We get it. You looooooove meat. Cool, understandable. Everyone has favorite foods. I won't force my love of lettuce upon you as long as you don't throw fried chicken my way. I've been a vegetarian for six years now, and there are things I have heard so consistently that I am really tired of, and I'm sure a lot of other people out there are, too.
1. "Wow, I could never do that. I love meat too much." I swear. This is the number one response after someone learns I am a vegetarian. It rarely differs, this seems to be the singular response of every human. And it's honestly a weird thing to say when you flip the switch. For example: "Dude, I love meat." "I could never eat that meat, I love vegetables too much." That's weird. People eat different things. People have different favorite foods. I am not going to weirdly look at you every time you eat steak.
2. "So, like, what do you eat?" We eat food, typically. Sometimes we eat furniture, but rarely. Usually food. But no joke, there is a world without meat. I could eat tofu stir fry lettuce wraps every day. I could eat copious amounts of pasta. I could eat corn stuffed in a jalapeno, stuffed in a green pepper, wrapped in cheesy lettuce. Well, maybe not that, but really. Kale salads, pizza, fried rice (exclude the typical egg), fruit salad, etc. We can eat it. Veggies and fruits are the bottom of the food pyramid, we're eating good stuff.
3. "You can't save animals just by being a vegetarian." I hear this a lot, and I constantly find myself becoming defensive after hearing it. Not everyone who is a vegetarian has the drive to save the animals. I legitimately just do not like meat, and I am fine with not eating it. There are so many reasons for why people do the things they do. And you know what? At least those people are trying. At least they have passion for something, and that is awesome. As long as people aren't forcing their own food choices on each other, then whatever.
4. "You're lucky you have the privilege to be a vegetarian." If you say this to someone, while also being without hunger daily, then what is the point of the statement? Anyone who has food they love on their plate everyday can basically be defined as privileged. I understand that many people in the world do not have a choice in what their diet will be, but there is no time for hypocrisy. Help fix the problem instead of making one, if you can.
5. "How do you get your protein?" Okay. Alright. Nearly every vegetable contains protein. Some even contain A LOT of protein. Tofu has a ton of protein, because it's soy-based. If we follow an appropriate diet with lots of veggies... we are fine. Meat is not the only protein out there. Expand your minds to the world of the vegetable.
6. Lastly, I actually don't know if this happens to other vegetarians out there, but this one really gets me. Whenever I make something with tofu in it, I hear of comment of, "that looks gross" almost every time. Like I said earlier, I will not weirdly look at you every time you eat a steak. Let me eat the tofu in peace, please, I am so hungry.
Are there any things you're tired of hearing that I didn't mention?
