We walk among you.
There are those of us who are not Mac enough; who have not had our Tyson today; and those of us who will be bombarded with judgment every Thanksgiving for not at least trying a sliver of the turkey over which mom slaved for three days.
We are vegetarians.
Problematically, most people do eat meat; the great majority of the nation’s diet is largely meat-driven. Billboards, commercials and societal structures combine to produce a country centered on killing animals for food.
Being an ethical minority – or at the basest level, a dietary minority – the vegetarian is shunned by a culture entranced with the notion that meat is essential to the human being.
Much more often than not, I am treated with disdain in the company of meat-eaters, some of whom consider themselves genuine animal lovers.
This article is an attempt to explain the complexities of a vegetarian lifestyle amidst a non-vegetarian civilization. It is more specifically a guide for those who eat meat to help understand the vegetarian lifestyle.
When people hear I don’t eat meat, a frequent reaction is, “You’re not one of those snobby vegetarians, are you?”
This response belies a sense of ironic vulnerability in the meat-eater. The ordinary vegetarian may be accused of being a snob, but understand that meat is everywhere disrupting that ordinary vegetarian’s day.
Most vegetarians have the mentality that animals have an equal right to live. They don’t see an enticing menu: the steak is the cow, the pork is the pig, the chicken is the . you get the point.
This “snobby” exterior non-vegetarians see is in actuality a frustrated disposition with the ubiquity and popularity of meat. No one takes it more personally than a Southerner either when food, be it the bloodiest of burgers, is turned down when offered.
Imagine living in a country of a religion that is the polar opposite of your own: seeing verses you disagree with on billboards every day; witnessing the unnerving customs being exercised around you; and being among a very small percentage that feels deeply about an issue that goes opposed if not ignored.
These are the conditions with which a vegetarian is faced.
“But you need protein!”
I have soybeans! See www.happycow.net for more information.
“But you have to eat meat to survive.”
I have not had meat for nearly two years, and I have never felt healthier.
See www.glutenfreevegan.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/chart.jpg for a chart comparing our teeth to carnivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous teeth in other animals.
There is an undeniable similarity between human teeth and herbivorous teeth, so the argument that meat is needed for survival is highly disputable.
“I just love meat,” some people say, “it tastes so good. I admire you, but I just couldn’t do it.”
I understand that meat-eaters love the taste of meat, but this is one of the most offensive things one can say to a vegetarian. Talking to a vegetarian about meat tasting great is no different than talking to someone who is a minority about racism being fun.
“I’m glad I don’t see the animal getting killed, because I wouldn’t be able to eat it.”
This assertion is perhaps the most unnerving, especially in regards to how casually the speaker says it.
To admit knowing of the pain animals suffer before they are used as food and to speak of eating it shows a paradox of character.
I advise anyone who cares about animals to research the methods taken by slaughterhouses and food chains. This is not to “scare” people into vegetarianism, but to inform them of what exactly they are eating.
My favorite reaction from people when they hear I’m a vegetarian is, “Wasn’t Hitler a vegetarian?”
Hitler actually had “a special fondness for Bavarian sausages” according to biographer Robert Payne. Besides, wasn’t Jeffrey Dahmer a meat-eater? There is no real case for or against an issue based on one person, especially if the person concerned suffered mental illness.
So to those who eat meat, please be a little more sensitive about the subject around vegetarians.
“When did you decide to stop eating meat?” is much better than, “But it tastes so good!”
Eating less meat never hurt anyone either. It is much healthier to halve your meat portion and double your vegetable and fruit intake, especially if you frequently eat red meat (which is linked to colon cancer).
Just saying.

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