to have any 
As far as our ancestors are concerned, they also traveled on bullock carts, wooden boats on seas and didnt have computers. Like you said, its called evolving by exploring new things and progressing as a whole. And to me, it starts with respect and mutual understanding
March 11th, 2009 @ 7:17 am
Similar to the birthright question referenced above is one I frequently get: “Isn’t it within the nature of man to eat meat?” (And sometimes phrased exactly like that – as if he or she just read Rousseau before coming to the party.)
My response: “If you want to return to nature, then go and hunt your own game . . . with your bare hands.”
March 12th, 2009 @ 1:07 am
I’m fortunate that my family is starting to veer towards eating meat only once a week now… This is after I gave them all copies of The China Study!
March 13th, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Love it! At least you’re family asks questions. I generally get comments – You’re not getting enough protein. You’re shouldn’t run and not eat meat. Etc. They mean well, but…
March 18th, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
See, what did I say?
March 19th, 2009 @ 8:27 am
The single most annoying question I get is “When will You quit with this vegetarianism and start eating normal again?” or “You STILL don’t eat meat?”
It’s been 12 years now and they still think it’s some teenage phase.
March 20th, 2009 @ 9:54 am
My family is pretty split on their acceptance of my vegetarianism. My mom went from “what are you doing?” to, “um… maybe there is some merit in it” when she realized I lost 20lbs after I became a vegetarian. She didn’t eat much meat to begin with, but now even less.
My dad’s side of the family continues to ask “you eat fish, right?” even after 2 years of hearing the same response – no dad, no animals. I had to reiterate that to my grandmother yesterday, who so delightfully responded “but fish aren’t animals”. Huh?
April 8th, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
Great post… love the “how do you get enough ___” (insert nutrient) line!
And yeah… that argument about “what will happen to all the cows if we stop eating them!?!” is ludicrous.
I kind of did something similar on my blog a while back:
http://tucovegs.blogspot.com/2008/02/you-dont-eat-meat-or-dairy.html
Take care!
June 23rd, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
Nice comebacks. Anyway, it's always healthy to treat well-meaning non-vegetarians with humor and still get your message across because let's face it, you are the minority, but it doesn't mean anything except in quantity. I find the term "proper food" hilarious. It can only come from our folks.
January 18th, 2010 @ 6:26 am
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