Ever since I was young, I had a strong compassion for animals , but not in the crazy, talking-to-animals type of way. I am the type of person who won't cry in a movie when a human dies, but if an animal dies, you better bring me the tissues and a blanket so I can hide my ugly crying face. This reason may or may not be why I still refuse to watch the movie "Marley and Me."
This compassion towards animals always gave me huge amounts of guilt whenever I ate meat. Unfortunately, the thought of giving up cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizza slices just didn't seem possible to me. Coming from an agriculturally centered, small town in Iowa, where being a vegetarian is almost as big a taboo as getting a divorce, didn't give me much hope to change my habits either. It wasn't until I watched a few documentaries and took the time to educate myself about the numerous positives of a vegetarian lifestyle, which include disease prevention, water conservation and saving the lives of animals, that I decided to make a change.
Thanks to the help of my fellow vegetarian best friend and a lot of self control, I have been meat-free for six months. I do enjoy this lifestyle, and I plan to continue it for as long as I can. Becoming a vegetarian is the best choice that I have made for my health and for the environment. Even though it is a daily habit for me, it does not come without struggle and irritation.
Believe me, its hard out here for a vegetarian, and I have made a list to demonstrate just what I'm talking about.
1. The passive aggressive judgement you receive from people when they ask you why you are a vegetarian.
Why did you decide to wear that shirt today? Or those pants? We all make different choices in our lives. I personally don't see how my decision to not eat meat is affecting you at all, so why the hard feelings? Everybody love everybody!
2. When you do tell people you don't eat meat, they automatically think you're going to shrivel up and die because you're not getting any protein.
There are certainly other ways to include protein in your diet besides meat. Peanut butter, soy and vegetables are great examples of foods that add protein. Take that self-proclaimed nutritionists!
3. Now, you have a strange reliance on carbohydrates.
Carbs are safe, and they rarely do deceive you. They are like that one person you always go back to when you can't find anything better. Similarly, when you can't find anything decent to eat, and you're too lazy to make real food, you settle with Easy Mac.
4. Trying to prepare tofu.
How do you do it? Its like a lab experiment. I don't understand, and I'm genuinely scared to do it because I'll probably lose a finger in the process.
5. With summer comes barbecues and the awkwardness that comes with them.
If you're like I am, you don't want to be that person who brings their own veggie burgers, so you just sit there awkwardly, while other people eat. It's weird.
6. Holidays.
Holidays are the worst, and I mean, the absolute worst. They resemble a war zone. There are so many things that you have to dodge, such as the bacon bits that are oh-so-slyly hidden in the green bean casserole or the judgement from your relatives when you tell them why you aren't eating meat.
Your meals usually consist of mashed potatoes and more mashed potatoes, but without the gravy because, duh, it's meat-based. How else would we live? Don't even think about trying the desserts because, for some reason, your relatives have it out against you and decided to put gelatin in every single one.
7. Sometimes, there is a small side dish that you can actually eat, but then someone who isn't a vegetarian eats it all.
Seriously, its the most disappointing thing. More disappointing than when you get a bad grade on an open book quiz.
8. You have to read the ingredients before everything you eat.
Unfortunately, food companies do not take the time to bold meat products as they do with gluten and dairy products. Its literally a life-long word search. I must know if its made from chicken broth or vegetable broth!
Patience is a virtue, my friends.
9. Fast food really isn't an option.
You would think that vegetarians could eat french fries or hash browns at McDonald's, but no. McDonald's uses beef tallow in their deep fat fryer, so no items on McDonald's menu are technically vegetarian or vegan. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise?
10. There are plenty of variations of a cheeseburger, but you're lucky to find even one type of veggie burger at a restaurant.
When you do find one:
11. You tend to find meat in random dishes that shouldn't have even have it.
Come on, who puts bacon in vegetable soup? That's just a low blow.
12. When you go out to eat with your friends, you have to hope that they chose a vegetarian-friendly restaurant.
You sit back and let them make the decision because you don't want to be the stereotypical, crazy, vegetarian lady. We already have enough stereotypes going on.
13. Sometimes there are no vegetarian options on the restaurant menu, so you have to ask for no chicken on your chicken caesar salad.
And your waiter looks at you like this:
14. Even when you tell them you don't want the meat included on your entrée, nine times out of ten it is.
Seriously, putting meat on there is an extra step in the cooking preparation. Now, don't you dare tell me to just pick it off. It was cooked with meat juices! It's particles are still on there!
15. People think they're offending you when they eat meat in your presence.
No, you're not. I'm not going to burst out in tears or turn into the Incredible Hulk when I see you eat a sandwich. The only thing that bothers me is when you keep asking me if it bothers me.
16. There are those who are overly conscious of your emotions and then there are those who make annoying jokes about it.
This one is dedicated to all the dads and uncles out there.
17. You constantly feel the moral obligation to take the next step and become vegan.
Sure, its just cutting out dairy and eggs. It can't be that much harder, right? No cheese or chocolate. Please excuse me while my heart breaks.
18. Everyone thinks your vegetarianism is a phase that you will get over in the next few weeks.
This isn't like that time when I thought I was edgy and got a nose piercing.
