Vegan asks coworker to eat their burger outside in the cold, debate whether she was right sparks on Reddit

“Can you NOT eat that in here?”

A vegan confronted a coworker who was about to enjoy a burger during lunch break. 

An online debate about whether it is acceptable for a vegan to ask a non-vegan to eat somewhere else has been circulating in the Reddit community.

In the popular AITA(‘Am I the a**hole‘) subreddit, a user asked whether they were wrong for ignoring their coworker’s request for eating their burger somewhere else.

The Redditor explains:

“Okay, so I want to preface that most of the time, I get along with this person, let’s call Carla, but I’m not going to let someone tell me what to eat and where.”

While the non-vegan was trying to enjoy their meal during lunch break in “the only breakroom” at their workplace, the vegan tried to shame them for choosing to have a burger from the nearby fast-food burger place.

The story continues:

“Then I see Carla, she’s a vegan, and even though she tells everyone she’s a vegan, she’s never really been pushy(worked together for a few years). We exchanged pleasantries, she noticed the bag in my hand and said something to the effect of: ‘Yeah, can you not eat that in here, the smell makes me nauseous and I can smell it already!'”

According to the Reddit user, her colleague has never been so defensive about her choice of diet. However, obviously, something about this situation triggered Carla, as she now ordered her coworker to go outside, in the cold, if she wanted to finish her lunch.

“She suggested I eat it outside(we live in a cold snowy state). I just started eating and ignoring her, so she left.”

Even though Carla didn’t say anything else, she apparently discussed the matter with the rest of the staff.

“Well evidently she went and complained to some people because someone in my department brought it up later, she said I was mean to do that and I should compromise.”

The Redditor, who describes herself as a “pretty empathetic person,” concludes:

“Being a vegan is a choice… I’m not going to eat out in the cold just to please someone. I still kinda feel bad for making someone feel sick, like maybe I could have just saved it for after work.”

The story provoked a debate about vegans and non-vegans working together, with many claiming similar situations must be addressed at work. 

Most of the comments the subreddit received defend the position of the one telling the story.

One user commented:

“NTA(Not the a**hole). You’re allowed to eat what you want to eat, and she doesn’t get to call dibs on the break room. If she was so bothered, she should have left.”

Another noted:

“I can’t do that, it’s against my beliefs.” – Freedom of expression.
“You can’t do that, it’s against my beliefs.” – Discrimination.

However, many alerted that the issue must be addressed. A Redditor said:

“It’s the god-damned break room. You used it for what it’s for. Ask your bosses where they plan to put the meat-allowed break room, because you’re feeling discriminated against.”

Another added:

“Not only that.. but how does that woman eat out with her friends? Does she tell her friends not to get something with meat? Will she tell her family that? What about those tables around her? Is that nice grandpa on the table next to her not allowed to eat his chicken because some vegan lady told him?”

What do you think of the issue? Have you been through a similar debate at your workplace? Let us know in the comment section!