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veg newbie looking for veg*n pals/discussion

1454 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  xPigeon Swarmx
Hi, my name is meg. I recently became vegan but I don't know anyone who is vegan or even vegetarian. I know a lot of people from cooking in restaurants and from culinary school that would judge me and make fun of me for my decision.. I'm here to make friends and discuss veg*nism or just any chit chat.

Feel free to introduce yourself or start a discussion. I want to ask, how did some of you guys deal with other people judging you when you first became veg*n? Do people still give you s#it about it after x amount of time?
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Hi, my name is meg. I recently became vegan but I don't know anyone who is vegan or even vegetarian. I know a lot of people from cooking in restaurants and from culinary school that would judge me and make fun of me for my decision.. I'm here to make friends and discuss veg*nism or just any chit chat.

Feel free to introduce yourself or start a discussion. I want to ask, how did some of you guys deal with other people judging you when you first became veg*n? Do people still give you s#it about it after x amount of time?
Hi meg and welcome to VeggieBoards.:up:

When I went veggie around 25 years ago, I was lucky in that I was able to hang out with the veg*ns in Leeds Veggie Vegan Society. I didn't receive many adverse comments at that time and I still don't. I'm wondering if maybe you know some people who are in fact veg*n but they just keep quiet about their diet? If you are upfront about your diet, maybe this will be the impetus that will help them to become upfront too? Whatever happens, VeggieBoards is here for you, even if it's just to vent how daft omnis can be. :eek:

...and no, I don't give a ****. When I know I'm doing the right thing, even if I were the only vegan in the world (which of course I'm not) then it's other people's loss (and sadly animal's too) not mine.

Leedsveg.
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Though its harder to be a vegan/veggie in USA, there has to be a start somewhere and you're part of that start. When you think of it logically its funny why so many people mock or criticize veganism, it harms no one & certainly reverses the harm to the environment, one wonders why its anybody's business to comment negatively on this.

The faster the word spreads & the faster more vegans appear as part of a demographic perhaps it will be seen as a positive movement. I'm sure there're a lot more vegan places there than 20 years ago, and today everyone understands the term "vegan" so there are improvements happening for sure. Hang tight and do the fight.
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I've never had any negative reactions. Few people asked me questions because they didn't know things but that's it.
The only time I have issues with non-vegetarians is at mealtimes (their unrecognized guilt turns into BACON jokes or protein questions). I just say I have a rule that I don't talk about my veganism during mealtimes, but would be glad to discuss it after the meal. If they press the issue, I just say that I like my way of eating and don't eat animals.
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Hey!
I've been vegan for about three months now (just over I think!) but I was vegetarian for 12 years prior to that...
I also have no vegan friends but thankfully my mum is veggie... Unfortunately she is very much against being vegan herself... *sigh*
I'm in the same position as you with wanting some vegan friends! Just some people who share the same core values as me would be nice so I have someone I can talk about veganism with from time to time as it's something I'm really passionate about!
With me only being 17 I do get quite a lot of comments from friends but I just try to brush it off and tell myself they're just uneducated and immature! Thankfully my family are mainly very supportive but sometimes with things that they view as "silly" such as not eating honey or beeswax in foods, they can be rather lacking in understanding. I just tell them that these are my choices and it has nothing to do with them. What I do doesn't affect them in any way and it shouldn't be an issue for them so to stop wasting their energy on getting worked up about it.
Good luck in your vegan journey - I'm really enjoying mine so far! :)
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Welcome aboard, Meg.

There are several vegan get-together groups near you:

Bay Area Vegan Food Lovers: http://www.meetup.com/bay-area-vegan-food-lovers/

Vegans For Action: http://www.meetup.com/vegans/

Oakland vegan cooking classes & events: http://www.meetup.com/Oakland-vegan-cooking-classes-and-events/

California Vegans of the Global Majority: http://www.meetup.com/Cali-Vegans-of-Color/
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Welcome aboard, Meg.

There are several vegan get-together groups near you:

Bay Area Vegan Food Lovers: http://www.meetup.com/bay-area-vegan-food-lovers/

Vegans For Action: http://www.meetup.com/vegans/

Oakland vegan cooking classes & events: http://www.meetup.com/Oakland-vegan-cooking-classes-and-events/

