I’m so fed up with all this vegan wankery

Oh and just to say to anyone who brings up the ‘what’s the point of fake meat?’ chestnut...it’s not about not liking the taste and texture of meat (although this will be true for some), it’s political. It’s obvious why there is a market for fake meat products. If you refuse to see that then you’re being obstinately thick just to get a jibe in. Who’s being the arsehole now?

I’m not a vegan, I’m a vegetarian from birth, I have never eaten meat, fish or diary, I do eat a very small amount of eggs from a friends chickens.

I don’t care what anyone else eats, but with vegetarianism and veganism being more popular I do find eating out much easier.

No sign of the OP after their initial post then?

I agree that people who get annoyed by the rise of veganism are insecure about their own choices. I’m not a vegan...I’m not even a vegetarian, but I have no problem with the choices on offer and general buzz around the subject at the moment. It offers me more choice as well as an opportunity to learn and think more about the process my ‘food’ goes through to reach my plate...and what is wrong with that?

I don't really understand your point? Are you saying that vegans who eat meat and cheese substitutes are somehow inferior vegans? How bizarre!

I'm not a vegan, although I regularly eat vegan meals which is pure coincidence (I love cooking, and am an expat in a country where dairy products are basically unused, and don't like much meat although I do love fish and chicken). If I became vegan it would be a very easy transition for me and I wouldn't feel the need for any meat or cheese substitutes as real meat and cheeses aren't really a big part of my diet anyway.

I personally don't want to eat any processed crap, vegan or otherwise, and don't think it's at all healthy.

But I don't think that vegans who use meat or cheese substitutes are in any way inferior to those who don't? Just like I don't think that vegans are superior to vegetarians or meat eaters. In my opinion, it's just a personal preference and I don't see why people are so weird about it.

I actually find that the most annoying thing about veganism is the smugness and rudeness - the vegans I know (thankfully only still in touch via social media now) are always trying to outdo not only vegetarians and meat eaters but also each other! They're always being preachy, arrogant and self satisfied and trying to prove that they're the best, most wise, most all-knowing vegan. And it's terribly cringe-worthy to see. Especially when a lot of them aren't even particularly educated about their cause and just regurgitate information they've watched in like, one documentary or read on an internet forum or something.

I'm very glad to be an expat in a country where literally nobody gives two shits what other people eat, and it's never discussed or preached about, or scoffed about. It's very refreshing.

Some veggies like my sister do not like the taste of meat as well as having ethical reasons for not eating eat. She does not want to eat over processed fake meat and has said that it is starting to limit her options when eating out as veggie options have been replaced by vegan.

Every meal eaten which does not contain meat or dairy is a win for the environment

It really isn't. Compare a typical local meal here - fish, caught by line by a local and a salad of in season produce grown in backyards or local market gardens. Before the meal, it's usually a plate of locally produced cheese, dessert is a particular local dessert from fruit that grows wild on the island.

Vegan meal - fake meat packaged in plastic that has travelled across the world before going to the supermarket. Out of season vegetables, shipped in from a third world country where they get pennies in wages.

Which meal is better for the environment?

The proportion of vegetarians in the UK is 7% and vegans 1.16%, though the Vegan Society claims a 700% increase in veganism in the last couple of years and that vegans make up 3% of the total population.

That is a very small tail wagging a very large dog. I have no objection to dietary preferences ( unless they harm babies, young children and pets who have no say in what they are fed) but, in turn, I expect not to have what I prefer to eat the focus of other people’s attention. It is simply none of their business.

The current vegan activism, which is shading, at points into borderline terrorist type activities designed to intimidate and threaten, is totally unacceptable in my view.

Not really vegan heavy

But if you make that a veggie curry, only 3 out of ten contain any meat.

I'm not vegan, but I'm fed up with people carrying on their lives and eating a metric ton of meat as if nothing is happening to the world.

Agreed.

All our working lunches at work are now vegan. Why? What's wrong with choice? I just want an effing cheese sandwich.

There is such an obsession on MN about labelling, both from carnivores and vegans bizarrely gatekeeping. It's mean minded.

Every meal eaten which does not contain meat or dairy is a win for the environment and a loss to the meat industry. Some people reduce their animal product consumption with substitutes and processed foods, so what? It's not to my taste but it's a step in the right direction.

The planet needs more vegan wankery, if it is just a fad we're doomed.

