Vegetarian confession time! I am a vegetarian, and I hate other vegetarians. OK, so hate's a strong word. But if you're the type of vegetarian who walks around pissing off all the meat-eaters in the world, I have got a few words for you. Namely: you are driving me nuts!
Maybe it's because I live in a household with two omnivores (both my husband and my kid love themselves some bacon), but I've never been into preaching about my lifestyle. I just want to be able to enjoy my eats in peace, and I expect most meat-eaters are the same. So I'd like to put out a little warning to all the mouthy vegetarians who are giving the rest of us such a bad name.
I've got a list of the things meat-eaters are sick of hearing out of your veggie-eating mouth.
It's all the judgy stuff that puts you on the "do not invite" list for parties. It's all the stuff that people fear they're going to hear out of my mouth after they find out I haven't eaten a cow in 15 years.
And it has GOT to stop! If we want the meat-eaters to treat us with a little respect, it has to go both ways.
Here's my list of things vegetarians need to stop saying. What would you add?
Meat-eaters: may I also remind you of the 9 Things Not to Say to a Vegetarian?
Image via pointnshoot/Flickr
"You really need to eat more vegetables like asparagus. Cleans me right out and I feel so good!"
When did our bowel movements become dinner conversation again? No one wants to hear about how your veggies affect your colon. How about just going with "wow, asparagus is really yummy!"
"Don't you know that vegetarians are healthier?"
OK, hold it right there. Some vegetarians are healthy. And then there are the people who live by the mantra "French fries don't have meat, so eating these all day every day makes me a vegetarian." Just because you're a vegetarian does not mean you're a healthy one!
"Meat is murder."
Well, actually … do you know how their meal died? Maybe they're eating roadkill like Honey Boo Boo. Or maybe not.
Either way, there are much nicer (not to mention more sane) ways to discuss animal cruelty and the meat industry.
"WHY would you eat THAT?"
This isn't offensive so much as annoying, but when you consider how often we vegetarians get hassled for what we're eating, we should have the courtesy not to drop this line on someone else. M'kay?
"Do you know how that died?"
This one goes right along with "meat is murder." They may not know how it died, and the animal cruelty discussion is worth having. But you could show just a wee bit of tact, OK?
