[CF#5]

I think for many people the why and the how are difficult to separate. The why is what provides the motivation, and the motivation is the most important component of the how. That's the internal/introverted part of it. The entire concept of taking a piece of a dead animal and putting it in my mouth has become completely foreign to me. I'd rather be tortured than eat meat ever again. When I smell it cooking, I've become conditioned to get sick. I call it the smell of death. Ironically, I cook garden burgers all the time, and the more realistic the better. But I know there are no dead animal parts in them, so the smell of those burgers doesn't elicit the same type of response.

As for how other people react, that's the external/extroverted part of it. When people are young, we call it peer pressure. When they're older, we call it social norms and expectations. It's necessary to be strong and stick to your convictions and be able to face the social consequences. To cave in and eat meat just because everyone else does it shows weakness. If your friends make fun of you because you don't eat meat, find new friends. But also realize there's a fine line between friendly fun and disrespectful jabbing. If your real friends step over the line make it clear that what they're doing is bothersome and they should stop. If they don't, they're not real friends.