Don’t You Miss Eating Meat and Other Silly Questions People Ask A Vegetarian
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” – Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1921
I’ve been a vegetarian for six years now, and every year, I get asked the same questions by people I’ve just met, people I’ve known for a long time but just found out I’m a vegetarian, family and relatives who can’t believe/can’t quite comprehend that I am a vegetarian, and friends who can’t believe I’m still a vegetarian after all the years.
Every year, the questions these well-meaning people ask sort of give me multiple déjà vus. Questions range from the rhetorical to the utterly senseless—overtime, I have somehow developed mild indifference and slight annoyance, with a tinge of amusement toward the why-are-you-vegetarian questions people throw at me.
But of course, part of being a vegetarian is dealing with all the bewildered looks and the ensuing hows and whys. Perhaps what has kept me amused over the varied reactions and questions I continuously get is the comedic quality of it all. And for your amusement, my dear friends, I have listed them down.
Question number 1: Do you eat fish and seafood? How about [insert enumeration of all types of animal-derived products, right down to eggs, milk, cheese, and butter]?
I get asked this a lot of times, even after I have explained what a vegetarian diet is. [Insert sigh of exhaustion here].
Well, to answer the question (in the hopes of warding off future chances of being asked this again): no. No meat whatsoever. I do not eat animal meat and meat by-products, however way you classify them. But I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, so I eat eggs and (some) dairy products. I used to be a vegan for two years, but I terribly missed the saltiness of cheese. In this part of the world where I live, finding soy cheese is next to impossible, so I shifted to a lacto-vegetarian diet. Gradually, I started including eggs in my diet again. I’ve been eating eggs and dairy products for about three years now.
Question number 2: Aren’t humankind’s physical make-up specifically configured to eat meat?
Ah, the rhetorical question, ever so eloquently delivered. I don’t know why some people ask me this. It’s either they want to appear smart(er), or they just want to annoy me, that’s all.
Honestly? I don’t know about your physical make-up, but mine has been configured to not eat meat anymore. I may have eaten meat in the past, but my body has adapted very well to not eating any meat and meat by-products, thank you.
Question number 3: Aren’t those animals raised/bred to be eaten by humans?
Sigh. I feel just the slightest bit of sadness when some people ask me this. The poor animals are doomed to be cut up, broiled (or fried, steamed, whatever), seasoned and spiced, and served up on the dining table. In the past, humans were hunters/gatherers, but as technology progressed and human thinking evolved, same poor animals were commercially bred and raised in massive numbers just to feed the entire meat-consuming market.
Imagine if commercial meat production was never invented: it would have been really time-consuming, not to mention hard, to put meat on the table. Come to think of it, maybe more people would have decided to become herbivores if that was the case. Well, I don’t know about your evolutionary path, but I feel mine does not have the need for raising, breeding, even hunting, animals for food.
Question number 4: Don’t you miss eating meat?
This one really frustrates me. I’d usually answer the question by asking them what they think. I’d usually get an ‘I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you’ for an answer back. If I am in a good mood, I’d tell them that on the first few weeks of shifting to a vegetarian diet, I missed eating fish. But if I’m in a not-so-good mood, I’d usually snap back and say, “I wouldn’t still be a vegetarian if I miss eating meat, because I’d be a hypocrite if I say I am vegetarian but I continue to miss eating meat. And I’m not a hypocrite, you know.”
To answer the question, once and for all, I absolutely do not miss eating meat. I am too happy eating tofu cooked in every way possible, crispy fresh veggies, tasty vegetarian dishes, and delicious nuts and legumes, to even think about missing eating meat.
Question number 5: Why are you vegetarian?
Perhaps the most frustrating question ever asked me in my six years of being vegetarian. During the first few years, I would usually answer the question by enumerating my reasons one by one, each properly explained. But as years passed by, I kind of grew tired of having to explain myself over again. I feel bad for people who’d asked me this and got less than proper answers. Hmm, maybe I can refer people who’ll ask me the same question in the future to this post and this other post so everybody’s happy.
Anyway, to answer this final question, I turned vegetarian for a whole lot of reasons, all beneficial, to say the least. And oh, I am a vegetarian because I made the choice.
