# Hypothetical Road Trip: Aggressive Vegan vs. Extremely Pregnant Woman **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160 "2011-06-28T17:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/101 "2011-06-29T19:52:36Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > I think I’d probably go with the pregnant woman, unless. > > She spends the entire 3,000 mile trip talking about babby babby babby babby babby babby babby babby babby… babby clothes, babby strollers, babby accessories, babby feeding, babby birthing, babby babby babby babby babby… That wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. I’d love to hear about it. I know that makes me weird. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/102 "2011-06-29T20:28:32Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I know that makes me weird. Yeah, that’s what does it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/103 "2011-06-30T20:33:10Z")
Pregnant woman. She might or might not “pop” while on the road trip but if she did, we’re rarely more than an hour or so from a hospital and there’s always 911. Besides, that’d be a COOL story (if terrifying at the time). Aggressive vegan? oh hell no. Veganism is great. But if you’re aggressive about it, you’re Bad Company. Every thing you see could turn into an opportunity for haranguing someone about “Animal Killer!!!”. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/104 "2011-06-30T20:48:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’d choose either, but at the first bathroom stop I’d split without them. Then choose the pregnant woman - you’ll have more chances, and much sooner :D. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/105 "2011-06-30T20:54:03Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Which brings us back to that whole shutting the fuck up thing. I will be making it to Miami. Driving. He might not. Or he might find his ass riding in the trunk. You completely ignore the reality of dealing with a large and angry male that simply is not going to put up with his bullshit. Am I the only one who wants to take up Oakminster on this, with one of [these guys](http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-mmavegetarians021711) as the vegetarian sermonizer? Just in the interests of science, you understand. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/106 "2011-06-30T21:57:32Z")
No way will I deal with the Vegan, for the exact same reason **Oakminster** would. I don’t know if I’d be able to keep the stipulations of not hurting them. People who care that little for other people really, really piss me off, and I honestly think too many people coddle these people, or else they wouldn’t exist. Unfortunately, I lack in self-control when I get angry. I learned a long time ago that the way I have to deal with that stuff and not succumb to my baser instincts is to leave–and that isn’t an option, according to the OP. I’m taking the pregnant lady. Not only will her not being a selfish git mean it will be hard to get me angry, but it appeals to my sense of justice for the vegan to not be able to go. If they want to be friendless, let them be friendless. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/107 "2011-07-01T18:16:31Z")
I’ll go with the pregnant lady. Not that I have anything against the vegan-inclined, I just like pregnant women. Not “wink, wink” like, just like. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/108 "2011-07-01T20:04:59Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > No way will I deal with the Vegan, for the exact same reason **Oakminster** would. I don’t know if I’d be able to keep the stipulations of not hurting them. People who care that little for other people really, really piss me off, and I honestly think too many people coddle these people, or else they wouldn’t exist. Unfortunately, I lack in self-control when I get angry. I learned a long time ago that the way I have to deal with that stuff and not succumb to my baser instincts is to leave–and that isn’t an option, according to the OP. > > I’m taking the pregnant lady. Not only will her not being a selfish git mean it will be hard to get me angry, but it appeals to my sense of justice for the vegan to not be able to go. If they want to be friendless, let them be friendless. Another reason I’d take the pregnant lady is that I’d worry about her having to take the trip alone. She might need help, and there’s no reason to think she doesn’t deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/109 "2011-07-01T20:11:07Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Am I the only one who wants to take up Oakminster on this, with one of [these guys](http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-mmavegetarians021711) as the vegetarian sermonizer? > Just in the interests of science, you understand. Reading is fundamental. In this case, a closer reading might have noted that the poll is about an aggressive vegan, and the guys you cited are not vegan, but vegetarians. Your own cite mentions the Shields guy regularly consumes eggs–a major no-no in the vegan world. Next time please take the time to know what you’re talking about. In the interest of science, you understand. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/110 "2011-07-01T20:49:02Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Reading is fundamental. In this case, a closer reading might have noted that the poll is about an aggressive vegan, and the guys you cited are not vegan, but vegetarians. Not to mention that they GOT to that excellent condition by consuming loads of meat for several years while training. Maintaining weight, and building it are two entirely different games. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/111 "2011-07-04T01:00:31Z")
No judgment against either of them, I’d lean towards the pregnant woman, simply because having tried vegetarianism (not veganism, just vegetarianism) in the past, it made getting a simple meal while on a trip a nightmare. If the vegan was one of my best buddies we’ll get him fed no matter what, but it seems like he’d be harder to deal with than the baby mama. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/112 "2011-07-04T06:42:21Z")
