Best/Worst Experiences Going Veg?

Question

I was just wondering what everyone's worst experience was when it comes to other people finding out or dealing with you being vegetarian or vegan. I've been veg my whole life, so I've had plenty of ridiculous comments and reactions!

Also, has there been a best experience? Like someone being unusually open to your ideas and willing to learn more about them? Or someone who went out of their way to make sure a meal is taken care of for you?


Thanks for sharing!

Answer 1

I guess the worst experience was the ridiculous comments I would get from some other people. It's not really that big of a deal though. I always was kind of nerdy and unpopular so I was used to being picked on. I never fit in anyway; so I didn't bother to try. I just did what I thought was right for me. I never really hear anything like that anymore, though--most people don't treat vegetarianism like it's such a weird thing anymore. All of the negative comments I encounter now are here on YA, not in real life.

The best experience was when my mom finally quit bugging me about it and admitted there was nothing wrong with being vegetarian. She was a nurse, and she was very smart, but she had very negative ideas about vegetarianism. I had to educate myself as much as possible to be able to argue with her and after several years I won the argument. To me, it was a huge accomplishment.

Another great experience was when the first time I went to eat at the local Hare Krishna restaurant. I had wanted to go vegetarian but I was influenced by myths like "vegetarians all look sick." Among the Krishna devotees were guys with big muscles, pretty girls, skinny people, fat people, etc. They looked just like everybody else (except their haircuts and clothes) and I knew in an instant that the myth wasn't true. I was so happy because I knew I didn't have to eat meat anymore.

Answer 2

Worst experiance is not being able to eat the hosts food, i live in china, so when i go to someones house(mostly the countryside) and i dont eat the food, it takes alot of convincing that the real reason for not eating isnt becuase im too good for chinese food. Theres been sometimes where i have been in the countryside where every meal uses some part of the animal and i have to fill up on the nan bread and tea, telling them how much i love the bread.
another thing would be ordering food, asking for no meat, starving to death, then the meal comes and the meat, so you either wait for them to "make" another one as they pick out the peices of meat, or you go home hungry.
Best experiance would have to be getting out of office dinners with the deans of the uni, tell them im a vegan and dont drink and out of the boring dinner. another thing would be knowing that everyday you make a choice that makes the world a better place.

Answer 3

Worst experience:
The day I decided to become a vegetarian, when I told my boyfriend. He at first seemed OK with it, mentioning the health benefits. Then I told him that that wasn't the reason I was doing it. We were already sitting close to each other and he rested his forehead on mine, looking me right in the eye. He started to speak softly, like he was going to say something nice but what he said was "You had better not be doing it for moral reasons. Lauren, if you turn into one of those PETA freaks I swear I'm going to break up with you." We had been dating for over 4 years and I thought that was the end of our whole relationship right there.

Luckily, he realized he was being a moron about 5 minutes later. He's come around since then and has actually given up veal, pork and bacon willingly because of the things I've told him. (He already didn't eat beef. Still eats seafood and chicken, though)

Best Experience:
Having my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian at my parent's house. My parents both hate me being a vegetarian, so I was prepared for the worst. But they made every side dish vegetarian and after telling me so, never brought up the topic again. I just got to share a nice meal with my family.

Answer 4

my worst experience is when i went to my first job, about four months after i went vegetarian. My employers bought lunch every saturday (the only day i worked). They ordered from a restaurant down the road and there were no veggie options they had on their menu. (The place did, but my employers thought they were too expensive or smtg).
so the next week, they made sure there was a salad. it was really bad salad like, the lettuce was old and stuff. So, i brought my own lunch. My employers would interrogate me about my beliefs adn make me explain why i was vegetarian. then when i told them why, they were like, no that's the wrong reason. they lectured me about how i should eat meat until i got fired like, nine months later.

the best experience: my nana is soo accepting of me. she always makes sure there is tofu or veggie burgers for me when i come to visit. (love you nana!) it's especially nice because she (and everyone else in my family) eats meat.
what kind of ridiculous reactions have you seen?
best of luck in the future.

Answer 5

My worst experience had to be at a family gathering when I first became a vegetarian and practically my whole family tried to argue with me about God giving us animals to eat. It was ridiculous. It had to be like 15 people all ganged up against me.

My best experience was when I decided to become a vegetarian and my fiance decided to follow my lead. It is so empowering and has proved to be a bonding experience for us. I think that it made me fall in love with him all over again!

Also, I am pursuing a degree in dietetics and it is so wonderful because all of my classmates are so interested in my diet and ask me about good vegetarian restaurant and for recipes. They don't reticule me at all because they are educated and know what a healthy lifestyle choice it is.

The good experiences far outweigh the bad, that's for sure!

Answer 6

No, I can still experience the culture without eating meat. I don't even like the taste anymore since becoming a vegetarian, and the one time I decided to only eat seafood when I went out to dinner made me physically sick. So never again. I can still experience high tea without eating the sandwiches. And I can still walk the streets of the Far East without eating the street food. And I can still go to a luau without eating the pig roast. And I can still eat food in England without eating meat pies or fish and chips. And if I was invited to someone's house, I would politely tell them that I'm vegetarian and offer to bring a dish, and just not eat the non-vegetarian foods. You can still experience a culture without eating all of the food they serve. I don't think a cultural experience depends on what food you eat.

Answer 7

I was raised pretty much vegie and it was very hard when I was a teenager, especially when everyone ate taco bell and so forth for lunch.
My worst experience is when I decided to go carnivore on my own to fit in, and in went a Mcdee's burger and up came one because I lost some of the enzymes to digest meat, especially fast food meat.
Best experience is that there is not a vegie meal out there or a vegetable I don't like.
Thanks mom and dad!

Answer 8

There are about 30% born vegetarians in India, hence I did not have any worst experience. On the contrary we sometimes make fun of our non-vegetarian friends.

Answer 9

My worst experience is a lot of people at my school (I'm a freshman in high school) call me gay because I'm a vegetarian. I just try to ignore them.

My best experience is knowing that I am not eating innocent animals and that I am eating healthier.

Answer 10

Never had a bad experience. I feel better, I've lost weight, don't feel guilty about contributing to the death of animals, and I've discovered a bunch of new kinds of great food. Yep...