Vegetarians - we get no respect

I find lately that I am frustrated with people not respecting my personal choices, particularly about what I eat or do not eat (regarding meat). Yesterday afternoon I was at my friend's birthday BBQ. It's unbelievable how disrespectful people are to you when you tell them you don't eat meat. This is not just one incident. It's happened to me on many occasions, and it's getting tiresome.

In my experience, people (generally speaking) act like there is something wrong with you because you make the personal choice not to eat meat. Especially if you are a vegetarian because you don't want to kill other animals for food. If I say I am a vegetarian for health reasons, then people overall seem to be ok with it. But if I say it's because I don't want to hurt other animals, then they act like there is something wrong with me. Like I'm dysfunctional or less intelligent for not eating meat.

It is astounding to me that when you tell some people you are a vegetarian, they immediately begin to pressure you to eat meat. "Oh, come on! Just have some, it's good! You know you want some! Doesn't it smell good?" My question for them is this. If someone came to a gathering and said "I am an alcoholic so I do not drink", or "I do not smoke" would it be acceptable to begin immediately pressuring them to have a beer? Would it be acceptable to start ridiculing them for not smoking?

If someone says "I don't like oranges" or "I am allergic to apples" would it be ok to start pressuring them to eat an orange or an apple? Or again, ridicule them for not liking oranges and being allergic to apples? No. It would be considered very rude. Yet it seems to some people to be perfectly acceptable to pressure a vegetarian to eating meat, or to ridicule them for making the choice not to.

I don't have a problem with people eating meat. That is their choice. Protein is something all humans need. I do have my opinions about how animals are treated by humans, generally speaking. Humans tend to be greedy and gluttonous and cruel, and that bothers me. But I do not presume to force my personal choices or beliefs on other people. I do not march around BBQ's and demand that people stop eating meat and preach about how I feel people should behave. Nor do I make fun of them for what they do or do not put into their own bodies. I respect the right of others to make their own decisions.

It also is interesting to me that the people who enjoy ridiculing vegetarians are the very same people who are appalled and horrified when you describe to them what happens to an animal when it is killed for food, or fur, or whatever other body part will sell for the most money. They are the first people to tell you to keep quiet about it because it is 'upsetting' them. They have no problem making fun of a vegetarian or gulping down several helpings of meat - far more than they need - as long as they don't have to know where it comes from.