Anyone a vegetarian? (WARNING: open vents next 100M)

fadingaway1986 · May 13, 2005

Grrr... I am sick of family...

They are having a hard time getting over me being a vegetarian. I would think, after 4 years, they would have accepted it by now! But they treat me like some freak who doesn't deserve to live. And especially doesn't deserve to have an opinion and stand up for what she believes in!!!

Just stupid little comments like (when i cook something): Where's the meat?
when i am cooking something for myself: eww - whats that?
or the most annoying: hippy.

I don't understand why it is such a big deal to people? I just want to not eat meat and be left alone. I don't force it onto people, because i know it will make no difference.

But they seem to think they need to force it onto me.

My mum says stuff like "i wish you would just eat meat, it would be so much easier". or "we will eat anything, it's you thats the problem"....

Grrrrrr... Sorry for the vent. I am just sick of... stuff...

and no one listens to me.

MDowdey · May 13, 2005

ewwww...vegetarians are gross.

just kidding, sorry your fam cant accept it.you have to cut right back at them with some comment about what they are doing to themselves with all those bad things they are eating.

do you not eat any meat? why? whats your reasoning? just curious..

Alison · May 13, 2005

I've never understood why people get so uptight about it. I was a vegetarian for many years and I can remember my grandmother and her friends giving me a hard time about it. Most of the vegetarians I know don't try to change other people's eating choice, they just want respect for their own.

Meysha · May 13, 2005

I went for one or two months without eating any meat and didn't even realise it.

But then I started getting really really tired and must've had very low iron (damn being female!) So then started on the meat and felt a looot better.

Stay being a vegetarian if that's what you want. Your family probably thinks they're being funny and don't realise it bothers you.

photogoddess · May 13, 2005

That sucks that your family isn't more accepting. A couple of years ago my oldest daughter decided to become a vegetarian. Her brothers and sister gave her crap about it... telling her that she couldn't stick it out and that she'd be begging for a hamburger within days. Dad lectured her too. I saw the frustration in her so I took her to the book store and bought her some books on how to make sure you get all the nutrition that you need on a vegetarian diet. Then we went to the grocery store and bought some foods that were just for her. After a bit the family quit giving her grief (except for my youngest son always trying to sneak bacon into her food). She stuck with it for exactly a year and then decided to go back to eating meat. Hopefully it will finally dawn on your family that being a vegetarian is a personal choice that doesn't affect them and let it go. :hug:

fadingaway1986 · May 13, 2005

I became a vegetarian about 4 years ago after a teacher showed us a video on how the animals are killed, etc. I walked out of that class converted. I haven't eaten red meat since. Mum made me eat chicken - she threatened to kick me out of home.

So I eat chicken. up until a couple of weeks ago - I was eating chicken all the time. But I am stopping that. I will still eat it - but not as much (every meal we would have - she would cook me chicken). Which in my books is just as bad. Not any more...

I can't stand the thought of the way animals are treated. Right from the time they are born - they are treated like pieces of crap. Tortured, mutilated, killed while still conscious. (I watched a video on a PETA website, showing a pig being killed - hung up by his legs and had his throat slit... he wriggled around heaps, squealing in pain, and eventually whatever was holding him let go - and he fell to the ground, and rolled around in his own blood - curled up in a little ball obviously in the most excrutiating pain you could imagine)...

I don't see how we could do this to innocent little creatures who havent put a foot wrong in their lives? Meanwhile we keep millions of murders in prisons. If we were to treat them anywhere near as badly as the animals - there would be hell to pay.

Its horrible. I know me not eating them won't stop them from dying. But it gives me the satisfaction that I am not contributing.

fadingaway1986 · May 13, 2005

photogoddess said:
That sucks that your family isn't more accepting. A couple of years ago my oldest daughter decided to become a vegetarian. Her brothers and sister gave her crap about it... telling her that she couldn't stick it out and that she'd be begging for a hamburger within days. Dad lectured her too. I saw the frustration in her so I took her to the book store and bought her some books on how to make sure you get all the nutrition that you need on a vegetarian diet. Then we went to the grocery store and bought some foods that were just for her. After a bit the family quit giving her grief (except for my youngest son always trying to sneak bacon into her food). She stuck with it for exactly a year and then decided to go back to eating meat. Hopefully it will finally dawn on your family that being a vegetarian is a personal choice that doesn't affect them and let it go. :hug:

Gee I wish you were my mum!!!!

