2014 will be a wonderful year. It feels like it’s a new beginning for many wonderful things. I see that people are becoming aware of their health, relationships, ideologies and even values are changing positively. This is the beginning of a new era where humans are not just taking, but also finally giving back to each other and the world. Lately what has been catching my eye is the fact that many of my friends have been adopting the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle. So what does this mean for relationships? Since this is quite an important change for people, can love exist between a vegan and a meat-eater?
A few weeks ago, my friend Heather met a great guy. She was so happy that after years of dating players, freaks and jerks, this might finally be “The One”! They met for drinks the following weeks and had a wonderful time talking about life, adventures, goals and dreams. Heather was incredibly happy and felt the butterflies flinging themselves wildly in her stomach. On Saturday evening, Mr. Perfect invited her over to his house for dinner. She put her prettiest dress on and floated over to his place, her heart racing and a smile permanently attached to her face.
When Heather arrived, she noticed the effort that he put into this date. The lights were dimmed, the candles flickering, the sensual music vibrating throughout the house, and the table was set to perfection – with delicious salads, dips, breads, and a bottle of wine for the perfect mood. They ate and drank, and Heather felt herself floating away to paradise. Mr. Perfect stood up, and announced, “Now comes the best part of the dinner!” and went into the kitchen. After some minutes she smelled a horrible stench. It was the unmistakable odor of grilled flesh. She walked into the kitchen and saw her strong, handsome man frying two huge pieces of meat. He turned around and flashed her the warmest, heart-melting smile she has ever seen. “Hey baby, look what I made for you. The nicest piece of Wagyu beef I could find in the market!” He put the meat on a plate and cut it in half. The blood oozed grotesquely from of the steak, and the meat was floating amidst the fat and blood on the plate. Heather’s stomach turned and she almost threw up all over him. It was not his fault, and he was just trying to please her in his way. He was so charming, and it felt like his bright blue eyes were burning into her heart. Damn. She was in love with him already. Heather smiled uncomfortably and said, “I forgot to tell you. I’m vegan.”
What the hell should Heather do now, should she stop dating him because he eats meat? Could she ever be together with a person that doesn’t understand her need to protect animals and her own body? How will they cook together? How will she stand those bloody steaks in front of her face again? Stop. Let me introduce you to someone. She’s a mysterious lady that knows no limits. She does what she wants, and when she wants it. She knows no religion, race, size or shape, and she definitely doesn’t care about meat, grains or vegetables! Her name is Love, and she is a tricky bitch.
However mad she is, Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Thankfully there are ways to deal with her and your food preferences: 1. Communication. 2. Compromise. 3. Tolerance. Talk to your partner about how you feel, what you prefer, what your views are about health, animal rights, cruelty and so on. Be patient while explaining your point of view. Never express yourself with anger or force, otherwise you overstep the boundaries of becoming a fanatic, and may even push your other vegan friends away. It’s about respect and harmony, and not force and anger. After you communicate how you feel, and also hear out their opinion, you can make a compromising step together. How about cooking vegan at home, and eating meat outside? She can go out with the girls and eat all of the meat her heart desires. You can show her your world and cook a delicious vegan meal for her at home, or take her to your favorite vegan restaurant. Gently introduce your partner into your meat-free world, but never ever force them to change their habits and opinions. It will only push them further away from you! Don’t ask your vegan partner to prepare meat for you, because that could make them feel very uncomfortable. Last but not least is tolerance. Discuss this issue, accept each other’s choices, and do not try to change your partner! We live in 2014, and not in the middle ages where they burned witches for eating herbs – pun intended. You want to be accepted for your choices, so do that same with others. Let him eat his sashimi in peace, and get over it. I think that we should not make a big deal about what our partners eat. After all, isn’t it about freedom of choice and respecting that?
True love is not that easy to come by these days, therefore one must be downright insane to let a good person go because of what they eat. We have enough love crap to deal with as it is, so why not relax and just enjoy life and love as it is? We humans are really good at making our own life unnecessarily complicated. Instead of having meat-fights, spend more time kissing, cuddling, making love, enjoying mind-blowing orgasms, holding your lover close to your heart, and building a future together, rather than creating moronic boundaries. The progress is enormous, but there is still enough cruelty to battle within the world right now, so are we really going to allow meat or vegetables to divide us even further?