[gberardi]

I'm still periodically getting comments like "Yeah, we already knew you were weird" or "You can't eat anything anymore". People aren't being mean in general, and I just take the comments as "You're being different from everyone", which is not exactly the worst thing in the world to be.

Part of the problem is that the word "vegan" can mean nothing to someone who hasn't ever heard it before. Vegan sounds like vegetarian, and all most people know about vegetarians is that they don't eat meat. Of course dairy and eggs would seem to be fine! Who doesn't love chocolate, cheese, and omelets?

Also, since vegan-friendly food is generally harder to find, it will seem to many people that you are deprived. I noticed that my usual interaction with other people is to say "Oh, I can't eat that", and so of course they are going to look at me as the deprived, starving, weirdo vegan. B-) I eat a LOT when I am at home and can prepare my own food, but going out to eat with friends isn't as easy as when I could just point my finger at any item and order it.

So, I guess you're not alone. It is hard being different. When the company provides food, there is NEVER anything without cheese or meat in it, so I just don't eat at the events or I bring my own food. I guess I feel lucky because the only people who don't seem to understand are my parents and cousins, and I generally only eat with them once a week. B-)