An angry vegan neighbor hand-wrote a note after they smelled a woman cooking meat in her house. The woman had left her window open, and the vegan neighbors could not help but smell the “sickening” smell of cooking flesh. Now, the note that the vegan neighbor wrote to the woman has sparked a furious debate online about whether or not it is reasonable for the vegan to ask the neighbor to stop cooking meat or at least to close the window when she does.
The note, which was written by hand, includes the message to “please take seriously” and that the note carries a very “important message.” Sarah has shared the note on social media. She lives in the Australian neighborhood north of Perth in the suburb of Burns Beach.
“Hello, Neighbor,” the vegan’s note starts. “Could you please shut your side window when cooking, please? My family is 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 note was signed “Sarah, Wayne, and kids.” They are all vegan in Sarah’s household and want the neighbor to stop leaving their window open when they are busy cooking meat products.
The note was shared on social media and caused a strong divide among readers.
Some people shared their responses to the vegan’s angry letter, writing the following:
“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,” another reader wrote.
One social media user suggested that vegans are living in another dimension entirely.
“Disregard the letter, as there is no such thing as a real vegan,” the reader said. “All vegetable farming has a massive impact on the land and kills thousands of small mammals and birds.”
However, there were some people who felt that the vegan’s request of the meat eater was a reasonable one.
“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 neighbors and not publicly trying to shame them for holding strong ethical morals.”
“Most people are downright nasty to people who don’t eat animals,” another person wrote on social media.
Another replied that: “No one has the right to tell you how to live in your own home!!”
“Be vegan. Eat meat. Each to their own!” one reply stated. “No one has the right to push views on the other or expect to be able to control what they do. If she doesn’t like it, close her own window. Simple.”
Do you think this vegan’s request was reasonable?