To think many vegetarians and vegans are self entitled?

[Anabanananaaaaaa]

I know this is purely anecdotal evidence but of all the people I know or have met who are vegetarian or vegan (V/V for short) only about 1% were not judgement about other people's food choices.

Don't get me wrong I think business and friends/family should make some allowances for other's life style choices but the way many V/V treat others is just horrendous.

Point in case went to a local volunteer run food bank the other day and the lady in front of me had a melt down because there was meat in her food parcel. The organiser politely said why not give it to friends or family members instead but she the woman was having none of it and kept going off on one about how inconsiderate the organiser was.

I just couldn't believe the level of ingratitude this woman displayed considering these volunteers play such a vital role in the community.

Is my bias showing by feeling this way?

Trying out veganism again here ( previous attempts failed but been veggie for most of the past 25 years). I think it all depends. I would never expect anyone else to accommodate me. The DSis and BIL who want various plant milks should get a grip. ( Black coffee outside the house is my choice). Also I buy and prepare meat based dishes for DH and DS. It's their choice what they eat. So not every vegan/ vegetarian is entitled. Probably not many tbh.

I don’t understand why you have used the food bank story as an example of a v/v being unreasonable, surely if you have to access a food bank you have a desperate need for food why would the volunteer insist you take a food stuff that you can’t eat and suggest you give it away? If they had enough food to give away you wouldn’t be going to a food bank in the first place would they.Why couldn’t the volunteer swap out the meat for something vege another food bank user might be glad of an extra tin of meat. Would you expect someone with a food allergy to just take what they are given as well? I do have experience of volunteering at a food bank and personal preference is taken into account where possible, luckily some food banks have moved on from the “be suitably grateful for anything” mindset you seem to be expecting clients to have.

Not 'liking' something is not the same thing as not being able to eat something.

only about 1% were not judgement about other people's food choices.

Are you not being judgemental about other people’s food choices?

Is my bias showing by feeling this way?

Yes.

This is a really small organization who are stretched to the limit as it is.

All the more reason to take dietary requirements/beliefs into account so that they don't waste food.

I'm assuming someone receiving a parcel from a food bank is in a pretty desperate situation, especially considering the recent cost of living increase. I can understand receiving an awaited food parcel and realising that you can't eat all of the contents (potentially some of then more substantial parts) would be pretty upsetting.

I'm not sure why she should be grateful for food she can't eat. Surely, even in a small food bank, it makes sense to check for allergies/ intolerances/ dietary/ religious food restrictions.

I would say yes, obviously that woman didn’t want to cart a whole load of meat home to potentially throw it in the bin. She could have been more grateful to the volunteers possibly in her approach though.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 6, so 24 years. I don’t even consider meat as a possible food now, it’s bizarre. I think it’s good that so many people seem to have become vegetarians or vegans recently, which has also meant there’s sometimes more choice than just a mushroom stroganoff now in supermarkets and restaurants. The only slight issue is everything seems to be tailored to purely vegans rather than vegetarians though so I end up having to also go without milk, cheese etc when eating out or buying meals and it’s further limiting my already limited options 😂

The one thing that does bug me though is that I’m just silently plodding away at my 24 year vegetarian title and people like my step MIL’s son will pipe up like he deserves some sort of veganism trophy. My step MIL bangs on about him all the time too. He was literally eating chicken wings at a family meal last year then met a girl that’s a vegan and joined her, that’s fair enough, but don’t try and lecture us veteran veggies about what you eat when you’ll likely split up with her next week and be stuck back into the chicken wings 😑

I still call bullshit on this entire scenario.

Yep, your bias is screaming out here! 😂I've been a vegetarian for about 35 years and I don't think any of my family or friends would say I have judged their food choices. I really couldn't give a toss what they eat. I'll cook the meat for them if they like. I just don't want to eat it as I don't like the texture.

All the food bank has to do is offer a vegetarian/vegan food parcel. It isn't rocket science, and a person who is vegan or vegetarian, who refuses to eat meat, even if they are in poverty, is not entitled.

Freeze some of these in ice cube trays then decent to freezer bags, when they come over just drop an ice cube’s worth of their chosen milk in to their tea and then microwave for 10 seconds or so. Works just fine and no waste.

Besides the point but freeze it in ice cube trays (take out of the trays when ready and store in a plastic bag or tupperware) and then you just have to pop one out for their coffee each time.

I doubt that 99% of vegetarians and vegans are actually judgemental about other people's food choices. People that say that often wrongly perceive judgement when others simply say that they are vegetarian imo. So if I say I am vegetarian people like the op think that in itself infers I judge that they are not vegetarian- which is not the case.

Cross post at the exact same time!

And on todays episode of things that didn't happen 🤭

To be honest the meat eaters in the foodbank scenario could be considered more selfish than the vegetarians. Meat is expensive, if all the food parcels were vegetarian there would be more food to go round....

Or maybe, you know, cater to all major food requirements instead of taking the little bit of choice that people have in that situation away from them.

@Penguintears brilliant!!! Thank you

This.

YABU
You may as well have said "beggars can't be choosers".

@RoseslnTheHospital as food banks receive mostly donated food, I’d guess it is quite difficult to replace canned meat with a suitable vegan alternative. How many people are going to donate a can of jackfruit (£3 in my local shop) vs a tin of tuna (.75p). I know when I donate things I look for affordable food, a couple of tons of jackfruit isn’t going to be at the top of my list. Food banks are largely run by volunteers - getting shirty with volunteers who are doing their best to feed you because your dietary preference isn’t available is clearly not reasonable.

Oh this isn't really about vegetarians is it? It's about how people who are on their knees depending on food banks should be grateful for whatever they're given. If the story is even true, the organisers know why such an attitude is harmful and they'll understand that having got together the courage to attend it would be incredibly stressful to then find the parcel was "wrong".

I do expect you have issues with vegetarians too.

Oh this isn't really about vegetarians is it? It's about how people who are on their knees depending on food banks should be grateful for whatever they're given. If the story is even true, the organisers know why such an attitude is harmful

I do expect you have issues with vegetarians too.

Well you've just made me feel better about putting tinned vegetarian options in the foodbank instead of "tinned meat in sauce".