How do you meet vegetarians in a natural way? (average, relation, relative)

[thriftylefty]

Originally Posted by Neuling

Well, it was just an example, why else would someone be vegan but for moral reasons?

I am a vegan, but for pragmatic reasons. Why put calories, fat, and cholesterol in your body if you don't have to. Plant based proteins are much cheaper and keep longer.

[kat949]

Originally Posted by Neuling

Sometimes I think meeting a vegetarian spouse is more difficult than meeting a gay spouse these days

Especially in some countries where there are very few vegetarians. Gays usually know where other gays hang out, and sometimes you know just from the way someone behaves But with vegetarians, you can't tell, unless you happen to have lunch together, i.e. you probably already know that person to a certain extent.

I live in a small town, I don't know any vegetarians here, actually I don't know a single vegetarian in this entire country. Most homes seem to have permanent BBQs built into their homes or gardens and people here eat almost anything that moves

So how does one get to know vegetarians (assuming there are any) without forcing it. I mean, just because I am vegetarian doesn't mean I like someone else just because they are vegetarian as well (so forget about those message boards where a few vegetarians exchange soy recipes ).

By the way, yes, I am rather intolerant towards people eating animals. So I could never be together with a person that is not vegetarian as well (out of conviction, not to do me a favor). Else of course my question would be obsolete...

You can meet vegetarians say.. at your local vegetarian restaurant or places that promote vegetarian lifestyles and approach said people casually..

Whether or not one is carnivorous or an herbivore, I say casual is usually a nice "how to" approach with most people.

[Neuling]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I am a vegan, but for pragmatic reasons. Why put calories, fat, and cholesterol in your body if you don't have to. Plant based proteins are much cheaper and keep longer.

Well, most vegans are vegans because of morals. For health reasons being vegetarian is enough.
But really, I don't care. As long as you are convinced of your vegan diet and don't just adhere to it as a fashion thingy, it is fine with me...

[thriftylefty]

Find a grocery store near you that is known for having the best produce,selection and prices. People who eat lots of vegetable have to shop more frequently. It is important that the store be the closest one too you. Proximity is an important factor in meeting people

[415_s2k]

Well, as the OP stated before, they live in rural Portugal, so it may be tougher than just going to the store to meet vegetarians...

I was down at Whole Foods here in Beverly Hills about half an hour ago and was buying some frozen soy protein for some tacos, and an attractive young woman who had been standing there looking at the case politely asked me if I'd cooked with it before and how I liked it, which turned into a discussion on vegetarian diets. I could have easily parlayed the conversation into something more, but wasn't overwhelmingly interested in anything further. I believe that this is about as "natural" as it can get in terms of purposefully meeting other vegetarians... but, something tells me that there's not a popularly vegetarian-friendly grocer out near where the OP is.

To the OP: if finding a vegetarian mate is extremely important to you, and you haven't had any luck in your area, it may be time to start thinking about the possibility of moving to a place that suits your lifestyle best. I don't know enough about the EU to know what areas are especially vegetarian-friendly, though I have heard from people in Germany and France that it is largely uncommon and disregarded in their countries; I've heard from people in Sweden and Norway that it's common enough with younger people but the variety of vegetarian-specific products is still low; my experience in England was that it was fairly easy to be vegetarian and there are a fair number of vegetarians there.

In the US or Canada, you'll be okay in pretty much any major city, especially the coastal ones. My experience in Boston, LA, SF, and Seattle is that being a vegetarian is pretty much effortless whether you're eating out or cooking yourself, and there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan restaurants as well as natural/organic/vegetarian specific grocers where the other people shopping are likely to share your lifestyle choices to some extent or another.

[Neuling]

Cool, that never happens to me. I remember an old woman (70+ years) asking me to read the best use before date on bread to her some time ago, that is it
Maybe I should move to Beverly Hills as well

But seriously, I'm afraid I will simply have to move to a big city where people are more sophisticated, even in this country...

[stan4]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

for the most part of human history we've been hunter gatherers, if somewhere along the way - we were all vegans, we never would have made it...
ever met an innuit/eskimo vegan?

I no longer go the the food and drink threads, because every other thread was dumping on meat consumption

if the vegans want us to be open minded about their food choices, then leave ours the he11 alone too...

with all due respect, of course

Each american eats about 200 pounds of meat a year.
While I can get behind the idea that we as humans have acquired and tolerate a vast and varied diet (based on geography, culture, etc), I cannot get behind the idea that this MASSIVE meat consumption is good for most people.

[OngletNYC]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I am a vegan, but for pragmatic reasons. Why put calories, fat, and cholesterol in your body if you don't have to. Plant based proteins are much cheaper and keep longer.

Calories and fat are needed to live. This post is cuckoo.

[OngletNYC]

Originally Posted by stan4

Each american eats about 200 pounds of meat a year.
While I can get behind the idea that we as humans have acquired and tolerate a vast and varied diet (based on geography, culture, etc), I cannot get behind the idea that this MASSIVE meat consumption is good for most people.

Each American does NOT consume 200 pounds of meat a year what a ridiculous claim! Do you actually intend to say that 200 pounds a year is the mean amount? That I buy. Or even claim it is the median. But to say "each" is a bald-faced lie, typical lie of vegetarians and their "hezbollah " wing known as the vegans.

[Neuling]

While it was linguistically sloppy, it was totally obvious to me (and I am not even a native speaker) that those 200 pounds were the average value. When you see a lie in that statement, it says more about your intentions than about stan4's.