Vegetarians and the veggie-curious celebrated World Vegetarian Day Wednesday, which also marked what organizers hope will be the start of a meat-free month.
The World Vegetarian Day website stated that Oct. 1 kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month, where the organization tries to encourage vegetarians to engage and encourage non-vegetarians to join them in a month-long meat abstinence.
"Let people know that October is Vegetarian Awareness Month and tell them why vegetarians everywhere are celebrating," the website listed as one of its four steps to get non-vegetarians to go meatless. "If you haven't already, explain why vegetarianism is important to you. Tell them about the benefits of meat-free diets."
Carly Romalino, of the New Jersey Courier-Post, wrote Wednesday that she has been a vegetarian for two years and, while she still gets the usual questions from meat-eaters, she does not miss it and is content with her eating habits.
"So are more 3.2-percent of vegetarian Americans, about 7.3 million of us, according to a Vegetarian Times study," Romalino wrote. "Don't pity us because we choose to cut out red meat and poultry. Don't raise your eyebrows when we admit we don't put bacon on our bacon or consider the fatty pork product a food group. Bacon, my carnivorous friends, just never really did it for us. We're here. We're not into bacon. Get over it."
Social media overflowed with vegetarian recipes and messages of support Wednesday on World Vegetarian Day.
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