> Friends make jokes about you, and become not so good friends anymore.

It sounds like they weren't good people in the first place. I've been on the other side, having a friend that became vegan, and it's not that hard to plan a bit more ahead or ask if he's okay with eating something different.

Edit: something that I should add is that we both respected each other's boundaries. I didn't question his choice to not consume animal products, and he didn't question mine to consume them. I can understand that if you believe that animals are a really important cause you have to push other people to follow you, but I think that if I was constantly questionned we wouldn't have remained good friends. On the other hand, I also understand that some people wouldn't want to associate with people that consume animal products because their values aren't the same.

Maybe this was a thing 15+ years ago but I don't think this is really a thing anymore??? People go vegan and no one gives a shit.

I have many friends/acquaintances who are vegan and none of them are like - "I am such a victim, no one will eat with me! All my friends left me for meat!"

Hell - people are much more judgmental these days to people who are just picky eaters! If you're vegan - no one cares. Picky eater though? You ain't getting married, buddy.

I think it's a regional thing. Veganism spread out from a few "cultural centers" [1] where there was already a critical density of restaurants and shops catering to vegan diets. In places that just got their first local vegan option when fast food adopted Beyond/Impossible, it's still a joke. Other places that are getting their third vegan restaurant have normalized it and veganism has lost any comedic novelty. Chain and family restaurant empires spread out geographically to make use of economies of scale in logistics so there's a natural rate at which this transformation happens.

[1] not culture in general but places that already had lots of vegans

Entirely a function of where you live. Here in the midwest I live in a very liberal city and there are still plenty of places where someone looks at you like you have two heads if it comes up that you don't eat meat. I can't imagine how bad it must be for anyone living in a more rural environment who tries to become vegetarian or vegan.

In case it makes you feel better, either from misery-loves-company or from the similar-situation-on-other-side perspective, I feel very similar to you in terms of social isolation and I'm almost entirely carnivore with basically 0 plant consumption.

Sadly I think part of this is human nature. Doing anything so different from status-quo-of-your-social-circle is very very very isolating. Don't get me started on trying to plant flowers instead of a lawn. :D

Congrats on the 16 years veganniversary!

> You basically go through this very traumatic learning experience to learn the truth about where food comes from and then you are isolated.

Definitely feels isolating, a special kind. Luckily there are subreddits to retreat to. The learning experience is not an easy one. Can't imagine not living in a big city. Happy cow plans my destinations now.