How did people react when you first told them you were going vegan(or vegetarian for that matter)?

Question

I just went vegan just very recently (maybe 10 days or so). And it's been really easy, i don't even crave any meat, dairy, anything like that.

But no one, except for my younger brother has been supportive of my choice. My mom and aunts first reaction were to tell me "no, you can't", then they asked "How long is this going to last?" Oh do they think that just because i'm younger I'm not entitled to make my own choices in life? WTF?!

And another one of my aunts and my Dad gave me some c**p about how "god made animals for us to eat" or "well, I'm still eating meat, someone has to".

Jeez, what does it have to do with them anyway?

Am i the only one who got these reactions, or have others gotten some similar? And why exactly are they making fun of me for my own personal choice?

Answer 1

they say "but no chicken?!!" !! i just ignore them.  or dont tell them that u are vegetarian, tell them that you are on a diet or something and you have something schedule to eat blah blah ..!!

Answer 2

i and my family are vegans from birth,we welcome you and wish you all the best be a vegan ever.

Answer 3

Everyone thought I was pretty-much insane and was sure it was a phase.

My husband has wised-up, he realizes it's not a phase, and my veganism is actually one of the things he admires most about me.  Now he eats vegan at home (meat and dairy on occasion when we're out of the house), and he's decided that 2009 will be his year to commit to lacto-vegetarianism.  It's not veganism, but it's a great victory!

Answer 4

my grandma i heard whisper to my dad " if you stop saying stuff about it, she will eat meat again"

that made me mad, it was like she thought i was doin it for attention.

my little brother always tries to sneak meat into my food. they also preach on how animals are here to be eaten. i can almost garentee if i went out and shot my dads dog he would not eat it. he would bury it, because it is his friend. a cow or a chicken or a pig can be a friend too.

i have been a vegetarian since june 11th of this year, and i think i might go vegan today...

Answer 5

My mum was like: "Oh dear, what did i do wrong??? How the h**l can I have raised a vegan. How embarrassing.."

My dad didn't really get what vegan was, but seemed fine with it. Except he'd keep asking if I wanted a piece of fish or a pie

My brother thought that I was an idiot, and ever since I went vegetarian, he's been eating double the amount of meat he used, and a lot more than what's healthy.

One of my friends was fine with it, but everyone else thought that I was insane, and for some reason assumed that it involved them (e.g. they'd say "how could you do this to me??")

Now (over half a year later) my mum gets annoyed at me all the time, my brother still eats 2 times the amount of meat that is healthy, my dad still asks why I won't eat eggs or dairy and now a few more of my friends are fine with it, but others still aren't.

I didn't get peoples reactions. Why is it so bad that I don't want to contribute to the suffering of animals?

Answer 6

vegetarian : "oh whyyy you dont wantto hurtt the pwetty animals?"

"we're made toeat meat" "your going back ont he food chain" "what are you going toe at" "tree hugger"

vegan: i havent told anyone outside my immediate family. my dads side of the family are annoying and are the only ones who made those comments above. stupid. lol

now i'm nto 12 and tell them off really. lol plus no one gives me that much anymoreb/c they are used to it.

Answer 7

i got the exact same reactions from everyone...even my partner....the "how long will this last" c**p. you just need to disregard it i guess it never stops, just know that you feel good about yourself and its your choice nobody elses

Answer 8

my mom wasn't supportive at first since she wanted me to eat meat, but the only person who supported me was my uncle (my mom's brother). I haven't told my dad yet, but I really don't know if he will be supportive or not.

Answer 9

Well, my Mum was actually very supportive of it because first of all I gave up dairy before meat and it actually helped me alot health wise, and i've always been interested in going vegan so she thought that overall it would be a good idea.  She was actually more concerned about my health but she made sure that I got the right vitamin supplements (because I already have some deficiencys) and she even ate some of the food I was making, which is nice.  

My dad was more against it, he's a big meat eater and he things that to be healthy that you need to eat meat.  However, even though he wasn't very supportive about it he wasn't rude about anything or completely against it.  I think once you can reep the benefits, especially health related ones and once you're happy then what you eat should be only your buisness, and if anyone makes any comments about your dietry choices then you just have to ignore them.  I think negativity comes along with being vegitarian/vegan etc, people don't understand it or refuse to and it's just natural to put it down.   I also think it's important not to think badly of meat eaters, you treat people how you expect yourself to be treated.  

Good luck on your vegan journey!

Answer 10

that I'm an idiot and my mom, who happens 2 be a doctor said no...I mean WTF

Can u answer my question as it didn't get posted..X(

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 11

my parents were just like... ok, whatever.

they assumed it wouldn't last.

and...

it didn't. haha, oh!

i lasted for almost 2 weeks.

i think they might be making fun of you because it's not their lifestyle... but i honestly don't know.

i actually did lose a couple pounds, though.

Answer 12

everyone i know was all sweet about it, except for dad who would say i "need" nutrients from meat n all that other stuff until i just told him "look i'm vegan, stop nagging me because it's getting really annoying, i'm not gonna change" and ever since he hasn't quoted anything to do with my choice of diet =]

oh and my sis calls me a hippy and all that, but that is just us calling each other names for fun as we do all the time =D

Answer 13

I went vegetarian a year ago (and still am) and my parents were mostly fine with it. They trust me to make my own descisions. And it didn't hurt that my brother and his partner were already vegetarians.

My mum just had two concerns:

The first was whether I would get enough protein. But I eat alot of Quorn, tofu, egg, beans, etc so that's fine.

And the other was whether she'd have to cook me an entirely seperate meal. She's a busy person and didn't like that idea much. But I'd already decided that I would learn to cook my own food. At first (whilst I was still learning) I had alot of "quick cook" foods/meals, but my confidence in cooking has greatly improved and I can now make very healthy vegetarian meals. My parents sometimes ask me to cook for them too, so they cant taste that bad either :)  

Answer 14

When I went vegetarian at 16, my best friend said, "I think that's stupid."  I honestly don't remember what anyone else said, but everyone was either neutral or supportive.

When I went vegan at 37, my (vegetarian) boss was a complete jerk about it, though now he says he admires my choice.  Everyone else has been neutral or supportive.

People fear what they don't understand.  And vegetarianism is unfamiliar to a lot of people.  They are just reflecting that (though it's still rude.)  Give them time.  Most people either come around or at least stop with the snarking when they realize they aren't going to change your mind.

In the meantime, do some research into vegetarian nutrition.  Not only does it benefit you, healthwise, the knowledge also comes in handy when you have people confronting you about the healthfulness of your diet.

Answer 15

I was 14. My dad lost it. He told me I was going to die without it, that my body needed it to survive. He fried up some meat and told me to sit at the table until I'd eaten it. I sat there for four hours while he screamed and ranted and raved. He finally gave up and went to bed in disgust. I won. From that point on, he let me do whatever. I bought my own food with baby-sitting money. My extended family rolled their eyes and snickered about me behind my back. When I got married and got pregnant, my grandmother couldn't hold her tongue anymore and told me I was going to kill my baby. I had three very healthy babies, all full-term and over 7.5 lbs.

They've since laid off ( I'm 28 now) and occasionally mutter about it, but it's not as bad as it once was.

I think people automatically shun things they don't understand or anything they don't deem "normal". It's ignorance, plain and simple. I offered to loan books to the same people who were giving me a hard time, and they waved me off. They don't WANT to know. They'd rather condemn in willful ignorance. To each their own, I guess, as long as they keep their nose out of my business.