Why didn't Superman's vegetarianism stick?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Look, I am decidedly NOT a vegetarian. I love meat and, like most people, will likely continue eating meat until an equally delicious alternative is available at a reasonable price. I also get that people have problems with the perceived self-righteousness of some vegetarians and vegans.

However, it absolutely made sense that a guy like Superman, who has the ability to see life on a level that we can barely comprehend. Of course a guy like that wouldn't be down with eating meat, particularly when it's very likely that he doesn't need to eat at all.

But, when Birthright was supplanted by Secret Origin, I am pretty sure that Clark has been depicted eating meat again. Why didn't it stick around?

[Kuwagaton]

It's a superfluous flair from a story infamously devoid of any lasting impact on the character otherwise. I can't say it's unlike his choice of Coke or Pepsi. Superman can be vegetarian or not, sure, but the main thrust of that was "soul vision" and again, it doesn't seem like Waid was able to impress with that.

[The World]

People probably saw it as unamerican or something silly like that. IIRC the Superman 2000 would have had the character move towards veganism or not really eating much at all as a sign of his respect for life. Bu the degree to which DC wrings it's hands over relatability with Superman seems to get translated into being mundane or unremarkable.

[Kuwagaton]

I don't think it was intentionally defied so much as forgotten. But you could make a case that if it was defied, it's no more silly to over emphasize his "American masculinity" that way than it is to over emphasize his sensitivity by making him "too good" to eat meat. It was about on the same level of Jor el's head sock when it comes to patterns drawn from the mythos.

Personally, I think the nonviolent route he took in the main comics from around he same time was far much interesting, if not necessarily fitting the character or the genre any better.

[Jim Kelly]

Maybe Clark just pretends to eat meat, to keep up his disguise, but as Superman this food has no appeal for him—he’d rather snack on sunlight.

[superduperman]

A lot of people threw a hissy fit, basically. I remember on the old DC message boards there was a lot of whining about it. Like it made him a hippie or something. Some people just come into things with their own agendas and assume everyone else had one as well.