Why omnivores feel threatened by veganism

Just this past week, on June 21, the first all-vegan drive-thru opened up in London, Ontario. Globally Local has become somewhat famous among the vegan community for its McInnes burger and food truck that parks itself in different locations on a regular basis, as well as food truck festivals. So when the company decided to open a drive-thru, vegans everywhere rejoiced. Not only is this a convenience factor, but it’s a symbolic sign of the times changing—and both the popularity of, and demand for, vegan food growing exponentially.

But just like Doomie’s (famous for its own Mac Daddy burger) opening up in Toronto last year, it didn’t take long for someone to deface the outside of the restaurant. The letters on the marquee outside of Doomie’s on Queen Street, which now features changing statements such as “Your grandkids will wonder why you ever ate meat,” were manipulated to say something pro-omnivore. Just today, the awning outside Globally Local’s vegan drive-thru window on Highbury was spray painted with the words “I ♡ Meat.”

Globally Local's message on Facebook: "Thank you to the tens of thousands of people who have helped us to spread our message and join our fast food revolution. To those that undermine our mission and attack our values - know that we will not be stopped."

While the individuals who have felt so inclined to express their questionable fondness through vandalism may think they’re being clever and witty, these acts are a clear indication that some people are feeling threatened by the rise of veganism. Plant-based diets have actually been around for decades, but the narrow-minded stereotype that vegan food consists of grass and vegetables is being obliterated by the more recent rise of such institutions as Doomie’s and Globally Local.

As social media has helped to spread awareness about veganism, Google searches, online discussions, and the global population of vegans have risen in record numbers. Organizations like Mercy for Animals conduct undercover investigations of what really goes on in the meat, dairy and egg industries. Even drones are helping uncover the truth. And there are a plethora of educational documentaries exploring the health and environmental detriments of being omnivore, as well (not to mention the obvious animal suffering), such as “Forks over Knives,” “Cowspiracy,” “Earthlings” and the latest, “What the Health” just released on Netflix last week on June 16.

More and more young people are recognizing the animal holocaust, and the contributions to climate change, cancers, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and more. The dairy industry has taken a publicized hit with the rise of so many plant-based milk alternatives, even lobbying—unsuccessfully—for exclusive rights to the name “milk.” But the impacts of lactose intolerance are more immediately felt and, so, it has been more difficult to combat people’s love of meat and eggs because they are not forced to stop consuming them in the same way.

And that means ignorance may continue to be bliss for some individuals, who are still making the conscious decision to ignore where their food comes from. What’s likely creating the defensiveness in people encouraged to vandalize vegan businesses is the threat of having their day-to-day routines, lifestyles and even cultures change as a result of vegans wanting their food to change. But not the spices, sauces and other flavours that actually make their food taste the way it does—just the part where innocent, defenseless animals are tortured and killed to produce it.

You see, for every type of cuisine, there are now cruelty-free alternatives. In Toronto and the surrounding area alone, there are wizard vegan chefs who have created Indian food (The Vegan Extremist), Caribbean food (V’s Caribbean Restaurant and One Love Vegetarian), Chinese food (Greens and Zen Gardens), American comfort food (Hogtown Vegan, Doomie’s and Globally Local), pizza places (Apiecalypse), date night spots (Planta), veggie burgers (Boon Burger), coffee shops and little eateries (Bloomer’s and Sweet Hart Kitchen), donut shops (Through Being Cool and Bunner’s), bakeries (Vegan Danish Bakery and Sorelle & Co.), healthy spots (Fresh, Live and Kupfert & Kim), and more.

Globally Local's McInnes burger... looks "gross," eh? :)

Vegans get a lot of flak from people who think they're being funny. But vegans hear all the same jokes and they hear them often. The insults are not unique, but they do spawn more and more interest about why one of the most prevalent things people try to attack is the actual quality of vegan food. People want to claim it is "gross" to eat tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, seitan, beans, legumes, lentils, nuts, vegetables and fruit when omnivore food literally consists of dead animals, milk that may as well have been breast-fed from a cow or goat, and eggs dropped from chickens' vaginas.

Society has managed to normalize these things, while turning a blind eye (or two) to the fact that they are aiding in the horrors of animal cruelty and suffering—including rape, enslavement, castration, skinning, separating mothers from their babies, torture and murder. And, quite frankly, saying "Mmm, bacon" to a picture of a live pig or spray painting "I ♡ Meat" does not make anyone sound clever; it makes them sound psychopathic. 

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