Discriminated against as a Vegetarian?

When I was 16 I decided to stop eating meat. My family was NOT supportive, which I think is directly related to their lack of understanding as to why I made the decision. Which can be a difficult thing when you are 16. My brothers made animal sounds at the dinner table, my dad came up with his own ideas as to what I could and couln't eat (I ate cheese and eggs, he howevere decided I couldn't drink cows milk and bought me vanilla soy milk - which at the time I hated! he told me I couldn't drink milk anymore), and my mom would say dinner is ready to everyone, and I'd ask what was for dinner, she'd answer back with porkchop, potatoes and carrots (whcih was all cooked together), and I would ask her what I was going to eat. She replied with I don't know. So I would go and make myself a sandwich with whatever I could find.

This over time changed and they just grew to accept it. A lot of my friends were not supportive or udnerstanding either. They would always 'forget'. Take the time I went over for dinner to my best friends at the time. They had steak and her step dad brought me a plate of steak with potatoes covered in gravy. Ummm..

In all truthfulness you have just learnd first hadn that people are ignorant. I can tell you with no uncertain terms that those people who are rude and riducule you for being a veggitarian are doing the same to someone else about anything they think is funny (ethnicity, gender or religion).

People are ignorant.

Realize that and don't think twice about them. If they were people who cared or love you they wouldn't be saying those things.

You have to irgnor them you have to block them out otherwise you will just grow more and more frustrated and you will lash out and is it really going to be woth the consequences?

Apologies for this duplicate post ~ please see below.

"Isn't it great that we live in a country where we can make our own choices without fear of ridicule from those that don't understand?" would be an appropriate comment, but I know it's difficult for you. Most people have a problem with things they don't understand and rather than be open-minded enough to be curious, they choose to vote it down. Be tough ~ if the comments get too bad, you can always graciously excuse yourself, thank everyone for the evening, and leave. They'll soon get the hint.

People can be insensitive jerks. Both in real life and on the Internet. I think the advice given already is pretty sound. Don't let these rude comments get to you! I think vegetarians are becoming more and more common, and accepted, at least in my opinion.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support. I'll definately try to just ignore it. As much as I would like to throw statistics in their face or tell them what a jerk their being, it really would be a waste of breath. I know that I'm doing the right thing, so I guess it really doesn't matter what they say. It really did help to hear all of your stories, so thanks again.

statistics are just numbers in need of interpretation which always causes trouble!!! ignoring people is hard but its the best way. i've been a vegetarian for years now and i get tired of the same conversations about it so i dont have them. as long as you're happy it doesn't matter what others think.

I support my friends who chose that lifestyle. You have to let me know, and I will do everything in my power to help them to keep up with their eating habbits. I love to cook for my friends, and I used to have a friend in NC who was vegatarian, so I ALWAYS made her something similer to what I fed everyone else, but made it meat free. It wasn't a big deal and she apperciated the gesture. If my step daughter someday decided to be a vegatarian, I would support her too.
There is no reason to mistreat someone over their eating choices!!!

I've been discriminated against BY vegetarians because some think it is cruel of me to eat an animal...but I just ignore them.

People are different in so many ways and the ignorant ones have to poke fun for no good reason. You know who you are and it doesn't make one bit of difference what THEY think you are. Just ignore it cause in the end their comments don't matter.

I won't become a vegetarian and it would be nice for some of the judgmental ones to leave me alone...in the same way that I am sure you won't eat meat and it would be nice for some of the meat eaters to leave you alone. In a perfect world, this would happen. In THIS world, just keep strong with who you are and move on.

My family have no problem with me being a vegetarian, but it is really tedious whenever I meet someone new and the second I say "I'm a vegetarian" or "I don't eat meat" 99% of the time whomever I'm talking to will respond "but humans are supposed to eat meat! It's natural" in a really defensive tone, when I haven't actually stated otherwise! I think people have a skewered view of vegetarianism and immediately go into fight mode, preparing themselves for an onslaught of judgmental insults when someone tells them they don't eat meat. I've been vegetarian for eight years now, although it took me a few years to identify as one because I simply stopped eating animal produce. It just didn't taste good to me; I couldn't separate the animal on the farm from the carcass on my plate and I lost all interest. I constantly get asked whether I miss meat, or if I could ever see myself eating meat again but the only thing about being a vegetarian is the convenience of being able to go into a restaurant and not scrutinize the menu. Eating out isn't as enjoyable as it was when I ate meat; there's only so may Mediterranean vegetables and portobello mushrooms you can eat!

I just wish it didn't matter so much to other people. I don't understand why anyone feels the need to have an opinion on what I do or don't eat.

I fully respect people's decisions to be vegan...I reserve the right to tease them though.

I fully respect people's decisions to be vegan...I reserve the right to tease them though.

Yeah, you're right. My best of friends, the guys I ride with, would "tease" me. If "tease me" means give me crap. But, they earned the right.

I think there is plenty of judgment on both sides of the matter. I get it from both the vegetarians AND the meat eaters. This is because our daughters have worked on the farm where the animals are raised that we will eat. They feed and care for the animals, name them, play with them, and make sure they are given attention. The animals are all free range, non-hormone and low stress.

Then, when a few years ago, I asked them to participate in a butchery session. They knew that the animals they cared for were the ones they ate (we even say thanks to the animal by name at dinner time). Both kids decided to attend the butchery (done by the farmers) and watched the animals die and assisted in cleaning up after. I asked them (did not force them) to do this so that they would never forget the price the animal paid for their meal.

I half expected the girls to become vegetarian after that. However, even as they shed tears for the animals, they promised they would never waste meat.

When I told some meat eating parents about this, a few were horrified that I would expose my kids to such violence. Some vegetarians thought that I was just making the slaughter of animals "acceptable" to my kids.

The way I see it, we are omnivores. We choose to eat meat. But our family will always know where that meat came from and make sure that the animals are treated with respect.

I love this! While I do not agree with eating meat....I don't flame others who do. My daughter is an omnivore and it is her choice to make, not mine. I live in the deep south....I'm friends with many hunters and I know they use all parts of the deer once they 'bring it down'. I would prefer a person hunt and kill and eat everything they can from an animal than to waste it or just hunt for sport. I believe that if more people would attend a slaughter or hunt....they would truly appriciate where their food comes from.

Please are just plain ignorant. That fact does not shock me, but what shocks me is how willingly they are to open their mouths and prove it. I am not a vegetarian(although I rarely eat meat), but I have married to man who has been a vegetarian for 13 years. And people says stupid stuff to me ALL THE TIME. My favorite comment is: "I could never marry/date a someone who did not eat meat". What an odd comment to make about my husband.

Anyway, just ignore them and think about all the meat backing up their colons.

I totally understand. My family is a very meat-centric family and when I decided to stop eating meat it was a really big deal! Even now I have family members that say, "Awww, she doesn't eat meat" at family functions, as if I'm the one whose missing out on something!
You don't have to justify anything; it is your choice and a great one at that!

Vegetarians aren't people
You have no tastebuds
Can you just not be a vegetarian for today?
I like animals too, they taste good (it takes all of my willpower not to punch them in the face)
Making mooing noises, or even making up a story about the life of the animal as they eat it.
and the list goes on and on...

Too Funny. I know your serious but:

I am a meat eater and one of my friends is a Vegan, we exchanged barbs all the time. He gave as good as he got.

I was having eggs in front of him one day and he laid this on me:

"So how are you enjoying that chicken menstruation?" I laughed to tears.

I say to each their own. If you and I were having a meal together (and we were acquainted) I might trade some harmless barbs with you as well.