When I was a vegan, I treated people's eating habits with respect and made it a non-issue; "you eat waht you like and I'll eat what I like". I was always willing to discuss why I was vegan and what the moral reasons were behind my lifestyle, but I did not do much prostelytizing. (I'm sure I spelled that wrong!) In the end, a lot of people asked me about vegetarianism and I would explain my reasoning to them, usually ending my discussion with 'this may not be the way you choose to eat, but its a meaningful choice in my life and I'm very happy to be vegan." A lot of people did tease me, but it was generally friendly teasing- and a lot of these same people who were there to tease me would tell me, when it was just the two of us, that they really respected and admired me for the choices I made, especially because they were so difficult. I believe many people are uncomfortable regarding the unfamiliar but when treated with respect (not accusing you of NOT treating them with respect, but....I think a lot of people are really turned off if they feel like you are preaching) and provided with an explaination, most people I dealt with were fairly accepting, if not necessarily admiring me.
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