...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.

@RomanyQueen yes I have some. DMs are ridiculously expensive in general and don't last like they used to. 😭

I love vegan food.

I've been at and hosted lots of parties where there is vegan, vegetarian and food for those with wheat intolerance (not vegan, nor vegetarian). They are always eaten first by those who then tuck into the meat non gluten versions, leaving those who do want these foods hungry/hangry. And why should they be left to 'enjoy' the dessert.

I've spent time and effort to make my vegan, vegetarian and gluten free guests welcome. Yet, despite my efforts the meat eaters just pile in.

I'm an omnivore, but the more I see of this eating by fellow omnivore's the more I'm tempted not to buy meat.

@FaderInvader
Discovering puy lentils was a turning point. We all love them and use them as a substitute for minced meat in everything now.

But I am unhappy at the commodification of veganism by the food industry and the accompanying hype.

No, bring it on. I would much rather eat bland vegan meat-substitute in my commodified pre-packaged sandwich than bland mass produced meat. At least no chickens died to produce that flavourless filling.

I just don’t know how they can be bothered. The effort!

@placemats I took a homemade vegan mince chilli to a friend's bonfire night. I offered to, as she was doing meat chilli and jacket spuds and already had tons to do. She gratefully accepted (I happy take my own food to BBQs and parties if the host is panicking!).

Well, my chilli completely went. Turned out most didn't realise it was vegan as the label went awry and the poor host had half her chilli still left. I say poor host, but I'm sure the leftovers went to good use with the family.

When people learned they'd accidentally eaten vegan chilli they didn't believe me.

Same when I took vegan 'chicken' nuggets among other buffet bits to a friend's housewarming.

I think you have answered your own rather ingenuous question. You said you can't go a day without an eye roll.
Why on earth on a daily basis would you need to bring up the rather dull subject of what you eat? How does that come up DAILY without crowbaring it into conversation on purpose? So the problem is that you've taken whatever the conversation WAS and then turned it around to being all about you.
Maybe more active listening on your part and less rude?
I am a vegetarian. It comes up in conversation maybe once a month. I am bisexual it comes up maybe, well, I am struggling to remember the last time I needed to provide that information in conversation. I am not going to start discussing my diet generally and when I am talking, day to day it never comes up.

@CallieOMalley I'm confused how it's effort.

Whether you make food from scratch, or live off takeaways, ready meals or frozen food, you can easily be vegan as you would as a non-vegan.

@SwimmerGirl40 lentils are lovely. Especially puy lentils. 😋

I don’t think, for the majority, that a vegan diet is sustainable in a healthy way. There are absolutely not billions of vegans across India and China

Vegetarians I think probably hold the high ground in terms of balancing ethics and their own health.

I’m not one myself, but my child seems to have a natural dislike of meat so it is often easier to have meat free meals than dinner time drama. My meat consumption has decreased as a result.

I’m quite suspicious of some (but not all) meat/dairy substitutes - vegan “tuna” or vegan “cheese”. Love chickpea curry though so I can see ways to cater for all without using substitute foods I don’t want to eat myself.

well, that would be an answer to the overpopulation of our poor planet, but that's probably worth of a new thread entirely

Apropos of this thread: Vegans genuinely are noticeably nicer tasting than omnivores.

So if we are going to try to solve the world environmental and food problems then I think we should all try to be kinder and more encouraging to delicious Vegans.

Still no one has yet addressed why it's ok to mock vegetarians and vegans, yet religious dietary restrictions are sacrosanct

It's ok to mock most things. There is no taboo on mocking vegans because they have not, as a class, been subject to widespread persecution for being vegan. It's common to make jokes about even the most persecuted groups (e.g. Jewish self deprecating humour) - just smart to avoid feeding prejudice with lazy humour.

A more interesting question is why mocking Vegans works- why does the stereotype of the humourless, proselytising vegan elicit a laugh?

I don’t think, for the majority, that a vegan diet is sustainable in a healthy way.

Well, that depends what you mean by a Vegan diet :-)

I don’t have a problem with vegans. You want it eat dust and plants no worries. What I have a problem with is getting in the way of other people who are trying to make an honest living, or people enjoying their dinner etc or shopping in a supermarket without being harassed and bullied by militant vegans who feel the need to forced their views on people.

I wouldn't be rude to one but they're on the same level as bible-bashers. Boring and annoying when they preach at you.

I think it’s good that there are often multiple veggie choices and at least one vegan choice in restaurants now. It makes it easier to cut out or at least reduce meat intake.

20 years ago there would have been one veggie option in the menu and it would always be vegetable quiche or tomato pasta!

