How to Date a Carnivore (When You’re a Vegetarian)

Being vegetarian and vegan is tough. You have to explain to everyone how you could possibly hate bacon (have you seen how cute those pigs are?) and how you cannot eat turkey on Thanksgiving. What is even tougher is being vegetarian when your significant other is a full blown carnivore.

Whenever you are at a restaurant you can almost hear them saying, “Come on! I am paying, order that expensive steak!” but all you keep drooling about is that apricot arugula salad. Go ahead and order that dreamy fruit-filled salad and be proud of it. While mixing the mentalities of vegetarians and meat-eaters can be hard, here are a few tips on how to date a carnivore.

Find restaurants with options

A LOT of restaurants offer vegetarian/vegan friendly menus, but be sure to do your research ahead of time. Look up the menus online before you go so while your lover is chomping away on a cheeseburger, you can happily enjoy your vegetarian friendly gnocchi.

Try cooking at home

Introduce your s.o. to the tasteful palette of vegetarian/vegan life. Try whipping up a hearty dish so they barely notice the absence of meat, chances are they will actually enjoy it. And please, let them know we do not just eat tofu!

Lay down some ground rules

If you are living with your non-vegetarian partner, and happen to do all of the cooking at home, just let them know that they can keep meat in the house (if it’s okay with you!), but that you will not be touching it or cooking it for them (unless, of course, you’re cool with doing so). Sorting out these details ahead of time will get rid of any expectations, and make for far less fights in the future.

Agree to sharing one vegetarian meal per day

Maybe it’s just breakfast, or perhaps lunch is easier, but try to make a meal that you and your partner share, completely meat free. This will help your partner understand and respect the vegetarian lifestyle, while also leaving room for them to enjoy the food they love. 

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Do not try to convert them

If your partner is happy eating that baby cow, then let him or her continue doing that. If you try to convert them completely vegetarian or vegan, when all they want to do is eat a plate full of chicken wings, well, things can get messy. They love your “only tofu eating” self, and you should do just the same for them.

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So, to all the vegetarians and vegans out there, if you’re on eHarmony, Tinder or any other dating site and they don’t have a preference button for vegetarian or vegan, fret no more! Dating a carnivore IS possible, you both just have to keep an open mind!

 

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