breaking vegetarians

[skunkworks]

Next up in the JaBlue series: stealing candy from babies for fun and profit.

[pokergrader]

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sounds kinda weird. how about just letting them be happy w/ their lives.

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[KurtSF]

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I feel that it is my task to introduce them to the wonderful world of meat.

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Why is that your task? Seriously. Is it your task to introduce atheists to the light and grace of Jesus Christ? Is it your task to introduce gays to the pleasure of pussy? Why do you want to make people do things they don't want to do?

On the other hand, maybe you could try a strip club that serves $3.99 steak and eggs. I'm pretty sure that's what turned my brother into a meat eater.

[JaBlue]

Kurt I think this case is a little different. Its about letting her have more options. She is clearly willing to eat meat, as demonstrated by the times I got her to try fish, etc. (first time in her life) and like I said is mostly concerned with the treatment of the animals. So if I find some well-treated animals, she has no ethical issue with eating the meat. She's just afraid. I'd liken it more to breaking someone's fear of heights or something than converting them to a religion, but I'm not gonna just force her to the top of the empire state building. I want to try to do this... tastefully... and with her cooperation.

I think we've had enough "J you are an [censored]" and the like, lets just get the ball rolling on good suggestions. Red meat is gonna be last in the progression, no way I'm gonna get her to a steakhouse for a while. Just not happening.

edit: just one vegetarian options is not enough, man! She should have more options than that. I would never take her to a place like that, I'd feel like a selfish douche. It just bothers me that I constantly make concessions for her restrictive eating habits when they seem philosophically unjustified (her in particular, not all vegetarians).

[KurtSF]

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lets just get the ball rolling on good suggestions.

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There's a fine line between making someone examine the reasons they do something and being an arrogant prick. Tread lightly.

Option 1: Find a friend (or make one) that has a farm or raises livestock. Either invite yourselves over for dinner, or if your not that close, ask them if the next time they butcher an animal they could set some meat aside for you to buy for your girlfriend. Chicken would be easiest, but I hear that pork is pretty good. Not many more humane ways to eat meat.

Option 2: Go hunting and bring back the meat for her. If she is squeamish about the "treatment of animals" my guess is that it would not be a good idea to take her hunting with you. But if you kill it, and do the cleaning and preparation out of her sight, then reassure her that the animal lived a good life in the wild and died instantly and painlessly, this should be a lock in the situation you describe.


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She should have more options than that. I would never take her to a place like that, I'd feel like a selfish douche.

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I get the same thing from my wife. "There's only one vegetarian thing on the menu... we can't go there." My response is usually "I'm only going to eat one thing!" As long as she's in the mood for the one option its not a problem that she doesn't have a choice on the menu.

[Blarg]

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Kurt I think this case is a little different. Its about letting her have more options.

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I don't see why you think you are "letting her" have more options, or anything. It's not like she's never heard of meat before, or couldn't figure out what place "well-treated" animals have in the scheme of things by herself. It just seems patronizing to me. I'm guessing she's thought at least a thousand times more about everything a vegetarian lifestyle includes and the ramifications thereof than you have. No offense intended -- not a lot of mulling over moral or ethical or spiritual matters is needed to be like everybody else, but to be different makes a lot of that pretty much par for the course.

[KurtSF]

As an aside, I have a funny story to tell. Well, not a story because its happened hundreds of times. Me and the wife go out to eat at some chain joint or steak place or something.

Her: cute little blond girl
Me: 270 lb bearded and hairy manly-man

Our order: 1 sirloin steak, 1 grilled cheese with fries.

EVERY SINGLE TIME we have to switch plates after the waiter drops off the food.

[keepitreal]

vegetarians are more likely to be hot. let her be.

[JaBlue]

Blarg I see your point, but all I'm saying is she's mentally gridlocked by her fear of eating meat. She doesn't consider it an option. She has even said stuff like "if I were traveling I would eat meat," though who knows how true that really is. I'm not going to argue with her about the respective merits of herbivore vs. omnivore, just want to get her over that initial fear of chomping into meat. She is afraid of meaty texture, meaty taste, etc. I just want to show her that its not gross.

Kurt, thanks, those are awesome suggestions. I'll do my best not to be on the condescending prick side of that line. May go with the farm one if I can somehow swing it, I don't know anyone that hunts and could take me though. Maybe I'll go fishing and cook the catch up for her.

[MikeyPatriot]

JaBlue,

I've been a strict vegetarian for 7 or 8 years now and recently decided I'd like to add fish into my diet (I haven't had fish since I've decided this though). This was no one else's doing but my own. Strictly based on my own experience, I really don't think you should be trying to coerce her into doing anything. There's already enough pressure on her to try it if she wants to, adding more by constantly suggesting or supporting it just makes it harder.

If she wants to try meat, she will. There's really no reason to be pushing her.