how do other vegans deal with ignorant meat-eaters

TBH, I have given up and never mention it anymore at all. Never. If someone queries me about something I will talk about it... but I now have a "don't ask don't tell" policy. I've found this works better and gets through to people easier. If they feel they can come to me to talk about it, then they obviously want to know about it, rather than having facts shoved down their throat.

I find this helps my friends/family accept my lifestyle more if I'm not preaching to them. I have a family member who thinks we are all preachy, yet she's the biggest Jesus preacher I know who preaches to me every time she sees me. I never once preached to her about my vegan lifestyle. Meh go figure.

I also need to remember that for 23yrs of my life I ate (and will admit, enjoyed) eating meat. I can't hold it against someone that I have found the light and they haven't.

A lot of people can't understand how I can be like this.... and go to a BBQ and be 1 of maybe 2 people (usually my partner haha) not eating a dead animal, and not get upset or even sick at the sight/smell of it.

I'm not a vegan because I eat egg...but as a non-dairy consuming veggie I can give my epxeriances!

When I first became veggie (beginning of August) I found it SUPER hard to not preach to EVERYONE! I felt like I had discovered the perfect way to live, and couldn't figure out why no one else saw it...so I preached and I preached bad... My Mum went balistic and said that she would eat what she wants when she wants and its her house. And point blank refused to watch any video on animal cruelty as she is a strict follower of 'Ignorance is bliss'.

So i have toned down big time :p Now when asked if I am a veggie (people tend to realise after i've eaten with them a few times) I merely nod. THEN if they question it, I explain its for ethical reasons. They then fall into two categories. 1) They get super defensive, mumble that they don't eat meat EVERY day so are KIND of a veggie.. (No..no you are not) then insist I eat meat again because 'who doesn't love a bacon sandwich?'? or 2) Ask somemore questions and seem generally interested.

IF YOU GET A CATERGORY TWO ACT CAREFULLY! You may have a potential veggie/vegan Just slip in some facts, don't get arsey with them and suggest a few films. (Earthlings..etc) I personally write a blog because I want my friends to have access to my inner thoughts about animal cruelty but they think they are in control (by choosing to read it!). Win win.

The catergory one people are sadly lost. And in my personal opinon won't change unless they are strapped to a chair and forced to see the meat industry for what it really is. Ignore them. Its the only way. And don't get arsey, bite your tongue. Its the activists/vegans/veggies that attack everyone that make it bad for the rest of us..

Sorry..got carried away!

I smash them with the awesome power of logic!

Haha. It really depends on the person. I'll try to explain things to them, but some people don't WANT to listen. If they're actually curious and nice about, I can usually tell them a lot about Veganism. But when they're the type that puts their fingers in their ears and goes "LALALALALALALALA" then I just don't bother and walk away.

However, if they are intentionally rude to me, I give them a taste of their own medicine.

When someone once said to me "For every animal you don't eat, I'm going to eat three!" (I'm sure almost all of us have heard that) I told them to enjoy their increased risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes and various cancers.

Ignore them. They are an absolute waste of your time and energy. I've been vego for over half my life (I'm 30 btw!) and have learnt this lesson the hard way.

In life in general I've found the best approach to take with losers is  *smile and nod*.

Show them 'Earthlings' and say, THATS WHY! They might think twice about judging then

I know exactly what you mean. When I discovered the cruel ways of the meat, dairy and egg industries I thought to myself "My god! People need to know about this! I need to rush out and tell everyone! This is terrible and people need to know so they stop participating."

I guess this is a case of assuming everyone thinks like me. The I found out people did know about this. Which initially confused me as to why they continued to participate.

Well anyway, back on topic.....you can't preach to people but tell the facts when the topic is brought up and proudly choose the right foods to eat so all can see.

A way to explain it to some is when the issue of "How can you not just eat that beef burger?" reply with "Could you eat it if it was human meat in it? No? Well your response is how I am feeling about that beef burger."
Something along those lines.

I generally try to explain to people that I am vegan for myself and nobody else (well obviously I'm vegan for the animals but that's different) and as such it is not my place or my intention to judge other people on what they choose to eat, most people are quite satisfied with that response.
What really bugs me though is people that see veganism and vegetarianism as being weak, it really infuriates me when people tell me to "man up" or stop being a wuss and eat some meat!

That is mature of you. We can't help make little, immature jokes between us about meat eaters  

Yes I would like this explained. These same people get all sympathetic if they are confronted with an injured animal like their pet dog or a suffering child.

What the hell is going on here....baffles me.

Yeah, I really dont get it either. How does me choosing not to eat meat make me less of a man? Im quite certain that if you asked most of those people to slaughter their own cows they would change their tune pretty rapidly. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that people feel threatened by people with strong convictions, thats my guess anyway.