Simpatico

In a way this is our difficulty - vegans have problems with omnivores; we have differences of values that make for all sorts of difficulties, socially. It’s inevitable that vegans sit down to eat with omnivores. It’s our difficulty not theirs - we have to get used to it - that’s the way it is. Omnivores don’t think twice about meeting and eating with friends, no worries about the foods or foody conversations. For vegans though, socially mixing with omnivores, where food’s involved there’s always a touch of awkwardness. For vegans there’s such a gulf between us and our mates, family members, colleagues, even ‘fellow’ vegetarians.
The lack of simpatico people, the tediousness of feeling negative about omnivorous attitudes, makes us come to depend on judgement to ease the tension. The truth is that I find myself disliking omnivores for what they do, not just because they eat animals but because they don’t care that they do. But that’s as much my problem as theirs, for judging them. They probably feel bad about animal cruelty and I certainly feel bad about my own animosity towards them but here’s the twist. It’s rather strange - most of our dearest friends and families are omnivores. These are the people I feel at home with. These are people I find interesting, people I really do want to talk to, and listen to, and be with, socially. ‘They’, albeit omnivores, amount to just about everyone anyway!!