I’m done... I can’t in good conscience continue non-veg

[Jainarayan]

I don’t eat very much meat to begin with ... it’s mostly chicken, eggs and occasionally seafood. I ditched beef a long time ago, but this seals the deal.

Be warned the pictures might be disturbing.

Thomas Cayne's answer to Do most animals know they are about to be slaughtered? - Quora

My problem is going to be my family (we are Italian-American, they aren’t Hindu), though I don’t see them often. I don’t have many friends but the ones I do are non-veg. It’s a challenge to avoid meat without offending them, especially if they’re hosting/paying for dinner.

If anyone has ideas how to get around this I’m all ears. I’m considering posting this on my Facebook page as a sort of “You’ve been warned, don’t serve me meat”. I can’t in good conscience continue to be non-veg.

Adding: I might add it’s hypocritical of me to have rescued animals, support the ASPCA, not to mention praying to Gods who are the protectors of animals, and chow down on bacon, ribs, lamb chops.

I did just post it on my Facebook page... waiting for the **** storm from my family.

 

[Secret Chief]

Explain your reasoning. Ask them to respect your dietary choices in the same way as they expect theirs to be respected. If they are hosting/paying surely there are acceptable (to you) options? If you had a peanut allergy would anyone be offended? To be less subtle: it's your mouth, your body, your beliefs. They have beliefs they expect to be accepted and respected. It's a two way street (unlike the abbatoir).

 

[Revoltingest]

Does this mean no bacon?

 

[stvdv]

It’s a challenge to avoid meat without offending them, especially if they’re hosting/paying for dinner.

If anyone has ideas how to get around this I’m all ears

I used to be a huge pleaser, and this used to be very difficult for me to say NO, w/o feeling guilty

Sai Baba solved this for me, by stating:
1) Your Dharma is to eat what is best for you and for your body
2) Other's Dharma is to offer you only food what is best for you.
3) For Spiritual aspirants its paramount to eat vegetarian food

Wish you all the strength you need to follow your Dharma and feeling proud of it, not feeling guilty being unable to please others.

If others truly love you, they only serve you what is best for you, and you know, they don't know, hence you tell them and they should respect and listen

IF they make a problem of this THEN they don't love you, hence why please someone who disrespects and belittles you?

Note: Don't tell others that vegetarian is also best for them, just tell them vegetarian is best for you and they are also free to choose what is best for them themselves

 

[Vinayaka]

Does this mean no bacon?

Fake bacon is prolly better than real bacon anyway.

 

[sun rise]

I don't see anything wrong with posting something on Facebook and stating that because of that you've become a vegetarian.

If someone invites you to dinner, it's on them if they get upset when you mention you are now veg but I'd do it ahead of time and I'd ask if that was a problem for them.

 

[Revoltingest]

Fake bacon is prolly better than real bacon anyway.

Such language can get you banned from the forum.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don’t eat very much meat to begin with ... it’s mostly chicken, eggs and occasionally seafood. I ditched beef a long time ago, but this seals the deal.

Be warned the pictures might be disturbing.

Thomas Cayne's answer to Do most animals know they are about to be slaughtered? - Quora

My problem is going to be my family (we are Italian-American, they aren’t Hindu), though I don’t see them often. I don’t have many friends but the ones I do are non-veg. It’s a challenge to avoid meat without offending them, especially if they’re hosting/paying for dinner.

If anyone has ideas how to get around this I’m all ears. I’m considering posting this on my Facebook page as a sort of “You’ve been warned, don’t serve me meat”. I can’t in good conscience continue to be non-veg.

I can't help you as it was 45 years ago that I went through this. At the occasional family reunion I went to, I only ate the vegetarian stuff, and nobody noticed anyway. It's not like somebody else was putting it on my plate. So the less of a deal you make the easier it is to get away with it without anybody noticing. So too with booze. Nobody can tell if your drink is plain ginger all. There's no alcohol taster running around.
Now I try to be sneaky, and only say something if it does happen to come up,

 

[Vinayaka]

Such language can get you banned from the forum.

