By Carol J. Adams

Reviewed by Glenn Perrett

Life as a vegetarian or vegan is not always simple or easy, especially when we have to deal with meat eaters in a primarily meat eating world. Millions of North Americans have turned to vegetarianism and embraced this healthy, compassionate diet, and our numbers are increasing. Unfortunately, we are still a minority, and problems or inconveniences with meat eating family members, relatives, friends, co-workers and others are commonplace. Our ethical diet draws a variety of responses, everything from kidding to anger.

To help you overcome any annoyances pertaining to living with and eating with meat eaters, there is the book, Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian's Survival Handbook. Using her own experiences and more than 200 surveys from vegetarians who live with meat eaters, Adams provides good advice on how to deal with the meat eaters in your life. Adams suggests that we consider meat eaters as "blocked vegetarians."

In the chapter "Love at Work III: Living with Meat Eaters - Partners and Children" Adams discusses such topics as living with meat eating partners, raising children when only one parent is a vegetarian, raising vegetarian children and cooking with children.

To complement the practical advice given to vegetarians, Adams has included more than 70 pages of vegetarian recipes. A section on "About Ingredients and Products" is also very informative describing items of interest to vegetarians and where and how they can be used.

The appendices are also very useful and enhance an already insightful book. Appendix A, "Living Among Meat Eaters: Rules of Thumb," provides reminders of important points pertaining to living with meat eaters. Appendix B, "Letter to Parents of Vegetarians," contains wise advice for parents whose children have chosen vegetarianism. Appendix C is "The Vegetarian Patrons of Restaurants Card." The reader is encouraged to make copies of the card provided which can be filled in and left at restaurants so that the needs of vegetarians visiting the restaurant in the future can be better met. Appendix D is an "International Vegetarian Card" which says, "I am vegetarian. What do you recommend?" in 21 languages.

Living Among Meat Eaters provides valuable information about how vegetarians can not only exist with meat eaters but thrive in their company to everyone's benefit!

Buy this book now!

Read the teen review of Living Among Meat Eaters.