Eat this.
Sooooo....last night I had to meet some of N's family. His sister and family were visiting for the New Year and as soon as I walked in my door, I had to "freshen up" and go put on a much happier face that I really had. They were nice, their kids were sweet and cute.
His sister sort of kept fluttering around so I spent more time sitting with N and talking to her husband. He was very nice, and its purely a symptom of my piss poor mood that I'm going to dwell on the one thing that pissed me off instead of regaling you with tales of all that was nice. After a little bit of soccer chitchat, N turns to me and says, "Oh, tell him why you're a vegetarian." He seemed to be indicating that they had been talking about it before and he just couldn't explain it well.
I do not talk about this in general because it basically does no good. So, I smiled and said just that, "Yeah....I don't really talk about that. There's so many reasons...and it's really complex and I really just don't tend to talk about it."
The husband prodded me, "Ok, well give me two of those reasons, just two."
So I gave a couple quick easy reasons....its more environmentally friendly....it doesn't take as much to feed me as it does to feed a meat eater....I think it's more humane to eat without killing if you can, which I can. N nodded his head and for the briefest moment it looked as if that would be it.
But noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Of course not. The husband then starts to try to refute me and my reasons. He asks me if I eat dairy, and I reply that I do and that dairy is a much more renewable resource. He asks if I eat chicken....eggs....you name it. It supremely annoyed the piss out of me. I didn't start this fucking conversation. I didn't ask this guy to defend why he eats meat so why the fuck do I have to defend why I don't eat it. I will never, for the life of me, REALLY understand why so many people find it acceptable to berate someone about what they don't eat. Especially when even N, the biggest meat lover on the planet, will admit that I'm not a vegetarian proselytizer and never try to shame the stinking' meat eater even as he's berating me. How about this....next time....I think I'll just cut to the chase and say, "How about you kiss my big vegetarian ass? I didn't ask you why you eat SPAM so why the fuck do you care what I do or don't eat?"
His sister sort of kept fluttering around so I spent more time sitting with N and talking to her husband. He was very nice, and its purely a symptom of my piss poor mood that I'm going to dwell on the one thing that pissed me off instead of regaling you with tales of all that was nice. After a little bit of soccer chitchat, N turns to me and says, "Oh, tell him why you're a vegetarian." He seemed to be indicating that they had been talking about it before and he just couldn't explain it well.
I do not talk about this in general because it basically does no good. So, I smiled and said just that, "Yeah....I don't really talk about that. There's so many reasons...and it's really complex and I really just don't tend to talk about it."
The husband prodded me, "Ok, well give me two of those reasons, just two."
So I gave a couple quick easy reasons....its more environmentally friendly....it doesn't take as much to feed me as it does to feed a meat eater....I think it's more humane to eat without killing if you can, which I can. N nodded his head and for the briefest moment it looked as if that would be it.
But noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Of course not. The husband then starts to try to refute me and my reasons. He asks me if I eat dairy, and I reply that I do and that dairy is a much more renewable resource. He asks if I eat chicken....eggs....you name it. It supremely annoyed the piss out of me. I didn't start this fucking conversation. I didn't ask this guy to defend why he eats meat so why the fuck do I have to defend why I don't eat it. I will never, for the life of me, REALLY understand why so many people find it acceptable to berate someone about what they don't eat. Especially when even N, the biggest meat lover on the planet, will admit that I'm not a vegetarian proselytizer and never try to shame the stinking' meat eater even as he's berating me. How about this....next time....I think I'll just cut to the chase and say, "How about you kiss my big vegetarian ass? I didn't ask you why you eat SPAM so why the fuck do you care what I do or don't eat?"
Copyright 2005-2006 by Spells With...All rights reserved
Speak to me, 10 already did
10 Comments:
I've had those conversations, too! (Haven't eaten red meat since 1988). Now I just say with a smile "It's just a personal choice I don't care to discuss or defend" and reassure people I could care less what they choose to eat. . .
Anyway, Happy New Year! (PS I just noticed you linked me and I returned the favor : )
People are bizarre when it comes to such simple choices. I don't eat fish. No agenda or reason other than I just don't like anything that's fish-related. maybe it's b/c I live in New England but I get some heat over that.
But this - geez, and after you had speficially asked NOT to debate it or make it an issue... people need to lighten up (among other things).
Happy New Year!
Ah, I feel you, V. Nice job of N putting you in the middle like that!
How annoying! And ridiculous. And none of anyone's business.
I didn't own a TV for more than 20 years. I didn't voluntary talk about it but when people heard I didn't have one, they immediately defended the value of TV, as if my NOT having one was an assault on their choice!
Uh, that really sucks!! I would be SO annoyed too. I WISH I could be a vegetarian of some sort....I am just too lazy to really do anything about it... I hope the conversation didn't last too long.
Ugh, that's just so wrong. I don't understand why people feel it's OK to lecture and/or try to change people's opinions or preferences about vegetarianism. You wouldn't have someone at a dinner party say, "oh, you're christian, give me 2 reasons why" and then try to convince you that your beliefs were wrong. I don't see why someone's dietary preferences should be fair game.
I'm not a PETA fan (agree with some of their principles, but find they take it too much to the extreme) but it would have been funny to whip out some of their literature to show to the meat-eater husband. "Here's my reasons, dude! See that blood?" That might have stopped the questioning.
that was good. and that would have pissed me off as well.
some people just like to start shit. you gratefully decline and they can't let it go. fuckers.
Ahhh...there's nothing better than preachin' to the choir! :) Thanks guys! Sometimes yuh just totally need to hear that you're not whacked to be pissed off by something like that. I'm sure others, probably including some of you, handle it a little more smoothly than I do....but at least I can come here a CRAP about it!
Lol on the PETA Nancy. I'm the same way with them. It sort of sucks that they have to be soooooo extreme...nice ideas, but they totally give most veggies or any animal rights people a tough name to be associated with. Blah!
V-- Last night I was at a friend of a friend's apartment, when the host offered me some chicken. I said, "No, thank you," and my friend said, "She doesn't eat meat," which embarrassed him. I love it when other people make things into an issue on my behalf.
No, really.
Don't you?
Yeah...I guess a simple "no, thank you" is just tooooo inoffensive to let it ride! N says the same thing to those people in the mall who try to give you chicken samples. I say "no thanks", but he still must explain.
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