Never has a lifestyle choice come under such scrutiny than that of my decision to not eat meat.

Among the litany of questions:

“Where do you get your protein?” (By far the most common, and most irritating.)

“I don’t understand. How can you have gone your whole life eating meat and then decide not to?”

“Don’t you miss meat? (Usually followed by something like “I just couldn’t give it up. I love a good steak too much.”)

And among the litany of answers:

Almost everything has protein in it.

Um, because I’m an adult and that’s what people do. They change their mind about things.

No, I don’t miss meat. (I don’t say this next part, you know for the sake of brevity, but this is part of the answer: My World of Food has completely exploded and I’m eating a wider variety of foods and more delicious foods than I ever have. It’s rekindled my love of cooking too.)

And then there’s the obnoxious Mmmmm-ing from someone I’m dining with, exclaiming how tasty their meat is, trying to entice me with each bite. I don’t think they understand that they might as well be chomping on a turd; the exaggerated enjoyment of which is completely unappealing.

Now, I’m not nasty or preachy about this when people want to talk about it.* There is no judgment on other’s lifestyles! I just tell them it’s a personal choice blah blah blah. I am learning however, that the easiest answer to “why are you a vegetarian?” is to say “health reasons.” That tends to satisfy them. And really, it is the truth.

*Sometimes it’s impossible for the subject not be broached. Monday night I attended a bourbon-themed dinner event for work. I’ve attended several in the past and have grown accustomed to the two or three courses that include meat. I am friends with the owner and asked him if he would mind asking the chef for vegetarian alternatives to the meat courses. (This is common, by the way. Most caterers, restaurants, etc. provide a veggie alternative upon request.) “No problem,” he said, (and I love that he didn’t say one word about it, even though he’s known me as a meat-eater in the past.) So the first dish came, and of course my plate is starkly different than the other six dishes at the table. The lady closest to me asked why mine was different. So I told her the truth, that I requested a vegetarian meal. And because three of my plates throughout the night were different than everyone else’s, the topic continued to come up.

Really I do not mind talking about it. It’s this new thing in my life that has required some adjustments in my and my loved ones lives and I find that talking about helps remind me why I made the decision in the first place. Plus, I'm curious that people seem to find it so fascinating, although do not mean for it to dominate a conversation. Because I get the sense that the more I share, the less people care, or that they think I’m judging or acting snooty, which is again, why the “health reasons” answer is quite appealing.