What do people think when you say you are "vegan"

I get that question too, and "WHY???". The fullness of the answer I give depends on the situation. I appreciate that many people get quite defensive about their food choices, so generally I try and avoid talking about it too long, by answering something along the lines of "I did a one month challenge, and decided to keep eating that way as it suited my ethics and lifestyle."

If I'm feeling super narky on the protein question I'll sometimes answer, "which protein in particular, I mean there is protein in most veg and grains, is there one of them in particular your concerned about?" At which point they tend to concede that actually they are not that schooled in nutrition, especially plant based. As I say though, that's only a response when I'm super vexed, as generally you'll catch more flies with honey(ahem!) than vinegar.