|  Being a vegetarian is fun. If you do not harm, you will not be harmed ,  is my philosophy. But there are some people that really make me ill.
 
            People  from vegetarian families who, tucking into a meat airline meal, say , I never  eat meat at home People  who say, yes, we are vegetarians but when we go abroad it is so difficult to  find a decent vegetarian meal so we eat meat People  who say I can’t stand meat so I usually take the vegetables out of the meat stew  and eat them
                
            If I  say I don’t drink milk because it is really bad for the body, people who ask ,  what about paneer and dahi ? People  who say , its only one life, you spend it sacrificing everything, eating only  ghaas phoos. You have to have real food. People  who remark when you say you are vegetarian ,” but you look so healthy” People  expect you to be humorless, strident, and out to convert them. They will bring  up the subject themselves and then say you are obsessive People who say ,  food is a personal choice, it should not be discussed or condemned ( I wish  they’d ask the animal !)
                
            People who serve  meat at Indian weddings People who think  that you have to be a radical or extremist to be vegetarian People who are  asked whether they are veg or non veg reply “ both” People who say ,”  I am gradually leaving meat as I grow older.” People who say “ I  want to be vegetarian but my in laws won’t let me.” People who offer you salad dishes as an alternative to  meat.  People who offer you steamed carrots with  peas and baby corn as a main dish.
                
            When you tell someone that you're a  vegetarian, they tell you that they really want to eat healthier and then go  into all the reasons why its hard and they can't. But you weren't interested in  having the conversation go that direction, and you can't seem to get them to  get off it. People who tell you that they are  vegetarian on Tuesdays Lots of times I am just standing  somewhere, minding my own business, and a meat eater comes up and start  arguing, saying that pork isn't cruel, blah blah blah! People who think that you must be very  religious if you are vegetarian or that you can have no hobbies or interests  apart from the promotion of vegetarianism. Sports – totally out !  People who make the lunch you bring to work  the topic of conversation...EVERY DAY! 41. People who make  your vegetarian lifestyle the big topic of conversation at EVERY business  dinner you ever attend
                
            People who point out that vegetables are  alive too! People who make me restrain myself every  time I hear "I couldn't do it" as the closing argument on  every discussion of the merits of veganism. People who argue that "But the  animals would take over the earth if we didn't eat them!" People who attempt to be scientists and  economists  "It is obvious that a plant-based diet is good for health  and the environment, but the economy would suffer greatly and people would lose  their jobs if everyone stopped eating meat." People who say that , if we didn’t eat  animals, they would die from starvation anyway. People who apologise for eating meat in  front of you and carry on eating anyway.
                
            People who suddenly back away from you  when you mention that you are vegan in polite conversation ,the way they do  when avoiding beggars. People who lapse into an awkward silence  when you finally get around to mentioning you're a vegan. People who ask " What about soup,  what about chocolate till they go down a whole list and use up all the time you  have  People who use doctors who supposedly said  that they have to have eggs and meat to stay healthy in order to buttress their  own appetite for meat People who say : but animals were invented for us to  eat” People you eat out with get exasperated when you try  to determine what exactly is in the food you are ordering. (If it were an  allergy, it would be fine, but since it's a choice, it's weird.) People who hear you are vegetarian, he  says,"Oh, what about your son. Is he normal?"
                
            People who tell you that when their  children decided to be vegetarian they put only meat on the table because once  they just tasted it, they would realize meat was okay. People who accuse you of holding animals in greater  regard than humans because you are vegetarian People just don't understand that  caring for animals doesn't mean you think they're more important than humans,  just that they are AS important. People who say  that cows like to be milked (would YOU like to be  milked by a different species and separated from your young after they are  born?) People who say "God told us to eat  meat." People who serve a meat and veg dish and  then say "You can take the meat off and eat the rest of it"
                
            You are afraid to give any bad  impressions, because everyone you meet will tell somebody else, "I met a  vegan. She seemed snappy and unhappy to me."   People who "used to be  vegetarian" but "outgrew it" (ie. began to find it  inconvenient). People who tell you that they are  "nearly vegetarian"  People who expect you to be an authority on  all types of health concerns, exercise, yoga eastern philosophy,   agriculture and medicine and special diet restrictions( I am but that’s another  matter !). "Oh, you're a strict vegetarian. Do you know what causes  acne?" or "What can I give my celiac and lactose intolerant daughter  to snack on?"
                
            Your friends introduce you as a vegetarian  sometimes before your name is even mentioned. Vegetarins whose little children are allowed to eat  meat because “ I cannot make choices for them” but will make choices about  their school ,clothes, friends and everything else.  Are you  one of these people ?    To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in    previous 
            articles...  Use of Animal Fats in Cosmetics Industries  Killing of endangered Species for  Perfume Industries Missionary Campaign  to Control Cruelty to Animals- needed  Drink Milk, Get Sick  Parents Create Monsters The Business   of Murder:Factory Farming and the Meat Industry in India Effect of landscaping of birds on environment  Dangers of killing deep Sea-Sharks for  Cosmetic Products Use of dog in diagnosis of diseases Sacred Nature of Neelkanth  Cruelty to Polo Ponies Self-Regulation of Population by  Animals Dangers of Animal meat eating Arsenic poison in chicken feed Cruelty  to Animals by Govt. Vets Worship of God with Blood and Suffering of Animals and Birds Consequences of Chloramphenicol in Shrimp Industry Hazards of Trade in Peacocks’ Feather Supreme Court Ban on cruelty to Animals Are you a Bad Pet Owner? The Goat That Laughed and Wept Animal Owners’ personality  traits resemble their Pets’ Human Propensities of Goat Animal 
            sacrifice at the altar of religion Animal 
            as foster parent Animal 
            feed from rendering plant Trade 
            in WildLife Human 
            Intelligence of Birds  Human Propensities of Cow Comment | 
          
         
              
             
              
              
              
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