My wife is a carnivore and I am vegan. Does this mean we are incompatible? No, of course not, we met this way and still fell in love (I thought I could change her mind later), but there’s a lot of compromising and accommodation involved. Each couple facing this dilemma needs to work things out so that each party can eat and enjoy whatever food they choose in peace! Being Vegan is a personal choice and if your partner chooses not to be one then that should be ok.
Of course, it’s a challenge because there’s going to be two types of foods in the house and a firm set of beliefs that comes with each choice of food.
Q: What should the wife do if the vegan partner is the husband and she is the meathead of the family? A: Kick him out of the house along with all his rotten vegetables? B. Tolerate his holier than thou attitude while devouring a bloody steak at dinner? C. Encourage him in his vegan efforts to protect the animals and the planet and swear some day you will join him in his diet of whole grains, beans and greens, a main course salad, or a vegan curry or stir-fry. Hopefully the choice is C.
Q. What to do if the husband is the meathead and still doesn’t get it? He has seen the documentaries where the animal abuse is brought out in the open, a total contradiction of what you see in the grocery store, minus the blood and guts. He does believe that animal agriculture is causing problems with the environment. He is also concerned about nutrition and maintaining his fighting weight, going so far as to read the books that promote veganism. He is in agreement that the vegan way is good for everyone, yet he, for whatever reason, is just not ready to make that final leap to a plant-based, whole foods diet. If you love him dearly otherwise you must be patient. A partner might ask themselves how much of his refusal is just plain man stubbornness and how much holding on to meat is just habit?
So, getting back to the answers if the wife is the non-vegan what does a vegan partner do. A. We divorce the bitch and throw out her leather motorcycle jacket and boots? B. We calmly but firmly insist she convert to veganism or call a lawyer? C. Smile with love and understanding, not minding the animal screams of terror you hear in your mind as she cuts into her meaty dish?
Not everyone is going to see the light at the same time. Veganism is not for everyone even with overwhelming evidence that proves the science behind it. But if you believe that love conquers all, what each of you eats really shouldn’t cause concern.
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