Anyone here vegan?

Caterina

Rawr thank you for your kind and considerate comment. It took me a while to accept this as I had steadily moved towards a 100% plant based lifestyle, but over the journey my body has often tried to tell me it didn't like it, going against my mind and heart. So I'm accepting that for the time being I'll take the easier option and then we'll see. I'm slightly uncomfortable with this decision but I know it's for the best of my health (if not for the poor animals').

Izadora

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I would say people are being "defensive" because many hosts/hostesses want to be seen to be holding a social do - but don't really want to make the effort involved and want an "easy ride" of it and they are trying to psych you into not causing them any more trouble.

I don't know that it's anything to do with hosting as I've had plenty of similar comments, regarding being vegetarian rather than vegan, from people who are never, ever going to have to cater for me or be affected by my choices.

I think it's more likely to do with the fact that there are some rather militant vegans/vegetarians around and sometimes everyone ends up getting tarred with the same brush. Some of the abuse I've had from vegans (I've been called a murdering rapist for the fact that I eat eggs and drink milk...) is horrible and while it will never excuse having a go at someone for their dietary choices it does mean I tend to be slightly wary when someone announces that they're vegan.

rawr_ wrote: »

maybe it was supposed to be taken as a joke... we have a very good sense of humour but didn't find that funny at all. He shrugged it off as most men probably would - I'd have probably griped back

Personally I would've taken it as a joke and seen it as no more hurtful than if I'd said no to something, without giving any reason as to why, and someone had responded with "Oh good, all the more for me then."

rawr_

Personally I would've taken it as a joke and seen it as no more hurtful than if I'd said no to something, without giving any reason as to why, and someone had responded with "Oh good, all the more for me then."

I think if they'd have said "Oh well more for me then" would've been fine. What they said was a little more spiteful. I think it was wrong that you were called what you were, at the end of the day we have been brought up in a society where eating meat/eggs/dairy is expected and a normal thing to do - so in my opinion people can't be blamed for doing just that. Same as if we'd been brought up in a society where that was frowned upon, we would all be vegan.

I agree there are a lot of militant vegans out there, and they seriously harm our stance to be honest.

Prinzessilein

I am an omni...although I was veggie for some years. A few family members chose to go down the vegan route for some years....one is now omni, the other veggie.

I certainly think it is easier to be vegan today......I remember helping to cater for a vegan wedding - it must be about 20 years ago now...the couple wanted a buffet - easiest to arrange, but still a HUGE job....today you can buy so much on the supermarkets that just wasn't available then....(if I say so myself, that buffet was delicious and ALL the gests enjoyed the food...the iced wedding cake was a work of art!)

I do agree that militant vegans do NOTHING to help further their cause...I still remember a couple coming to a dinner party - the hosts had catered for a veggie couple and the vegan couple as well as two or three Omni couples...all went well until the vegan husband queried the ingredients in his main course - it turned out that one ingredient was veggie but NOT vegan ..he scowled, and stomped off to the bathroom where he proceeded to make himself sick...sadly, but somewhat understandably, they didn't get that many invitations after that.

debtfreeforlife

To be honest I have encountered very few militant vegans (although I have heard lots about them!). I am getting very fed up of meat eaters asking how on earth I can do it and getting annoyed when I say no to the biscuit tin though! I find my biggest difficulty is eating out as I am getting very fed up of salads...

rawr_

my biggest difficulty is eating out as I am getting very fed up of salads...

I agree with the eating out thing - we definitely do it less. Although a lot of chain restaurants have started to do vegan options now, so I guess it depends on where you live? We're quite lucky and live about an hour away from Norwich, where there is quite a lot of choice - but don't tend to travel that far just for a meal out!

NineDeuce

It wont make a difference to animal welfare. One person is not going to change a thing.

debtfreeforlife

rawr_ wrote: »

I agree with the eating out thing - we definitely do it less. Although a lot of chain restaurants have started to do vegan options now, so I guess it depends on where you live? We're quite lucky and live about an hour away from Norwich, where there is quite a lot of choice - but don't tend to travel that far just for a meal out!

I'm in Bristol which is reasonably good as there are lots of vegetarian restaurants, but I mostly eat out with omni friends who tend to outnumber me! Although they're all really good about looking for veggie options beforehand, the interesting vegan options are mostly in the vegetarian/vegan restarants. That said I've managed to get two vegan meals out in the last few weeks which has been good!

Izadora

NineDeuce wrote: »

It wont make a difference to animal welfare. One person is not going to change a thing.

If everyone thought like that then nothing would ever change. No, one person becoming vegan isn't going to affect animal welfare but them speaking up about it might change one other person's mind.
That person may then raise awareness of welfare issues to another three people. Those three people may then convert another few people to veganism/fair treatment of animals and on and on it goes until there's a noticeable shift in general attitudes.

You've only got to look at the change in availability of vegetarian and vegan food over the last few years to see that people can make a difference. Even if they couldn't I'd still rather live my life a way that's acceptable to me.

Doom_and_Gloom

NineDeuce wrote: »

It wont make a difference to animal welfare. One person is not going to change a thing.

I agree with Izadora.

Thing is if people once thought the same thing about abolishing slavery, giving woman the vote, black people being able to vote, allowing woman to own land etc. The first person, then group were laughed at, people said they wouldn't make a difference etc. That wasn't true though. One person is all you need to start a domino effect.