Meat is a meal-time staple. No lunch, dinner, or holiday is complete without it. So what strange, mythical creature would dare try living without it? More importantly, why would they WANT to live without it??? What reason could possibly be good enough to deprive yourself of such deliciousness?
In fact, there are many good reasons to live without meat, but I don’t want to try to convince you to give up meat. What I want to discuss is why people are so opposed to the idea of living without their precious protein source. Is it so crazy to imagine someone getting their protein from something other than a chicken? And, as impossible as it may sound, iron does not exist ONLY in beef.
Why do people scrunch up their faces and even get offended by your lifestyle choices? They tilt their head and look at you with wondering eyes asking curiously: “why?” Or worse, “I could never be a vegetarian,” turning up their noses like you’ve just told them that you’ve spent the last year on a diet of solely pickled lemons.
Most people have a ready answer for the “why.” But why is justification necessary? It’s so common to be asked “why” you’re a vegetarian that most have a well-rehearsed line they drop every time. “It’s a personal choice," “It’s for my health," “I care about animals," or “I just don’t like meat.” Meat-eaters are never required to answer that question. Can you imagine going to a dinner party and having someone question why you had a piece of chicken on your plate? “What if you’re getting too MUCH protein?” they’ll ask. “Do you ever miss tofu?” they’ll wonder. "When exactly did you decide to become a meat-eater?" they're dying to know.
All you wanted to do was eat your chicken in peace.
It’s understandable that people will have questions about a vegetarian lifestyle if they're not familiar with it, but too many times when people ask “why are you a vegetarian?” what they're really asking is, “why would you ever do that????” A significantly less open-minded question. When people ask, they aren't always open to understanding the answer.
And it's no secret that there are stereotypes that go along with being a vegetarian as well. For example, if you don't eat meat, you must be a hippy, a girl, or weak. Or maybe a treehugger, animal lover, or carnivore hater. It's hard to explain why you've made your life choices when you're being stared at like you're a zoo animal. Shall I say... the elephant in the room?
(Get it?? Because elephants don't eat meat??? I'll excuse myself now.)
But meat-eaters aren’t the only ones to blame. Vegetarians can be judgemental towards people who don’t share their beliefs/behaviors. They can act haughty and superior because they think they’re “better” since they don’t eat meat. "It's better for you, it's better for the environment, it's better for the animals, it's better for everyone!" Maybe so. The problem is, not everyone has the resources and/or time to dedicate to being vegetarian. Or the desire.
Ultimately, what you eat is your choice. It's important to be understanding, or at least non-judgemental, about others' choices, but that doesn't mean they have to be your own. You don't even have to agree with them. All I'm saying is don't judge a person by their diet.