The 5 Step Veggie Guide To Dating Meat-lovers

We've all got our wants, and it’s fairly important that we get it right in the tricky dog-eat-dog world of dating. There’s no point going there if you’re not a good match and really, that means that a lot of boxes have been ticked on both sides. Only when the important boxes match up between two ready-to-mingles can any of the really good stuff begin to take place. It’s a given.

But when it comes to ticking these boxes, compromise, to some extent, has got to happen and realistically, there’s going to be some lifestyle traits you and your partner don’t share. And realistically, in the age of 2020, ‘alternative’ dietary lifestyles are more and more becoming the norm. This means that if you’re not embracing the veggie/vegan trends yourself, then your partner probably is. For many people, sharing dietary lifestyle choices is non-negotiable. Afterall, how on earth are you going share a pizza? 

Well, fear not. It’s possible. Scrap that, it’s doesn’t need to be a thing at all. And as a vegan gal who has somehow only ever dated meat-lovers, I’m here to offer the conclusive guide on everything you need to know on veggie-omni dating. Maybe you CAN both have your (diet-appropriate) cakes and eat them after all! 

1. Agree to disagree. 

Obviously that important conversation on your reasons is going to come up and why not, it’s important to understand one-another. But once you’ve sussed out that you hate meat, want to eat well and/or have made an ethical decision for animals/the environment, that conversation is, for the most part, done. Once you’ve had that discussion, you’re most likely to find that you do disagree entirely, hence your lifestyle differences. No matter how many more times you have that conversation, not much is going to change, other than a growing annoyance with your partner because they ‘just don’t get it’. The point is, you don’t really need to get it, because as a couple, you can decide to agree to disagree after you’ve explained it all the first time. Having the same conversation over and over again is not only super boring but it’s also pointless. It's way easier if you realize that early on.

2. Stay positive

One of the most important things if you’re just starting out as a veggie or vegan around your partner is that you’ve got to express enthusiasm, positivity and respect towards your own diet. That means no complaining that you want a pepperoni pizza and are SERIOUSLY CRAVING CHEESE. If you can’t exude positivity and respect towards your own diet, how can you expect your partner to see it as a positive change too? Actually, the best way to encourage people to respect veggie/vegan lifestyle choices or even to go veggie/vegan themselves is to advocate it with positivity and enthusiasm. Being positive includes the all important relationship policy: no angry preaching. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t get in a relationship with you to be preached at all the time. Neither of you did. 

3. Compromise with restaurants 

Obviously an experimental, independent raw-vegan cafe might be exactly where you want to spend your Sunday brunch, but your partner might feel differently. Similarly, you might not totally be up for an afternoon hanging out at Big Joe’s Steakhouse. That’s where compromise comes in. It’s super important to be able to find a place where you can both hangout. Thankfully, the 21st century has graced most cities with loads of great veggie/vegan options in plenty of non-veggie/vegan restaurants, meaning both of you can eat well with no sweat. Compromise has literally never been this easy. 

4. Go half n half 

Like eating out, cooking should be easy. Make a base meal you can both eat and jazz it up with diet-appropriate extras at the end. For example, if you’re cooking a delicious sauce, make it vegan/veggie, split it into two and just add the meat, cheese or whatever weird things your partner likes and you find gross into theirs. Cooking need not be complicated.

5. Bond over hummus 

Hummus. Just bond over hummus. Whatever the lifestyle you and your significant other are leading, there’s always a lot of bonding to do over hummus. And if they’re not on the hummus-hype, you might as well be asking what this relationship even is. Duh.