Are you a meat lover who has recently fallen in love with a vegetarian? We rarely realize how important our food preferences or dietary lifestyles are to us; that is, until we meet someone whose diet is vastly different from our own. If you're wondering if there is hope for you and your meat-shunning love, keep reading. There's definitely hope, you just need a little bit of creativity!

You're Going to Have to Do a Little Planning

Eager to try out a new restaurant? You'd better take a peek at their menu before you make the reservation. While restaurants are beginning to offer more menu items to appease their gluten-free, low-sodium, low-fat and low-carbohydrate patrons, oftentimes their vegetarian menu is lacking. And don't try to tell your date to "just order a salad;" that's rarely a satisfactory solution.

It's Okay to Talk about It

For most people, their food preference is not a taboo subject. It's okay to ask your vegetarian date why they decided to not eat meat. In fact, with two vastly different eating habits, you and your partner may be destined to be locked in never ending debate about which lifestyle is the best, healthiest and most socially and environmentally responsible.

You May Dabble in Vegetarianism

Alright, so any dedicated vegetarian would probably protest against the idea that vegetarianism is something to be "dabbled" in. Nevertheless, they'll probably make their lifestyle seem so easy and sensible, and some of their research actually does make a little sense. On top of that, the veggie "chicken" and quinoa doesn't really smell too horrible, so maybe you were destined to join their meatless ranks all along. Maybe you'll decide that you don't really miss meat, or maybe your carnivorous ways will remain unyielding. Either way, you'll have made an attempt to examine an area of your life through someone else's perspective, which is an endeavor that is never a waste of time.

You Don't Have to Change

A successful relationship is all about compromise, right? You're a night owl, your significant other is up before the sun, so you figure out a schedule that suits both of you. You prefer a night out on the town, your partner prefers to stay in, so you compromise. You figure out how to mesh your life with the life of someone you love, and as a result, you're both happy (half of the time, at least). But here's the thing: this is probably not an area that you have to change.

Granted, there is an exception. If your significant other is one of "those" vegetarians, you might have some soul-searching to do. You know the type; they're the ones picketing in front of restaurants and covering their clothes in fake blood to make a point. If that's your sweetheart standing with the "Meat is Murder!" sign, you're probably going to have a hard time getting away with your usual Sunday night steak dinner.

However, assuming that your partner isn't a militant vegetarian, you're probably fine to happily enjoy your usual fare. They likely understand that their dietary lifestyle is not standard, and while they may try to talk you into the fact that their tofu chicken and pretend cheese "tastes just like the real thing!" they're probably fine with the fact that your preferences are different from theirs. Vegetarianism may be a way of life, but it doesn't have to become your way of life.

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