Getting family to actually accept, much less understand your dietary choices can be a chore. Older folks in particular often simply can’t understand a person not eating something for any reason, whether a moral obligation, religious restriction or even an actual medical inability. The results can, at times, be pretty explicit.
A vegan woman shared her experience with being forced to eat a steak and kidney pie and then immediately throwing up at the dinner table. We reached out to her via private message and will update the article when she gets back to us.
A steak and kidney pie is the last thing someone should serve a vegan
Image credits: Acabashi / Flickr (not the actual photo)
But that’s exactly what happened to a woman when her mother didn’t inform her aunt that she didn’t eat meat
Image credits: prostock-studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: anonymous
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
There have been people who have rejected meat for thousands of years
While most people avoid animal organs if “real” meat is available, it’s important to remember that for much of history, we simply didn’t have as much food as we’d want. As a result, humans started using more and more parts of the animal, including the kidneys. Generally, not the most appetizing dish, it would often be used as an ingredient to bulk out better cuts, in, for example, the British classic, the steak and kidney pie.
While more “old-fashioned” folks tend to see veganism as a modern phenomenon, or perhaps a rebellious fad, its origins are considerably older. Vegetarianism has been practiced in the Indian subcontinent since as far back as 3300 BCE. While they might not have been as strict as modern vegans, it’s also important to note that the people of the past also had fewer products produced from animals, so this distinction was not as important.
Similarly, there have also been examples in ancient China, often as a result of Buddhist beliefs. This would even include abstention from any animal products or byproducts, including fabrics made from animals, or other items. In other words, a three-thousand-year-old version of veganism. Indeed, there is evidence that ancient China was producing multiple meat alternatives, from the two thousand year old tofu to seitan, a food made from wheat gluten.
The ancient Greeks (for example, Plutarch) and Romans (including Ovid and Seneca the Younger) also had noted individuals who abstained from meat and some animal products. This is all to say that a variety of religions and schools of thought all came to a pretty similar conclusion at some point in the past, so veganism has the credentials to back it up.
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Making someone eat against their will is horrible behavior
The real issue here is not the woman’s veganism, even if it’s unrelated to any ethical beliefs, it’s the fact that her mother seems to have no regard for her preferences. “Disagreeing” with someone’s dietary choices is already questionable, but then forcing them to eat something they literally can’t stomach is just cruel and abusive.
The details the woman shares in the comments, as well as this story do point towards a truly abusive relationship. Pinching someone to make them eat something they can’t stomach after requesting a larger portion is a horrible way to treat your offspring. This is important to note as some readers felt the story was insincere. It is entirely possible one struggles with certain kinds of foods, so they would naturally avoid it.
Rather, we have to understand that the woman who shared it was going through an immense amount of stress at this moment, not just due to the pie, although a poorly prepared kidney is its own hell, but due to the fact that her mother was no doubt controlling in many other ways. While she doesn’t give the details, “forcing” someone to eat requires a lot of coercive power, which the mother clearly has, given the results.
Others shared similar stories
Most were shocked someone would force a vegan to eat meat
