When it comes to people dietary restrictions, those following normative diets can often be troublesome. If a person declares that their meal will be sans cheese in a traditionally cheese-laden dish, there might be questioning eyes and words that’ll follow. When it’s by choice, that you choose to ditch animal-based products, colder stares might follow. So, why are people so aversive to vegans?
When it comes to refusing any food that is offered, there seem to bigger psychological factors at play. It might feel that rejecting a meal is subtly equivalent to rejecting the person putting it forward for you. Or, your well-intended declaration of your vegan dietary habits might come out to be offensive to meat-eaters.
To maintain your food choices among all those people can be a tricky affair. The best way to deal with this, is to have a transparent talk with those around you. If you’re living with a hard-core non vegetarian for instance, expecting animal-products to turn invisible might be too far-fetched. But there can be solutions- for instance, making sure they are containers through which you can’t see through might be a good idea.
Basic communication hacks, like courtesy, work everywhere. Here too, if you ask someone politely, or rather, request them, chances are the impact will be quite strong. “Can we please place this in a solid container?” has higher chances of getting a positive response compared to “I want you to place this in a solid container.” Try negotiating these things before you move in.
Another thing you can do is to follow the basic rule of listen as you speak. If you expect someone to listen to your dietary patterns, it’s essential to listen to their views too. This will get you a greater likelihood of being heard.
While food preferences are always a personal choice, social points always filter in and being judgemental if one such strong factor. As Erica Curtis told Bustle, the aim is not to convince people about what you eat per se, but why the habits are important to you.
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