How do you connect with other vegetarians and vegans? If you are single and looking for a mate who you can go out to dinner with and not have to explain why you don’t eat chicken then it is important to try and connect with other vegetarians and vegans. The problem is that people don’t usually walk around with signs announcing their dietary preferences. And you don’t want to walk around asking every cute guy or girl if they like meat (you may get some unusual looks). Luckily there are some easy tips for connecting with other Veg-heads in your community.

First, try the Internet. There are a number of dating websites that are specifically for vegetarians and vegans. www.veggiefishing.com is one of my favorites (it’s free by the way). Just be wary of any sites that ask for upfront payments or long term contracts with upstart companies. You don’t want to pay money only to discover they only have a few matches in your area. Even some of the larger and better known dating sites now allow you to specifically look for other vegans and vegetarians. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security just because someone claims to be a vegetarian. With any internet dating site follow general safety rules. Always meet in a public place, and if possible bring a friend with you. Don’t share any personal information like your address. Give work or cell phone numbers if possible since your home phone number can be tracked back to your address. If you get a bad feeling about someone then listen to it. Your gut instinct is your greatest asset.

Those who would rather meet people in the real world should get involved in animal rights activism and organizations. I’ve found that these groups have a higher percentage of vegetarians then the general population. And even if you don’t find a love connection you’ll get a good feeling from helping out for an important cause. If you are interested in Easter religions and spirituality you may want to spend some time with your local Buddhist groups or Meditation centers. Many Buddhists choose a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle as a religious choice. Of course if you aren’t interested in the Buddhist religion it would be silly to go just looking for potential dates. But if you have an interest in learning more about the religion or about meditation in general then local Buddhist organizations can be a rich resource.

But what if you live in a city that doesn’t have any of these groups? Well then it is up to you to start one. The internet has made it easy to organize a meeting or gathering by posting them on a community message board. Some potential ideas include arranging a gathering at a local vegetarian restaurant one weekend or reserving a shelter at a local park and host a vegan potluck lunch. Don’t be disappointed if the first few times aren’t raving successes. It usually takes months for a new group to become popular enough to sustain itself. You may be surprised how many vegetarians there are in your community. They were just waiting for someone to take the lead.

But before you do any of these things you need to do some deep soul searching and figure out how important vegetarianism is when choosing a mate. In other words, is it important that they share your exact same beliefs or that they are just accepting of them? If you are a strict vegan can you only see yourself with another vegan, or is it acceptable if they occasionally eat dairy and eggs? And if things are getting very serious you might want to discuss is you will raise your children as vegetarians also. Some vegetarians believe that it is a decision that must be made individually by the child. Others think that it is important to raise their kids with the same ethics as them.