Welcome! How does this answer the question as asked? The OP is not providing food for the vegans, they are, according to the question, complaining when he eats his own lunch, often alone at his desk. The OP even states that they have listened to them explain why they are vegan and has made a decision to not become vegan and would like some peace from their opinions.

@Catija honestly I'm pretty much just flat offended every time I hear the word "preachy" for exactly the reasons I detailed here. Truthfully what would be better than an answer is if the question is closed until the OP writes a specific situation they are confronting and removes the baited language in it ("preachy", "off my back", arguably "militant" insofar as I'd rather hear about their actual behavior). In the meantime I really don't like reading other answers exploring the preachiness of these vegans when the interpersonal error is buying into that stereotype in the first place.

@Catija here's an edit

I understand your concern and I appreciate that you find the way the question is framed to be unfair. I have edited the question to remove the language that you find problematic. Please remember, however, that respect goes both ways. Telling someone not to do something they aren't doing, is not helpful and is likely to be removed as "not an answer". As a vegan you have the opportunity to explain what would work for you in this case. Please do. We thrive on great experience-based answers and welcome any we can get.

I'm sorry but your edit still doesn't actually answer the question. I know vegans who are willing to accept that they can not change the minds of everyone and show respect, particularly in the workplace. Telling the OP that they should simply get used to the harassment (it is harassment) is not an answer that many will find of use.

@Catija how would you recommend alerting the OP to the risk of relying on pervasive stereotypes as part of addressing this situation?

Like I'm saying something really important here, which is that OP has entirely framed this situation around a really harmful and denigrating stereotype that unfortunately very few people have bothered to call what it is - a stereotype

where I expected things like "Max walked up to my desk and started mocking the chicken wing I was eating." all I got was "militant" and "off my back," i.e. echoing the same stereotype without substantiating it, which makes me question OP's framing

Considering that the OP makes it sound like this has been going on for a long time - he's apparently listened to them talk about things at least twice - it is perfectly possible that the OP is being harassed at work.

I completely understand your concerns. You are correct that it is problematic but the OP may also be correct in their description of the interaction. You can not know either way.

I think a big part about IP is learning to frame situations like this. you want to replace stereotypes with behaviors, judgments with descriptions, thoughts with feelings, etc. and generally bring the description more specific. if the OP has not done that very well then there is a huge range of things that can actually be happening in reality. harassment is one of them certainly

if OP wants to confront harassment then doing it toward a "preachy" "militant" vegan he needs "off his back" is a really bad start

he needs to be addressing behavior, not a stereotype that is literally impossible for these vegans to shake if they switched personalities tomorrow

I can move my answer to write only about framing / stereotyping

No. We need to answer questions. As I've already said, if you want to point out that the way the OP has framed the question - villianizing the vegans - is damaging to their argument, feel free but it must be a small part of an answer that actually answers the question. Right now you've utterly ignored the question because all you care about is that someone called a vegan "militant"... among other things.

you can't have it both ways.

OF course you can.

I can write an answer about how the situation is framed myopically because it relies on a poor stereotype and write about how to frame more specifically without relying on stereotypes

> If you would like to stop them from talking to you about veganism, do ____ (paragraphs of explanation). I would also like to point out that your framing could be part of your problem.

nope, I can't do the first thing, because I don't know what's going on

he wants them to stop "preaching" but that is a slur and it's unclear how a vegan can be in the same room as him without accidentally preaching

@djechlin So ask questions in comments on the question. If you really think the question is incomplete, the answer is to flag it and to ask for clarification.

The answer is not to write an answer that doesn't answer the question.

sorry, I've learned what I need to about participating in this community and I won't be doing it furhter.

have a good night.

Night~