[C33]

I am a vegetarian, living in France, for now, and am constantly around meat eaters. Most, are uncomfortable with the fact that I need a"special meal" when they invite me, even though, I tell them all the time that I can bring my own food.

As many of you who are vegetarians or vegans, I am constantly asked about my choice.
Being a lacto-ovo vegetarians, I do get a fair share of: eggs are babies and I also get, quite often, the line: "Vegetables suffer too", with a good imitation of a salad screaming for mercy thrown in.

I am a good sport and laugh along with the crowd,but I don t like my choices to be unvalidated by the teasing. I would like to be able to have a repartee that would stop the teasing, so that they see I am really serious about my choices, and convey to people that their meat-eating habits are hurtful to them and the animals and that is no laughing matter.All of this in a light, playful way.

1- What is the scientific data about plants suffering, and how does it compare to the suffering of animals, how to explain that to a layman?

2-I do understand that saying that plants suffer is a way to deflate the real issue of meat eating as murder. How do I reply to plants suffer too, by reconnecting to the subject at hand: animals suffer!

I am not sure this post belongs to health and fitness, feel free to transfer somewhere else in the forum.