I need a good comeback! Tired of being made fun of...

aliann30

I would detail exactly how their turkey is butchered (with every juicy, disgusting fact you can) and shock them into silence (and perhaps disgust at what is sitting on their plate. Hey, I'm not a vegetarian, I'll still eat turkey, but I know hearing about the preparation of it probably would churn my stomach while I was trying to eat it.)...but I think that would be hilarious and probably drive the point straight to home. Here's ehow's description:

To kill the turkey, hang it by its feet. Hold the head and beak with one hand as you cut the turkey's throat with the other hand. Cut from one side of the neck to the other, severing the jugular vein, trachea and carotid arteries as you pull the knife quickly across the neck. Heat a large pan of water to 145 degrees. Let the turkey soak water for 45 seconds. Remove the bird from the water and let it cool. Then remove the feathers, leaving the small pinfeathers. Singe the bird to remove the pin feathers. This can be done with a propane torch or blow torch, but be careful not to get the flame too hot. Run the flame quickly over the entire turkey, just enough to singe the pinfeathers. A few of the feathers at the tips of the wings may need to be removed with pliers. Lay the bird breast up on a table and cut between the joints of the knees to remove the feet. Remove the skin flaps between the legs and around the *kitten*, which will open up the body cavity. Cut out the gland under the *kitten*. Be careful not to cut any organs. Reach into the body cavity and remove the organs, including the liver, heart, gizzard, kidneys, esophagus and trachea. Keep the liver, heart and gizzard if you want to cook them, and discard the rest.

Anyway...just an idea.

mztrackfield010407

Smile!! And I mean kinda hard like umm who do you think you are smile!! and remember who you are and that you are amazing. It sounds cliche, but they have issues if they are messing with you so stand your ground and be loving to them, but let them know they are lowering themselves by doing that. Hope that helps

kaotik26

Honestly I would probably just refuse to spend the holidays with them, then when they asked why I'd tell them I have no reason to spend the day with a bunch of *kitten* making me feel like *kitten*.

JAllen32

The Jerk Store called, they want you back.

HAHA! Classic.

delilah47

Because I don't want any. Period! Hopefully, that will stop them in their tracks.

Angie_Fritts

Why don't you just be honest with them...."I know you don't understand why I'm vegetarian and probably never will. It hurts my feelings when questioned about it constantly so can we go this year without the comments?"

This^^^ They are family and probably don't realize how hurtful they are being. They probably think they are being funny! I always had to deal with the "so when are you getting married" for years. It got really old.

BritneysStuntDouble

Because I don't want any. Period! Hopefully, that will stop them in their tracks.

Good call. Period talk always puts a damper on a conversation.

bcattoes

I don't think you will stop them. For some reason some family members seem to this it's not only their right but their duty to scrutinize everything others in the family do. And they relish it. I don't know why, but it's not something you can control.

I'd just smile politely and say "No offense, but you do realize I'm an adult, right? While I appreciate your help, if I want a roll or stuffing, I can get it myself."

cmpollard01

Ok, so I'm not a vegetarian or vegan...but I can empathize. I'm the picky kid in my family. So heaven knows I've heard my fair share of teasing, bullying, and all the rest (I had an ex's dad try to FORCE a piece of squash into my mouth with his fork because I didn't get any when the bowl was passed around). Thanksgiving and Christmas were difficult when I was little, mostly because I was taught to be respectful-I thought that meant being quiet and not sticking up for myself. And my Granny always taught me "if you can't say anything nice, keep your mouth shut!" As I got older, I learned I had inherited her smart-aleck wisdom. Two years ago, my uncle (he's in his 60s...he's seen me eat every frickin' holiday for 31 years!) looks at my plate and says "what, no kale or collard greens? What about the sweet potato casserole? And the black eyed peas? You can't just eat turkey and ham and cranberry sauce!" My response? "Well, I thought I'd leave that other stuff for everyone at the table. You know, veggies are so good for you and ham is so fatty, I thought I'd take the temptation away from you guys. And since I'm a grown adult, I reckon I can eat whatever I darn well please!" Granny was proud, as was my mom, and my uncle just shook his head and walked away.

Coincidently, we haven't been back there for a holiday since. Hmm...

Regardless, if you've expressed your frustration with their comments before and it hasn't ceased, I'd ignore them. Most of the time, all they want is to see that they get a reaction-just like little boys who pull a girl's pigtails. If it STILL doesn't stop, then yeah, break out the crazy (within reason...no trips with silver bracelets on!) Good luck, and I'll be thinking about you!

keem88

and in all seriousness, talk with them about how they are harassing you, and how immature and hurtful it is. if they don't care enough to consider your feelings, then they really do have some issues and you may be better off finding another holiday dinner to attend. sorry to hear that are disrespectful to you, that isn't right.

DebHutton55

If you have been a vegetarian for 17 years I would think this would mean nothing to you. Why do you need a comeback? I find it interesting how crude and extreme people are on this post. Find a way to laugh it off or ignore it. If you allow it to bother you so much, stay home and eat alone. Or, embrace it and live life to it's fullest as a vegetarian. Be knowledgeable about the whys and be patient with the people who don't want to know. People are who they are, you are not going to change them. Step back and observe reactions, theirs and yours. Life would be dull with people who only say the 'right' thing.

florymonde

If you want to change someone else's behaviour then the person to start with is yourself. This is a repeating family scenario and everyone is repeating the 'same old, same old' roles within it. As it is obviously causing you distress then it is indeed time to break that particular merry-go-round (or carousel as you're American) and you do that by changing the dynamic, so that the outcome changes.

