Living in Harmony with Vegetarians

[Guest guest]

This is something that was sent to me a while ago, which I can sympathise with

and also gives me a laugh to myself...

 

Pete...

http://www.primalvision.net

 

 

 

 

Living in Harmony with Vegetarians

By Alison Green

 

 

I concluded, after careful consideration, that eating meat was

incompatible with my values, even though I loved meat and didn't care

much for vegetables. I was sure my tastebuds would rebel, perhaps

hold a beansprout or two hostage in my mouth until I paid a ransom of

a burger or strip of bacon.

 

Happily, it didn't work out quite the way I expected; my biggest

problem as a vegetarian has not been the food--which I've found to be

delicious and every bit as satisfying as meat--but the bewildering

attitudes of my family and friends. Other vegetarians have the same

complaints: the weird looks, the silly questions, the hostile

interrogations. It seems vegetarians--12 million of us in the U.S.

and growing daily--are a sadly misunderstood minority indeed. Thus,

I've devised ten simple edicts for meat-eaters in their dealings with

vegetarians:

 

Rid yourself of the idea that vegetarians are spartans who subsist on

raw carrots and bean sprouts. The question I hear more than anything

else is " What do you eat? " This one baffles me; how would anyone with

a reasonably varied diet answer that? I eat spaghetti, stir-fry,

hummus, stew, raspberry sorbet, minestrone soup, salads, bean

burritos, gingerbread, lentil chili, lasagna, tofu kabobs, waffles,

veggie burgers, artichokes, tacos, bagels, saffron rice, lime

mouselline, wild mushroom risotto--what do you eat?

 

Learn some biology. I'm still not sure what to do with otherwise

intelligent people who think a chicken is not an animal. For the

record, vegetarianism means no red meat, poultry, or fish--nobody

with a face. I can't count the number of times waiters have suggested

the seafood platter as a " vegetarian " entree.

 

Especially if someone is a vegetarian for ethical reasons, don't

assume they won't object to " just a little " meat in their meal. Would

you accept " just a bit " of your cat, or " just a little " of Uncle Jim

in your soup?

 

Quit lobbying for the meat industry. Carnivores seem to think that

vegetarians are like dieters and that we want to cheat a little now

and then. My father is convinced that if he can convince me of how

good his corned beef and cabbage tastes, I'll give in and eat it.

Friends try to get me to try " just a bite " of whatever meat product

they're eating, on the premise that it's so good, I couldn't possibly

pass it up. I sometimes think meat-eaters took their lessons in peer

pressure from the bad kids in the anti-drug movies we used to watch

in high school. Listen up: no matter how " good " you insist it is,

we're not going to eat it.

 

When a vegetarian gets sick, don't tell him or her it's because of

malnourishment. From the comments I hear when I have the flu, you'd

think meat-eaters never get sick. When I get sick, there's always

someone waiting to tell me it's because of my diet. In actuality,

just as there are healthy and unhealthy meat-eaters, there are

healthy and unhealthy vegetarians. (And by the way, studies have

shown that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than meat-

eaters.)

 

When you're in a restaurant with a vegetarian, have patience--eating

out can be a challenge for even seasoned vegetarians. Despite the

acceptance into the mainstream of a veggie diet, most restaurant

menus are still cluttered with animal products. Some restaurants seem

to have nothing but meat on their menus; even the salads have eggs or

chicken in them! Don't complain if our attempts at ascertaining the

exact ingredients in the minestrone seem like paranoia; experience

has taught us these tableside inquisitions are warranted. After years

of quizzing waiters and waitresses, I've found that items described

as vegetarian often contain chicken broth, lard, eggs, or other

animal ingredients.

 

Don't make faces at our food. Before you scrunch up your face at my

soy hot dog or tofu, think about what you're eating. Just because

eating animals is widely accepted doesn't mean it's not gross.

 

Realize we've probably heard it before. One of the funniest things

about being veg is the person who is positive that he has the

argument that is going to change my mind. It's almost invariably one

of these gems:

(a) " Animals eat other animals, so why shouldn't humans? " (Answer:

Most animals who kill for food couldn't survive if they didn't do so.

That's obviously not the case with humans. And since when have we

looked to animals for our standards of behavior?)

(b) " Our ancestors ate meat. " (Answer: Perhaps--but they also lived

in caves, conversed in grunts, and had very limited choices of

lifestyle. Supposedly, we've evolved since then.)

 

Despite popular opinion, you do not have the right to expect

vegetarians to compromise personal beliefs for the sake

of " politeness. " People who would never dream of asking a recovered

alcoholic to try their favorite vodka, or demand that someone who

kept kosher have some bacon still think it perfectly reasonable to

expect me to eat Aunt Sue's meatloaf because I adored it as a child

and she would be ever so insulted if I didn't have some now.

 

Stop telling us humans " have to " eat meat; we're living proof they

don't. People who otherwise respect my ability to take care of myself

refuse to trust that I did not make the decision to become a

vegetarian rashly. I've done plenty of research on vegetarianism--

probably more than you've done on diet and nutrition--and I'm

confident in the choice I've made. Are you aware of the studies

showing meat-eaters are almost twice as likely to die from heart

disease, 60% more likely to die from cancer, and 30% more likely to

die from other diseases? I wouldn't be eating this way if extensive

research hadn't convinced me that vegetarianism is healthier and more

ethical than eating meat; a more appropriate question might be

whether you can back up your diet.

 

Now go forth and exult in your smooth dealings with vegetarians. You

might find things so harmonious that you'll want to try vegetarianism

yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Great article! Love it! Now, how do I get the meat eaters in my life to

read it.

 

Veronica

 

At 07:43 AM 12/13/2004 +0800, you wrote:

>This is something that was sent to me a while ago, which I can sympathise

>with and also gives me a laugh to myself...

>

>Pete...

><http://www.primalvision.net>http://www.primalvision.net