Certainly, meat-eaters were not impressed and took to social media to fight back after the runner asked the community to have more ’empathy’ for its ‘plant-based’ neighbors.
When it comes to food, you can find two types of people. The first one is who enjoys eating food and the second one who doesn’t. But there is a third category that consists of people who don’t eat meat or any type of animal products at all—meet the vegans.
Honestly, there is nothing wrong with vegans. After all, everyone has the right to choose what they like and what they don’t like. Similarly, there’s nothing wrong with eating meat, either. In fact, meat eaters can reap lots of health benefits as well, such as retaining muscle mass and gaining stronger bones.
However, there is one self-proclaimed “vegan-runner” from Berkeley, California received backlash on Saturday after asking neighbors to close their windows when cooking meat because the smells were ‘overpowering and offensive.’
The vegan runner wrote a thread was a runner, explaining that “it’s always hard for me this time of year when the weather starts warming up and folks start opening their windows.”
Why, you wonder? Well, “several nights a week, I’m out running around dinnertime and when people have their windows open I can smell what they are cooking,” she explains. “I’ve noticed a sharp uptick recently in smells of folks cooking meat and it can be quite overpowering.”
She goes on to explain that the “odor is offensive” and she’s “hoping [the] community can have some empathy for its #plantbased neighbors by closing their windows if they are cooking meat.” She also requested that they “only put vegetable son their bbq.”
They said “quite honestly the odor is offensive” and asked the community to have empathy for its ‘ plant-based neighbors by closing windows while cooking meat. The unnamed runner also asked people to only barbecue vegetables. They encouraged people to research why the smell of cooking animals is offensive and join the movement of those fighting back.
But the post received backlash on Twitter , with one even saying: “I would roast an entire goat right outside just to spite him.”
“You know what else smells terrible? Runners. Have some respect, exercise indoors with all the windows locked,” another person replied.
“As a carnivore bbq chef, it’s always hard for me this time of year when the weather starts warming up and vegan runners start running by my windows,” said another, mocking the initial post.
One said: “Can you imagine the world under domination by these types?”
“This request is offensive to my eyes, brain, and stomach, so I demand it never be made again,” one commented.
Someone even compared the situation to being pregnant but noted they still didn’t think it was okay to tell people what they could consume. “When I was pregnant, the smell of coffee made me suddenly and violently ill. I still managed to not tell people they couldn’t drink or new it,” she said.
Some people came to the runners’ defense online, agreeing that the smell of barbeque can be overwhelming.
“Try being vegan in Texas. My redneck neighbors over the back fence are hunters and have two smokers in their backyard. The whole neighborhood is smoky for weeks on end, and my dogs smell like bacon whenever they come in from the backyard,” a vegan user responded.
“I live in Texas and I eat meat, & I completely sympathize with you – that smoky smell permeates everything. I really hope you and your neighbors are friends & they are worth the inconvenience. Also, you could breed dogs. Bacon lovers would pay a fortune for ‘bacon-scented’ pets,” another wrote.
The post by Best of Nextdoor was titled “Meanwhile, in Berkeley.”
Well, we don’t think anyone will be forgoing their nighttime burgers any time soon.
What’s your take on the situation? Do you think a vegan runner has any right to ask meat-eaters when they prepare their food and how? What would you say to this runner if given the chance?
