Tips On Being A Vegetarian At Thanksgiving

Treehugger:

Not conforming to the family ideal can be a massive issue and a real cause of friction in the family. Thanksgiving is based entirely around the concept of harvest and being thankful for the food we eat. If your parents are traditionalists and you have become a vegetarian, not being thankful for the turkey can perhaps seem like a slap in the face to them. If your parents are indifferent or even hostile to your vegetarian choice, it can make for an extremely uncomfortable dinner.

A lot of the points I covered in my post on the social contract can be considered, but dealing with your family is different than dinner with friends or coworkers.

There are a few strategies you can employ to get through the day:

1) If a relative is baiting you, don't rise to it. Some wag once said "Of course your family can push your buttons, they installed them". Chances are the uncle who is goading you is never going to see things from your point of view, and is just trying to get you going, so don't bother arguing with him.

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