It will be interesting to see how they cope with rising costs of fresh fruit and veg post No Deal. I suspect this will stop many of the twattish SM posts and virtue signalling. esp if there are riots and they are holding a tomato!

Did you type this in 1991 and had to wait for a website to post it? Back in the nineties there was a big push for fake meat (ahem Linda McCartney) but now people are eating more whole foods. And charging an absolute fortune for it (avocado toast ffs, isn’t that what all babies since 1987 have been weaned on?)

Oh and again in my home country people hunt and actually eat that meat or fish and again eat their catch.

I fail to see given the problematic issues with vegan alternatives especially things like almond milk demand and heavy water use affecting local water supply how that is better for the environment.

Like @lakeswimmer says you can't convince me a vegan diet is necessarily better than an ethical diet . I come from a country where most food farmed is organic, people grow their own fruit and veg in the garden and it's not uncommon to keep chickens in the garden for meat or people generally choose to buy meat from their local farmer (99% of livestock is free range), and bypass supermarkets so it is fresher and only dry goods really are bought with packaging. Very few imports of "exotic" fruit or veg so if it is not grown locally you are unlikely to find it or will at extremely cost prohibitive prices think maybe £15-30 for asparagus. Most fruit and veg is sold loose. And people shop with their own recyclable canvas bags.

As someone who does sustainability metrics for a living you cannot convince me that that is worse for the environment than people buying tons of out of season fruit and veg in heavy packaging shipped from all over the world. Your fruit salad may contain fruit from 7 different countries that is a lot of emissions to get you that convenience. Or the loss in forest land to satisfy the demand for avocados, heavy pesticide use affecting insect populations and entire ecosystems. Processed crap as meat alternatives (I'm a process engineer) mean heavy water use think 7 to 25litres per 100g of your meat substitute (conservative estimate) and again more carbon emissions.

If you really want to help the environment, shop ethically, buy local and from farmer's markets, bote with your feet and remove the demand for unnecessary imports but I doubt most people want to lose the convenience of having cheap bananas from Chile. That is more harmful to the planet than having local lamb from the farmer down the road

Yanbu!

I have complicated feelings about this.
I’ve been vegetarian for 30 years with brief attempts to become vegan mostly stymied by my taste for cheese and historic failure of ‘alternative’ dairy products. It’s been tough at times and restaurants in general here in uk (massive generalisation and not including eg Indian/Thai and other cuisines which are just great for vegetarians etc) never reached a position where I could easily eat and even have a choice.
It’s interesting and a bit galling somehow that I frequently now see real vegan choice and vegan dishes and inventiveness in menus - which is great for me.
I don’t know why I feel slightly miffed about the fact that the restaurant industry realIy didn’t/haven’t embraced vegetarianism over the years as comprehensively.
I should feel nothing but good - I am close to vegan and obviously eat non dairy stuff all of the time.
It feels faddish and I feel I’ve grafted for years of putting up with crap. I think this is childish and petulant of me.
I seemingly can’t work around it just yet !

If you are a vegan, well just be one then,and shut up. There are some staunch vegans near me, who just keep putting photo's of their vegan meals on the net, either what they have eaten at home,or in some eating out places. People who eat what I call proper meals.do not keep telling people what they eat all the time.

There are a couple of vegans near me, who are always posting Photo's of animals in grim situations, as in chickens,pigs,and sheep,being taken away for slaughter,and describing the way the animals are killed,, and putting captions up, saying things like, Animals have rights,stop eating meat,and sending these poor souls to their deaths.

It's not like meat eaters don't know these facts, but people don't like to be bombarded with all this stuff, But they never stop their little missions to tell people not to eat meat.

YADNBU!!!!

I am just so fed up with veganism taking over the world

Why?

Restaurants offering vegan menus
Veganuary
People eating ‘vegan food'
plant based twattery

So basically, you're pissed off because vegan food is growing in popularity and diversity. I can't think of a more innocuous or inane thing to be upset about.

I find meat eaters tend to want to talk about veganism and get worked up about it a whole lot more than any vegans I have met. I imagine it is guilt... I don't tell anyone what to eat (although I am always surprised myself when people love animals yet want to slaughter and eat ground up ones but hey ho your choice)
Fuck off and eat what you want and stop fucking GOING ON ABOUT IT

I actually see more non vegans preaching about preachy vegans than I see mythical preachy vegans.