California Vegans of the Global Majority: http://www.meetup.com/Cali-Vegans-of-Color/
thanks for the resources! I'll definitely check it out.
Hey!
I've been vegan for about three months now (just over I think!) but I was vegetarian for 12 years prior to that...
I also have no vegan friends but thankfully my mum is veggie... Unfortunately she is very much against being vegan herself... *sigh*
I'm in the same position as you with wanting some vegan friends! Just some people who share the same core values as me would be nice so I have someone I can talk about veganism with from time to time as it's something I'm really passionate about!
With me only being 17 I do get quite a lot of comments from friends but I just try to brush it off and tell myself they're just uneducated and immature! Thankfully my family are mainly very supportive but sometimes with things that they view as "silly" such as not eating honey or beeswax in foods, they can be rather lacking in understanding. I just tell them that these are my choices and it has nothing to do with them. What I do doesn't affect them in any way and it shouldn't be an issue for them so to stop wasting their energy on getting worked up about it.
Good luck in your vegan journey - I'm really enjoying mine so far! :)
good for you for being vegan so young :) I used to be vegetarian when I was 11-13, but stopped because my family's culture is against it. Now that I'm 20, live on my own, and cook for myself, I can eat what I want. It's good that you don't even care about what other people think and just be yourself.
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:bobo:thanks for all the welcomes, guys
Well HI!!! Let me congratulate you on become vegan. That's such a wonderful thing to do! :)



I am vegetarian, becoming vegan. I am in transition. I find it more manageable to transition over a period of a few months than to do it over night. I will make a year as of June 1st that I am vegetarian and I couldn't be happier.



As for the judgment and hatred from others well... I haven't really had any. Maybe that's because I have a small circle of people in my life but no one has given me a hard time. However I think the reason for that is my personality. Whenever there is an argument or friendly debate I stick to my guns and often call people out with no shame. I don't have much of a filter when talking to friends and family... So I assume no one has challenged my view points on animals because they know I won't budge and they will end up with hurt feelings. I know it's rude of me sometimes but that's how it is in my family and it's the norm lol.



The only person who has truly questioned me in depth is my husband. He is afraid to push my buttons. But he respects my choices, though he doesn't fully understand. I am trying to convince him to become vegetarian. He is starting to see how animals are treated and is connecting the dots but has yet to have that AHA moment. I told him he should watch earthlings so we will see how that goes...



Hope your journey is a great one and that I, and others, may become your new vegan and vegetarian friends. All the best to you!
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Hi, Meg. I'm also new. Been vegan for two months now. I'm a retread, though. I was vegan for twelve years then ate animal foods for seven years. :(
To answer your question about dealing with judgment, I actually find it to be worse this time then it was in the nineties. People were mostly stunned and confused back in the day. Rarely did I encounter blatant hostility like I do now, constantly. This hostility mainly surfaces on the internet, which we didn't have back then.
People can be so horrible! Especially this whole low carb grass-fed movement that looks for every opportunity to hate on vegans. I find this to be extremely depressing. If I have to hear that all legumes and grains are poison one more time, I think I'll lose my mind!
That being said, we kind of asked for it. Vegans have traditionally bee preachy and self-righteous. Maybe it's good to be humbled.
Anyway, I've been getting into cooking more. I hope to see some of your recipes on here, having gone to culinary school and all (you, not me.) :D
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Hi, Meg. I'm also new. Been vegan for two months now. I'm a retread, though. I was vegan for twelve years then ate animal foods for seven years. :(
To answer your question about dealing with judgment, I actually find it to be worse this time then it was in the nineties. People were mostly stunned and confused back in the day. Rarely did I encounter blatant hostility like I do now, constantly. This hostility mainly surfaces on the internet, which we didn't have back then.
People can be so horrible! Especially this whole low carb grass-fed movement that looks for every opportunity to hate on vegans. I find this to be extremely depressing. If I have to hear that all legumes and grains are poison one more time, I think I'll lose my mind!
That being said, we kind of asked for it. Vegans have traditionally bee preachy and self-righteous. Maybe it's good to be humbled.
Anyway, I've been getting into cooking more. I hope to see some of your recipes on here, having gone to culinary school and all (you, not me.) :D
That's sort of like me, I was vegetarian before, then ate meat for years, and now here I am again. It feels good though, doesn't it? makes me regret the times I spent eating animal products.. But yeah the image / most people's opinion of vegans nowadays is so bad and not just like they don't agree with it, they're so angry about vegans.. I use tumblr. people on there are really extreme both ways and angry.
Well HI!!! Let me congratulate you on become vegan. That's such a wonderful thing to do! :)

I am vegetarian, becoming vegan. I am in transition. I find it more manageable to transition over a period of a few months than to do it over night. I will make a year as of June 1st that I am vegetarian and I couldn't be happier.

