How to reject vegetarian requests (politely)

Hey all… This post is a bit emotional and I am quite nervous of putting it all out there. BS-aside, let’s dive into it.

Ever since I decided to consume less meat, and challenge myself that during my birthday month I will try to eat vegetarian meals as much as possible if I’m eating out (it’s the only time when I have a decisive say on what to eat!!), I have shed a few tears after some incidents when people say mean things in response to my choice of cuisine. But on the bright side, I want to thank friends who accompanied me (or at least didn’t turn me down) for a meal’s length of vegetarian journey! ♥️♥️

I know going vegetarian is a super big thing for some (even though it’s just for ONE meal), and I hope to make this post positive and constructive by turning the table - how would I react when people who are fans of eating meat ask me to go to a all-you-can-eat meat buffet? OR, conversely: how do we politely reject lunch/dinner invitations from vegetarians?

“I really prefer having some meat. How about we go to a good restaurant with both meat & vegetarian options?”

Yes, it’s really that simple. I would say the same if someone invited me for a steak dinner. Deal, guys?

Ready for some 'meaty' mean stuff?? Oh yeaaaaaaa

(lol sorry I don't mean meat is mean, but just that people always say something is 'meaty' (= full of substance or interest; satisfying)... ^^")

I’ve heard lots of creative mean/rude comments and before today, I was 100% personally offended when people say those to me (yea #noshame). But I realise by being pissed off, I am actually further distancing myself from convincing others to try vegetarian food.

Now I can totally laugh about them and I’m just gonna be a bitch here :)

🤷 Watch me

• “Hey I thought you shouldn’t even eat egg or milk? Are you a real vegetarian?”
  - there are different types of vegetarians, you’re talking about vegans, duh. And by guilt-tripping me for not being a vegan doesn’t justify any of your actions (eg being rude, eating meat, etc). You’re just mean.
   
• “I hope you don’t die prematurely because of the lack of nutrition.”
  - I think I’ll live longer than you.
   
• “Do we need some poop to start planting the seeds for your plants?”
  - Ok lol funny! But not sure if your poop is organic though.
   
• “Are you buddhist or something? If not, why are you not eating meat?”
  - Er. No. I don’t need a god to tell me what to eat. I read science journals. But thanks for asking.
   
• “Do you know plants have life? There are microbes in water too. You shouldn’t even eat anything then.”
  - I go vegetarian because it’s environmentally friendlier. By attacking the magnitude of my actions (that I’m not protecting everything with life) really doesn’t justify the fact that you’re not helping with climate change.

OK, back to the topic

Normally vegetarians around us are not born to be vegetarians, including myself. I won't die from eating the thinnest slice of beef. I am a social animal and I am more than happy to eat meat if you really want me to THAN being publicly mocked by friends I truly value.

The choice of going vegetarian, vegan or meat-eating, is really just a choice of cuisine. It’s like Japanese vs Chinese, or American vs Italian. Or like a choice of lifestyle, like you like sleeping at 10PM and I like sleeping at 2AM. There is no need to humiliate another person because you don’t like the choice that they have opted for.

I know... I know I can be pretty annoying at times

That being said, I know sometimes people who opted for going vegetarian might feel a sense of self-righteousness when it comes to their choice, which might be a little bit harsh for others to accept - that I totally understand. Some think that, unlike the choice of meat-eating which is based solely on a preference of taste, the choice of going vegetarian is based on values such as ‘against animal cruelty’, ‘against climate change’, etc. It takes time to explain, and hence sometimes we can be a lil’ bit excited and overshare why we think going vegetarian is a better option. ( 🙋Guilty here!!)

Of course, there must be a good reason for eating meat for some, such as from the perspective of nutrition sufficiency, which is perfectly fine. By no means I want to be upset because of my choice of food, and I wouldn’t want others to feel the same. At the end of the day, let’s just try to understand each other more 🙂

Hey, no judgement here but if you’re curious, find out why I opted for a plant-based meal here!

Peace, xoxo