Meat and the Vegetarian Single

If you’re single and dating, you’ve probably already figured out that it’s a special sort of challenge. Do you date people who eat meat? Or are you only interested in dating other vegetarians?

Vegetarian singles that choose to date those who aren’t vegetarian or vegan may find themselves at a disadvantage. Many vegetarians can’t stand to watch people eat meat, and going out to dinner with a potential romantic partner who’s chewing on a big, rare steak is a disaster waiting to happen. Dating nonvegetarians can be stressful for vegetarians—after all, you may find yourself repulsed at the thought of kissing someone who just ate a cheeseburger!

On the other hand, you may not have any problem dating omnivores. If you’re vegetarian strictly for health reasons, it may not bother you that your partner is eating meat. If you’re vegetarian for moral reasons, however, you’re going to have a hard time dating people who indulge in a practice that you find unethical.

It’s no wonder that vegetarians often choose to only date other vegetarians. But that in itself brings its own set of drawbacks. For one thing, you’re seriously limiting your dating pool. For another, what if you are dating a different kind of vegetarian than you are? To a vegan, even dating an ovo- lacto can cause problems.

If you do want to date other vegetarians, you’ll have better luck if you live in a large metropolitan area. Many vegetarian societies have local groups that meet in larger towns and cities. Many of these groups have potluck get- togethers and outdoor events. There are also dating services just for vegetarians, as well as animal rights or animal welfare groups, and vegetarian cooking classes—all great places to meet vegetarian singles.

And don’t rule out Internet dating. The number of people gravitating toward dating online grows all the time, and it’s much more acceptable to meet potential mates this way than ever before. Sign up with a site that caters exclusively to vegetarian dating and, while you may not find as many members in the more all-inclusive services, you’ll know from the start that you’re meeting like-minded singles.

Vegetarianism at Work

If you’ve ever been on a weight-loss diet, you know what a royal pain co- workers can be. There’s a strange sort of hive-mind mentality that happens in the workplace, where people simply can’t accept that you don’t want a piece of birthday cake or a piece of that giant submarine sandwich. Sometimes it’s like being back in grade school—the peer pressure can be annoying, and it can sabotage your diet!

Vegetarians face a similar problem, especially if they’re the only vegetarian eaters in their office. Sadly, it’s human nature for people to feel threatened by any change in the status quo, and your becoming a vegetarian may cause people to become antagonistic, or to try and sway you to give up your commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle.

Even if you’re polite and don’t make a big deal out of your vegetarianism, it will most likely become an issue. “Come on … just have one slice,” they’ll say when the pepperoni pizza is set out. “What are you now, some kind of hippy?” they’ll ask. Usually they don’t even know they’re being rude and hostile; it will usually be presented in a joking manner. But it will be hard for you to stay cheerful if you find yourself continually under attack.

The best you can do is to smile, say, “No, thank you,” in a calm voice, and change the subject. You may have to walk away if they don’t drop the subject. But if the subject keeps coming up, perhaps you can use the situation to your advantage instead of becoming frustrated and angry. When they hit you with the usual jibes, come back with a clever response:

“I think tofu’s disgusting.”
“And eating a cow’s liver isn’t?”

“It’s okay to eat animals, because humans are smarter.”
“So does that mean it’s okay to eat stupid people?”

“I’ll bet one really great cheeseburger would change your mind.”
“And I’ll bet one trip to a slaughterhouse would change yours!”

“If you don’t eat meat, why do you wear leather shoes?”
“Why? Are shoes made from meat?”

Besides the witty comebacks, when you begin to deal with someone who has the courage to ask a question like the last one, it’s best to start with some common ground. For example, you may want to let them know that eating vegetarian saves quite a bit of water for the earth. Producing just a kilo of beef requires between thirteen thousand and hundred thousand
liters of water, far more than you use for bathing in a single year. Given the current and expected water issues, it’s not hard to see why this is such an issue. Eventually, fights over the rights to what little water is left on the planet are inevitable.

What’s more, not only is nonvegetarianism a drain on water resources, but more than 50 percent of the world’s forests have been cleared for cattle production alone. As a result, carbon dioxide plays into this equation as well. With rain forests being eliminated at record rates, carbon dioxide rates are out of control, and that’s not only a real problem for people who live near the vanishing rain forests, but for all of us on a global level.

Keep in mind that the population of animals is exceedingly high already. There are seven billion people on the planet, but there are trillions of animals being raised to feed us. They are often forced to breed in a concurrent fashion (after they’ve given birth, they’re inseminated again), and that only causes a more serious drain on the planet’s resources as a whole. Each new birth, of course, means more food and water that’s not being spent on the human population, and that leads to the world hunger problem that we see today. Because much of the grain resources are reserved for the richer nations, it never reaches the hungry mouths in third world countries.

Our own food choices determine the fate of people on a worldwide basis, and given that we’re all interconnected, destruction in one nation ultimately means destruction in another. Once one given area goes down that we rely on for meat, agriculture, or something else, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to replace it.

Because what we eat goes hand in hand with the overal health of the planet, going vegetarian or vegan for the sake of future generations as well as your health is really quite an important decision. Given that your choice can create either a positive or a negative effect for others, it’s wise to consider all options. After all, just choosing to make others happy can make you happier in the long run.

In any case, starting with a common ground may help eliminate the useless debate that tends to occur in these situations. Showing a good sense of humor and ensuring that no one is antagonized or becomes defensive is the key. That applies to business functions like dinners with clients and conferences with catered lunches. If you’re dining in a restaurant, all of the usual etiquette applies—eat what you can, or politely ask for something else. If you’re stuck at a business function, however, and there’s absolutely nothing to eat, share your vegetarianism with your boss or the person who plans your company’s events. Once they start adding a vegetarian option to the fare at business meetings and other events, you’ll find that you’re not the only employee who enjoys that option; pretty soon you’ll find that there’s always something to eat at work.