I have been veggie for about 20 years now. And still meat eaters feel threatened by me! Me!! Little old meat-free me!
Am I huge and imposing? Nope. I'm average height and weight.
Am I scary? Not as far as I can tell. No one has run away from me screaming - well apart from my friends little one yr old boy who ran away when I lept out at him with a loud GGggrrr last week!
Am I a fanatic who faints or loudly protests at the first sign of anyone chewing on a bit of dead cow? My partner is a meat eater so I hardly fit into this category!
It's amazing the responses I get to my announcement(when asked)that I don't eat meat! They range from:
'So what do you eat then?' er helloooo!!?? What do you eat when you aren't eating meat??? I'm sure they think I mut be regularly seen out in the garden grazing on hedges and leaves, and nibbling on the lawn - the council can throw away the lawn mowers and keep the vegetarians from starvation, let them keep the parks and roundabouts in town neat and tidy!!
'Do you want to try some?' Like I haven't been there before!! If I wanted some I'd get some! And no I can't be tempted - no matter how how often you thrust your burger in my face!
'Do you eat chicken or fish?' Just what do you think a veggie is??? NO!!!
'I hardly ever eat red meat you know.' (A favourite of my mother's - usually said with an air of conspirital all-veggies-together tone!)So? You're not a veggie are you? Why do you feel you have to point this out to me? Am I going to hate you forever because you make this choice? Are you trying to justify that odd bacon sarnie, the chicken wings or slab of steak to me for some reason?
'Do you eat Haribo?' Why are you trying to catch me out??? Will I fail some meat-eaters test if I do? I've been veggie for 20 years! I know what gelatine is and where it comes from and I don't eat it!
I have made my choice. Meat-eaters have made theirs. It's not a big deal. Although apparently it is to the meat-eaters! They seem unwilling to let me get on with it without some comment.
An appeal to the meat-eaters - I don't challenge your choices, so why can't you accept mine. I know how our meat is raised and killed. I know what is added to our meat, and what is fed to our cattle, and I've made my ethical choice.