Charlotte Foster
Food & Wine

"Makes us feel sick": Angry vegan slams meat-eating neighbours

A letter from a vegan neighbour has gone viral, as they asked a close-by resident to close their windows while they cook meat. 

The hand-written note was published on a community Facebook page for the Perth northern coastal suburb of Burns Beach, and was labelled as an "Important message" for the recipient to "Please take seriously".

The note began, "Hello, neighbour."

"Could you please shut your side window when cooking, please?"

"My family are vegan (we eat only plant-based food), and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset."

"We would appreciate your understanding."

The letter went viral not long after it was posted, and drew in a range of divided comments. 

Some people believed the request was a ridiculous ask, with many people wondering where they draw the line when it comes to catering for others. 

"I'd understand if they were smoking cigarettes and the smoke and smell was spreading and affecting the family's health," one person wrote.

"But not liking the smell of meat, this isn't really a good reason to ask someone to close their windows."

"What does she do when she takes the kids to the park, and people are cooking BBQs? Ask them to stop cooking. Audacity."

Others thought the request was reasonable, and praised the writer's politeness. 

"I feel like this was a genuinely polite letter, and it’s true the smell of meat is overpowering," one person wrote.

"It would be nice to see some respect for your neighbours, and not publicly trying to shame them for holding strong ethical morals."

Another put it simply, "Be vegan. Eat meat. Each to their own!"

One commenter suggested the recipient resort to good old neighbourly pettiness, encouraging them to "Write back and say you're offended and sad by what they said about your cooking and could they please move to a different room as you would appreciate their understanding."

Image credits: Facebook

Tags:
food & wine, vegan, neighbour, cooking, meat