I had 'bacon bits' put on a salad once after I requested them not to be put there, and the waitress politely said, 'they're fake'. You should try it. Fake stuff is getting much better these days. Heck, Mrs. Revolt's prolly been fakin' for the last 20 years, and did you even notice?

 

[MikeF]

I don’t eat very much meat to begin with ... it’s mostly chicken, eggs and occasionally seafood. I ditched beef a long time ago, but this seals the deal.

Be warned the pictures might be disturbing.

Thomas Cayne's answer to Do most animals know they are about to be slaughtered? - Quora

My problem is going to be my family (we are Italian-American, they aren’t Hindu), though I don’t see them often. I don’t have many friends but the ones I do are non-veg. It’s a challenge to avoid meat without offending them, especially if they’re hosting/paying for dinner.

If anyone has ideas how to get around this I’m all ears. I’m considering posting this on my Facebook page as a sort of “You’ve been warned, don’t serve me meat”. I can’t in good conscience continue to be non-veg.

I would not get too worried about it. Many people have dietary restrictions for medical or health reasons. If you are entertaining, there are tons of vegetation meals that everyone likes. People don't have to have meat with every meal. If you are going somewhere else, you can bring a vegetarian side as a contribution that will be filling for you if there is nothing else you can eat.
If you have decided you can no longer be in the presence of cooked meat, then you have a problem. You really can't force all those around you, family/work/friends, to worry wether their eating of meat is offensive to you, especially since this is a recent change on your part.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I don’t eat very much meat to begin with ... it’s mostly chicken, eggs and occasionally seafood. I ditched beef a long time ago, but this seals the deal.

I'm curious if you will still eat eggs. Unfertilized eggs are not considered to be meat. The hens will continue to lay whether fertilized or not. Your family may ask you this.

Is it the way that animals are killed? What I mean is what if they didn't know they were in danger and died instantly?

 

[Jainarayan]

Explain your reasoning. Ask them to respect your dietary choices in the same way as they expect theirs to be respected. If they are hosting/paying surely there are acceptable (to you) options? If you had a peanut allergy would anyone be offended? To be less subtle: it's your mouth, your body, your beliefs. They have beliefs they expect to be accepted and respected. It's a two way street (unlike the abbatoir).

Knowing my family I’ll be going with Door #2... the less subtle approach. Lol I once passed on a London broil at my sister’s house. She made a mock bow and said “now you worship cows”. My family tends to mock a lot of things I do, say or believe, even at times saying “you’re weird”, where’d we find you?” and laugh.

I made a collage of the two photos to print and carry with me and show if it comes to it. I’m not crusading, just doing for me and my karma.

 

[Jainarayan]

Does this mean no bacon?

I haven’t had bacon in a long time anyway. Not particularly fond of it.

 

[Jainarayan]

I don't see anything wrong with posting something on Facebook and stating that because of that you've become a vegetarian.

If someone invites you to dinner, it's on them if they get upset when you mention you are now veg but I'd do it ahead of time and I'd ask if that was a problem for them.

Agreed. Like I said, I’m not crusading but I also don’t think it’s fair to offend others who don’t know. If I have people over for dinner (ahahahaha like that ever happens) I can say something to the effect “I’m making this or that”, and it would be veg.

 

[Jainarayan]

I can't help you as it was 45 years ago that I went through this. At the occasional family reunion I went to, I only ate the vegetarian stuff, and nobody noticed anyway. It's not like somebody else was putting it on my plate. So the less of a deal you make the easier it is to get away with it without anybody noticing. So too with booze. Nobody can tell if your drink is plain ginger all. There's no alcohol taster running around.
Now I try to be sneaky, and only say something if it does happen to come up,

You know I tried several times, maybe not very hard, but if I had made more of an effort then it wouldn’t be a concern now. Of course, I could be expecting something that may not happen.

