Another question for vegetarians?

Question

Hey, I've been experimenting with becoming a vegetarian by going prolonged periods of time without meat, and I was wondering, do any of you ever eat meat on special occasions? A few weeks ago, my brother worked his *** off making a meal (some kind of chicken) for the rest of us, and I felt reluctant to eat it. I ended up eating it, but I felt bad later on. I started wondering if I would ever be in a situation where I'm served meat by someone who doesn't know I'm a vegetarian and have to tell them that I can't eat it. I would certainly hate to come off as rude. What are all your opinions on this? Thank you.

Thanks so much for all of your answers, but I think YP's takes the cake. I understand that many of you find refusing meat as being "not rude," but honestly, if I worked hard on a meal to please a friend or family member, not for money or reward, but out of generosity, I would certainly see it as a rude gesture. Sorry about the run-on sentence. That's just my opinion though. Thanks again.

Answer 1

I would be a hypocrite if I ate meat on occasions and called myself a vegetarian. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle in which someone chooses to abstain from meat... I hate to compare it to religion... but it is a good analogy for this situation...
It would be kinda like someone of jewish faith celebrating christmas for the gifts...
To me at least.
I understand where you are coming from with the whole, "turning down peoples foods"... It is hard(because you might not want to offend them)... usually I just try to be AS nice AS possible about it. I smile a lot and say, "no thank you." They usually understand. Especially after they know that you are a vegetarian... they usually catch on and stop trying to feed you things that they know you wont eat... it gets less awkward over time :]
Anyways, good luck.

Answer 2

The most important question is why are you becoming a vegetarian? If it is to save the animals, then maybe you should let everyone know real quick so that this does not happen again.

If you are considering this route for health reasons then an occasional bite of meat won't kill you and won't even harm you, unless cooked improperly.

There are many vegetarians that won't touch meat, but will eat all sorts of garbage (doughnuts, cookies, soda) and those things are worse for you than a well cooked piece of chicken occasionally.

If you are concerned about being rude and you seem to be very considerate then eat the meat. What is more important people or things? Your relationship with your brother is more important than your relationship with animals.

Whatever you do in life, always consider other people's feelings. Don't waver from your beliefs, but don't be so close-minded that you can't see someone else's view point.

Always be in balance with the decisions you make.

Answer 3

No, I don't eat it ever, even on "special occasions." I understand why you made the decision to eat it, and I'm not going to criticize you -- that was your decision to make. But, if you want to avoid being in that situation again, then the best thing to do is to tell you family and friends that you've decided to become vegetarian. Hopefully, they'll respect your decision and the next time you share a meal with them, they'll take your vegetarianism into consideration. Also, if you get invited to someone's house and that person doesn't know you're vegetarian, just politely tell them in advance that you're vegetarian, but urge them not to go out of their way to make anything special for you to eat (in most cases, people make something with meat, and then a few vegetable/starch sides anyway, so I always find that if I just skip the meat and eat salad, veggies, and potatoes or whatever, I'm fine -- just make sure you eat something with protein earlier in the day, since there probably won't be anything protein-rich for you to eat). Also, it's always nice to offer to bring something to dinner -- you can offer to bring a covered (vegetarian) dish of some kind, which will ensure that you have something to eat and also introduce others to vegetarian foods. I think that the key to "not coming off as rude" in these situations is to try to avoid the situation by giving people notice in advance of your vegetarianism and, if that's not possible, then to just be polite when you're served meat and decline to eat it. Most people are very cool about it, as long as you're not going to give them a lecture on meat or complain about it throughout the meal. Hope that helps!

Answer 4

For me personally, there is never an acceptable event or meal when I would eat meat. As a vegetarian, I have adopted this lifestyle. It's not just a "sometimes" thing.
I totally understand that you do not want to offend a relative or friend after they have prepared a huge meal, BUT in the long run it is much kinder to tell them in advance that you abstain from meat.
Look at it this way: someone fixes a huge meal that contains meat and they have no idea that you are a vegetarian. You reluctantly eat and they find out afterwards that you are veg. Most of the people I know would be a tad upset that they were not told beforehand...my friends/relatives would have prepared me something different. My friends/relatives would also be a tad guilt-ridden for unknowingly having me compromise my principles just out of politeness. See? That's not fair the the cook/host.
Just tell everyone and there will be no miscommunication in the future.

Answer 5

I have been a vegetarian for over 4 years.
The reason I stopped eating meat was because I hated the taste and the texture. I used to pick the meat out and not mind if it had a slight meaty taste.
But now I cant stomach any meal that has touched meat... It makes me sick..
I dont think its rude. People are open minded these days, just let people know that you are Vegetarian in advanced and most people will be happy to accommodate your needs.
It is hard being vegetarian especially when eating out as most meals are meat related and alot of products contain Animal bi-products.

Answer 6

If you know that you're going to someone's house for a meal, let them know in advance that you're vegetarian and offer to bring a dish so that they won't feel any pressure to cook something for you. Bring a big enough dish to share since people might want to try it!

That said, opposing the cruelties of factory farming is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Simply eating less meat helps to prevent farmed animals from suffering. You can make exceptions, like eating meat on certain occasions, and still make a big difference by eating vegetarian the rest of the time.

Answer 7

You can eat whatver makes you feel comfortable. If you can't refuse your brother's meat, it is your choice to do so or not.
Refusing something because you do not agree with how it was produced or acquired is not rude no matter how you look at it. It may be disappointing, but never rude.

If you are trying to fit into a certain label, I would advise you to not be concerned with such things. There are many people that call themselves vegetarian and eat fish regularly or eat meat "sometimes". The problem is that it makes them out to be liars or really confused. Vegetarians do not eat cows, chickens, fish, shrimp, scallops, ants, grubs or any other animal.

Some people eat fish and call themselve pesco vegetarians, but that basically translates into "a person that doesn't eat animals that eats animals". If you fit the definition of a word, feel free to apply it to yourself. If not, just do what you can, want or feel is within your ability, but don't call yourself something that you are not.

Answer 8

You have some good answers here, but i would like to add that if you suddenly eat meat again after eating a non-meat diet for a while, it can make you sick because your body can't process that type of protein.

And if you're just going veggie for health benefits, there's nothing wrong with some meat occasionally. People with the animal rights in mind often feel strongly about that, but if you are doing it for your health, there's nothing hypocritical about that. Just dont get sick.

Answer 9

Being a vegetarian doesnt work that way you cant just pick and chose the times or dates that you want to eat meat, other wise your just a hypocrite. It may sound lame but being a vegetarian is a lifestyle change you become a vegetarian for multiple reasons, either health or personal. I had plenty of times where i was offered meat i simply said Thank You but i dont eat meat, just be kind and courteous and people will understand.

Answer 10

if you're just starting to become veg and can still deal with eating meat, then you can go ahead and eat it when served it, if you feel it would be very rude to decline. It's a personal choice, but also take into account your self-respect and if you feel a host should respect your values.
Anyway if you keep a vegetarian diet long enough, you are likely to feel unable to eat meat, physically/psychologically.