I was at a marvelous Italian Restaurant for my brother's birthday party years ago, with my father was sitting next to me. Dad's a "meat 'n' potatoes" former test pilot, and the vegetarian concept was still tough for him (although in recent years, he's handled the "vegan" thing quite admirably). Anyway, the meal was almost over, and Dad nudged me, and then held up and waved the skeleton of a Founder in the air in front of my face...
...he asked me if I wasn't sure I didn't want some of this? I was blown away, I wanted to be polite but it was so awful...
I thought about it for a few seconds, and smiled wryly, saying, in a calm voice, "Dad, would you hold up a pork chop in front of an Orthodox Rabbi and ask him if he wanted some?" Dad was speechless... he immediately put the skeleton down, and went on with the meal. Point made. Since that incident, there was a marked difference in how my dietary preferences were, well, considered considerately.
In general, I try hard to be patience with others who don't understand how serious I take my being vegetarian or vegan. I my earlier years, I let my temper get the better of me, and the activist part of my being would come flaiming out in full stride. In retrospect, those tirades accomplished nothing.
Being somewhat older (and somewhat more mature... still working on it), I've worked a lot on finding creative ways to make a point, without being insulting.
My comment to Dad is one of my favorites, and shouldn't be seen as indicating any lack of compassion on the part of Dad (or myself). He really thought he was being funny, and he shouldn't be faulted.
However, sometimes you've got to speak in the familiar terms or concepts to those who don't understand where you're coming from....
...and in this case, it worked.
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