If you are an omnivore who can’t imagine a meal without some sort of meat, dating a strict vegetarian could lead to awkward situations and maybe even a few heated arguments. Sometimes you get used to it and adjust, but dating a vegetarian can be tough.

1. Having to differentiate between different kinds of vegetarians

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To you, people who don’t eat meat are all the same. But when you start dating a vegetarian, you realize that there are quite a few categories on the full spectrum of vegetarianism – pescetarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, vegans, and the like. There are also other dietary restrictions you had never even heard of –gluten-free diets, dairy-free diets, low-histamine diets, and whatnot. Why does it all have to get so confusing?

2. Dinner for two is always a dilemma

Cooking just one thing for two is easier than cooking two separate meals, but then you won’t fulfill your meat craving. And if you’re dining out, ordering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes means leftovers every time.

3. Planning your dinner dates is such a nuisance

Because you always have to call up and check if they have an adequate variety of vegetarian options on the menu. And that does not make it easier when it comes to decision time – they will pore over every line of the menu to decide whether the vegetarian options are worth paying for. Just pick something already!

4. …but God forbid you enter a restaurant without checking out the menu beforehand

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You’re both sitting down, the ambience is pleasant, and the waiter hands you the menu with a smile. But when you open it, you may find that vegetarian options are virtually nonexistent, salad notwithstanding. Quietly retreating while the waiter fetches you water is so embarrassing that you want to just dig up a hole and hide. You won’t be able to visit the restaurant again, ever!

5. Even shopping with them is complicated

If, by chance, you decide to shop for groceries together, you will realize how complicated food shopping can be for vegetarians. You will need the patience of a saint to wait up while they check the labels of each and every item they buy to make sure that it is pure vegetarian.

6. The faces they make when confronted with meat

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You know they are grossed out when they see anything that was once a moving creature. That doesn’t mean they have to give you disgusted glances whenever you pass by a raw-meat vendor, or whenever they even get a whiff of something meat-y being cooked. Come on! You don’t call their green, leafy, disgusting looking vegetables gruesome, do you? Why can’t they let you eat your steak in peace?

7. The double-whammy: A vegetarian who is also a picky eater!

Beggars can’t be choosers! And yet you end up pulling out your hair when you find out that your vegetarian partner is also a picky eater. They won’t eat eggplant because they are allergic, they won’t eat beans because they taste weird. How do they even survive?

8. They won’t share their meal

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When you do finally decide where to eat, and they order something so green and delicious that you’re tempted to take a bite, they refuse to share. Why? Because they can’t taste yours! It’s selfish, childish, and immature, and if they can’t taste the yummy chicken sizzler it’s their loss. That does not mean you have to miss out on the cheesy sweet potato fries, right?

9. Conversations about your favorite meals can get awkward

You’re describing how exactly you like your lamb cooked, and you suddenly realize that the room is filled with a dead silence. And if looks could kill, your date would be rotting in jail. Dating a vegetarian is an end to all conversations about your favorite food.

10. Unwelcome sympathy from everyone around you

When your friends and family find out that your significant other does not touch meat, their first reaction is sympathy, and before you know it they launch  into hour-long pep talks, or, even worse, jokes that involve rabbits and grass. It can get frustrating when you have to deal with pitiful glances every time you go to a family gathering or eat out in a group.

11. Listening to them explain to others why they do not eat meat

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Or you yourself having to explain to other people why your significant other does not eat meat. No, it’s not religious. They just don’t like the taste. Yes, their family eats meat. When people stop being bewildered, you will then have to deal with all the questions. The questions are worse than sympathy because it’s just pointless banter of mock concern.

In the end, what you put in your mouth should not affect your romantic life; but if it does, then so be it.

Featured image source: Shutterstock