As vegetarians/vegans, we all hear a few of the same comments and questions over and over again. Sometimes it's simply things our meat-eating friends and family are just curious about, but sometimes it's things that are outright rude. Regardless, here are the eleven things all vegetarians and vegans are sick of hearing.

1. "How do you get your protein?"

A question typically asked by someone who believes all people who do not consume meat are to be seriously malnourished. I cannot count how many times I have been asked this question in the almost ten years that I have been a vegetarian. There are seriously a million ways to get protein from a plant based diet, and yes, they are delicious. Beans, hummus, broccoli, bread, the list goes on. There are even vegan bodybuilders out there in the world, so yeah, we have our ways of getting protein.

2. "So if I paid you a million dollars to eat a piece of bacon, would you do it?"

Seriously? Do you have a million dollars on hand that you are about to offer me? No? Then please do not ask me this idiotic question one more time (the answer is still no, sorry).

3. Similarly, "If you were stuck on a desert island and the only food you had to survive was meat, would you eat it?"

I've heard this one as well as, "If someone had a gun to your head and made you either eat meat or die, what would you do?" Yes, seriously. I highly doubt that I will ever be in such a scenario, so please. stop. asking. me. this. (side note: are there no plants on this island you're asking me about? Because that seems unlikely).

4. "I couldn't live without meat!"

Really? Really? Think again, because eating vegetarian is not as hard as people think. We even have meat substitutions like tofu, tempeh and seitan if you truly "can't live" without it. I'm personally not a huge fan, but if you cook it right, it can be delicious. You can still eat tacos, pizza and whatever your other favorite foods are, just *gasp* without the meat.

5. "You pick the restaurant, you're the difficult one."

This one just makes me feel bad. Like mentioned in number four, it isn't that hard to find meatless food. Yes, I would appreciate it if everyone wanted to go to a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but I understand that they might not and I'm not going to force them to just because of me. I have been dragged to steakhouses countless times, and even Taco Bell has vegan options, people.

6. "At least you're not vegan!"

Actually, I have huge respect for vegans and hope to one day go vegan myself. It is the healthiest lifestyle not only for us, but for animals and the planet as well. Stop hating on vegans just because they have more respect for animals than you do. Not all vegans are trying to shove their lifestyle down your throat either, despite the stereotype. You might even know a vegan and have no idea about it.

7. "So is it, like, okay if I eat meat in front of you?"

I am not going to read you an essay on animal cruelty in slaughterhouses every time you eat a burger in front of me. Yes, I would appreciate if you didn't eat a bleeding steak directly in front of me, or if you didn't leave raw meat around the house (I don't enjoy looking at animal carcasses, sorry), but I'm still not going to look disgusted or make you feel bad during the whole meal. If you don't make comments about how "gross" my food looks, I won't make comments about yours.

8. "What do you eat on Thanksgiving?"

Basically, picture what you eat for thanksgiving, but subtract the turkey for more veggies/mac and cheese. Oh, and pie! Since I'm not stuffing myself full of poor turkey, I have a lot more room for dessert (hello, pumpkin pie!). It's really pretty great.

9. "Why did you go vegetarian?"

Honestly, I actually enjoy answering this one as it helps people understand vegetarianism, but it does get annoying when every new person you meet asks the same thing. I basically have a pre-prepared answer at this point, starting with "I like animals too much" and ending with something about it being healthier. I try to avoid the whole gruesome meat industry reason, as to not anger people who already have harsh views of vegetarians. Every vegetarian is going to have different reasons, from health to ethical to religious reasons, but just know that we get this question a lot.

10. "Do you ever cheat and eat meat once in a while?"

Ummm, no. Vegetarianism is not a fad diet and there are no "cheat days." There are some types of vegetarians that will still eat fish or chicken, but this is not the same thing. Also, once you've avoided consuming meat for some time, your body gets used to it and no longer knows how to process it, potentially leading to sickness if meat is consumed. So no, I never "cheat" on being a vegetarian. You can be a vegetarian, or you can eat meat (even if it's just a little), but not both.

11. "But vegetarian food is so gross!"

Ever eaten an apple? A banana? Eaten a piece of cheese pizza or Fettuccine Alfredo? Then congrats, you ate something vegetarian. Not all vegan food is dripping tofu and unseasoned broccoli, so don't knock it till' you try it. Also, calling my food "gross" when you literally eat corpses for dinner seems a little hypocritical.