Hi /c/vegan,
I just picked up tacos from some cheap Mexican place. They don’t really do anything to cater to vegans but in the past, they basically just gave me extra rice and beans and removed any cheese, cream, or meat.
Today I ordered and they put sour cream on it. I know that this place doesn’t have a vegan sour cream, so it was a mistake.
For a second I thought I wouldn’t eat it, but I got in a moral debate in my head and decided that at this point, the damage is already done, and I tried my best to scrape off all the sour cream and ate the tacos.
Obviously I still consumed a decent bit of sour cream which makes me sad, but I don’t know, I couldn’t see it being more moral to not eat it. And I don’t want to call them back and harass some minimum wage workers about it either, since they’ve gotten it correct in the past.
TL;DR: Cheap takeout had sour cream in it, would you scrape it off and still eat it? Throw it away? Demand a refund?
I’ve been in this position a fair few times. I tend to just eat it, even if there’s meat in there. Otherwise the food will just be thrown out and then my impact on the environment is even larger.
I suppose it does help that I only adhere to my vegan diet about 95% of the time. When I already occasionally cheat on my own account, it’s not as big of a deal when it happens on someone else’s account.
Usually I do complain about it, however. And/or leave it in a review. Mistakes happen, I’m usually more concerned by how they handle the mistake.
Just FYI, vegan is not a diet, but rather a philosophy (or ideology if you will) dedicated to minimising harm to and exploitation of all animals. There’s no “cheat” days with morals. You’re probably looking for the term “flexitarian”.
I’m well aware of it being a broader ideology, and it’s one I support and strive to adhere to. That being said, one’s diet can also be vegan.
Perhaps “cheating” was not the right word to use, but people can be quite complex. My conviction not to consume animal products occasionally loses out to other considerations. That doesn’t mean I consider myself to be a flexitarian.
I try to cut everyone, myself included, some slack. The “you’re not a true vegan if XYZ” does more harm than good in furthering the cause. When looking at vegan communities, this one included, I feel like we can achieve more if we cut down on the holier-than-thou attitude.