The Problem With Being Vegan

dan ariely, family, happiness, health related issues, humor, lessons learned, social justice 1 Minute

There’s a chance you may have felt that there was something missing in your life.

Well, I think I know what it is.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a post from Dan Ariely’s mailbag.

So let me remedy that by sharing this email Dan received, with an answer that hits way too close to home.

Dear Dan,

I’m considering becoming either vegetarian or vegan and haven’t yet decided which one. I’m sure it will be easier to eat as a vegetarian, as well as simpler to go out for dinner with friends. But I think a vegan diet is morally preferable, healthier, and more sustainable for the planet. Any advice? –Vlad

And here was Dan’s response:

You are weighing a great many considerations, including convenience, morality, health, and the environment. I have some idea how I’d rank these concerns, but I don’t know enough about you to tell you how to rank them for yourself. I can, however, add one more factor: the social element. You mentioned the ease of going out with friends for dinner, with regard to how hard it might be to find appropriate foods in restaurants. But you should also consider how much fun you’ll be for others when you go out. Why? Research that we carried out at my lab at Duke showed that people perceive vegans, particularly in settings where they get to express their food preferences, as judgmental and morally superior. As a consequence, they tend not to like them as much as non-vegans.

So Dan’s answer explains a lot.

I thought people just didn’t like me, but now I find out it’s not really me, it’s just my judgmental attitude and sense of moral superiority as a result of being vegan.

So I guess one solution is to stop being vegan, but then I’m worried that if people still don’t like me, then it really is me that’s the problem.

So I guess I’ll just continue with my judgmental attitude and sense of moral superiority.

After all, I have earned it…

🙂

*image from Happy Gourmand

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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108 thoughts on “The Problem With Being Vegan”

      2. it probably did not make the news out there, but you may be aware that Dr. Oz is running for the U.S. Senate in the State of PA. He recently had a commercial where he was gathering all the ingredients for crudites, which to be honest, I didn’t really know what that meant. I am sure I am an embarrassment to the vegan community.

        And as far as being speechless, I’m usually not that generous when I priase someone…

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      3. I don’t know what crudites are, either, but I’m imagining a salad that was not thoroughly washed.

        I think Dr. Oz is a sham, quack, and fraudster. In other words, if elected, he’d make the perfect senator.

        Well, I appreciate your not-so-generous praise expressed with no opinion.

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      4. I thought crudites were small croutons.

        and one of the strange things about Dr. Oz running for Senate is that he doesn’t really live in the state. but he is not the first to do something like that.

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  2. People who don’t like vegans are also judgmental. It must be the morally superior part that puts them off. If Dan is right, show them you are actually morally inferior and your popularity should skyrocket.👍 I think it would be nice if we could avoid eating altogether.

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      2. One of the problems I’ve had is that I’ve probably eaten food that’s vegan, even though it may not be the healthieset choice I could have made. Case in point: Oreo cookies. They are vegan, and I’ve been known to eat one too many of them as a result…

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  3. You’re vegan? I never knew, and great to learn something new about you! I myself eat one meal a day, and have tried vegetarianism for a few years. Am always experimenting with my diet, so I don’t have a podium to be judgemental from when it comes to food, lol.

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  4. Personally, I think being vegetarian is a great way to live. Veganism is a little to far for me because I like dairy products. Of course vegetarianism has a whole host of meanings now but I mean not eating red meat, chicken or fish. I am okay with eggs but when I think about the negative environmental impact of the consumption of any sort of animal, it does sway me strongly towards vegetarianism. My family don’t agree, so I cook dishes containing meat. Mom and I don’t eat that much of the meat though. I don’t mind what choices people make about food and have eaten in many different restaurants to accommodate different tastes. Why not, it’s an experience.

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    1. You seem to have a healthy, balanced approach to your diet. I don’t care what food choices people make, but I do hope that people make informed choices and know what the impact of their diet is on their health. And I am trying to be a bit more flexible when I go out to eat as well…

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  6. It’s the vegans (and vegetarians) who treat their dietary choices as a relligion I try to avoid (I worked with a pair of them for six years). I spent the weekend with a lovely group of youngsters who were mostly vegan but I wasn’t aware of the fact until it came to dinnertime (which I wasn’t preparing anyway). No evangelists anywhere.

