Much like the homophobic
I think it's a mix of learned behaviour in a group, insecurity, and status anxiety. Gay men present identity problems for men who're not able to internalise that some men are willing to reject tradition masculine roles as it threatens their own (often) fragile and insecure grasp of the world they're desperate to create for themselves.Â
The veggie/vegan menu thing is a confusing one. Sometimes I feel like having the veggie choice because it looks better/tastier than whatever the meat or fish alternative is. At all of the lunch places we go to at work, the options are all in the same place under a heading of "Lunch", you just pick which 'lunch' you want. If there is a bean casserole, I'll eat that or a fish dish instead of, say ragmunk. I've done that enough that the kid we have as a praktikant asked if I was a flexitarian. I'm not, I just like choosing stuff that looks tasty.
Same with the domestic burger chain here ("Max")... Plant beef is my go to if I want to try their burger of the month. It's advertised in the same section of the menu as the rest of the burgers and I personally find it, the plant beef, to be a lot less greasy than the meat alternative.
TL;DR: I choose whatever looks tastiest and I think that's a good way to go.
