Anybody get teased for being veg?

[Romeo Foxtrot]

I think people get bitter and antagonistic when they hear you're a vegetarian/vegan because they feel like you are somehow attacking their diet/way of life and they get really defensive. And then making fun of you makes them feel better about themselves. I always found this weird because I rarely make judgments about people when they're eating meat, to me it's just stuff that goes on in the background that I don't give much thought to.

As far as the term "vegan" being a supercharged word, I agree. I think it also brings up images of the "bitter vegan" that takes every moment available to hound carnivores about what they eat. When people hear I'm a vegetarian they usually follow up with "Oh, ok. But you're not a VEGAN are you?" I find it kind of weird that people do that. I don't know why people can't just say "Oh" when they find out you don't eat meat, they feel the need to follow up with defending their diet or small-talking about yours.

I try to not label myself as a vegetarian because as I've said before it's just my diet, it's not me. I just say to people that I don't eat meat.

Let's close this up with how a minor Simpson's character responded when he found out Lisa was 'just a vegetarian': "I'm a Level 5 Vegan. I don't eat anything that casts a shadow."

Of course, he can eat anything at noon

[jkmuller]

While I don't often get made fun of for being vegetarian I always cringe when I have to tell someone. Even if they are understanding I hate it when people ask me to explain my reasons. I have various reasons including ethical, health, etc. but I have a hard time justifying it to people on the spot. Also it makes me much more reluctant to eat out or to eat at other peoples houses. Its awkward having to constantly check ingredients and to keep asking if things are vegetarian. Maybe this is the reason I enjoy cooking so much!

[Alex]

I recently did a two month trial with being Vegan, I made the switch "cold-turkey" . I did experience alot of questioning and teasing about it from family and friends, but I'm not the type to take teasing to heart, so that wasn't a problem.

I did, however, give up the vegan diet and go back to my old ways. Even with taking B12 supplements I noticed my energy being depleted day after day. I attribute this to not having a balanced vegan diet, and I will do more research into it before my next trial.