Moving Up and Starting Anew
It’s been almost two weeks since I last posted an entry. It’s not because I have nothing to post about—it’s the exact opposite. I have a lot of things to share, but I don’t know where to start. A lot has happened in 14 days, and until now, I’m still trying to figure out exactly why and how things happened the way they did. It all took place so fast, that I have yet to allot time to ponder on them.
Honestly, this was what happened: my boyfriend and I almost permanently broke up. It was a bad case of miscommunication, a perfect example of a petty quarrel blown out of proportion. He went ahead and left me for a trip; I was supposed to follow but I didn’t. I couldn’t blame myself for not being brave enough to travel alone for three hours via bus and boat; and I shouldn’t have blamed him for wanting to go ahead without me. It’s not his fault he wants to enjoy the beach longer, nor his fault that I had classes on Saturdays that I absolutely need to attend. But then again, he could have waited for me until Sunday, and we could have traveled together; or I could have been a little more understanding and made the best out of the situation.
Unfortunately, it reached a point when we were not able to agree on nor talk about the best thing to do regarding the issue. With the realization that we both had very different views of what happened, one thing led to another until one of us decided that it was better if we broke up. A few days, countless arguments, and a dozen apologies later, we were talking on the same page again. Naturally, we made up and agreed to be more considerate and sensitive of our individual feelings and needs.
Right now, we are starting anew—almost with a clean slate, actually. I learned my lesson as I’m sure he did too, so we are taking things as they come. Of course, in a much more careful way. After all, our being together includes caring for what the other feels. I just hope we wouldn’t have to go through another almost permanent break up moment. But then again, I’m getting scared for nothing—because moving up, starting anew, and growing up together comes naturally with someone you really love.
Because Summer Spells B-U-S-Y
Every year, I welcome the summer season with much glee and delight. When I was in my lower academic years, it meant two whole months of bumming around, discovering new things, and (also literally) growing up. When I stepped into college, it meant almost two months of long summer classes every-freaking-day of the week. I could have opted not to take summer classes, but it was necessary to take advanced and some back courses.
I have been working for almost three years now, and every year, summer has taken on a whole new meaning. Long gone were the days when I would lounge on a hot summer day, drinking iced tea and reading a good novel. Or the days when I would sleep til the wee afternoon, waking up with not a care in the world. Being in the workforce means that I have to be in the office for at least nine hours from Monday to Friday.
Last year, I was out of work for three months, two of which were in summer. I was able to experience bumming around again, quite literally: sleeping and waking up with not a care in the world, and looking for interesting things to do for the whole day. It was supposed to be FUN, but in reality, it wasn’t. I was bored to death, and I felt really depressed. I was supposed to be working then, earning money to burn on countless after-work parties, dinners out, or beach trips. I was able to somewhat experience those still, but the feeling was different. How would it be not different, when you relied on your parents for allowance?
This year, summer for me equates to BUSY. I may not be too busy at work, but I need to do some stepping up in my sort-of-non-work life as of the moment. I missed the application period for MIS in UP because I was too complacent that, one, I would be able to write a decent application essay; and two, get enough recommendation letters before the deadline came. I was able to get a recommendation letter, and I was able to research on how to write the best application letter but I never started on actually processing my MIS application. Heck, I haven’t even filled out the application form. I was too busy minding the superficial things in my life that I neglected things that DO and WOULD matter to me.
And yes, I was busy obsessing about where to go and have fun this summer season. Like right now, I am planning for our trips to Cebu (again), Batangas, Puerto Galera, Boracay, and (hopefully) Pagudpud. All these trips, when I should be reading and reviewing for an upcoming exam, when I should be processing my application for MIS in DLSU, or when I should be saving up money for things that I should be really spending on.
But it’s summer. I have waited all year to be able to enjoy the sensation of the hot sun burning on my skin, the delight of seeing schools of fish and beautiful corals under the sea, or the feeling of thinking, ‘this is the good life’ as I look at the sun setting over the sea.
And yes, it’s just summer. It doesn’t mean that I should visit all the pretty beaches in two months; and it surely doesn’t mean that I should neglect applying for graduate studies, or be lax on studying for an exam that would bring the much needed change to my career.
So yes, it’s time I turn this summer into a fun AND productive, albeit busy, one. Anyone care to join me on the beach trips? 
