I turned vegetarian when I was eight years old. When I was married, I cooked three meals a day for my husband, and he wanted meat at every one. I didn't ever complain about it, or show distaste or anything like that, so it was never a problem for him. I just set my attitude that it wouldn't be a problem for me, either, though it did make me sad.

Now, with humanely raised and killed meat available (though killing other creatures is always very sad), and with all the information that has come out about problems that can come from being vegetarian, or vegan, which I was for a long time, I feel it might be important for more people to come to terms with the life and death cycle. Some people are able to stay healthy without animal products but many are not, and judging people for taking the most direct route to mental, emotional, and physical health might not be the best approach.

While I see no reason anyone should ever eat the many kinds of unhealthy meat or fish, or eat animal products for fun rather than necessity, eating wild caught, pasture raised can make a big difference for making people stable and grounded. Likewise, the awareness of self-sacrifice and warm, caring love for creatures has been a heart-warming development over the decades.

It is important for your partner to respect your choice of food while on a date. I understand that vegans detest the sight of meat. But I will also advice that you don’t force your partner into adopting your choice of food, you got to be patient and occasionally share the benefit of your choice and its importance to you.

I was able to handle this situation by choosing to refrain from any argument that could arise as a result of our choice of food. Making sacrifices is the secret to handling such a situation without any harm to the relationship.