Insight Sought on Ex Vegetarians
I am sure that many, if not most of you, here have at some point been in a situation similar to this one:
I went to a new place for lunch the other day. It serves only soup and sandwiches. I was not hopeful there would be any food, but to my surprise there was a veg option that could be veganized.
Anyhoo, the waiter was a young girl who was very helpful about my veg enquiries (I later found out she is the daughter of one of the owners). She was very intereseted in helping, but then she told me that she was veg for a couple of years and then just recently she got a serious craving for a steak and has been eating them ever since. She supposes she just "needs" meat. And besides, she got so tired of eating the same thing all the time.
I wasn't sure what to say. I tried to be positive and not "judge" her for eating animals again, but also to say something encouraging. I told her I eat all kinds of different stuff and that there is a learning curve, etc....
My question is: why do people always tell me/us this stuff? What are they seeking? Are they looking for some sort of validation? I have had several waiters in several different restaurants initiate similar discussions with me. I know that ex vegetarians can be some of the most viciously anti-veg people out there, but I don't get that vibe from them. It is like they want something from me. Do they see me as a safe outlet for their guilt/failure/whatever in going veg? Do they want encouragement to get back into it? What do they want and how does one respond to such statements?
I went to a new place for lunch the other day. It serves only soup and sandwiches. I was not hopeful there would be any food, but to my surprise there was a veg option that could be veganized.
Anyhoo, the waiter was a young girl who was very helpful about my veg enquiries (I later found out she is the daughter of one of the owners). She was very intereseted in helping, but then she told me that she was veg for a couple of years and then just recently she got a serious craving for a steak and has been eating them ever since. She supposes she just "needs" meat. And besides, she got so tired of eating the same thing all the time.
I wasn't sure what to say. I tried to be positive and not "judge" her for eating animals again, but also to say something encouraging. I told her I eat all kinds of different stuff and that there is a learning curve, etc....
My question is: why do people always tell me/us this stuff? What are they seeking? Are they looking for some sort of validation? I have had several waiters in several different restaurants initiate similar discussions with me. I know that ex vegetarians can be some of the most viciously anti-veg people out there, but I don't get that vibe from them. It is like they want something from me. Do they see me as a safe outlet for their guilt/failure/whatever in going veg? Do they want encouragement to get back into it? What do they want and how does one respond to such statements?