Hello ,



another recent post (2nd time vegetarian) has finally encouraged me to introduce myself too…

I’d already been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for several years when I went vegan for the first time in 1998 (mainly for health reasons then). Much to my regret, and although in perfect health, I went back to l/o/v two years later, and a while after that even slipped into eating fish/poultry – very occasionally, but still… It’s something I feel really bad about, and I know there really are no excuses. If there were any excuses, I’d say I was a “social omnivore” (stupid, I know) because sometimes I simply did not have the courage to be “the odd one out” and therefore “gave in”, and out of “politeness” accepted to eat certain food I was offered, although I did not want to eat it…

However, I began to think a lot about the many (ethical/ecological/health) reasons to go veg*n again, went back to l/o/v in early 2006, and then transitioned to vegan in autumn 2006. Reading e. g. veggieboards has encouraged me to do so and hopefully will help me to stay vegan for life.

I feel great about it, I am eating well (and a lot, without having to worry about my weight, which is always a good thing). Sometimes though I‘m having a hard time being questioned about veg*nism, and being picked on by omnivores for my choice. I don’t really want to “discuss” veg*nism with omnivores*, esp. not when eating together, and I wish my choice (animal-free) would simply be respected (like I do respect omnivores’ food/lifestyle choices*) instead of being ridiculed, or the explanations I give (which I do only when asked specifically) for why I went veg*n being turned against me as “missionary”… I hope that joining VB will give me some more support, and hopefully I might even learn to provide support to others who are totally new to veg*nism. Thanks for reading.



ETA July 30, 2008:

Wow, already being vegan close to 2 years now and ~18 months on VB can change a lot! I definitely do feel much more confident about discussing veganism now, and my views on animal exploitation and personal/consumer choices has evolved quite a bit... (to be exact I was only "strictly vegetarian" i. e. eating a dairy/egg-free diet back in 1998-2000, as I new next to nothing about animal rights, and "social omnivore"? Make that coward!)

Definitely vegan for life now.

Welcome to the Veggie Boards!

Welcome to VB!

Welcome to VB!

Welcome. Congrats, and hope you stay with it this time.

Welcome!

and welcome to VB!

See that you'll get the support you need.

Good luck!

yea ethics/beliefs will stay with you no matter how much you are trying to hide them. dont be ashamed to be the odd one out. people will have more respect for you if you respect yourself. even if they dont agree with what you are doing.

welcome!!

Welcome to VeggieBoards! If you feel pressured by others to accept an non-veg offer, tell them that you are vegan and feel proud about being the "odd one out".

Welcome! If you don't want to talk about your choices with obnoxious omnis, then tell them so. Just say, "I'd rather not talk about my food choices while eating," or "If you have specific questions I'll answer them, but otherwise I'd rather not talk about it." You have the right to get out of conversations you don't want to have.

Sorry it's a bit late but I just wanted to thank you all for welcoming me to VB (great place!) :-)

@eggplant: I'll keep these two replies in mind!