Hmmm, I actually think it would be fun to toy with the vegan, seeing how wound up I could get them, asking them more and more ridiculous questions about their religion as if I were truly interested, making them cook for me (hell, they’re the ones who are so into it, want to convert the world and so forth, and know how, let THEM do all of the work). And all the while I’d make sure I had hidden stashes of beefsticks or what have you for my hotel room. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/113 "2011-07-04T06:55:16Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Kind of a turducken thing? Oh dear! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![crewface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@crewface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crewface)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/114 "2011-07-04T19:57:23Z")
Well, lets examine the options from a selfish standpoint. First it is illegal to kill annoying people which lets the Vegan off the hook. Now the pregnant woman. First of all, it is apparent that she is into SEX which could be very interesting on a long trip, or she could go into labor with me getting an experience of a life time for a non-medical person. I really like learning. The vehicle could influence my decision also. Let me see, driving a chicken gut semi with a vegan might be fun also, it is not murder if the dead vegan had jumped out of a moving vehicle. Driving a prison van, with shackles, straight jacket, and gags, think Hannibal, might be rewarding. I also would drive naked if stuck with either. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/115 "2011-07-04T20:11:51Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Did your college hire Nick Van Owen from the Lost World?! If you must know and since he was such an ass, his name is Gary Tofu. His realy last name is something like Yosefi. He used to have a website, but a quick google showed nothing. If I had to guess, he was probably back in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/116 "2011-07-04T22:54:27Z")
Pregnant lady. She’d probably talk about all the weird shit that’s happened to her body while pregnant, which would be a far better topic of conversation than veganism. She’s also more likely to be a good conversationalist, and if she starts looking ready to pop, we’ll find the nearest medical center (or I’ll just cover the backseat with towels). She’ll likely pee about as much as I typically do, so the constant potty breaks won’t be a problem. The only downside to the pregnant lady (besides the whole pregnancy complications thing) would be the possibility of travelling with an infant who probably won’t sleep at night. But even that’s more understandable than the obnoxious vegan. The only way I would travel with the vegan is if I were the driver, and I got to decide where we stopped. Or if I can kill him with fire if he denies me food. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/117 "2011-07-04T23:43:34Z")
I’d have to go with the vegan. I have spent extended periods of time in remote location with crap food, with people who can, at best, be described as dumb jackasses. Getting stressed and allowing other peoples opinions to drive your reactions to the point of threatening them, beating them or locking them in the trunk seams like giving up control to someone whoes opinions are clearly wacko. I could probably " uh huh yeah , uh huh" most of the journey, and on the plus side my eyeballs would get a good work out from all the rolling. They and their opinions would be gone after the trip was over. Fights arguments and crap I got invested in would not. The pregnant lady would have me stressed out the whole way, I’d be winding myself in knots over contingency planning for every 10 mile increments, what’s the breakpoint between heading on to the next town with a hospital or turining around back to the last town, how does that balance with fuel load, where are the cell phone coverage zones and is this a rental car and are the seats wipe clean? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/118 "2011-07-05T00:43:00Z")
There’s no contest. I’d take the pregnant woman, especially since the OP states that she might have any personality, in which case it might be a very nice person. I have no problems stopping for frequent bathroom breaks. And if she goes into labour I can call for assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/119 "2011-07-05T02:21:20Z")
Actually, here’s how I’d deal with the vegan: complete silence. Wouldn’t say anything, wouldn’t even acknowledge his presence, wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. Every request–hell, every utterance from his mouth, barring something urgent, like “OH MY GOD THE CAR’S ON FIRE”–would be ignored. We would stop where I wanted to stop, when I wanted to stop. I’d interact with every single other person I came into contact with, except the vegan. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160/120 "2011-07-05T16:37:27Z")
To the people who have been wondering about where vegans would eat: I’ve taken road trips with vegans. It’s actually a pretty nice situation, because they’ll bring the food with them, so instead of getting hungry and having to find a place to stop you can pretty much eat as soon as you get hungry. And a lot of vegans have had to learn how to cook, so the food can be pretty damn tasty. So I would choose the vegan, no question, if it weren’t for the added caveat that they would be telling me about the evils of my ways. For that reason, I’d be inclined to choose the pregnant woman. I’d just be sure to bring along my EMS textbook so I can refer to the chapter on childbirth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-road-trip-aggressive-vegan-vs-extremely-pregnant-woman/587160.md?page=7)