I do not Consume Meat. I do not consume dairy products. I am an Ovo-vegetarian. But that's not all I am.

Seven years ago I stopped consuming Pork meat - purely a personal choice based on global farming practices and standards, as well as a lack of desire to actually consume the meat itself.

And for the last seven years I have been asked "but don't you miss bacon?" followed by "but it tastes so good?!". This was also accompanied with questions of religion, ethnicity, and family values as people tried to justify my decision in their mind as apparently a matter of simple choice was not reason enough. I am not religious, I am Australian, and both my parents consume a full meat diet.

And for the last seven years I have answered No, I do not miss bacon, the smell, the taste or the personal guilt I felt when eating something that in all honesty, I didn't really enjoy that much.

On July 31st 2015, I turned to my dad and told him that from August 1st I would no longer be consuming red or white meat - only seafood. Becoming a Pescetarian was the first step towards moving into a meat free diet. Through this change I also began to enjoy dairy less - often left feeling ill or unsatisfied - however I didn't choose to eliminate dairy entirely, I simply reduced my intake. Throughout the year I was Pescetarian I lost weight, gained more energy, more confidence and felt generally better about myself, and so a year and a bit later, in November 2016, I made the move to becoming an Ovo-Vegetarian - consuming a meat and dairy free diet, however still consuming eggs.

The first time I ever really noticed myself being singled out for my choices was last Christmas Lunch as I piled up my plate with salad, accompanied by myQuornMeat-free schnitzel on the side, which led to me being the topic of discussion at the table. Questions regarding my eating choices were thrown left and right; however, no questions about work, uni, hobbies or ANYTHING ELSE I had interest in accompanied them. Just a consistent flow of "but surely that doesn't taste nice," or "do you really like tofu or have you just kidded yourself in believing you do?" It was as if my plate was all there was to me.

The constant berating extends beyond my family and into my social life too, in every activity or event that I am included in, my diet is always mentioned. I have to pick the restaurant (even though, unless its a steakhouse, there will be a vegetarian option), I have to BYO snacks, and even if food isn't involved my eating habits are often mentioned where I am then mocked or judged or jokingly called a vegan as if that was a terrible or embarrassing name to be called.

It's sort of like I'm being slut-shamed but for not eating anyone's meat

But in all seriousness, what I choose to, or rather choose not to eat, is not a joke and it certainly does not define who I am as a whole person. I have other qualities, other interests and much more interesting things I'd like to talk about with anyone, particularly an ignorant meat eater that doesn't seem to want to hear any of my actual opinions or thoughts on MY choice yet has no problem sharing (or shoving down my throat) their own. At the end of the day, I don't judge you for your eating habits, nor try to make you follow mine, so why am I being attacked? I have never forced you to not eat meat, or made you go to a restaurant only serving vegetarian food and I never will because you have a choice, I may disagree with it, but it is still your choice.

The real discussion here comes down to the fact that there is a much wider issue; it is not just my family or my friends who need to take it down a notch, it's every single consumer that doesn't like different. It's the consumers that refuses to look at anything from a perspective other than their own. It's the ones that will be quick to judge anyone who understands something that they don't and won't ever make the effort to. It's every single person that puts down or ridicules those who I actually believe that they are more envious of or threatened by because they've been ballsy enough to make a change that they could never make. So please, unless I am judging you, or defining you by your dietary choices, please don't define me by mine.

Also, thank you for your concern, but I really like tofu.