Posted as part of VeganMoFo (The Vegan Month of Food) 2014
When vegans are around, things get a little tricky – for all of us. Sometimes non-vegans get defensive or hostile because they think vegans are telling them their food choices are unethical. Sometimes vegans are! And that comes across as self-righteous and snobby.
So, I’m using the Vegan Month of Food – a month during which vegan blogs are celebrated and aggregated in one place – to provide some easy tips for non-vegans and vegans to use, so we can all get along a little better. As the old saying goes, “If you can’t say anything vegan, don’t say anything at all.”
“IT’S NOT VEGAN BUT IT’S GLUTEN FREE.”
Non-vegans, please stop saying this to vegans.
Why?
Because vegan and gluten free diets have nothing to do with each other. I know, I know, both of those foods are in the weird hippie aisle of the grocery store, but other than that, they really have nothing in common. Veganism is a lifestyle choice based on ethical or health considerations, while gluten free eating is stupid.
Furthermore, if you know someone is vegan, then you know that they don’t eat non-vegan food. It doesn’t matter if it’s gluten free, nut free, Paleo, raw, cooked, green, red, etc. If it’s not vegan, we don’t want it. So, git!
What are some alternatives?
- “I would offer you this but it isn’t vegan.” (To be said only seriously, never sarcastically or with rude intentions)
- “It’s stupid when people eat gluten free but don’t have Celiac, huh?” (yes)
- Don’t say anything at all.
Weird! Why Aren't You Vegan? 
What about “I could never go vegan”? Even when it isn’t followed by “I love cheese too much” or something like that. I personally have an arsenal of non-snappy yet thought – provoking replies to a lot of carnist FAQs, yet this statement renders me speechless every time. People usually say it after they first realize I’m vegan, which usually happens during a meal and I am just trying to order a salad without cheese, bacon, creamy dressing, chicken strips and boiled eggs and with extra veg as discreetly as possible because all I want is to eat AND keep a positive impression of the other person in my mind at the same time. But no. Obviously, they’re not talking about a physical inability to go vegan, but just casually mentioning the fact that they don’t want to. And telling someone that you don’t want to do what they’re doing when they’re not even asking you is impolite and it can be discouraging for the other person. I wonder what other people say in these situations.
Yes! A previous tip is “I Could Never Be Vegan.” (https://whyarentyouvegan.com/2014/09/03/if-you-cant-say-anything-vegan-i-could-never-be-vegan/)
I usually politely point out that it was easy for me to go vegan, and now be vegan, because it was what I wanted to do. They could do it too, if they wanted to, as you say.
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