Post Punk Kitchen Forum

In situations where I don't want to get deeper into it, I go with "I don't like the taste of meat" which is true and is the reason I went veg when I was a kid. The vegan part is more complex, so I add "and I'm super lactose intolerant" which is also true (I gave up most dairy at 12). I leave the ethics and everything else for later since that was a secondary reason for me.

Ugh. Thanksgiving. I just don't go anymore.

My advice, like others said, just keep it short. "ethical reasons". You don't know how people will react. Some people are really curious and want to have a non-emotional conversation about it. Some people have a very negative connotation with the word 'vegan' or even vegetarian. I would try to avoid conflict.

I don’t think ethical, religious or political conversations are appropriate for occasions such as this. And depending on your take on it, your being vegan can fall into any or all 3 of those categories!

Sorry to sound so negative, I have not had the best thanksgiving/holiday/eating experiences. I hope you have a great thanksgiving! I am sure you will :)

Just saying "ethical reasons" has never worked for me. It always leads immediately to "like what?" and devolves into a really annoying back and forth that I was trying to avoid in the first place. I usually just say "I don't like the way the animals are treated so I choose to eat other things instead."

If it's sit-down, I'd try to contact the hosts through your friend rather than just show up with a few dishes (unless they asked you to make those dishes). That way the host has an opportunity to make something for you or to make sure there's room to serve what you bring.

Yeah, I don't think I've ever actually said "ethical reasons" specifically, unless someone poses the question "why are you vegan? For health or ethical reasons?" If it's an open-ended question, like just "why are you vegan?", I usually just shrug and say something like "I don't like eating animals," and leave it at that. Maybe there will be someone there who will ask why and I'll usually let someone else answer the question, as someone else at the table inevitably does because such questions seems to fire up conversation for everyone else. I don't actually ever feel a need to discuss it or get firey or passionate about it since my own mind on the topic is made up *dusts hands* and my discussing it in a debatish way seems futile to me. I usually just keep quiet and let other people throw the ball around when such talk starts, even though my prescence at the table is the thing that sets it off.

That said, I went for dinner Saturday night at my (omni) friend's house and they made a whole Vegan Thanksgiving dinner for me and all their (omni) guests: Tofurky, gravy and all sorts of sides and a cashew pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. It was amazing! Everyone seemed to enjoy all the food, too, not just me!

I find that "ethical reasons" leads to follow-up questions a lot and "I like animals" causes the omnis to feel guilty and then they get defensive. So I just usually say something like "oh well I first became vegan because I didn't like the way animals were treated, and once I tried it, I loved the way I felt, so I just kept it up"