Taz here.
In today's society, it's more than likely you're going to encounter a few vegetarians as you go through life. It's possible you're going to ask them questions about their lifestyle. It's understandable that you're curious-but as a veg-head myself, I'm here to tell you we get the same questions all the time.
I first decided to become a vegetarian when I was eleven. My reasons were moral ones-I didn't feel comfortable eating something that had a life, when I could easily live off other food. From that day, the questions came flooding in. Constantly. In retrospect, it was to be expected-Of course my fellow sixth classers would be curious. (We didn't exactly study Home Ec. at that age.) Honestly, I generally avoid telling people I'm a vegetarian, to evade the questions. But it can’t be avoided at mealtime, where I most often receive the odd, and often insulting questions about my diet.
To help you avoid annoying your veg-head friend, I've compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions:
You're a vegetarian? Oh! Do you eat fish?
I get asked this one a surprising amount of times-it's funny more than anything else. Vegetarians don't eat living creatures. Yes, a fish is a living creature. It's amazing how people don't automatically include fish when they consider a vegetarian diet. Think of it this way-if it has a face, I'm not going to eat it. For the record though, a vegetarian that eats fish is called a pescetarian.
If you don’t eat meat, where do you get your protein?
I like to think this question is coming from a good place-as in the asker is genuinely concerned for your health, and not looking to find a flaw in veg-head's lifestyle. However, most of the time that isn't true. Some of you omnivores may want to sit down, as the following message may shock you-meat is not the only source of protein. *le gasp* Beans, legumes, nuts, peanut butter, soy, and a lot of vegetables are rich in protein. Don't fret-I'm getting my nutrients.
No meat... but what do you eat?
When explaining what I eat to people, I like to compare myself to a really picky eater. We all know one-we have that friend who won't eat certain foods, or this brand of that, etc., etc. They still eat, don't they? In these modern times it's never been easier to be a picky eat-I mean, a vegetarian. As well as what's listed in question 2., there are tons of different meat alternatives.I, myself like Quorn-it's all freezer food, so it's quick but still tasty. Sausages, chicken, lasagne, mince... there's a faux meat version of everything! And, of course there's salads-if you're into that sorta thing.
You really don't eat meat?
Yes, they're still asking that one at this point
Why are you a vegetarian? It's the circle of life!
I'll try to avoid getting preachy-instead, I'll just state my views. I honestly believe, that in this day and age, that nothing needs to die to feed me or keep me alive. Maybe in the caveman era, but not anymore. To me, all the living things in the world have a right to live. Just because we have a higher thinking capacity than animals, does not give us the right to take their lives. Taking a life of another is murder. Plain and simple, whether it be an animal or human. Personally, I tend to think murder's wrong. I'm sure if you were raised on a farm, you became accustomed to this practice, but does that make it right?
Well if you don't believe in taking lives, what about the vegetables, you carrot-murderer! They're living things. Why is it okay to eat plants but not animals?
I get a good laugh when people ask me that question. It’s something I had to sit down a figure out after learning about plants being alive in biology. It's not just because celery isn't really that cute.
The most basic reason is that plants have no central nervous system and cannot feel pain. Animals can, and while I won't go all PETA on you, I will say that placing bets on animals being killed humanely in any mass producing company would be a bad idea. It's also worth noting that very few plants are actually killed by being eaten. (Carrots are one of them, actually. So maybe I am a carrot-murderer) The majority of plants depend on us and other animals to eat them and spread their seed.
What about the insects you step on each day? Don’t they deserve a life?
Vegetarianism isn't about being perfect, it's about doing less harm. There is no perefectly-cruelty free diet, but being a vegetarian brings you closer to one than being a meat-eater will.
No wonder you're so skinny.
MYTH. Most vegetarians aren't aware of all the options out there or are lazy like me, and end up eating a lot of carbohydrates. And we all know how fattening that tends to be. As well as that, cookies, chocolate, icecream-all veggie friendly.
If we didn't eat animals, there would eventually be too many and they would take over or starve out due to lack of food.
Take cows for example. There are not naturally that amount in the world-we breed them to be eaten. Supply and demand. If no one ate meat, we would not have to breed more meat, thus cutting out unnecessary births. Though I wouldn't worry about that one. The chances of everyone waking up tomorrow and deciding to go veg? Slim.
And my personal favourite:
Do you eat animal crackers?
No, of course not. I find it exetremely offensive that they are shaped like animals-as if making a mockery of the animal lives lost everyday. And feeding them to children-what brain washing!
Of course I do. They're delicious. I especially like the giraffe one.
Any questions I didn't cover? Feel free to ask! ^^
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