...to wonder why people are so rude about vegans?

[CheekyWombat101]

Obviously not everyone, but in general, I can’t go a single day without hearing a comment or spotting an eye roll if the word ‘vegan’ is spoken out loud. It’s like a dirty word. Ironically a word usually brought up by someone who isn’t vegan, but starts the conversation and then takes offence at it. It’s really bizarre.

Over and over again you hear associated words like... fad, militant, extreme, unhealthy...

Why? Why do some non-vegans take such an interest, and such an offence to it all?

Non-vegans who don’t care or are supportive - you are awesome! Please keep doing what you’re doing, it’s really refreshing.

It’s a talking point and for someone that can’t imagine never eating meat I think it’s a mixture of fascination and fear that they need to justify why they’re not.

I’ve had twenty years of being asked to explain why I’m a vegetarian when there’s not really any reason other than I decided to be as was brought up by a vegetarian mother and it’s been so long I now can’t stomach the thought of eating meat.

I now eat a predominately vegan diet but not completely because I’m
more concerned with making the right choices re carbon footprint and environmental impact of food.

It’s just a bore to me to ever have to talk about food. I dread it. FIL always makes a point of asking if my alternative is okay. It’s just food. It’s just not the same as what’s on his plate.

It’s still not the norm though and people like to pick on things that are different.

Because the media portrey vegans like this, and because alot of people are sheep they go along with it all instead of looking into it themselves.

As far as I’m concerned, people can eat whatever suits them, their lifestyle, health needs, budget and philosophy.

I would prefer not to see FB posts quoting research from doctors, nutritionists, whatever, that may or may not have validity. I think too, that if people wish to eat vegan foods, they shouldn’t attempt to replicate meat and fish. Plant based by all means, but make it recipes that don’t try to look like something they aren’t.

Romesh Ranganathan

^^ That is all that needs to be said on the matter of your newly found conversion and ramming it down everyone throats. They are the food equivalent of JWs.

New collegue started. opening line was "Hi Im Mary, Im vegan". I mean, come on! Never have I ever heard any one start a new job with Hi Im Mary, Im black, gay, dyslexic" I dont care if you are vegan, Im not eating your packed lunch and you won't want to eat mine so you dont need to tell me!

Never in my life have I ever had to open a conversation with 'I'm an omnivore' - and I doubt I will ever have to. I don't dictate what my host may or may not cook for me if I'm invited for a meal.

In the video posted by BBC2, Ranganathan says: "People hate vegans and the reason they hate vegans is because they think we're humorless, they think we think we're better than non-vegans, they think we're always banging on about it, and all of those things are true.

"I am better than you if you're not vegan. In terms of my ethical decisions, I am so much better than you. I'm better for the planet, I'm better for the animals. There's nothing worse about me apart from I'm slightly irritating to have round for dinner."

"I was pretty taken aback by the level of vitriol thrown in my direction, but the truth is I have only myself to blame. I said something deliberately provocative – that people hate vegans because they’re better than everyone else – and was surprised when people were provoked. I had forgotten that there is absolutely no place for nuance, context or any kind of grey area when it comes to social media.

"So the lesson has been learned. I am never going to trust the internet again. You will see me express provocative views only on comedy shows, on stage and in this column. And probably another video, who am I kidding? Vegans are the future, and if you eat dairy and meat you don’t care about the planet."

Andthesea "It’s just a bore to me to ever have to talk about food. I dread it. FIL always makes a point of asking if my alternative is okay. It’s just food. It’s just not the same as what’s on his plate. "

same here. I hate that society is so obsessed with food.

according to my sons its because vegans try and make them feel bad

Ive occasionally heard vegans being evangelical about it, but FAR more ive heard over the top comments about eating meat. You can barely even mention enjoying something vegan without getting meat comments forced onto you, whether youre actually vegan or not.

I think because (some) vegans can be very judgemental, others are very smug plus if you are catering for them it can be quite tricky (though easier now) - I had one dinner guest ask me if I stored the vegan sausages in the same fridge, well yes I only have one!

Guilt and discomfort I think.

My DH does this. He’s actually quite a committed environmentalist in many ways - he recycles as much as possible, walks/takes public transport wherever possible, avoids plastic, tries to minimise waste etc. But he loves meat and fish. So I think him being mean about vegans is masking his underlying guilt about eating meat and fish when he’s well aware that one of the best things he could do for the planet would be to give it up.

It’s definitely guilt and feeling bad/defensive. There is no moral or environmental argument for eating meat beyond I like the taste of it.

My sister came back from travelling vegan and I was aghast that she’d changed to a vegan diet. I didn’t like it because it made me feel bad and I couldn’t justify my own choices.

I’m now vegetarian (95% vegan but eat the odd bit of cheese).

@Foxyloxy1plus1 So what if we want to replicate meat or fish? None of your concern really. A lot of us actually like the taste of meat, but don't like the slaughter of animals.

My friends dh often rants about vegans he is the Gordon Ramsay / Jeremy Clarkson type of man. I don’t think he has ever met a vegan!

I know right? ! I've often thought the same as you. I've tried being vegan for one month (veganuary). As a result we have greatly reduced our dairy and meat consumption. I joined a vegan group on fb and liked a few vegan recipes. We received questions and comments from family who had seen it, mocking us?! It was surreal. But if I'd joined a fast or slimming page then they wouldn't have battered an eyelid! People are over invested in others and far too judgemental.

