Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Elizabeth Gordon on This
Dish Is Veg
July 2011
[Ed. Note: And read An Easy Conversion for more inspiration!]
Question: How can I convince my boyfriend to give up meat?
Response:
Oooh, what a tough question! Conversions—whether religious, political, or dietary—are never easy, so I admire your willingness to make the attempt.
My first piece of advice is to warn you about two techniques that definitely will not work, at least not in the long run: guilt and coercion.
Guilt means making your boyfriend feel like a bad person every time he eats a Big Mac. But let's face it, he's not a bad guy (otherwise you wouldn't be with him, right?), and laying a guilt trip on him is just going to make him resentful.
Coercion involves the use of force or threats, such as insisting he eat tempeh tetrazzini or threatening to withhold sex until he goes meat-free. Obviously, coercion is a tactic better suited for organized crime than for someone who's into cruelty-free living, so as tempted as you might sometimes be, I say resist it at all costs.
So, what will work? I suggest you opt for the carrot approach and swear off the stick. The best way to do this is to go on as many veg-friendly dates as you can. Why? Well, dates are all about fun and togetherness (often with a touch of hanky-panky), so the more you can combine the pleasure of dating with the pleasure of meatlessness, the more your boyfriend will come to associate happiness with veggie-ness.
Here are three meat-free date ideas to get you started:
And if the nearest animal sanctuary, vegan picnic, or vegetarian diner is far from home, don't let that discourage you! My hubby and I regularly travel over an hour to dine at our favorite vegan café, but it's not wasted time. You can spend it snuggling up to your boyfriend, nibbling on his ear as he drives, and telling him how wonderful he is to go on all these adventures with you. In time, as he becomes more educated about the issues involved in meat-eating (vegetarian festivals are a great source of fellowship and information; click here for a list of such festivals around the world), your boyfriend will thank you for introducing you to this healthier, happier way of life...and all without nagging!
P.S. I'll leave you with one last inspiring story. In an amazing article for Vanity Fair earlier this year, journalist John Heilpern (a traditional meat-loving Brit) describes having lunch with bestselling Veganist author Kathy Freston. With a positive attitude, gentleness, and much good humor, Freston shares with Heilpern her journey toward veganism, recommends some reading material to him, and by the end of the story we learn that Heilpern has "decided to give up eating all meat." If that's not an example of carrot-over-stick effectiveness, then nothing is. Happy converting!
Return to Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle