What is up with the vegan hate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a vegetarian, so I can somewhat relate. Someone says "you gotta try lunch at Porky's BBQ," I say "oh I'm not a fan of bbq but I'll tell my husband." Fine. But often, people will press (goes for any subject matter), to a point either right away or later in the conversation, I need to say I'm a vegetarian. My declaration doesn't come out of nowhere. It's part of the general conversation of "you really should go to Porky's even if you don't love bbq, they have burgers too, oh speaking of good burgers, have you tried Burger Hut..."

Conversation with my vegan friend include the same thing. I say ",OMG I Love that pizza place, their crust is the best, " and she might respond" I agree, but I wish they'd offer a vegan pizza. "

As you can imagine, the naturally occurring mention of vegan/vegetarianism often spurs more questions about how long have you been vegetarian, why are you, don't you miss burgers how do you get your vitamins? And next thing you know, you're accused of being one of those people who can't shut up about their diet.

You’re…not who we’re talking about. I don’t know how many times it’s been pointed out, but I’ll say it again: Not all vegans are super-annoying. There are many vegans who are welcome in my home for dinner because they are gracious, helpful guests. That said, what do you expect your friend to do about the pizza place not offering a vegan pizza? If you don’t want to go there for dinner, fine. But if someone is just saying they love a restaurant, you can say something positive and not Make It About Vegan Options.

[Anonymous]

I am a vegetarian, not vegan. It's very very hard to be a vegan and it's impossible to socialize out of the house without a lot of work. But, no, it isn't an eating disorder. I would be vegan if I could make it work. Meanwhile, I get pushback from being a vegetarian. Really? Frankly, I do think it should be the default diet.
Yes, I get enough protein, iron, B12. The same questions all the time.

[Anonymous]

Folks need someone or something to fixate on. And then make it the other persons fault.

[Anonymous]

Two vegan cousins in the family mean that most family dinners are vegan, which I do not prefer. Thankfully these dinners don't happen that often. I think there's a stereotype of vegans being personally obnoxious about it, but I don't know many outside these cousins and they aren't too annoying about it (besides all of us having to eat vegan too).

[Anonymous]

People with special diets always call a lot of attention to themselves. Whether it's Celiac or vegetarian or vegan or pescatarian, you always have to hear about what they eat, never mind if you are at their house. At work all the executives have special diets and heaven forbid they don't get their pescatarian entree or their steel cut oatmeal, heads will roll. I once saw my boss BERATE a server because his fish came with some kind of oil on it instead of plain.

Eat what you want I just don't want to have to worry about it, hear about it, just bring your own damn lunch then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a vegetarian, so I can somewhat relate. Someone says "you gotta try lunch at Porky's BBQ," I say "oh I'm not a fan of bbq but I'll tell my husband." Fine. But often, people will press (goes for any subject matter), to a point either right away or later in the conversation, I need to say I'm a vegetarian. My declaration doesn't come out of nowhere. It's part of the general conversation of "you really should go to Porky's even if you don't love bbq, they have burgers too, oh speaking of good burgers, have you tried Burger Hut..."

Conversation with my vegan friend include the same thing. I say ",OMG I Love that pizza place, their crust is the best, " and she might respond" I agree, but I wish they'd offer a vegan pizza. "

As you can imagine, the naturally occurring mention of vegan/vegetarianism often spurs more questions about how long have you been vegetarian, why are you, don't you miss burgers how do you get your vitamins? And next thing you know, you're accused of being one of those people who can't shut up about their diet.

You’re…not who we’re talking about. I don’t know how many times it’s been pointed out, but I’ll say it again: Not all vegans are super-annoying. There are many vegans who are welcome in my home for dinner because they are gracious, helpful guests. That said, what do you expect your friend to do about the pizza place not offering a vegan pizza? If you don’t want to go there for dinner, fine. But if someone is just saying they love a restaurant, you can say something positive and not Make It About Vegan Options.

I think the PP's point is that vegans often get accused of bringing up their diet all the time, in every conversation about food. The PP was laying out the ways that their diet comes up with the BBQ conversation. The conversation about the pizza place was not the OP lamenting the lack of vegan food. It was those friends who both enjoy a place talking about their likes and dislikes. The lack of vegan options is not conversationally taboo to anyone other than the people who think that all vegans either evangelize about veganism all the time or cheat on their vegan diet because that's what vegans do. The "that's what vegans do" attitude runs really, really deep on this forum in particular. The problem is that the PP is exactly who people are talking about. The bolded literally explains why.