Can someone explain to me why vegan and vegetarian things have to imitate the non vegan things? I don't mean it badly, I am just really curious!
Why not call it cauliflower buffalo bites rather than vegan buffalo wings?
Why have vegetarian pulled chicken?
Surely it would really be better to call things what they actually are? I don't call chicken fillet I pan fry I put peppercorn sauce on it a steak?
Honestly. Nothing bad. Just a curiosity.

I'm vegan. Very few people know I'm vegan. If I eat out in a group there is inevitably something I can eat without advertising the fact that I've chosen it because it's vegan.

If it does come up I don't make a "thing" about it - just say I can't eat that, or I AM eating that, because I'm vegan, and carry on with what I was talking about.

I don't believe I am either judgmental or smug - it's my way of life and I expect people to respect that as much as I respect the fact that other people have different opinions and lifestyles.

@Fannyfanakerpants Most soya grown is for cattle and chicken feed.

Possibly because many Vegans are rude about non-vegans?

I have a number of vegan friends who wouldn't dream of being rude to me (omnivore). I also wouldn't dream of being rude to them. But I have met several vegans who are quite rude, and a few omnivores who are rude to vegans.

Why can't we just respect each other's choices?

I know a few vegans and there is only 1 that tries to.lecture people. The others are fine and have never tried to lecture or be judgemental.

Ninjain - I wonder if it's a kind of unimaginative laziness on the part of some food manufacturers? Or else they are afraid they won't find such a wide audience if they label their vegan sausages as "Tofu sticks" or something?

Sometimes I have to hunt for good old tofu in a block and have to wade through aisles of vegan burgers etc etc!

I'm not bothered about what people eat, I'm bothered about how they talk about it. When I go for food I want dinner, not a lecture in morality.

I don't want to hear about how you 'couldn't possibly drink moo milk (yes, really) because of the poor baby moo cows' or 'mmmmmm are you enjoying your cow hoof sweets?' (two comments I've heard this week from different vegans I know) any more than I want to hear 'are you vegetarian? No?! Why are you cooking rabbit food then?' when we were discussing our weekly menus and all of my options were pescatarian or veggie/vegan (last week from a very carnivorous colleague).

Aggressively giving your views on a diet is not going to suddenly convert someone. It's going to piss them off. Food is food. Eat what you want but I'm not particularly interested in hearing your views on it every time I pick something you personally have chosen not to eat.

I do think we need to massively cut down on meat consumption and make a shift to local, seasonal eating, but making it out like vegans are single handedly saving the world really isn't the way to go about it. Give me a decent vegan/veggie option on a normal menu rather than a 'super special and instagrammable' vegan restaurant, don't make me ask for a vegetarian menu separately, and I'd cut down a lot more. Tell me that I'm perpetuating murder of the little baby lambs and I'm just going to roll my eyes and stop listening to you, just as I would to someone trying to convert me to their religion.

I’m a vegan but tend to only mention it if someone has invited me for dinner etc or if they comment when I order soy latte for eg.

I’ve left several vegan fb groups that I joined for recipe ideas etc because of the extremism and frankly hatred towards anyone who was a veggie etc. I just don’t get it. I really don’t care what anyone else choose to eat.

One of my relatives is vegan and it seems like he shoe horns in his veganism into so many conversations. I find veganism is like religion... it's great that they have something but to push it onto other people. No thanks!

I fully appreciate that I've just written an epically long post setting out my views on people that do just that...sorry. I'll shush now

@NinjaInFluffyPJs Because it's easy. If I buy 'vegetarian pulled chicken' I know exactly what it's supposed to be, how I'm going to prepare it and what with.

"I think maybe some people feel their "way of life" is threatened by the increasing popularity. (Maybe similar to the whole "omg the whole country is turning Muslim!" thing?? (not saying I definitely believe that, it's just a theory that occurred to me).)"

THIS. Some people absolutely think this way. It's as though they're threatened by anyone who seeks to 'take away' their 'rights' - even though they know full well that intensive meat farming is a fucking atrocious practice, slaughterhouses don't discriminate between factory farmed or free range animals and they've never even SEEN a Muslim up close, let alone speak to one.

My cite my own parents as an example; for years erring on the side of liberal, they moved to a retirement enclave by the sea five years ago, started mixing with retirees with rigid right-wing views and are now acting as though anyone who doesn't eat meat-and-two-veg every day or have a St George Cross flapping imerrily in their front garden is a rabid "unpatriotic" heathen.

Some people aren't able to rationally consider anything that makes them feel as though their way of life is being 'compromised'. Even though it clearly isn't.

I think if you’re the person who usually does the cooking day to day then you do a little inward groan when you find out one of your dinner guests is vegan.

I have a vegan family member and tbh it’s a pain in the arse. When they came on holiday with us one year (despite them saying they’d share the cooking, they did nothing) and I already had to cater for one of the DC’s food allergies. Personally I really enjoy eating meat so it meant I ended up cooking three variations of a meal every evening.

It’s also been a big PITA at family Christmasses - especially if we go to my side of he family. Vegan family member will day they’ll be fine just having some roast veg and then on the day there’s always a passive aggressive drama.

I know I’m only talking about one person and NAVALT. But I think if that’s your only experience of vegans, it’s going to colour your view. Also, I am convinced that in the particular relative’s case their veganism is a shield for an eating disorder. They are certainly very disordered about eating. Will announce they’re still ‘stuffed’ from eating half an avocado four hours later - that sort of thing.

Likewise every vegetarian I’ve known has had disordered eating. Although, again, I acknowledge my sample size of about five people is probably not statistically significant.