i havent been reading the responses to thsi thread but...
i have been a vegetarian for about 2 and a half years. at first i ate fish too, but i have been slowly weaning myself off. i am a evgetarian for health, moral, and ecological reasons. i do it for my body, for my fellow animal friends and for the environment. it is very true that a lot of veg folks are admantly one-sided about the issue and often bigoted and self righteous. i like to think that i am not one of those veggies. while i get offended when someone serves me a turkey burger thinking that it is vegetarian, i dont get offended when other people eat meat around me. i defend my position with educated counterarguements, but i am not about to convert every passer-by that i see with a hot dog. vegetarians and vegans are typically the kinds of folks, like me for example, that feel very strongly about certain things and are ready to voice thier opinions. most veggies believe that NOBODY should eat meat, which is idealistic and close-minded. "eat what you please but please let me eat" is how i feel about the situation, tho i am always ready to fill an eager mind with the benefits of going veg.
vegetariansm/veganism is a LIFESTYLE choice. it means more than not eating meat/animal products. it is a commitment for life that requires big changes in some of the most important things in life. but it also entails things like a commitment to healthy eating (you can't always be veg and eat pizza and soda all the time) and a lot of times commitment to a more 'green' approach to one's lifestyle. just not eating meat, some may consider, is not complete vegetarianism.