 

[Jainarayan]

I would not get too worried about it. Many people have dietary restrictions for medical or health reasons. If you are entertaining, there are tons of vegetation meals that everyone likes. People don't have to have meat with every meal. If you are going somewhere else, you can bring a vegetarian side as a contribution that will be filling for you if there is nothing else you can eat.
If you have decided you can no longer be in the presence of cooked meat, then you have a problem. You really can't force all those around you, family/work/friends, to worry wether their eating of meat is offensive to you, especially since this is a recent change on your part.

I can’t say it would bother me even now seeing this to be around meat. I don’t have to have it, and I wouldn’t judge them just as I don’t want to be judged. But there in lies the problem... judgement and disrespect, which I mentioned a little further up. Of course I should be used to it by now.

 

[stvdv]

I can't help you as it was 45 years ago that I went through this. At the occasional family reunion I went to, I only ate the vegetarian stuff, and nobody noticed anyway. It's not like somebody else was putting it on my plate. So the less of a deal you make the easier it is to get away with it without anybody noticing. So too with booze. Nobody can tell if your drink is plain ginger all. There's no alcohol taster running around.
Now I try to be sneaky, and only say something if it does happen to come up,

Why you try to be sneaky? I also only say something if it happens to come up

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I don’t eat very much meat to begin with ... it’s mostly chicken, eggs and occasionally seafood. I ditched beef a long time ago, but this seals the deal.

Be warned the pictures might be disturbing.

Thomas Cayne's answer to Do most animals know they are about to be slaughtered? - Quora

My problem is going to be my family (we are Italian-American, they aren’t Hindu), though I don’t see them often. I don’t have many friends but the ones I do are non-veg. It’s a challenge to avoid meat without offending them, especially if they’re hosting/paying for dinner.

If anyone has ideas how to get around this I’m all ears. I’m considering posting this on my Facebook page as a sort of “You’ve been warned, don’t serve me meat”. I can’t in good conscience continue to be non-veg.

Adding: I might add it’s hypocritical of me to have rescued animals, support the ASPCA, not to mention praying to Gods who are the protectors of animals, and chow down on bacon, ribs, lamb chops.

I did just post it on my Facebook page... waiting for the **** storm from my family.

Welp...it's in no way the sort of major decision you've made here, but I went vegan for a couple of months, and was mostly vegetarian for about 4.
Ultimately, the vegetarian thing was pretty simple. Eating out, etc, it's almost not even noticeable these days, as there are plenty of vegetarian options almost everywhere.

Which leaves you with family dinners, etc. Short term, make it easy for people as you can. Just eat the salad, or bring some of your own food to augment whatever is available. And bring wine or beer, or soft drink...whatever contributes to THEM having a good time, and shows you're not doing this to separate yourself from family.

Oh, and don't try to convince anyone about what you're doing. Your food is your choice...but equally, their food is their choice. At some point your example might lead to them questioning themselves, but don't proselytize.

It'll be tough if NO member of your family understands your decision. But you've made this decision for a clear reason, so just accept that as part of the price.

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm curious if you will still eat eggs. Unfertilized eggs are not considered to be meat. The hens will continue to lay whether fertilized or not. Your family may ask you this.

Yes, probably. I’ve always considered them not meat also. Hens of any species will lay eggs even with no male in sight. I had a female jenday conure who we found out was female when I found eggs on the bottom of the cage. Jendays are almost impossible to tell the sex of by appearance. She simply dropped them from a perch. I was told it has to do with change in daylight, a simple biological function, so no embryo.

Is it the way that animals are killed? What I mean is what if they didn't know they were in danger and died instantly?

I think I’d have less of a problem in that case. I also noticed I rarely eat for the taste of food, except pizza and pasta. I eat because it’s time I ate, or I really am hungry, in which case a bowl of pastina (and I do mean bowl) will suffice. So given that I personally can get away without eating meat.

 

[stvdv]

If someone invites you to dinner, it's on them if they get upset when you mention you are now veg but I'd do it ahead of time and I'd ask if that was a problem for them

That's a good one, ask them in advance if that was a problem for them, and I would of course only go if they reply "no problem for us"