Get ready, ladies and gentlemen, because this is going to be a rant. I am so tired of hearing the same thing every single day about something so personal, too. I am sick of being harassed for my diet. I've been a vegetarian for seven years. Recently I've made the decision to transition to veganism(it's a long transition so don't hold me to my word yet). But since the age of 12, I have experienced something very bizarre; people actually give a shit about what I eat. Mind you, I'm not one to overly advertise the fact that I don't eat meat but sometimes it is just an impossible conversation to avoid. Especially if I'm going out to eat with friends or family. The reason I don't like to bring it up is because every time I do, there is always one person that badgers me for the entire meal. These people know who they are. They're the ones who will also be the first to say, "I love bacon" as soon as I announce my diet. My question for these people is, why do you care?
I will never understand why what enters MY mouth and is digested by MY body is such a concern to you. I'm fully aware of how to survive. It would be one thing if I were skin and bones but I'm clearly healthy for my age and height. I know how to get my iron and protein just as you're aware of how to get yours. Don't pretend you're suddenly some expert when you're not the one who has been eating like this for years. I think it's fair that if I'm keeping my opinions about your diet to myself that it's respectful for you to do the same. You wouldn't make fun of someone who is celiac would you? Can you even imagine if I took a piece of bread, stuffed it in my mouth, and said, "I love bread" to someone with celiac disease?! That would be ridiculous.
What we eat is part of our value system. Hindus don't eat beef because it's part of their religion, just as Mormons don't drink coffee. Making fun of or attacking people who don't eat certain things because of their RELIGION would be frowned upon. No, I'm not in a religion that causes me not to eat a certain food, but it is still a part of what I value. It is who I am. It's true that the thought of eating meat makes me sick, but if I'm not giving you a hard time about your diet then keep your mouth shut about mine. It's not something to joke about and it's not going to change the way I eat.
Ask yourself, would I say something if it were part of their religion? If you wouldn't, then don't say it. There are other things to joke about but honestly food isn't one of them. If someone wants to eat an entire cake then let them eat the entire damn cake without judgement. We aren't five. Everybody can make their own decision about what does and doesn't go in their body and nobody deserves to be attacked because of it. It's such a pointless discussion to have and I hate the fact that I even had to write about something as fruitless as this but it needed to be said. Talk about literally anything else in life, just not this.
