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I happen to know some very popular vegetarians. |
 | By Molly Snyder Edler   OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Molly Snyder Edler |
| Published Oct. 14, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. |
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October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, special features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food. Bon appetit!
I think I'm allowed to perch on both sides of the fence for the vegetarian / carnivore issue because I was a vegetarian for more than a decade. Then, midway through pregnancy, I became the jubilant meat-eater that I am today.
During my vegetarian days, I remember feeling like my dietary choice was annoying -- almost offensive -- to some people in my personal life. Family members made comments like "what exactly do you eat?" and "I don't think a little chicken broth will kill you."
I've noticed this in my professional world as well. I wrote numerous articles and blogs about vegetarianism for OnMilwaukee.com, and it's clear that a fair share of Talkbackers are irritated by the veggie breed.
So what is it about vegetarians that some find so annoying?
I compiled my own list of possibilities based on experience as well as speculation, but feel free to add your own thoughts via the Talkback feature.
Possible annoying attributes of vegetarians:
Vegetarians are self-righteous? Perhaps some vegetarians think they're more educated and evolved humans with way more self-discipline since they do not eat the meat.
Vegetarians are rude? When someone makes a big meal, the last thing the cook want sto hear is, "You made that with chicken stock? I'll just eat the salad." Some vegetarians I know will graciously break their meat-free diet to avoid undermining someone's efforts. Others feel strongly in their convictions, and would stick to them regardless of who prepared their meal.
Vegetarians are hung up on titles? Are vegetarians more into the label than the health benefits? Is it cool to be a vegetarian? Is it another way to define one's self and to fit in liberal hipster social circles?
Vegetarians are too thin? Do those with meat on their bones -- literally and figuratively -- feel oversized next to sinewy vegetarians types?
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23 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by iamjessica99 on Oct. 23, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. (report)
I have been a vegetarian for years, but I know how it feels to be annoyed by a vegetarian/vegan. It is my personal policy when dining out, to research a restaurant's menu before going to it, to verify that there is something on the menu for me to eat. This is the same thing I would do if I had a peanut/gluten/dairy allergy or a particular religious dietary restriction. I accept this as my burden for having a diet choice that is out of the main stream. If there is nothing for me to eat at a particular restaurant, than I dont have to go there. If I did not do my homework on a restaurant, and end up, for example, ordering a soup that has meat broth in it, that's my fault. I would do with the soup, the same thing anyone would do if they didn't like the flavor of something: not make a huge issue of it-simply, not eat it! Most people who I dine out with wouldn't even know that I'm a vegetarian because I don't preach about it or make a huge fuss about it. Contrast this with my sister who is a vegan. Every time we go out to eat, we spend 15-20 minutes, dissecting the menu items with the waiter, who normally has no idea if the risotto has meat broth in it or if the filling in the squash ravioli has any dairy mixed in. The poor waiter ends up running back and forth to the kitchen 10 times to find out the entire ingredient list of each item on the menu. My sister will then choose the least offending item and order it like this: Ill have the
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Posted by lks on Oct. 21, 2008 at 3:44 p.m. (report)
When I was a vegetarian for about 10 years . . .steakhouses were my favorite place to eat because of the potato selection and I never told host I was vegetarian because I really just wanted double sides. I hated tofu but was addicted to potatoes and pasta. . . people started refering to me as a carb-arians, it was probably more descriptive.
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Posted by jessgibs on Oct. 21, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (report)
I have many friends that are vegetarian and most of them don't bother me. But I get irritated with the "holier than thou" attitude that comes from some of them. But I should preface that by saying that my disdain for that attitude is not just limited to vegetarians; that applies to any person who thinks they are better than someone else because they choose to eat, or not eat, a particular item. For example, I can't stand the people who will ridicule me for drinking or eating things with high fructose syrup. Sure, I know it is bad for me, but let me just eat/drink things with it in it in peace. I don't complain about the things you eat or drink. Just let everyone eat and drink what they want to. That is advice to vegetarians AND meat-eaters alike!
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Posted by llmacphail on Oct. 18, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (report)
The whole idea of this question is just ridiculous to me. Although, as someone who follows a vegan lifestyle, it's not new. For some reason, whenever I explain what I do and do not eat, there is a certain group of meat eaters who feel as though I have offended them. I have to think it's because: in choosing to refrain, I have suggested that there may be something wrong with their choices, and this causes them to make the lamest meat jokes ever in an attempt to get under my skin. In any case, it's silly. Simply put, there is more than one way of living. If this scares you, maybe you need to get out more. In terms of restaurants, I will always wish there were more options. In the same way that anyone else wishes there were better options for anything that are cheaper/closer to home/more authentic. (And, as a side note, I don't consider a baked potato or salad sufficient to qualify a "carnivore establishment with vegetarian options." If I had a mostly vegan restaurant with one entree of SPAM, would you be satisfied with the "carnivore option"?) Again, the fact that this conversation even exists, and that its argumentative to the level that it is tells us: while Milwaukee is a fairly progressive city in some respects and actually has a good deal of options for vegetarians, many people still have a very obvious small-town way of thinking that even warrants this discussion necessary.
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Posted by MLM30 on Oct. 16, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (report)
I think anyone who responded "yes" to this question needs to get a life. You shouldn't be concerned with the personal choice that other people have made. It does not affect you. If you have a vegetarian over for dinner why would you make everything that they CAN'T eat?? How many times do you really have dinner guests over and at that moment find out that they are veg? Highly unlikely...maybe you should get to know the people you have over for dinner. I could and a huge list full of things that annoy me about people who eat meat and it's not just for animal rights....there are many things that I could add to the list, but we don't even have that discussion. Mind your own business and get over yourselves....if you're annoyed by vegetarians then guess what, more than likely we're annoyed by you too!
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