Living in a world where people try to wrap anything and everything in bacon makes it a little difficult for vegans/vegetarians to hold our own. With Thanksgiving weekend passing us by and Christmas just around the corner, it seemed appropriate to let all the omnivores know the day to day struggles of being a vegan or vegetarian, ESPECIALLY around these meat-loving holidays.
1) Having to explain to your foreign relatives again and again that you can’t eat their food.
We’ve all been there, Christmas dinner at a relative’s house. While everyone else’s mouths water over the variety of turkey, bacon, and chicken, vegetarians typically get the choice of salad, bread, and potatoes. Regardless of what you put in your plate, it’s usually followed by a plethora of offers of the large amounts of meat on the table. Just wait for the “Ohhhh right you’re still a vegetarian!” (Immediately followed by #2 and #3). But hey, maybe they’ll start to understand eventually!
And yes Nonna, veal is meat… so is lamb… no I can’t eat fish either.
2) Dealing with the same ridiculous questions/statements on a daily basis.
“But bacon is so delicious.”
“I tried being a vegetarian once but I only lasted a week.”
“So, like, what do you even eat?”
“Can’t you just pick the meat off?”
“You know, humans were meant to eat meat.”
“If you were on a desert island and could only eat meat, what would you do?”
3) Everyone suddenly being concerned about your health.
“But where do you get your protein from?”
Tofu!! Beans!! Vegetables!! Whole Grains!! Hummus!!! Contrary to popular belief, meat is not the only type of food that has protein in it! Upon telling people you’re a vegetarian, the first question usually revolves around your intake of protein, iron, and vitamins typically found in meat. It’s fully capable for someone that does eat meat to not consume these types of vitamins, or those found in fruits and vegetables, but it only seems to be a concern among vegetarians. It becomes second nature for all of us vegetarians and vegans to politely smile and nod our heads as friends and family pick apart every type of food we’ve ever consumed. Trust me people; I know what I’m eating.
4) Trying to remind people you don’t eat meat without sounding pretentious.
I get it. Some vegetarians and vegans are kinda obnoxious. But most aren’t! As much as I don’t want to eat the meat sitting in front of you, I don’t really care if you do! Just don’t question MY decisions that do not affect anyone except for me. Vegetarianism has become a topic almost as awkward as politics and religion- and most of us actually want to avoid it!
5) Vegetarian options at restaurants.
“What do you MEAN the steak salad costs the same as a tofu salad?!?!”
“Oh awesome, every salad has bacon or chicken in it.”
“Yeah I guess I’ll pay the extra $1 to substitute for a veggie burger…”
You would think with the terms vegetarian and vegan becoming more and more popular, restaurants would take a little more diligence in making sure their menu suits all types of dietary restrictions.
Beyond that, there is nothing more heartbreaking than looking through a menu and seeing absolutely everything has meat in it… time to request to the dreaded substitution. But you probably already knew that, because you took the time to Google the menu before you got there. What are your #VegetarianProbs?
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