Vegan as the default. Specifically slightly annoyed with the McPlant

[streamee]

I'm not vegan, I'm vegetarian.

I want a McPlant with proper (if American cheese slices can be called proper) cheese.

I would like to order a Big Mac, and sub out the burgers for the plant burgers!

Surely there are more people like me?

Vegan options being the default for vegans and vegetarians is very annoying. AIBU?

(No this isn't all I have to worry about in life before someone says it.)

This thread reminds me of a conversation I overheard in a cafe a few years ago, where an American mother said to her child “don’t eat that cheese!! In this country cheese has dairy in it.”

I hate this too. I’m a vegetarian who loves cheese. Now all my options are gone! I used to travel a lot for work and was so fed up of the non meat airline meal options which were vegan, kosher and halal compliant - they were awful. Now everywhere is similarly polarised.

@implantreplace

What point? You haven’t actually made one and to be honest you just sound stupider and stupider insisting you ‘don’t understand.’

I have no idea why vegan isn't the absolute starting point for everything (almost everyone eats/benefits from veg and salad), and then people can build from that.

So, if you go to a restaurant, or even a fast food place, the base is vegan and you layer on that what you fancy. So you can swap in dairy cheese, or swap in some meat if you like. But if you don't choose those options, you'll automatically be served the vegan option. It's like maths - addition is easier than subtraction to work out - then it becomes less of "does the pizza have any milk powder/cheese in it?" and becomes "The pizza's vegan, so can I have dairy cheese on top, with some pepperoni, please?"

[this is coming from a mostly vegan with dairy intolerance who is okay with eggs - it'd also be helpful if vegan options didn't also possibly contain milk (so many 'may contain') as that can be disastrous for people like me! Just make things really simple. I don't judge others' eating habits, but it'd be so much easier if we built up rather than down.

Did you ask at the counter or only try using the automated service? Can’t see them refusing to swap the cheese over if you specifically ask them to.

This thread has made me realise I need to keep an eye on this as Dd has a severe coconut allergy so vegan meals are more likely to contain coconut milk. It’s still new to us so good for me to realise now.

[quote Kanaloa]@implantreplace

What point? You haven’t actually made one and to be honest you just sound stupider and stupider insisting you ‘don’t understand.’[/quote]
About nasty digs

Not exactly the same but I had to go strictly dairy-free for a couple of weeks for medical reasons while otherwise being a meat eater. I really wanted a Domino's pizza and was dismayed to find that if you selected the vegan cheese option, you were only offered vegan toppings. Why!? There are surely lots of people that can't/don't eat cow's milk (lactose intolerant, allergic, whatever) but still eat meat - why can't we sub out the normal cheese for vegan while still having all the usual topping options!?

The macplant is lovely. Yabu. So many meals could easily be veganised and helping to save the environment and end absolute torture to animals and we're still eating it.

If you've ever breastfed, then imagine giving birth and having your baby taken away and then having to painfully pump milk out for years.

There are plenty of delicious vegan alternatives. I can't believe with all the choices out there, we are still eating animals.

Have a watch of how dairy cows are treated, how they're separated from their young and male calves killed, how chickens (even free range) live a horrific painful life before being killed and how their male young are ground alive. And then enjoy your cheese ffs

You didn’t make a point about nasty digs. You don’t seem to have any interest in this thread except for trying to make a barbed little comment about how vegetarians shouldn’t be going to McDonald’s, you’re just doing it in a pathetic faux innocent ‘I’m so curious, I just want to understand’ way.

I feel the same. I recently became full time vegetarian and feel that there's now more vegan options than vegetarian in restaurants / fast food and I can not face eating vegan cheese. I find restaurants are very accommodating by switching meat burgers for the meat free but fast food not soo much. I tried the vegan kfc burger the other week and the guy serving me allowed me to add normal cheese and switch the Mayo for normal Mayo.

I really like the McPlant but I'm seriously fed up with pubs & restaurants making everything vegan. I'm vegetarian & I've lost out on several of my old favourites. Totally agree we don't always want vegan food & surely there are way more vegetarian/pescatarians anyway?

@implantreplace

I don’t want to dig

I wanted to understand

But yet again - any kind of slightly spirited debate is relegated to “digs”

Yes, I did

YANBU - I’m an omnivore but love vegetarian food and so would often cut down on meat by having a veggie option. I also like some vegan options (dhal/roasted veg etc) but hate nearly all pretend substitutes - it makes me eat more meat if I can’t have a veggie option!

I’ll leave this thread as clearly discussing how vegetarianism sits with a notoriously poor animal welfare restaurant works - is inflammatory

@kerosene20

YABU in that particular example. The Mcplant is indiscernible from real cheese. I’m a vegetarian. Ask to swap a Big Mac with the mcplant patties if you want this?

You can definitely tell that vegan cheese stuff. Tastes so sweet

I'm with you in general. The meat option in the work canteen today was macaroni cheese with bacon, the "veggie" option was some gross cauliflower concoction - I desperately wanted the macaroni just without the bacon!

But you're wrong about the McPlant. It's amazing, and I honestly can't tell the difference between the fake cheese and the real (fake) cheese.

I completely agree with you, I tried to do it and they won't. Very annoying

Totally agree, OP. I also, totally unreasonably, can't help but feel annoyed that I had to put up with totally shit and samey vegetarian options for years and now this vegan revolution is happening, there's this explosion of meat-free choice. I realise I benefit from this but I just feel annoyed they couldn't do it before.

Re - the McPlant, however, it is surprisingly good, despite the (normally absolutely meal-ruiningly revolting) vegan cheese. I was equally pissed off when they went all vegan nazi and told me I couldn't swap nice, normal, lovely dairy cheese for the gross vegan stuff but it turned out I really couldn't tell the difference. I think this says more about the crapness of the ordinary cheese than the quality of the vegan version, though.

YANBU

100% agree - don't like the vegan cheese and would love to sub the patties into a Big Mac!

Having been vegetarian for over 35 years, I am increasingly annoyed that many eating places now just provide a vegan option. And it’s frequently spicy (which I can’t eat).
It’s dispiriting to read a menu with 8 different steak meals, 6 chicken, 3 fish, 5 fancy meat burgers one plain salad and a vegan curry. And don’t get me started on pricing 😳😳😳
Yesterday’s veg, a handful of pasta - £12.50 madam!!!!

@implantreplace

I’ll leave this thread as clearly discussing how vegetarianism sits with a notoriously poor animal welfare restaurant works - is inflammatory

Oh no. Please don’t leave.

Thanks for finally saying what you meant though and abandoning the pathetic ‘oh but I’m curious. I just really want to understaaaand.’

I'm veggie and hate the way everything including these burgers are becoming vegan. Vegan cheese - bleugh! (Although I couldn't really taste any cheese or anything when I tried the McPlant, to be honest.) Would still prefer to have the option for real cheese

Delicious vegan options contaminated with wheat

100% agree OP. I’ve been vegetarian since the 1990s and I want proper cheese when I’m eating out.

I’m also getting old, grumpy and irrational and have started muttering to myself about being vegetarian since before a lot of these vegans were born!