It's not only immediate family - its aunts, uncles, grandparents.

My grandparents have just moved back to AU, and the other day announced, when they move back into their old house (its being rented atm), they are going to raise sheep and chickens, so they can kill them to eat. They offered to let me go and "play with them, look after them, name them, become attached" and then they will kill them. They have worked in meat works for most of their lives...

I have to admit that I am ashamed to be related to people like that. I don't want to force my views onto people - and i try not to. But to joke about killing animals as if they don't even matter - i just think its wrong. I don't understand why people are proud of eating meat?

Grrr. I dunno. it annoys me. I just want them to leave me alone. But I am not strong enough to say anything, because they just make fun of me, and tell me i am being stupid.

oriecat · May 13, 2005

Oh god fading.

:hug:: I am so sorry that you are having such a hard time with your family over this. I've been vegetarian for over 5 1/2 years, and my family has never been like that. Sure there are the occasional jokes, but they pretty much have always respected my decision, probably because it wasn't much of a surprise to them. But of course I also don't live at home anymore, I think that definitely would have made things more difficult at the outset. I wish I knew what to tell you. I'm sure it's very hard to stand up to your family when you're younger and demand that they respect you. It might take a while before you can do that, but I think that's what needs to be done.

And you don't need to be ashamed of your family. Who they are and what they do does not reflect back on to you. We have to own our own actions and choices but we don't own anyone elses. My brother likes to hunt. As you can imagine, I hate hunting. But I don't let that color the relationship I otherwise have with him.

Maybe you need to find a book for your Mum, because she is probably forcing you to eat chicken due to misguided fears about nutrition and the need for protein from meat. Do you think if you were able to educate her that she would come around to being more sympathetic? And I don't mean educating her about why you want to be vegetarian, there will always be people who don't understand why we care about the animals. But she needs to understand that you'll be ok.

terri · May 13, 2005

I'm sorry to hear that, as well. I'm sure it does seem to you that they are being insensitive to your beliefs, and that is not what families should do. :hug::

I'd also advise you to pick up some books - cookbooks, etc. Do you eat fish at all? That would offer a little more variety, but even if you choose not to, there is still a surprising amount of great food choices out there. Ask your doctor if you should take any kind of vitamin supplements.

In the meantime, good for you, you've seen something that's changed you and made you think. Stick to your guns and be your own person. You're doing no one any harm (least of all the critters) :heart: and have nothing to apologize for. :thumbup:

danalec99 · May 13, 2005

fadingaway1986 said:
It's not only immediate family - its aunts, uncles, grandparents.

My grandparents have just moved back to AU, and the other day announced, when they move back into their old house (its being rented atm), they are going to raise sheep and chickens, so they can kill them to eat. They offered to let me go and "play with them, look after them, name them, become attached" and then they will kill them. They have worked in meat works for most of their lives...

I have to admit that I am ashamed to be related to people like that. I don't want to force my views onto people - and i try not to. But to joke about killing animals as if they don't even matter - i just think its wrong. I don't understand why people are proud of eating meat?

Grrr. I dunno. it annoys me. I just want them to leave me alone. But I am not strong enough to say anything, because they just make fun of me, and tell me i am being stupid.

Wow... didn't know this is a big issue here. I hail from a nation where 95% of the people does not (officially) touch meat. It would never be an issue for me to convert eventhough I am a Christian.

Couldn't you just ignore them? It might be hard, but I think if you stay strong they might eventually understand.

Please do not be ashamed of your family. A difference of opinion should not grant anyone the right to look down on others.

Cheerio!

treehuggerhikerboy · May 13, 2005

I've been a veggie (although I eat fish) for quite awhile now. No one really cares if I am or not, and a lot of people don't even know I am.

I'm not a fan of Nazi's of any sort. I went on a date one time to a Vietmese restaurant with a strict (Nazi) veggie, she said she looked down on people that ate meat. I accidentally ordered egg rolls that contained meat instead of the other kind of spring rolls, she was totally disgusted. So I ate both of them right in front of her. Just not a big fan of anybody that tries to impose their views on anyone else, religious or veggie or anything else.

Good luck with your veggieness!