Y’all who give us a crazy name need to stop. We beg ya.
The above image is by Sabrina Zbasnik.
TODAY and Match.com paired up recently to reveal what potential significant others do not want to find out on a first date. Turns out that 30 percent of meat-eaters won’t date vegetarians. I’m not about to take population weirdo on Match.com’s word for it, and I probably wouldn’t want anybody too narrow-minded to give vegetarians a shot, but I take offense.
A Nina Paley illustration (blog.ninapaley.com)
Offense against what, exactly?
A few fellow vegetarians, of course.
This likely has very little to do with your eating habits. Some of you are downright annoying. You know who you are. Strike one: “I’m a vegetarian” comes out of your mouth upon meeting someone. Strike two: You’re telling people why when they didn’t ask, you’re telling them to eat less red meat 24/7, and you’re trying to change the dining halls at your school to “Meatless Monday.” (Granted, it’s a good idea in theory, but people should have choices and not be inconvenienced.) Because of the horrible few, it’s assumed that vegetarians and meat-eaters can’t mesh. Opposites don’t attract in the long run simply because extremists appear to be nagging.
Y’all who give us a crazy name need to stop. We beg ya.
But this goes both ways! Whenever people find out I’m a vegetarian, a whole slew of assumptions follow. Just because we’re vegetarian does not mean we love gardening, the Grateful Dead, and fixies. I don’t have my hair dreaded, and I don’t keep tons of cats. I only wear floral sometimes. I don’t cry at the sight of a dead animal or a piece of steak. That’s plain weird. In return, try not to stare at my tofu and say it’s gross.
I’m still a bit confused by the survey, but it’s clear where those polled are coming from. Luckily, I’ve avoided the third of the population that wouldn’t want me. Keep your veg hand [in check].
GINA CURRERI WRITES THE VEG HEAD COLUMN IN BETWEEN STUFFING HER FACE. FOLLOW HER @GINACURRERI FOR NONSENSE AND OCCASIONALLY REAL SENSE.