As a person who enjoys sending time with a variety of people and interests, I have found myself at a recent conundrum. I have a couple of vegan friends, a few vegetarian, but most are omnivores. I enjoy spending time with all of them (obviously they wouldn’t be friends otherwise) but lately I can’t help but feel a twinge of pain when I see them eat meat in front of me, especially chicken. I’m always able to find the vegan options I want and I try to suggest places that do not have as many chicken entrees….that is not an easy task.
Having hens as pets has enlightened me more about food choices and ingredients than I thought possible. I never truly realized how many products have egg in them….explain to me why egg roll wrappers can be egg free but many wonton wrappers are not?!? I have found many if not all of my vegan alternatives but I am still stuck with the difficulty of watching someone who I love and care about eat a once live being with emotions, thoughts and a personality that could have been a pet that I cared for.
I am not someone who pushes their views onto others and I do not expect my omnivore friends to magically become vegan after seeing my pet hens and all the changes that have been brought into my life through becoming vegan. But the one thing, the very one thing that I can no longer ignore, is watching someone who I think is a fantastic person down a slice of barbeque chicken pizza without the slightest thought about what they just put into their mouth. A once live being who did not choose to be sacrificed for a slice of pizza. The hardest thing going out to eat with meat-loving friends is watching their ignorance take hold of food choices and consume my pets.
Yes, I still consider them friends. Ignorant, but I still love them. They do not intentionally mean to disgust or offend me. I also do not want to become their one “vegan friend” who judges every meal they eat and feels the need to comment on the dead flesh they are putting into their bodies. Food is a sensitive and political subject and I certainly do not enjoyed being judged for my tofu. It is just a very hard scene to stomach, and has not become any easier the longer I continue to care for and fall more in love with my hens.
Please for the love of god, can someone open a restaurant that doesn’t serve chicken???
Chicken Scratch 