Honestly I'm one of the lucky ones since my family was very accepting of it. I turned vegetarian when I was 12-13 yrs old (I'm 31 now) and my family had no issues with it whatsoever. I also started making my own meals myself at a young age so I had no problems with that. My mom and grandmother actually found it fun when they would go grocery shopping and find new veggie stuff for me. My mom still does actually.

My friends were fine with it also and never said anything negative about it.

I've never really had dinner parties but have made vegan meals for people and they've liked them.

Again I've been lucky with being invited over other's houses and them being okay with a little bit of "modifying" whatever meal it is they are serving to accommodate me. I've also brought things with me just in case.

 

My family was typical...

What will you eat? How will you get protein?, etc, etc.

Luckily I was already on my own, so I could cook my meals without anyone else having issues.

Holiday's were a problem initially, but I started getting receipes and again cooking my own holiday dinner. (This was at the dawn of the Internet, so info was still hard to find online)

 

I became vegetarian while I was still in high school. My mom was really good about it - she made sure I knew what I was talking about in regards to protein, and saved back food for me before she added the meat to whatever we were having. She's never minded modifying food for my (sometimes odd) food aversions, as long as it wasn't difficult.

My ex and ex-MIL used to sneak meat into my food, so that was disgusting.

My partner and I aren't vegan, but we don't eat eggs or dairy, so it's become a little more difficult to visit people than when I just didn't eat meat. Usually we take something with us when we visit his family, and we do the cooking when we visit mine. We eat beforehand when we go to visit friends because there's generally nothing to eat.

If we were to have people over, we would serve them vegan food that is omni-friendly (no vegan cheese or seitan, plenty of calories so they feel full). My mother stayed with us for a week last year, and we had some non-vegan food for her - she probably would have gotten sick with such a sudden change and the drop in caloric intake. But she still ate lots of vegan food, and thought it was good.

 

When I first started to become vegetarian, my mom wanted me to eat meat at least once a week, which I did at first. Then she got used with it. I was the same when I later wanted to exclude eggs and dairy from my diet. She told me over and over again that she could not understand why and that she didn't support me in that. Now I'm a vegan since last summer, and she tells me often that I'm such a good cook and that she admires me for my choice. She even lets me cook for her sometimes, and now she has promised me that she will taste soymilk (which according to her is the most disgusting thing ever, even though she has never tasted it...

)

 

Well I just didn´t tell people until they asked. So it only came up if we went out for dinner or something (to a restaurant) and I would order the veggie meal. That took some of the pressure off as I only told a couple of people at a time and gradually everyone found out. When someone comes around for dinner to my place I cook a vegan meal and I don´t mention it unless they ask. Most people never comment. I do make and effot to cook something that is pretty ¨normal¨as far as veggie food goes so they don´t freak out too mucgh.

As for going to other peoples houses I never say anything but instead offer to bring some food over.... make two dishes (usually a main and dessert or a starter and main) so that way I know for sure that I can eat two dishes, share them with everyone and still have fun. People usually figure it out when they see my dishes...and then they usually comment how good they are

 

Hey There

I went Veg when I was 15 and My Parents were supportive and worried....they wanted to make sure I was eating well and healthy and after that they were and continue to be supportive and I have made and bought alot of Veggie/Vegan Desserts and They Enjoy them with me.

My Fiance Roxx he isnt Veggie but he cooks and eats Veggie and is soooo supportive....when we are with friends we have both and Veggie amd Meat Dishes only because My Guy is Omni and so are 99% of them....they do enjoy Veggie Dishes and Desserts and I Love when I am asked are you sure these dishes/the food are Veggie?...LOL....I was Vegan for 3 of the 20 years I have been Veggie and we cook and eat both Veggie and Vegan

My Friends are Supportive for the most part but most dont understand why I would want to eat grass while they eat steak or whatever....when we or I am invited to say a lunch or dinner....I always bring a Veggie Dish and Dessert to Share...Just to be covered and people love Yummy Veggie Food and are soo suprised by it.....I do this even when people offere and cook Veggie dishes cause you never know what the ingredients contain gelatin ect......I do appreciate that People Try to cook Vegg for Me though

 

my family & friends are all really cool about it. some of my close friends are veg*n themselves which makes get togethers easier. i had 1 family member, my step dad, who had always been a dickhead about it from the very start. for years he never stopped having digs about it. one night when we were eating out at a restaurant he kicked off again so i told him where to go & then walked out & i havent seen him since. no loss

 

Well, I've always been the 'odd' one in the bunch.. so being vegetarian is just more fuel for the flame.. lol

They're mostly used to me being a bit eccentric though, so I can't say that there are any problems.

I have freedom & that's good enough for me! =)

 

My family are supportive and always have been with my vegetarianism, as I had done it for so long, they can't have anything to say. My Husbands family don't like it to much, as they do not understand how people can live without meat/animal products, but they love me so don't say anything incriminating and just get worried that i don't have enough protein. My husband eats fish and eggs and dairy, but they don't understand why he won't eat meat- of course he feels much better now that he doesn't. Coworkers and friends still say comments but are supportive and in the end, sometimes interested. Lost of my clients will call me up at work and say they haven't eaten meat in a week, and feel very happy for themselves. Its good to know I am supportive. Strangers give the most issues, I guess.

 

I haven't told my family yet, it hasn't come up. I'm pretty sure they won't understand or rather won't see the point. Their not bad, just I dunno just don't know/think about things much. They'll probably try and say it's unhealthy as that's all they know of it. Though they know I will and always do my own thing regardless so it's pointless stressing over it.

 

I got a wide variety of reactions when I went vegetarian and then again when I went vegan. I was just a kid, so most of my family wasn't very supportive. They all thought it was just a phase when for the longest time, twelve years later they don't anymore. My father and brother were probably the worst, there were a few incidents before I actually count my vegetarian life to begin where I was practically force fed meat. I got teased a lot but it didn't bother me too much. When I went vegan my family took it a little better. My mom cried and everybody started hounding me about nutrition for a while. They've been getting better though, a little bit at a time.

I'll only serve vegan food. I completely refuse to purchase or cook non-vegan food. Everybody I know seems to understand that for the most part. I'm not too much of a host, but I love to bake and give away vegan baked goods. I've had no real complaints.

I make sure the person whose house I'm going over to know's that I'm vegan. Then I'll tell them that I don't mind bringing something to eat, just in case. Some people are more accomodating than others with what they'll cook.

 

Question: how did your family and friends react when you told them you were going or had become vegetarian/vegan? Did you tell them while you were still planning or did you wait until you had already started?

My parents told me that I'm a vegetarian.

Related question: how did/do you deal with social gatherings? We like inviting people over for dinner. Do you serve vegan dinner for yourselves and meat dinner for guests? Or vegan dinner for everyone and hope they like it?

No meat for humans in my house. Serving vegetarian diner to everyone.

Same question for when you're invited to someone's home for dinner. Were people freaked out at the thought of having to cook vegan dinner for you? Were they willing to cook vegan?

No freaking out for vegetarian diner. Of course vegetarian cooking is no problem.