A Friendly Conversation: Exploring Omnivorous vs. Vegetarian Diet

[Diana]

I went to a vegetarian Resturant and ordered pad Thai with no egg (I'm a vegan) and after I was halfway through I realized they put egg in my meal.

Pad Thai also has fish sauce in it. I have asked ad nauseum: Is it vegetarian? Yes. No meat? No. No fish sauce? No. Then I get the dish, taste it, and I know there is fish sauce in it. So I tell the waitress/waiter. And they say, Only a little. So I stay away from pad Thai. Watch the Vegan Black Metal Chef on Youtube for his great pad Thai recipe instead (and laugh till you cry it's so funny).

I also have some problems socially when I bring up my veganism. My mother-in-law used to feed my wife and I before we went vegetarian/vegan and when we made the change she kept not checking ingredients that had animal products in them. I felt terrible not eating the food she cooked, but I really had no choice in the issue and had told her my dietary restrictions. I now think I may just eat out only at places I know have great vegan options when eating out with people.

I hardly ever eat out for many reasons, but when I do, it's not hard to get SOMEthing. Almost all restaurants have salad for instance. Going to someone's house is more challenging. It's difficult not to offend. Recently a friend's young son had gotten into bull-riding (I live in Arizona). They wanted me to come and support him. I told them that while I didn't judge, I did not agree with using animals in that way and to please respect my feelings/convictions. They were not really understanding and still make hints but I stick to my convictions, which causes me discomfort but who cares? What is a little discomfort compared to the suffering animals endure for human pleasure and greed?

I also work for Starbucks and I feel I am a huge part of helping people eat more animals (which I'm sure they would eat anyways) and I feel like it goes partially against my beliefs to serve something I feel strongly against, because of ethical, health, and environmental objections I hold. Also, baristas waste like 5 gallons a milk a day from lack of attention to how much milk is needed and it really hurts me to see that. I'm a supervisor now so I can coach them to not waste, but that's only a small part I can do. Also, in stores I see much waste and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it, cause I only have so much control.

I'm not planning on making a career out of Starbucks but I'm learning a lot in it right now and having great catalysts coming from this job.

Any advice?

I think you are doing exactly what you need to be doing. You are physically helping the situation by minimizing waste, and spreading your light there.