Ten years ago I stopped eating anything that had a face.
I had tried to be an ethical consumer for a long time before that and my meat consumption had fallen away in the lead-up, but becoming a full-blown vegetarian was a decisive step.
It felt right and a decade on, it still does.
But while embracing a vegetarian diet has brought me better balance in my body and conscience, I am still surprised how often my choice offends others.
Revealing my dietary preference is like telling them I worship the moon, like chewing glass or have found my life’s purpose in watching rocks.
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Many omnivores still think vegetarians are weirdos.
I don’t just mean the presumption that all vegetarians must be militant animal-rights activists or are super judgy of meat eaters (most of us aren’t).
Otherwise intelligent people have strangely presumed I only eat vegetables. I have been asked “How do you stay healthy?” and “If you don’t eat meat, what do you eat?”
But vegetarianism is growing, with more than one in nine in Australia now thought to be eschewing meat.
The science to support it is strong: livestock production contributes a huge portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, feedlots are environmental disasters; the consumption of too much animal protein and fats have strong links to the development of heart disease and cancer.
Vegetarian comes from the Latin word vegetus, meaning invigorated. And most of us are. We need not be iron-deficient, protein-poor or undernourished because we do not eat meat.
Some of us also find contentment in knowing our aliveness has not grown from the death of others. Others are vegetarian for dietary reasons or religious ones.
On medical advice for improved health, more and more people are having meat-free days as part of their regular week. At the unhealthy end, almost all fast-food restaurants now have vego options.
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And while meat-based dishes will not be consumed by vegetarians, vego dishes are tasty for all. At the most recent functions I have attended, my requested vegetarian lunches have been snaffled by omnivores before I could get to them.
It is healthy and a standard recommendation for all people to have a plant-based diet, but somehow vegetarians are still seen as outsiders, perceived as difficult, fussy, selfish and problematic at dinner parties and informal social gatherings.
I do not sit in judgment of others who tuck into a steak or tender leg of lamb. I just don’t want to put it in my own mouth.
I am happy to have what others consider a side dish as my main. A bowl of salad is a meal to me at a barbecue.
But we vegos certainly don’t need a big production to be made because we am not hoeing into a rib fillet or chicken kebab.
Where other people’s dietary preferences or needs are concerned, acceptance is a dish best served warm.
Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
