Thank you for sharing this Jay. It made my heart smile. I want to share my feeling that you should approach your diet choice the same way you uncalculatingly shared your faith — naturally and without inhibition. You shared your church with your friends, not because you felt that was something that you should do, but because your church was something good in your life. Do that with your food choice. You don’t have to explain why you chose to be vegan, anymore than you have to explain why you eat spaghetti. Find good vegan recipes and make dinner for your friends, or invite them to share a favorite restaurant with you. It’s who you are, so live it, and don’t worry how it will be received. You don’t need to say “I’m a vegan.” When people remark that I’m vegan, I just smile and say “Yeah, I’m from the planet Vega ☺️” and that usually cuts off the jokes (and the joker’s discomfort) about vegans. You’ll find that some of your friends will follow your example, and some of their friends, etc., and then look at the positive effect you’ve had in relation to your friend’s health, the well-being of animals, and humanity’s efforts to stop this climate crisis — without ever having to weather someone’s disdainful comments about your choices. Just be yourself and don’t inhibit who you are.