I've been a vegetarian for eight years now. When I first started, I was 14 years old and all of my friends had different reactions. Some wanted to try it with me (they lasted about two weeks), some supported me, and most of them tried to get me to eat meat again by trying to convince me that we were meant to kill animals.

Here are ten annoying things people have said to me as a vegetarian.

1. "If I eat meat next to you will you be offended?"

I have actually had someone tell me that they didn't want to invite me out to eat for their birthday because they thought I wouldn't be a vegetarian anymore if they ate meat around me. I'm more worried about finding something I can eat at the steak house you want to eat in than if the people around me are eating something that I don't.

2. "If animals weren't meant to be eaten, they wouldn't taste so good!"

I don't need to spend an hour of my life debating with you about this! You do you and I'll do me. Don't worry about my eating habits and I won't worry about yours. Also, who was the first person who decided to kill an animal for food anyway?

3. "Can't you just pick out the meat on it?"

It's great that you got two pepperoni pizzas and one cheese pizza for us vegetarians, but when meat eaters decide they want their first slice to be cheese and their second to be pepperoni, and you get to the pizza and there's no cheese left, the last thing you want to hear is that dreaded question. Oh and the answer is no.

4. "So all you can eat is salad?"

We have more options than you can possibly imagine. We eat pasta and fries and vegetables, they even have vegan crab cakes and vegan roast beef now! And no salad is not a main meal and does not fill me up enough for me to be happy with eating salad every time I go out to eat with you.

5. "You know by eating vegetables, you're killing plants right?"

JUST. GO. AWAY.

6. "Do you force your cats to be vegetarians too?"

WHY WOULD I DO THAT? WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THAT?

7. "Okay, but if you were stuck on an island and the only thing to eat was a huge steak, would you do it?"

I don't know, but here's to hoping you get stuck on an island real soon.

8. "I'm a vegetarian too, but not on holidays."

Listen, you're either a vegetarian, or you're not. I'm not judging you, but you don't get to pick and choose when you want to be one.

9. "You probably eat meat all the time and just don't know it."

What is the point of telling me this!? Does the thought of me accidentally eating meat satisfy you? I don't bother you about eating meat, don't bother me about not eating it.

10. "I'm gonna put meat in your mouth one day and you won't even know it"

What kind of sick, horrible individual would try to put meat in someone's mouth just so they'll eat an animal? First of all, I'm not letting you anywhere near my mouth and second of all, you're wasting your precious meat, I'm just gonna spit it out anyway.

These are real things that people have actually said to me. Please, think again before you debate with someone else on what they eat. It's a life-style, and a choice, and it's not something that I'm doing just to amuse you.