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  8. that’s so funny, but I do think a lot of people judge vegans and may not be verbal, but roll their eyes or somehow express their less than positive response. do what is right for you in spite of all this. years ago, in the 60s, my oldest sister decided to become a vegetarian and practice yoga, and the Italian side of my family all assumed she was doing drugs because ‘that is all part of that.’ I’m really happy that at least the animals are not judging you other than looking up to you.

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    1. I think some vegans can get carried away with trying to convert everyone to their way of eating. and I probably would have thought the same way as your Italian relatives – those hippies are all the same 🙂

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      1. Hahaha- and yes, there all always sown people who take things to extremes. I always find it so funny that one or two kids decide to become ‘beg-etarians’ or some such category each year. Not for religious or allergy or family members reasons but just because- always choose to eat chicken nuggets because they can’t really picture it as being part of an animal, which is not far off the mark

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      1. No, just respecting the life choice you and countless others have made to eat boring food, and then bask in the self-imposed glory of it all.

        Oh 💩 – I forgot 🤣

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      2. I thought that’s what you were getting at, but since I was not sure, I looked up the word, and found a definition in the urban dictionary:

        “A portmanteau of “vague” and “vegan”: An unsure vegetarian who strives to become vegan but cannot help themselves around dairy products.”

        so then I assumed you were one of those people who cannot help themselves around dairy…

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  14. People eating food together is kind of weird in the first place. I basically learned to eat with my left arm wrapped around my plate to guard against my brothers and wolfing down my food as fast as possible. It took me a while in adulthood to get out of this habit and convince myself that nobody is going to mess with my food. I can remember people telling me “nobody is going to steal your food, Jason.” I never actually growled at people though, so I wasn’t that far gone.

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      1. When I had kids, I just started coating all of my food with hot sauce so they wouldn’t try to take it. It is kind of weird when having cake and ice cream, but I generally like hot sauce.

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      3. I have explored the meatless breakfast burrito options and they taste a little different, but not too bad. The hot sauce would be there either way.

        I gave up eating beef a year or so ago. I may give up pork at some point too. I can be done with hamburgers and steak, but I don’t like the idea of life without a good jalapeno sausage though.

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  18. Ex vegetarian here (gave up due to health reasons. I know there has always been that stereotype of being preachy and morally superior so I wouldn’t make a deal of it – let them do what they want and for me the same.

    Main experience was people asking ‘why I’m vegetarian’ which got irritating as it was a repetitive question but realised people were asking out of general curiosity rather than judging.

    Other experiences was a friend who refused to accommodate my diet at his wedding which made me feel isolate, and a friend of a friend outright verbally attacking my choice of ordering a veggie burger, saying it wasn’t healthy and should eat meat – an argument she undermined being morbidly obese! 🙄🙃🤡

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    1. some people are quite senstive, not about what they eat, but what other people eat. I’ve been lucky in that at this point, most people I know are aware that I am vegan, and have been quite accommodating…

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  19. Having 2 kind of vegetariains in the family I have no problem with it, its just not a diet I could handle! BUT I am trying to be healtheir and eat more veggies and less red meat. Giving up cheese though and ice cream and cream in my coffee, no can do. LOL!

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    1. you sound like a vaguen, a word Jason used earlier. I had to look it up:

      “A portmanteau of “vague” and “vegan”: An unsure vegetarian who strives to become vegan but cannot help themselves around dairy products.”

      🙂

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  21. This is another thing about humans that I don’t understand. Our society likes to profess all the benefits of freedom of choice (in all areas of life.) Then, when someone decides to eat what’s right for them, other people judge them as if they somehow know better what someone else should be eating.

    I feel like I was leading you down the path to hell when you ate a Philly cheesesteak with me.😊

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  23. Yes, you earned it. Besides, true friends will understand and those matter would care enough to be considerate.

    To be honest, I’m confuse though. What’s the different between Vegan and Vegetarian?

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  27. Be whoever you want to be but more importantly, stand behind what you value most! Good for you! Also, that would be a great way to test if it’s really YOU or not lol.. you just might not like the answer lol

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