So why are you a vegan?
Posted by KendraKat on Oct 17, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 287 posts
This question seems to come up more and more lately, especially since I started a new job and people are noticing I don't eat all the processed crap that is always laying around... I assume that they don't always want the "long version" of how eating animals is disgusting and bad for the environment and super unhealthy... How do you answer this question in a brief yet understandable way that omnis would understand? Also, why does this question always seem to some up over meals when the person asking is usually eating a big greasy burger or something? lol... I really have to be careful what I say at that point... So what are your "standard answers" to this question? ???
However these are nurses at work who actually seem interested in why I have chosen this lifestyle. :-\
Nurses, huh?
Being vegan is a health choice. Vegan is healthy for me - it keeps my cholesterol (etc.) levels low. It's healthy for the environment - there is much less air pollution (etc.) associated with plant crops than with animal farming. And vegan is healthy for my psyche - animal processing methods are often cruel.
That leaves it open for them to ask follow-up questions based on their interest in personal health, the environment, and/or animal rights.
My standard answer is 'Food allergies'. That typically will either end the conversation or they will ask more. What kind of response they get depends on how they continue questioning.
I just finished reading the Food Allergy Survival Guide and there was a very good point made in that book as to what veg*ns eat. We eat Vegetables; roots, stalks, flowering buds, leaves, leafy stems, fruits and seeds. From potato to asparagus to lettuce to celery to bell pepper to beans. So from now on, I am going to say "Fruits & Vegetables" when people ask me what I eat. Its complete just that way.
Though now, I am so going to use the "Life is too short to make other's shorter" line. That is perfect! Thank you. :)
Pages