A good book to read is called 'Hot Buttons' (How to resolve conflict and cool everyone down- by Evans and Cohen - costs $14 on Amazon) - it explains about how you can identify what it is that triggers you off, and how you perpetuate the dynamic by the way you react. If you react differently then the dynamic changes. It has lots of great suggestions about how to handle this successfully.

I used to have constant arguments with my mum - she'd say something, I'd take offence, I'd snip back at her and she'd then say something else and it escalated into an argument, which invariably ended up by me losing my temper and walking out. Happened that way for 20 years.

Using the techniques I learned in the book, next time she made a comment, I saw that she'd pushed a button that normally started an argument, but this time I didn't rise to the bait - I just laughed it off with 'Oh you're not going to raise that old chestnut again, haven't we done that to death? LOL' - and I instead introduced a different topic and the conversation went off in a different direction. Change the dynamic = change the outcome.

The key point to realise is that YOU are the one with the issue here. YOU are the one who gets upset with people mentioning that you are a vegetarian. If you don't let yourself get upset then they can talk to you about it until they are blue in the face and it wouldn't make a difference. The problem is that it pushes your Hot Button and sends you off into defensive mode. If you didn't rise to the bait then they'd soon lose interest. So the person you need to change is yourself - change how you think, and change how you handle yourself when someone attacks your beliefs. That way you can change the outcome.

I hope that the book helps. It helped me. Best of luck!

Excellent. I may have to get one or two copies of that book.

DebHutton55

If you want to change someone else's behaviour then the person to start with is yourself. This is a repeating family scenario and everyone is repeating the 'same old, same old' roles within it. As it is obviously causing you distress then it is indeed time to break that particular merry-go-round (or carousel as you're American) and you do that by changing the dynamic, so that the outcome changes.

A good book to read is called 'Hot Buttons' (How to resolve conflict and cool everyone down- by Evans and Cohen - costs $14 on Amazon) - it explains about how you can identify what it is that triggers you off, and how you perpetuate the dynamic by the way you react. If you react differently then the dynamic changes. It has lots of great suggestions about how to handle this successfully.

I used to have constant arguments with my mum - she'd say something, I'd take offence, I'd snip back at her and she'd then say something else and it escalated into an argument, which invariably ended up by me losing my temper and walking out. Happened that way for 20 years.

Using the techniques I learned in the book, next time she made a comment, I saw that she'd pushed a button that normally started an argument, but this time I didn't rise to the bait - I just laughed it off with 'Oh you're not going to raise that old chestnut again, haven't we done that to death? LOL' - and I instead introduced a different topic and the conversation went off in a different direction. Change the dynamic = change the outcome.

The key point to realise is that YOU are the one with the issue here. YOU are the one who gets upset with people mentioning that you are a vegetarian. If you don't let yourself get upset then they can talk to you about it until they are blue in the face and it wouldn't make a difference. The problem is that it pushes your Hot Button and sends you off into defensive mode. If you didn't rise to the bait then they'd soon lose interest. So the person you need to change is yourself - change how you think, and change how you handle yourself when someone attacks your beliefs. That way you can change the outcome.

I hope that the book helps. It helped me. Best of luck!

jlapey

I wouldn't get worked up about it. It may not be as bad on the day as you are anticipating and you'll have fumed and fretted for nothing. If someone offers you meat, simply say "no, thank you" (it's possible they really did forget). If they try to be 'funny' and start making stupid comments, just ignore them and walk away. They are likely TRYING to get a rise out of you and you're playing right into it. The most I would say in response to their stupid comments is "OH, how original".

REMEMBER: "You can not always control what goes on around you but you can control how you react to it"

ash8184

I was a vegetarian myself for a few years and TOTALLY know what you mean. People would ask me how I survived on no protein, etc. and trying to enlighten them got exhausting. Maybe you can come up with a polite - and funny - way to get them to stop it with the comments. Something tongue-in-cheek, like "yep, you know like always, it's more ham for you!".

MireyGal76

post on facebook...

my wish for Christmas...

I wish my Christmas would be one where I wouldn't be mocked for choosing not to eat meat.
I wish people would realize that my food choices are not a passing fad, but a part of who I am.
I wish people would realize that by rejecting and mocking my choices, I feel personally rejected.

Maybe it's a bit too much to ask, but if my wishes came true, it would be the best Christmas I've had in a very long time.

inside_lap

Wow that is really disrespectful of your family and friends. Have you told them how much it bothers you? If so and they keep doing it stop going. They may think they are just teasing you but it sounds kinda like bullying.

This

harvo

Oh hell, go strong...grab a carrot, eat it seductaively and say I want something big, hard and low calorie in my mouth...and strut away....(not recommended for family functions)

mathjulz

How about you decline their invitations this year and celebrate at home with vegetarian friendly food and friends. Tell them you will start coming around when they grow up and stop acting like school-yard bullies.

JanaCanada

The way your friends and reletives are behaving says more about them than it does about you. Choose to rise above it all and don't sink to their level by being defensive.

If you feel you really must say something, just smile and say, "I feel good about my healthy life choices, and that's really all that matters."