Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed that vegan options have replaced vegetarian?

543 replies

Sacredhandbag · 13/02/2025 09:34

It's only a silly gripe in the grand scheme of things but it's bloody annoying.

I've been a vegetarian my whole life but since veganism has become more popular and more and more people are becoming part of the movement (and good on them!) it's like restaurants, cafes and hotels have skipped adding vegetarian options and thought "well vegan options covers both so we'll just add a few of those"

No! I am not vegan. I am vegetarian. I still want my eggs, my cream, my cheese, my butter. I want a stilton and broccoli bake, not a grilled bit of cauliflower!

Afternoon tea (I'm a fan and have one as often as I can) is the worst for it. There's an ordinary menu and then there's a vegan menu and that's it. You order one or the other. I don't want chicken or fish sandwiches but I sure as hell want my scones with proper clotted cream! So I have to be specific about the sandwiches and say I want some from one menu and some from the other. Bloody annoying.

Any other veggies feel the same?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sacredhandbag · 13/02/2025 09:53

Lentilweaver · 13/02/2025 09:51

Agree. But am most annoyed by all the fake meat taking over menus. I hate fake meat. So many nice veggies that everyone can eat.

Yes, agree, I hate it. I never, ever eat fake meat and never have

I ordered McDonalds the other day (the shame!) I ordered a Veggie Deluxe for myself which is veggie patties type stuff. They sent me a bloody McPlant! Horrible fake meat crap!
It's like they saw the word "veggie" and thought - that'll cover it.
I still have preferences.

OP posts:
YoureLightning · 13/02/2025 09:52

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Lentilweaver · 13/02/2025 09:51

Agree. But am most annoyed by all the fake meat taking over menus. I hate fake meat. So many nice veggies that everyone can eat.

Roundaboot · 13/02/2025 09:51

Totally agree, especially as many restaurants' idea of vegan food is highly processed meat and dairy substitutes, so you end up with a fake meat burger with fake cheese and fake mayo being the only veggie option, rather than a dish based on veggies, pulses and grains!
I had afternoon tea recently and asked for vegetarian. I ended up with vegan sandwiches but actual cream on the scones and dairy in the cakes. Absolutely no logic to it!

Original poster
Sacredhandbag · 13/02/2025 09:51

BetteDavisChin · 13/02/2025 09:46

I'd wonder why are you vegetarian?
For the animals? I'm sure you know about the horrible parts of the milk and egg industries.
I think it's great that there are so many vegan options. But then, I'm vegan, so I would say that. I'm vegan for the animals first, then for my health. For the future of the planet too.

I won't be getting into my reasons. Just because that's not what the thread is about and I don't want to derail it.

OP posts:
Rainplops · 13/02/2025 09:51

It's not YOUR eggs, YOUR cream, YOUR cheese, YOUR butter.

Those are products of animal abuse. They belong to the animals.

Just go vegan.

username299 · 13/02/2025 09:49

LittleRedRidingHoody · 13/02/2025 09:39

YANBU! I always get annoyed because all I want is a veggie OR vegan burger with normal cheese on it, not the vegan stuff. Happy with any of the three (!!) vegan burgers on the menu at our local, which is fine but they don't want to put normal cheese on them! 😭

I ask for dairy. Don't understand why they would object but I don't usually have that problem.

Glitterbiscuits · 13/02/2025 09:49

I totally agree!

We ( veggie family) eat out less than we used to as I don't want the ubiquitous curry or Beyond Meat veggie burger etc.

SemperIdem · 13/02/2025 09:49

Yanbu.

Not least because vegan cheese should be down on the list of crimes against humanity. Coconut oil “mozzarella sticks” anyone?

Original poster
Sacredhandbag · 13/02/2025 09:49

YoureLightning · 13/02/2025 09:45

Feedback to the restaurants, cafes and hotels, that’ll help you more than complaining on mumsnet. This will just turn into the usual vegan bashing thread but maybe that’s the aim. There was a sub on reddit where people talked about pretending to be vegetarian on forums to moan about vegans, in order to appear fair when slagging vegans. Odd, but these threads always put me in mind of that.

Well first of all, I never said I didn't feed back to the places I go.

And secondly, no, it's not a vegan bashing thread. I said "good on them". It's a catering bashing thread. It's lazy (of catering establishments) to lump us together just because vegetarians do eat vegan food.
If others bash vegans that's on them but I rather resent the implications that I started the thread with that intention.

OP posts:
PickledElectricity · 13/02/2025 09:49

tropicalroses · 13/02/2025 09:46

My boss was veggie for three years (so not long-term by any means), she's now gone back to eating meat in the last 2 years, because she doesn't like the vegan options and there's no choice for her as a veggie 😳

Is she still veggie at home?

I was vegan for 10 years and my slow decline into omnivorism began with a holiday exemption.

ConcernedOfClapham · 13/02/2025 09:48

tropicalroses · 13/02/2025 09:46

My boss was veggie for three years (so not long-term by any means), she's now gone back to eating meat in the last 2 years, because she doesn't like the vegan options and there's no choice for her as a veggie 😳

Similar to a friend of mine, who I saw munching on a chicken sandwich the other day, and cited that as the reason when I queried her.

PickledElectricity · 13/02/2025 09:47

YANBU but it's clearly a cost saving exercise.

BetteDavisChin · 13/02/2025 09:46

I'd wonder why are you vegetarian?
For the animals? I'm sure you know about the horrible parts of the milk and egg industries.
I think it's great that there are so many vegan options. But then, I'm vegan, so I would say that. I'm vegan for the animals first, then for my health. For the future of the planet too.

tropicalroses · 13/02/2025 09:46

My boss was veggie for three years (so not long-term by any means), she's now gone back to eating meat in the last 2 years, because she doesn't like the vegan options and there's no choice for her as a veggie 😳

YoureLightning · 13/02/2025 09:45

Feedback to the restaurants, cafes and hotels, that’ll help you more than complaining on mumsnet. This will just turn into the usual vegan bashing thread but maybe that’s the aim. There was a sub on reddit where people talked about pretending to be vegetarian on forums to moan about vegans, in order to appear fair when slagging vegans. Odd, but these threads always put me in mind of that.

Original poster
Sacredhandbag · 13/02/2025 09:45

LittleRedRidingHoody · 13/02/2025 09:39

YANBU! I always get annoyed because all I want is a veggie OR vegan burger with normal cheese on it, not the vegan stuff. Happy with any of the three (!!) vegan burgers on the menu at our local, which is fine but they don't want to put normal cheese on them! 😭

Vegan cheese is the absolute WORST! I completely agree. I want a veggie burger with actual cheese!
And I'm sick of my toast coming without butter just because I didn't order my meat to go with it!

OP posts:
LittleRedRidingHoody · 13/02/2025 09:39

YANBU! I always get annoyed because all I want is a veggie OR vegan burger with normal cheese on it, not the vegan stuff. Happy with any of the three (!!) vegan burgers on the menu at our local, which is fine but they don't want to put normal cheese on them! 😭