Can’t Eat That!

I have complained here before about people not understanding what vegetarians eat (or don’t eat, to be more precise). But now I want to complain about people making fun of what vegetarians eat.

Awhile back, I was in a small shop that specializes in fair trade and organic goods. While not all of their items are vegetarian, a significant portion is, and I was standing in the chilled foods section, studying such products, looking for something to eat for lunch. Along came some college-age guys and began mocking the vegetarian items, which they could clearly see that I was considering. “Vegetarian pie? Vegetarian “meat” pasty? Vegetarian Scotch egg? Who would eat this crap?” one wondered, touching the packages. “Disgusting!” another proclaimed. They looked at me curiously, as though trying to figure out what kind of a person would eat vegetarian goods.

Why criticize other people’s food choices or make them feel bad about it? What’s the point? If you don’t want to eat something, don’t. But let others decide without your commentary.

--Curly