I am probably guilty of an eye roll, though I would try to hide it. I don't know many vegans to be fair, so it is an unrepresentative sample, but for me my eye roll is for two reasons. 1) people that comment on what other people eat annoy me. It's rude, no matter what your convictions. Of the few vegans I know, a large majority do this, the last one commenting that I was eating a chickens period when I was eating an egg. Regardless of where you stand, that's just rude.

2. my second eye roll reason is that, again in my limited sample, vegans always have the health answer to whatever your issue. If my condition could be cured by following a vegan diet perhaps I would have tried this? No medical evidence of course, just anecdotal.

So yep, sorry. :/ I do try, and if I was with a friend and they ordered something vegan I really wouldn't turn a hair, each to their own. It's never yet happened where they just order and enjoy their food without commenting on it and extolling the virtue of a vegan diet. I don't do the same for non vegan, I find it hugely irritating.

I wouldn't openly eye roll, but would be waiting for the unsolicited advice and comments.

Like I say, a small sample size, maybe just unlucky.

I think it’s good that there are often multiple veggie choices and at least one vegan choice in restaurants now. It makes it easier to cut out or at least reduce meat intake.

Absolutely, the last time I went out for dinner with a group of 8 people 4 of us choose a veggie lasagne eventhough I was the only vegetarian

I spent time in Goa recently. Most of the (very nice) food we were served was plant based with some fish and a very little dairy, not as a lifestyle choice but because there isn’t much animal farming round there meaning what meat there is is very expensive. I don’t know why - maybe it’s too hot / monsoonal for the sort of animals we have evolved to eat to do well there.

I did ask one of the chefs where the dairy products we ate came from as all the cows we saw were sacred cows so presumably not milked for human consumption and he was very evasive just saying ‘oh, from away, over there ‘ . Does anyone on here know ?

I think it’s good that there are often multiple veggie choices and at least one vegan choice in restaurants now. It makes it easier to cut out or at least reduce meat intake.

Often? If you’re lucky.

20 years ago there would have been one veggie option in the menu and it would always be vegetable quiche or tomato pasta!

Still is in many places. New place opened here. Wide ranging menu, 1 veggie dish, which is a mushroom and halloumi in a burger bun. Hardly ground breaking, is it?

I used to work with a vegan, all she talked about all day long was vegan food and what she could and couldn’t eat, no one was asking!!! She also made comments about what other people ate, someone had baked a cake so she was asking for the ingredients list, when they said it had milk in she replied “oh that’s full of cow puss you know” in front of a room full of people eating the lovely cake . Even if it does, get out and let us enjoy the cake!

I'm not vegan I'm vegetarian & honestly meat eaters have such a big issue with it! I never preach or talk about my vegetarian ways unless pushed to, say out for dinner or doing my weekly shop. Checkout people in supermarkets I find are the worst, oh my you must be either very healthy or vegetarian! Do you not get hungry, eh no I eat! Or By far the worst, people think I've a deficiency in something! I get my bloods done every 3 months as I've an autoimmune disorder & my vitamin levels are always perfect. I purposefully don't tell people I'm vegetarian as it just leads to nasty comments or eye rolls for completely unnecessary reasons

I have a bit of a time with vegans because I am involved with local sustainability and conservation work, and I'm interested in soil quality, habitat diversity and local food acquisition.

The reality is that in our area, it is far more environmentally friendly and sustainable to eat locally reared lamb and beef, with local eggs, than it is to eat a vegan diet. A lot of vegetarians that get involved with us realise this, and limit their reliance on imported food stuffs while buying local dairy and still keeping to their principles, but we get a lot of crap from vegan keyboard warriors, who don't actually do any volunteering for us.

And I have to admit it narks me.

As a rule I have no problem with vegans and have a couple of friends who just quietly get on with and only ever mention it if it becomes relevant however, I once went to a dinner with a group that had a high number of vegans in it due to the nature of the group and OMG, I have never been on a table that made so much fuss, complained so much and banged on about their dietary choices as that lot. The poor waitress. My lovely vegan friend whispered to me “this is exactly why vegans get a bad name” and she was not wrong.

Because the Viz/Jeremy Clarkson brigade have chacterized vegans in a particular way, so loads of people who have never knowingly met a vegan think it’s OK to mock or be rude to them. See also “feminist”

shopping in a supermarket without being harassed and bullied by militant vegans

You get harassed by militant vegans in the supermarket? This is not an experience I've ever had. What do they do, rush at you screaming "Nooooo!!!!" as you try to put a pack of sausages in your trolley?