AIBU? Vegan gift.

[FrostyChocolateMilkshake]

It was my birthday over the Christmas period; my friend - who is quite the "militant vegan" - has sent me some chocolates through the post which is really lovely and thoughtful of her.

However upon opening the chocolate I have found that it is vegan and gluten-free. I am neither of these things. I'm grateful for the thought but sadly this gift will go to waste as it is not something I'd eat.

I probably sound massively ungrateful but I really do appreciate the thought - the only reason I'm a bit irked by it is because I bend over backwards to only buy vegan, ethical products for my friend that I know she will use. She hasn't reciprocated this and has instead bought me something she would like, not me.

AIBU or just truthful? My DH understands why I am put out but I feel really ungrateful - if anything I'm more annoyed that this gift will go unused and my friend will have ultimately wasted her money.

Good dark chocolate doesn't contain any animal products or gluten naturally. The labelling is presumably to let people know it hasn't had anything added to it. It's the same as any other plain dark chocolate that isn't labelled vegan

Only here to find out what choc and if it's nice. I'm vegan and mostly eat accidentally vegan like Aldi's mint choc and Morrison's truffles, but always open to new suggestions!!!

YABVU

Its different considering someone elses morals when gifting them and expecting them to consider your lack of morals (I don't mean that how it sounds) when they gift you. You cant expect people to buy things they dont agree with when there's perfectly acceptable alternatives. Vegan chocolate is lovely nowadays and often more expensive than dairy chocolate. You wouldn't expect a Muslim to serve you pork.

My first thought was that she’s re-gifted something she was given.

What a ridiculous thread. Christ on the bike. Imagine being offended about vegan chocolates - “They are not something I would eat.” I do I wonder how some people get through life. Ridiculousness of the highest order!

I've tried dairy free chocolate before as I'm lactose intolerant, and it tasted like powder. Rather risk illness or not eat chocolate ever that eat that.

@Aquamarine1029

You don't have to be vegan or gluten free to eat things that are. If they taste good, why wouldn't you eat them?

I'm going to readjust my attitude and try them later. Hopefully they are delicious!

So many established brands have chocolate that is ‘naturally vegan’, Green and Blacks, Divine, Booja Booja, Wilies, etc.

Look here: academy.plantbasednews.org/blog/accidentally-vegan-food

I don't drink alcohol, and people know this so I don't receive any. They also don't expect me to buy them alcohol, just because they consume it.

So you wouldn't give your friend milk chocolate as you know she doesn't eat that, but she's under no obligation either to buy 'normal' chocolate for you.

I would have no idea whatsoever which wine/bubbly is best if I were to buy it, although I've had friends help with this in the past when I needed to give a nice bottle of wine to someone.

One of my reasons for not drinking is religious. It would be very funny if somebody thought I didn't get them wine so I could 'impose my beliefs' on them, as you seem to think your friend did. So unless she has form for being passive-aggressive and giving you vegan chocolate to convince you of her beliefs, I really couldn't overthink it like you've done. Just eat the chocolates or I'll give you my address and I'll have them instead

I can completely see why your vegan friend doesn’t want to buy gifts that aren’t vegan. If she has moral issue with animal products then it makes sense for her to not want to spend her money on them regardless of who they’re for. However it probably would have been safer for her to buy something entirely different as a gift and not a vegan version of something that’s not usually vegan. I have had some lovely vegan milk chocolate but lots of it isn’t that great so I stick to dark generally. There are lots of gifts that she could have bought you that aren’t vegan chocolates!

It was a bit OTT to have said that you wouldn’t eat the chocolates when you hadn’t actually tried them, but I don’t think I’m the first person to say that

@rathertalktothecats

What a ridiculous thread. Christ on the bike. Imagine being offended about vegan chocolates - “They are not something I would eat.” I do I wonder how some people get through life. Ridiculousness of the highest order!

Goodness me, I am not offended at all. I may have been ridiculous yes but I'm certainly not offended.

Vegan chocolate is such a stupid term because chocolate is vegan by default. People add milk to chocolate to make milk chocolate but that doesn't mean chocolate without milk is special vegan chocolate. Lots of dark chocolate is vegan. Bourneville chocolate is vegan and that isn't even dark chocolate 🤷‍♀️

Not sure what the issue is with gluten free either. I would imagine the vast majority of chocolate is gluten free anyway but I have never really checked.

@Lockheart

Why wouldn't you eat it? You don't have to be vegan to eat vegan food.

Cutting your nose to spite your face springs to mind here.

Because vegan and gluten free chocolate is awful, all the yummy ness has been completely removed.

Her friend has bought something she prefers rather than what the op likes. If the roles were reversed the vegan would be complaining that her beliefs are being disregarded and everyone would be supporting her.

YANBU they love to preach don’t they. This was her opportunity.

I've had some absolutely delicious vegan chocolates from M and S and then I also had some white chocolate vegan coins from there as well. Well. They were awful and I actually had to spit it out 🤣. This post reads like judging a book by its cover! I bet OP also won't eat seafood but hasn't ever tried it!

Because vegan and gluten free chocolate is awful

Wrong.

My Ds is 11 & we recently went for ice cream when at the seaside. He got mango sorbet & declared, 'this is vegan, but it doesn't taste like it!'

Holy guacamole! The chocolate has no butter in it! Outrage. Start a thread.,

What will be next - cars with no petrol? Coats with no fur? Make up with no animal testing? Nutella with no palm oil? Handbags and shoes made of non-leather.? Where will it all end, I ask you???

Very tasty vegan chocolate options
Galaxy
Hotel Chocolat
Tesco own brand after eight mints
Cocoaba
Booja booja
Vego

Ben and Jerry’s do vegan ice cream that tastes identical- just doesn’t have dairy in.

I do occasionally still buy none vegan options for my friends even though it absoloutely pains me to do so - because I know some will just make assumptions and not even try the vegan option because ‘it’s not dairy or what they normally have’.

It’s great that you can see her point of view now and are going to give them a go and see if you like them...

My sis had a vegan box from hotel chocolat for Xmas... they were gorgeous!

You sound ridiculous.

HTH.

@Skibideebapbapbap

You sound ridiculous.

HTH.

You should read the thread.

HTH.

@AliceMcK but chocolate is vegan . Obviously milk chocolate isn't but the actual chocolate itself comes from a plant so is vegan..

@Rtmhwales

Most of the vegan chocolate I've tried is gross.

But that's not even the point of the OP. If you'd sent your friend a box of regular non vegan chocolates how would she have reacted? Not really kind to send her/you something they don't like and wouldn't consume.

Thank you. This is the point I was getting at, not the fact the chocolate is vegan.

Have since Rtft and I see you've changed your viewpoint so my comment no longer stands!