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I got "You eat so healthy, it SICKENS me" from a female co-worker. She was saying sickens in a tongue and cheek way, as if she wishes she had the self control to eat like that.
I got another similar comment from another female co-workerabout how I eat so much fruit, and then the person told me of a really good produce place that I could try.
And recently, another female co-worker said "You eat so healthy. You are going to live a long and happy life".
So the reaction has been pretty much positive. And, the men don't say much...have yet to receive comments/questions from any men @ my job. One reason that I don't get many comments overall is that we have no lunch-time or cafeteria...just a little kitchen where we grab, heat up our food from the fridge...and then we eat @ our own desks/cubicles.
I'm not raw right now, I do dabble in it. But I have been vegan for 5 years and my coworkers ask me every day what i'm eating for lunch. But the really awesome part about my coworkers is that one of them decided to go on a rather risky diet (eek!) and I wanted to let her know about raw foods, only to find out that she already knows about raw foods and that she wants to go raw already after a month of this more risky diet. I think I might try and go raw with her. Now in a place like hippie land portland or seattle, that would be common, to have a coworker that wants to go raw. But we live in the middle of ranching country, many (if not most) of my coworkers are ranchers, raising cattle or deer for hunting. I am often times the first vegetarian many of my coworkers met, nevertheless vegan, and to find someone else at my work who wants to be raw too is pretty awesome! So i'm super stoked.
People on my job really give me strange looks when I bring in something "weird" looking. They really have a field day with the green smoothies. The dietican I work with always say positive things, the physcians....just look. I mostly get " your're black, and vegan, and raw(whatever that is)? They always tell me how good everyhting smells, but decline when offered samples. I did get a few of the Social Workers to try the raw oatmeal raisin cookies, which they enjoyed. I wish more people would really re-examine what is considered healthy eating.
Everytime my not eating meat comes up, Poeple will always say they don't eat very much meat. It's like they suddenly feel bad. But they'll have ham on their sandwiches and fish for lunch and some other type of meat every meal. If they're feeling really healthy they'll have a vegetarien option. Usually if the veg option is a sweet one, for ex. Ricepudding with suger and cinnimon or German pancakes with applesauce.
P.S I live in Germany.
The few ones that comment negatively (from work or just people I know) are more than 40 pounds overweight. I seem to have patience explaining to the women. The one man I don't seem to have patience for. I am tempted to tell him that he is not very observent, I have told him in prior years already that I don't lose weight, he shouldn't spend anytime scrutinizing any woman's bod, and he creeps me out. But it's the holiday season, so I'll try to find restraint. "Lord, please help me be a nice person. Amen."
I usually get the "But WHY?!" reaction hehe, it really gets to people that I eat raw for some reason, I never bring it up but when ever I sit for breakfast\lunch and bring out some fruits&nuts they go all "he and he's fruits again" or "when you gonna start eating real food??".
or the rabbit food comment.."all you eat is rabbit food!"
I normally get 'Oh you're good' while they munch away on bags of crisps or bars of chocolate (the sort of food that is provided for us at work) Last week someone took down my recipe for raw butternut squash soup and my Moroccan carrot salad always raises a few eyebrows. Now I have discovered cauliflower 'rice' the Japanese crew I fly with on Thursday are going to be very confused!!!
My seven year old neice says that. The frustration level on her face while she says it is very funny. She is trying to wrap her brain sells around it.
I'll say "to stay young." That answer is not satisfactory to her. She'll repeat, Why? Why? ......very funny, not that she is mad, just that my answer is not satisfactory.
The curious and the nice compliments are great, the thing that always gets me are the ignorant or defensive or just plain rude comments about how can I eat like this or where am I getting my nutrients, or I need protein.
I don't criticize a cooked meal someone is eating. Once my BIL said my dates looked like cockroaches - it is hard to fathom that people actually think it is okay to say that to someone.