My second trip to the water cooler this week finds us discussing the glory that is food. It all started when someone who didn’t realized I was vegetarian showed up, and we had the discussion again. It’s always fun, though. People think I must be a meat eater because they don’t know anyone who isn’t. Then the questions come once they find out. They say:
“It must be so hard being a vegetarian.”
And no, it’s not hard at all, actually. I’ve always been one, so it’s pretty easy. When it’s the status quo, there’s not really anything difficult about it. I always tell them the people who I admire are the ones who gave up meat after knowing what it tasted like. That would have to be hard, being assaulted with the smell, knowing how good it was, and then not eating it.
“It must cost so much more to be a vegetarian.”
I know it may seem that way, but even if you’re a meat eater, if you’re trying to eat healthy it’s going to cost you more. Healthy food costs more because it’s healthy. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. It should be less, right? So more people can afford to eat that way. But I guess it’s supply and demand in that way.
“Have you ever wanted to try meat?”
Not at all. I like to think of it the opposite way. If you were raised as a meat eater, would you want to give it up? Maybe if your doctor said it was doing something to your body that wouldn’t help you in the long run, just maybe. But as far as I know, there are very few who want to go vegetarian. And I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t want to eat meat, so no. I never wanted to try it.
“What would happen if you ate meat now, after never having it before?”
As far as I know, I think if I ate meat now my body would reject it, having never eaten it before. The body, I believe, builds up acids to break down the meat, and my body hasn’t been producing it because it has never had to. It would probably take a few times of me eating meat for it not to make me violently ill. That’s also a good reason I’m not interested in trying it either.
“Are you some kind of animal activist?”
Hey, I love animals as much as the next person, and I wouldn’t want to see one harmed, but I’m not militant, and I certainly wouldn’t go vegetarian for that reason. In fact, I didn’t even have the choice growing up. Both of my parents were vegetarian so they raised me and my sister as vegetarians too. Once we got old enough to make our own choices, for me it was easy. I just kept doing what I had always done. My sister tried meat, and liked it, so she stopped being vegetarian, but I kept it up. And now I just do it because I always have. It’s not for the poor, sweet animals, but they are cute, aren’t they?
“Does veggie meat taste just like real meat?”
I usually laugh at this one until they realize their mistake. Yeah, I have no idea.
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 
I find what we pay at the check-out to be much higher if there is meat or cheese in the cart. Fruits and vegetables are not that expensive relatively.
But you have to buy more fruits and vegetables to fill you up. Plus, I’ve found that if you want to eat organic you have to spend a ridiculous amount of money on those same fruits and vegetables.
I’m talking about the number at the bottom of the receipt, not the volume in the cart. We have a garden and don’t always buy organic. If it’s three times the price for organic, then I go with the conventional.
Gotcha. Makes sense. We really need to get a garden.