When people meet someone who only eats plant-based food, they often turn into federal prosecutors. Rather than field the questions, it may be helpful to simply provide the prosecution this list. By the time they finish reading it, perhaps they will rest their case and join you.
No, I don’t eat cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, or any other animals.
No, I don’t buy leather belts or shoes.
No, my car seats and furniture aren’t leather.
No, I don’t buy soap or any products tested on animals.
No, I don’t buy anything without reading a label or asking questions to make sure animals didn’t suffer to make it.
No, it’s not an inconvenience.
No, I don’t buy anything made from fur or wool.
No, I don’t drink milk or eat eggs or cheese.
No, I don’t miss any of it.
No, if you criticize me for standing up for animals, it won’t dissuade me. It motivates me to work harder and smarter for the cause.
No, if an animal byproduct is in something I bought, I didn’t know about it, and then I found out later, I don’t stop considering myself a vegan.
No, you can’t call yourself an animal lover or an environmentalist if you eat animals.
No, there is no food I can’t give up. People are starving. I’m grateful to eat anything. I don’t live to eat; I eat to live so I can make the world a better place.
No, it’s not difficult because animals, the environment, global issues such as poverty and starvation, and my health are much more important to me.
No, buying organic meat doesn’t mean the animals didn’t suffer.
No, I don’t cheat sometimes. That would be like kicking my dog in the head sometimes. I love all animals, not just my dog.
No, I’m not a speciesist. I don’t choose which animals I want to respect based on how they look or act.
No, I don’t have any health problems.
No, I don’t go to the circus.
No, I don’t understand how an animal shelter can host events where they charge people money to eat tortured animals in order to raise money to save abused animals.
No, I don’t ignore cruelty to animals just because I don’t see it happening.
No, I’m not suffering from a protein deficiency.
No, plants don’t suffer when I eat them. Kale doesn’t have a central nervous system.
No, I don’t believe I have any more right to inhabit this earth than any animal.
No, I don’t believe animals were put on this earth to be eaten. That’s a myopic, self-important, and tired defense mechanism used by people who eat animals to justify their decisions.
No, I don’t believe any religion would want people to needlessly and inhumanely confine and torture animals for human consumption.
No, you don’t need to eat animals to survive.
No, eating animals isn’t healthy. Read The China Study or The Food Revolution.
No, I’m not an extremist. I’m a normal person. I wasn’t born eating plant-based food. I learned the truth behind animal agriculture and made the transition out of compassion.
No, there is no such thing as humane slaughter. Ending any animal’s life prematurely for consumption, use, or profit is always inhumane.
No, I don’t eat fish.
No, I don’t rely on religion or the mainstream culture to guide my food choices. I use common sense, science, and human decency instead.
No, you don’t need to become a vegan overnight. You can ease into it gradually.
No, you will not believe that you once ate animals or ever figure out what you were thinking once you become a vegan.
No, that’s not all but you get the idea.
Are you ready to join me?
Kirschner's Korner 
I applaud you; I am not Vegan yet but I am a vegetarian. Thanks for helping the animals.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your feedback. I hope you can make the transition! Please let me know if you need help. 🙂
This is excellent! May I print it out and forward it?
Thank you Barbara. Yes, you’re welcome to share it.
Excellent!
No, i wouldn’t eat a bit of ham for £1000… No, i wouldn’t even just quickly balance it on my tongue for £1000… No it’s not ridiculous at all, it’s sticking to my far more important than money belief system and ethos!!!
The difficult one for me is “No you can’t say you love animals if you eat them”. I know this is true but I also have a sister-in-law who has devoted a huge part of her life to saving dogs and cats in shelters. We have talked about this and I have sent her a couple of books but she said she just can’t go vegan because of my brother and her mother who eat animals. I know, I know, that is not a real reason. But I do believe that she loves those cats and dogs.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for your comments. I’ve made that point in other articles, namely, if you eat animals, you don’t love animals, you love to eat animals. You may love dogs or cats but you don’t love cows, pigs, and chickens if you eat them.
Besides, those people often complain about other coltures eating cats or dogs… specieism is so wrong….
If I weren’t already vegan, I would be spurred to become one based on what you’ve written here. Bravo, amen, and a resounding YAY! from me to you, kind sir.
Thank you Jodi! Very kind of you. Let’s hope others think like you.
Excellent. Thanks for all you do for people and the animals.
May I copy this post in its entirety to another site if I credit you and provide a link back to this page/site?
Thank you Robyn. Yes, absolutely!
An exhaustive list of responses to the uninformed questions posed by the public! Keep up your great work!
Very kind of you D.G. Will do! The same to you!
A couple more:
No I don’t eat honey (with some explanation). I don’t know why I get the “not even honey” question so often but somehow honey is different to people from other animal honey. And then, of course, there’s the “bears eat honey” defence.
No I don’t ride horses or go in horse-drawn carriages (with explanation).
A great list, Andrew. Thank you so much. I’d like to share it to my timeline.
Thank you Christine. You’re welcome to share it.
And then there is the deserted island.
Got that one covered here: https://kirschnerskorner.com/2013/03/15/if-you-were-alone-on-a-deserted-island-with-a-pig-would-you-eat-the-pig/
People come up with these silly questions to divert attention from the fact that they don’t want to give up animal products I guess.