When I first became vegan, I was that guy at dinner parties. The one who'd launch into ethical speeches while everyone else was trying to eat.
I'd just watched those slaughterhouse videos. Read those books. Everything felt urgent and important. I genuinely believed I could change people's minds if I just explained it clearly enough.
These days, I rarely mention it. The world's moved on - being vegan isn't the conversation starter it once was. Plus, I've learned that nobody wants help choosing their food, and I definitely don't want suggestions about what I can eat.
It's funny how the dynamic has shifted. Thirteen years ago, you'd have to explain what being vegan meant. Now you're more likely to hear someone apologising for ordering meat, or explaining why they're "mostly vegan".
My wife still eats meat, my friends still eat meat. After all these years, I haven't converted a single person close to me. What I have done is maintain my own principles quietly, without making others uncomfortable.
The exciting thing is, soon these dinner table dynamics will change again. With cultivated meat, the ethical dilemmas disappear. The conversations shift from personal choices to scientific innovation.
And honestly, that's a much more interesting dinner conversation anyway.
