How Not to Be the Punchline of the Vegan-at-a-Dinner-Party Joke

NMA Radio co-host Doug recently attended a bachelor party, where while discussing meals for the weekend, it became clear that one of the guys wasn’t comfortable with Doug’s being a vegan.      "We’re all having meat. What are you going to eat, Doug? Carrots?" We’ve all been in this situations like this. It’s that moment at a restaurant, party, or dinner when all of a sudden people realize you’re vegan or vegetarian, and don’t know how to react. Before you can even say a word, someone gets defensive or pokes fun of your diet.  So what do you do? Usually, we react in one of two ways. Either:      1) You use it as an opportunity to make a point, defend your diet choice, and maybe even convince a few people, or     2)You brush it off and keep the mood light, in an attempt to make veganism appear as normal as possible.  I’m not saying either of these better than the other; I respect both choices. But I know the one that I choose, almost every single time.  In today’s episode, we discuss these two approaches, and how Doug and I handle the uncomfortable situations at parties, with family, and while out to dinner. We also share the rest of Doug’s story, and how by the end of the weekend, he got that same guy to take interest in the vegan diet.