alone in veganism

[everything_is]

i had a bit of a difficult day yesterday (going out to eat with other people and then eating at their house later kinda thing...) and it made me think how much easier it would be if my friends were vegan or someone else in my family was...then i wouldn't feel like noone understood me lol...hmm, anyway...

so i was just wondering how many of us on these boards are going it alone with our principles and beliefs and how much contact - if any - we get with other vegans, apart from on this board :) so don't count internet friends. i was thinking more about the people you see regularly in person.

i tried to think of all the options. i know family can be your friends as well but i kept it separate so that it would be easier to see.

EDIT: I took too long to write the poll so i have posted it in another thread

[everything_is]

erm...
here it is
finally....
bet it wasn't worth the wait either.....

[Amy SF]

so....where's the poll?

[everything_is]

lol erm please say it has actually worked this time lol

[isowish]

I voted.
1 vegan friend, 0 vegan family members

Without that vegan friend it probably would have taken me MUCH longer to make the switch. I think I would have though...you know...in, like, 7 years.
Yeah, I'm thankful to him :)

[Mysteryfan12]

My friend's cousin is a vegan, and I've talked to him through email. Does that count as a "friend"?

[DMZdogs]

Zero. I have no contact with any vegans or even vegetarians. I don't know any at all in my area.

Today, when I took my dog to the vet, he asked me why I wasn't married yet. I told him I was too picky. He laughed, so I told him I only want a man who didn't drink, smoke, and who was a vegan. He got very quiet and then said there wasn't such a person in all of Korea. Nothing to do with your original question, I realize. I'm just blatantly looking for sympathy.

[manics_fan]

Are we counting internet friends here, or is it strictly real life people only?

[veggieeater]

My daughter has been vegan for about a month now. It's helped me explore more recipes because she is very picky. Everyone keeps telling her that she wont last another week but she is very determined to stick with it.

I just saw your other post about being alone. The other members of my family arent vegan but I do the cooking and shopping so they pretty much stick to a vegan diet here. Sometimes people who arent vegan can be supportive as well. My dad follows the Atkins diet but when I'm around him, he'll make suggestions on places to eat that will accomodate me and explain to other people what I eat.

[Moogle]

Aww DMZdogs, that sucks!

It makes me wonder how people feel about this: When choosing a partner for life (whatever your orientation), do you have a rule that they must be vegan? vegetarian? open-minded? Many of the vegans I have met are in relationships with non-vegans (vegans are rare around here to begin with). That was actually one of my worries in turning to veganism--weirding away the potential mates!

[everything_is]

umm i was thinking that the poll should just be a show of the people who you see/know well in your 'real life' and not counting online friends because, as great as it is to have online veggie friends, they aren't there when you are eating/cooking/out with friends/when veganism becomes an issue in your daily life. not in 'real time' at least. or in person.

also i know family can be your friends too but i wanted to keep family and friends as separate catagories because family give you different support than friends...i dunno it seemed to make sense.

as for friends, i was thinking to include people who you know well and/or see regularly as opposed to people you 'know of' or have met briefly because they wouldn't be 'there' for you in a real sense. though its all up to whether you would personally define them as a friend so i guess its up to you on that one.

i dunno really
hope that made a bit of sense

[everything_is]

veggie eater - i guess i should have added another catagory
0 vegan friends or family BUT do have supportive friends/family

[Vegan Joe]

No and No
Daughter is eating less meat products
Other daughter say she would like to become a Vegan.
Only some acquaintances from some Vegan group dinners we have attended.

[muslimonster]

no and no

although i know 2 vegetrians, but theyre not even vegetarians, you know,eating gelatin and stuff like "okay, i'll eat this soup 'cause im starving'

[honeyfugle]

i know only two vegetarians - a junk-food vegetarian (aka, a lack of the fruit and veggies!), and another who calls herself "vegan" even though she most certainly isn't.

so i may as well be on my own.

[Amy SF]

I vote for 0 and 0.

[anatta]

It might be a matter of looking in the right place. I had never met a vegetarian(let alone vegan!) in my life 'til I went to work downtown - then they were all over the place. Well, relatively; I met four(one vegan!), which is phenominal.

[IamJen]

Merged threads

[UseHerName]

I'm all on my own, pretty much. Which is why it was a shock to my family when I went vegetarian, and then vegan. I'm still educating them on veganism.

A cousin of mine, though, Corey, is very open-minded. At a family BBQ he had one of my veggie dogs [this made me smile]. And my friend Kyle, used to be vegan, so he'll still eat veggie dogs [uncooked, too; don't understand how].

[Fyvel]

0 and 0..

But.. my bf is about 99% vegan, I know several lacto/ovos, and the only meat my mom eat is fish a couple of times a week (I'm still working on that - and no, she doesn't call herself a vegetarian :p)

[Daral]

multiple vegan friends (4+), although I don't spend all THAT much time with them (hang out once every couple weeks), have an on-and-off vegan brother (more off than on). In any case, all my friends are very nice and accepting so I don't really get any trouble from anyone even if they aren't vegan...

[janie]

My fiance is very close to being vegan, but not quite there yet.

I don't have any vegan friends. But I made a new friend the other day, and she's vegetarian!

It would be nice to have a vegan friend.

[MOMO17]

1 vegan freind- 2 vegan family members

[Ravenfire]

Me and my husband are both vegan. I can't imagine being married to someone who didn't share my beliefs on this with me and I feel very lucky to have the most important person in my life to share this with. So far we haven't met any other real vegans. We met two people recently who used to be vegan but now eat some healthy meat and cheese (I guess they never were in it for ethical reasons). And we just moved into a new apartment and our landlady was in the kitchen when we were moving in and saw some vegan cookbooks. She said "are you guys vegan too"? I got so excited for a minute thinking we had finally met another vegan. Then she went on to say that she was vegan... well she drinks milk but that's it. I just stood there smiling and shaking my head. I didn't want to say something and piss my landlady off right away lol.

[isowish]

I already voted, but then I found out another one of my friends has decided to go vegan from being pescatarian. It's very cool we're going into this about the same time! :D