Do angry vegans turn you against going vegan?

[beesonthewhatnow]

Ime it already has changed. When I first went vegan restaurants simply didn’t have vegan options at all, it was always a case of modifying the vegetarian option in some way. Now most chains have a number of vegan options and even vegan menus. I think my favourite is Turtle Bay, the “ital run down” is soooo good!

Genuine question - when restaurants have the vegan options are they having to create separate areas of the kitchen for preparation and so on, use dedicated pans etc?

I ask as many many years ago I knew of someone who wouldn’t even let others cook non vegan stuff on their campfire because it would “contaminate” it

 

[lazythursday]

I disagree. Nothing is being boycotted by spending money on the high st. As for dystopian barbarism of agribusiness, where do you think the rest of the menu comes from?

This is tokenism for profit, nothing more. You like it because now you can eat at Zizzi? Good for you. But don't insult your own intelligence by making out it's more than that.

I think it's a bigger step forward for veganism than you think. As some of campanula 's comments have alluded to, eating is a bonding social activity and one of the stronger arguments against veganism in some ways is the way that it leads people to miss out in joining in properly in various occasions. Vegan dishes widely available removes a big obstacle to wider veganism / plant-based eating. I have a food intolerance that prevents me from eating out most of the time - it's an incredibly isolating experience and one often shared by vegans.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

I disagree. Nothing is being boycotted by spending money on the high st. As for dystopian barbarism of agribusiness, where do you think the rest of the menu comes from?

This is tokenism for profit, nothing more. You like it because now you can eat at Zizzi? Good for you. But don't insult your own intelligence by making out it's more than that.

The animal products are being boycotted. Under present conditions it is virtually impossible to boycott everywhere that sells animals products (rules out all uk supermarkets for example). In the future when veganism is more popular it might be practically feesible to do so. In those circumstances the boycott should extend to companies and not merely products.

In the mean time, the greater availability of vegan options in restaurants is good because it makes being vegan easier for people, and hence helps grow the movement.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Has anyone ever tried/is there anything like a vegan supermarket? Chain or otherwise?

 

[mojo pixy]

Eating a vegan option at an outlet that sells meat is not a boycott, it's supporting that outlet. Eating McDonald's veg burger is still eating at McDonald's ffs.

 

[8ball]

I ask as many many years ago I knew of someone who wouldn’t even let others cook non vegan stuff on their campfire because it would “contaminate” it

On the same fire, or using the same pan/grill etc?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Has anyone ever tried/is there anything like a vegan supermarket? Chain or otherwise?

Unicorn in Manchester. Massive success story and a co op with some pretty good ethics.

 

[campanula]

I think it's a bigger step forward for veganism than you think. As some of campanula 's comments have alluded to, eating is a bonding social activity and one of the stronger arguments against veganism in some ways is the way that it leads people to miss out in joining in properly in various occasions. Vegan dishes widely available removes a big obstacle to wider veganism / plant-based eating. I have a food intolerance that prevents me from eating out most of the time - it's an incredibly isolating experience and one often shared by vegans.

Otoh (have no problems being a 'devil's advocate here', one of the more agreeable things about cooking a vegan meal (which I did, at least once a week when I worked at Brighton Unemployed Centre) is the inclusivity. Apart from those with specific allergies, everyone was able to partake of a vegan meal...and my killer vegetable crumble was well popular.
Horses for courses, really, Apart from nutritional concerns (Vit B12, calcium), I welcome dietary diversity and have no beef (apols) with vegans whatsoever.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

On the same fire, or using the same pan/grill etc?

On the same fire

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Unicorn in Manchester. Massive success story and a co op with some pretty good ethics.

Be nice to see if they expand.

I would be far more likely to try some vegan cooking if I could walk into a supermarket and know everything I picked up was OK, rather than having to check/think about every bloody label. I’m both a) far too busy and time short and b) lazy for that...

 

[8ball]

On the same fire

Well, you know fires, sacrificial burnings etc.

Wouldn't want the animal spirits to get into the veg.

 

[Sue]

My BIL did veganuary last year and is still keeping with it. Saying that, he'd been veggie for years and my sister is vegan so was way easier for him than it would be for most people.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Eating a vegan option at an outlet that sells meat is not a boycott, it's supporting that outlet. Eating McDonald's veg burger is still eating at McDonald's ffs.

