I think this is often a case of people dealing with cognitive dissonance.<p>It's pretty easy to understand that in at least North America our livestock handling practices cause a huge amount of suffering to animals for the enjoyment of people. But most people are able to ignore / justify that with a "well, it's bad but you gotta eat".<p>When presented with a group of people who make the choice not to eat animals / contribute to that suffering it challenges that justification and makes people very uncomfortable and in some cases angry. The easiest way to resolve this conflict is to mock those people and write them off as some kind of sanctimonious kill joys
How simple are people's palates if they think vegetarian food is lacking in pleasure? No surprise to hear it from someone with a French sounding name, of course. Add any kind of spice to their food and don't know what's hit them.<p>Italian and Indian food is where it's at. Is Indian food well known in the US? There's plenty in the UK but most generic "Indian" is mostly Punjabi in particular. It's not hard to find proper vegetarian Indian food if you look, though.<p>I assume most people who are "offended" by it are harbouring guilt. Usual story.
Do any vegetarians/vegans on HN want to chime in with their opinions about meat substitutes like Impossible and Beyond?<p>Personally, I eat meat, but I don't take issue with people who don't, and I'm glad they have more and more options, many of which I enjoy myself. But I'm not a big fan of those substitutes. I'd rather have meat, or a more traditional vegetarian/vegan dish(even something like a black bean burger).
What I find strange is that so few people mock Jews, Muslims for not eating pig or their kosher rules. Or, if someone is vegetarian because they are Hindu.
Most people will never personally encounter more than 0-1 of any rare or uncommon way of thinking or living. The loudest people are the most self-sure and radical, which makes them ideal candidates for those rare encounters. They come to represent the whole for most people who aren't practiced at seeing past that sort of thing.<p>You don't think about the vegetarians around you who keep to themselves and go about their way of life without trying to push it on others, so they're quietly embarrassed by those noisy few. At least that's my guess. I don't know that I know any vegetarians.
<i>> For a rare lifestyle choice—one that is selfless, and also fundamentally personal—vegetarianism tends to drive people pretty bonkers.</i><p>This is why vegetarians get mocked. Because they say stuff like "selfless lifestyle choice." On the other hand, I've never seen practicing Hindu's made fun of for their vegetarian diets, whether that's on the West coast or in the Midwest, because they're not wearing it on their sleeve as part of their identity.<p>I'm loving the rise of vegetarian/vegan food which has improved the quality and availability of non-meat dishes all over the place, but all sides of this mini culture war are insufferable.