As for the judgment and hatred from others well... I haven't really had any. Maybe that's because I have a small circle of people in my life but no one has given me a hard time. However I think the reason for that is my personality. Whenever there is an argument or friendly debate I stick to my guns and often call people out with no shame. I don't have much of a filter when talking to friends and family... So I assume no one has challenged my view points on animals because they know I won't budge and they will end up with hurt feelings. I know it's rude of me sometimes but that's how it is in my family and it's the norm lol.

The only person who has truly questioned me in depth is my husband. He is afraid to push my buttons. But he respects my choices, though he doesn't fully understand. I am trying to convince him to become vegetarian. He is starting to see how animals are treated and is connecting the dots but has yet to have that AHA moment. I told him he should watch earthlings so we will see how that goes...

Hope your journey is a great one and that I, and others, may become your new vegan and vegetarian friends. All the best to you!
Thank you :) It's good that you are so honest and upfront with ppl about it. Most of my family is from the Philippines so they think I'm cuckoo crazy even for not eating meat, and my dad is a hunter from virginia -_- lol. I just need to work on being more confident and sure of myself so other ppl's comments don't get me down.

That's funny because my boyfriend is also meat-eating. I also think he doesn't fully understand because he seems to agree with my on ideologies about animal rights, and yet he eats meat. I wish he would be vegetarian but I don't want to force what I believe on him. I doubt if he (my bf) would watch earthlings because it would make him upset but that's more reason to be veg I suppose. It's good your husband is open minded to it at least.
It dies feel good to be vegan. Feels great!

I'm not on Tumblr, but I know what you mean about people being extreme and hateful on social media. Sometimes it seems like message boards are a place for people to show the worst parts of themselves. That's one of the reasons I joined veggieboards. I want a place online to talk about veganism that I know will be troll free... hopefully.
Hi, Meg. I'm also new. Been vegan for two months now. I'm a retread, though. I was vegan for twelve years then ate animal foods for seven years. :(
To answer your question about dealing with judgment, I actually find it to be worse this time then it was in the nineties. People were mostly stunned and confused back in the day. Rarely did I encounter blatant hostility like I do now, constantly. This hostility mainly surfaces on the internet, which we didn't have back then.
People can be so horrible! Especially this whole low carb grass-fed movement that looks for every opportunity to hate on vegans. I find this to be extremely depressing. If I have to hear that all legumes and grains are poison one more time, I think I'll lose my mind!
That being said, we kind of asked for it. Vegans have traditionally bee preachy and self-righteous. Maybe it's good to be humbled.
Anyway, I've been getting into cooking more. I hope to see some of your recipes on here, having gone to culinary school and all (you, not me.) :D
Hi xPigeonswarmx :)
I disagree that vegans are "preachy and self-righteous." Most of us just want to eat our stirfry in peace.
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I live in rural Iowa, and I dont know any veg*ns IRL, however, when I see soymilk at the local (teeny) grocery store, when I overhear 80 year old Phyllis talking about her doctor recommending a "plant based diet" now, and see veg*n options at the local diners/restaurants, I know I am not alone.

This year the state queen in my weight loss/weight maintenance support group (Im a maintainer) lost her weight on a lowfat vegan plan. Over 100lbs!

I am a quiet person, so I dont think I will ever be an IN YOUR FACE ACTIVIST, but in my own quiet way, I am helping.

My friends and family have all started eating veggie/vegan dishes, and my father in law and I do a weekly vegan soup exchange! (which is not as weird as it sounds, I swear!)

People see me being healthy and slim, and happy, and I think they want a little of that for themselves.
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Hi, Meg. I'm also new. Been vegan for two months now. I'm a retread, though. I was vegan for twelve years then ate animal foods for seven years.

To answer your question about dealing with judgment, I actually find it to be worse this time then it was in the nineties. People were mostly stunned and confused back in the day. Rarely did I encounter blatant hostility like I do now, constantly. This hostility mainly surfaces on the internet, which we didn't have back then.
People can be so horrible! Especially this whole low carb grass-fed movement that looks for every opportunity to hate on vegans. I find this to be extremely depressing. If I have to hear that all legumes and grains are poison one more time, I think I'll lose my mind!
That being said, we kind of asked for it. Vegans have traditionally bee preachy and self-righteous. Maybe it's good to be humbled.
Anyway, I've been getting into cooking more. I hope to see some of your recipes on here, having gone to culinary school and all (you, not me.)
Hi xPigeonswarmx

I disagree that vegans are "preachy and self-righteous." Most of us just want to eat our stirfry in peace.
Ledboots

I should have said, MANY vegans, rather than just vegans in general. I'm also a vegan who just wants to eat his stir fry in peace, for the most part. I do get furious when non-vegan trolls attack vegans in comments sections of videos and stuff like that, but I deal with it.
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