And just like vegans, their detractors are far more vocal in reality.

>reality In reality everyone eats meats because it's what the human body evolved to consume. There's nothing to detract

Untrue.

As evidenced by this very comment chain. I've seen, by far, way more comment from people annoyed by vegans. I can't even remember the last time I've heard a vegan discuss it outside of just stating the food preference when we got out to eat.

If I don't see it it doesn't happen is the definition of anedoctal.

Why is your anecdote more valid than mine?

actually a vegan has to preach to some degree, otherwise it would be like a human rights advocate looking away when humans are tortured

As a vegetarian on ethical grounds (mostly due to factory farming of meat) I politely disagree with your assessment.

I have to decline and explain in social settings all the time, because I will not eat meat served to me. But I do not need to preach when I observe others eating meat. I, like all humans, have a finite amount of time and energy. I'd rather spend that time focused on where I think it will do the greatest good. And that's rarely explaining why factory farming of meat is truly evil.

The best time is when someone asks, "why don't you eat meat?" Then you can have a conversation. Otherwise I've found it best to just quietly and politely decline, as more often than not one can be accommodated easily. (Very occasionally, though, someone feels it necessary to try and score imaginary points on you because they have some axe to grind against vegetarians and vegans. I've found it best to let them burn themselves out and move on. Life's too short to worry about them.)

Frankly, I more often see meat eaters get defensive. We got to a restaurant, the vegan guy gets a meatless meal. The vegan guy gets bombarded with "Oh, you don't eat mean?" "Why?" "What's wrong with eating meat?" "I just like having a steak now and then."

That's a bit of a jump. Veganism is a personal lifestyle / dietary choice. Objecting to livestock is activism. You can do either without the other.

it's not just a dietary choice and it's a personal lifestyle in the sense of it being your choice, but not in the sense of a lifestyle which is limited to your private space.

You think it's wrong abusing animals. Why would you relate that only to you and think it would be ok for others to abuse them? You wouldn't