Sunday morning

I was still asleep when Mom came into the guestroom around 6:30am.

Mom: Your hair is too dark.
A.: Okay.

Later, as I was coming downstairs:

Mom: We have to talk. First of all, your hair is too dark.
A.: You've said that. Second?
Mom: Fine, we'll talk later.

I sat down to read the paper. Mom came in.

Mom: I hate all sorts of extremism, and that's what you've become: an extremist. (Pause.) We have to talk. Why did you and that boy break up?

A.: I already told you why. [Hint: it had nothing to do with the consumption of animal products or lack thereof.]

Mom: You're cold, you're harsh. You'll regret not listening to me. (Pause.) I hate extremism, in all forms. I hate it. Most of humanity lives just fine and eats everything.

Um... a lot of humanity is living from hand to mouth, and the way most of the rest of us eat isn't helping them. Most of humanity is also lactose intolerant. And if you're just talking about people in this country... well, the obesity statistics speak for themselves.

***
To be fair, mom's not the only one who's expressed concern that being vegan has put a damper on my dating. A couple of other friends did... but they haven't dated in years. The last person I was in a long-term relationship with was a vegetarian. Probably half of the people I've gone on dates with since we broke up--and I've averaged a date or so a week--have been vegetarians. One omnivore I dated told me that my not eating meat made him weary; I replied that if it was a problem for him, it was a problem for him, but he asked me out again. And proceeded to horrify me by cursing loudly in a restaurant within earshot of a child, and then charmed me with a story about how the last time he was in the area, he got so drunk he passed out on the metro and missed his stop. Huge missed opportunity there, right?

The thing is, this isn't about vegetarianism or veganism; it's about personal integrity. What kind of person would I be if I started eating animal products, against my ethical beliefs, to broaden my dating pool? I wouldn't want to date someone who did that. What good are your personal beliefs if you're willing to drop them to get a date?