[Anonymous]

None of the vegans I've known ever came across as preachy. Maybe I've just been lucky. My SIL's been vegan for many years; we always make sure to have a few vegan offerings at holiday dinners, and veggie burgers at BBQs. She's an excellent cook, so she's happy to contribute herself, and she doesn't get miffed if her dietary preferences can't be accommodated. We recently had MIL's milestone birthday at a seafood restaurant in Annapolis, and there wasn't much on the menu SIL could eat, but she cheerfully joined in the party with her plate of steamed veggies and rice to celebrate MIL while everyone else dined on crabs and oysters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a vegetarian, not vegan. It's very very hard to be a vegan and it's impossible to socialize out of the house without a lot of work. But, no, it isn't an eating disorder. I would be vegan if I could make it work. Meanwhile, I get pushback from being a vegetarian. Really? Frankly, I do think it should be the default diet.
Yes, I get enough protein, iron, B12. The same questions all the time.

What do you mean? Of course, it is an eating disorder. There is no reason to eat vegan and, in fact, eating vegan comes with significant health concerns. That level of food control smacks of mental health problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a vegetarian, not vegan. It's very very hard to be a vegan and it's impossible to socialize out of the house without a lot of work. But, no, it isn't an eating disorder. I would be vegan if I could make it work. Meanwhile, I get pushback from being a vegetarian. Really? Frankly, I do think it should be the default diet.
Yes, I get enough protein, iron, B12. The same questions all the time.

What do you mean? Of course, it is an eating disorder. There is no reason to eat vegan and, in fact, eating vegan comes with significant health concerns. That level of food control smacks of mental health problems.

Id be interested if you find any severely restrictive diet an eating disorder or is it just vegans? For example, keto or carnivore diet or raw diet? Is whole foods or paleo associated as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do vegans host and offer meat dishes when their guests eat meat and dairy? Or do you only serve vegan dishes?

Depends on the family. I assume if the whole family is vegan, they wouldn't serve meat. All of my vegan friends have meat eating families so they serve both.

I'm a vegetarian, so I won't cook or prepare meat unless it's something like precooked frozen meatballs or chicken nuggets. Raw meat is too disgusting for me. I tried to prepare raw chicken and hamburger a few times for my child but it was so gross and I couldn't desensitize myself. So I only serve vegetarian. But my husband will sometimes grill meat or brown ground beef for tacos if we're having people over (pretty much the extent of his abilities).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a vegetarian, not vegan. It's very very hard to be a vegan and it's impossible to socialize out of the house without a lot of work. But, no, it isn't an eating disorder. I would be vegan if I could make it work. Meanwhile, I get pushback from being a vegetarian. Really? Frankly, I do think it should be the default diet.
Yes, I get enough protein, iron, B12. The same questions all the time.

What do you mean? Of course, it is an eating disorder. There is no reason to eat vegan and, in fact, eating vegan comes with significant health concerns. That level of food control smacks of mental health problems.

Some people are vegan for ethical reasons, and that's ok. If they're healthy, it's not a disorder.

[Anonymous]

I went vegan after a life-threatening health condition. I feel much better eating non-processed foods and my blood work reflects that as well. Not sure why others get hung up about vegans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not get vegan hate, but I do get vegan annoyance. As at least one person said, the vegans I know force things to be made vegan and then cheat when they like. My sister used to make my mom make vegan versions of everything and then suck down all the desserts with milk and eggs.

It is also much more difficult to work around. Yes, it can be done, but it often means the person hosting spends a lot of time and money. Worth it if the person is truly vegan, but not worth it if they are not.

This.

[Anonymous]

Its a particular culture thing.

Generally, they don't host much so they are out of practice. Then, when they are hosting, they get very annoyed and stressed. Also, they are not good cooks and if they cannot cook the 5 things that they know how to make, they get very angry.

Normal people will automatically include something in their menu that can feed someone who has a dietary need. Usually, plant based food is the most flexible in adjusting to various dietary restrictions - halal, kosher, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, nut-free, low sugar, low carb, gluten-free etc.

[Anonymous]

My problem is that people should discreetly eat whatever they wish without making a spectacle of themselves or inconveniencing others. Hosts should not be expected to cater to every dietary preference. If you have a wacko diet, put some almonds in your purse and hush.

I was raised vegetarian in the South, and I was taught to eat what was put before me - including meat. Manners should trump all. In the case of a deathly allergy, bring your own food.