Bizarre logic. So the boycott of goods from Apartheid South Africa was not a boycott because it didn't extend to boycotting the shops that sold such goods?

 

[8ball]

'Boycott' seems to be a bizarre word to be using in this context.

 

[mojo pixy]

Bizarre logic. So the boycott of goods from Apartheid South Africa was not a boycott because it didn't extend to boycotting the shops that sold such goods?

That is correct.

 

[editor]

It is a bad thing, or at least it's an irrelevant thing. Just because a company sells veggie food doesn't make them good in any way. Are we five years old in our socioeconomic analysis now? Are we just promoting an assumption that veg*n is another word for virtuous? Because it isn't.

Was anyone making any claims, anywhere, that every company who sells vegan food is a "good" company?

 

[editor]

Eating a vegan option at an outlet that sells meat is not a boycott, it's supporting that outlet. Eating McDonald's veg burger is still eating at McDonald's ffs.

I don't now any vegans/veggies who frequent McD, btw, although the more common and mainstream vegan/veggie alternatives become, the better for a whole host of reasons.

I've never visited a McD in decades.

 

[ddraig]

Be nice to see if they expand.

I would be far more likely to try some vegan cooking if I could walk into a supermarket and know everything I picked up was OK, rather than having to check/think about every bloody label. I’m both a) far too busy and time short and b) lazy for that...

infinity in Brighton is amazing, bakery, decent shop, coop, cafe etc
Foods - Infinity Foods

 

[mojo pixy]

Was anyone making any claims, anywhere, that every company who sells vegan food is a "good" company?

I would certainly hope not.

 

[Spymaster]

So the boycott of goods from Apartheid South Africa was not a boycott because it didn't extend to boycotting the shops that sold such goods?

Absolutely.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Animal agriculture is brutal and brutalising:

“If a pig came and nuzzled you like a puppy, would you be able to kill it just moments later?

“This is one of the scenarios faced by slaughterhouse workers on a daily basis. They see animals that are, in many ways, no different to those we welcome into our homes as family members.

“They then have to kill them. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of them a day.

“The psychological toll this takes on a person cannot be underestimated. Slaughterhouse work has been linked to a variety of disorders, including PTSD and the lesser-known PITS (perpetration-induced traumatic stress). It has also been connected to an increase in crime rates, including higher incidents of domestic abuse, as well as alcohol and drug abuse.”

The psychological effects of killing animals on slaughterhouse workers | Metro News

 

[editor]

I would certainly hope not.

The why did you imply it?

 

[8ball]

Absolutely.

This seems different to the definitions of 'boycott' that I have read...

 

[mojo pixy]

The why did you imply it?

More to the point, why did you infer it?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

infinity in Brighton is amazing, bakery, decent shop, coop, cafe etc
Foods - Infinity Foods

Some googling for Birmingham suggests there a vegan cafe/shop just round the corner from one of the venues I work at in the city centre. Will poke my nose in next time I'm there and see if there's anything edible

 

[mojo pixy]

Bristol has some excellent veggie and vegan eateries. There's also a (IMO overpriced but that's the way things are on the scene I guess) mini supermarket in St.Werburghs that I believe is entirely meat-free.

betterfood.co.uk

 

[purenarcotic]

Be nice to see if they expand.

I would be far more likely to try some vegan cooking if I could walk into a supermarket and know everything I picked up was OK, rather than having to check/think about every bloody label. I’m both a) far too busy and time short and b) lazy for that...

I’ve not been but this place is getting rave reviews and is in City Arcade:

Our Menu – Fressh

 

[purenarcotic]

There’s another vegan place somewhere, just down from the Mailbox, can’t remember what it’s called, they do a pay for the weight of your plate or something. Not dogs in the bit between bullring and grand central too.

 

[editor]

More to the point, why did you infer it?

Err, because you posted this: "Just because a company sells veggie food doesn't make them good in any way."

So did anyone suggest that prior to your post?

 

[mojo pixy]

Err, because you posted this: "Just because a company sells veggie food doesn't make them good in any way."

So did anyone suggest that prior to your post?

"Err"

It was a response to the good news that a bunch of high st chains are selling vegan food for January. My point is, even if they do that, they're still high st chains. I'm not sure why you want me to answer for something I never posted. All Bar One etc can sell as much vegan food as they like, they're still shit (and so is their vegan food, no doubt) and their jumping on this trend doesn't make them one iota less shit.