If someone else is eating meat or dairy, and they offer u a bit.....?

Question

I went vegan about a month ago now since I found out how much animals suffer for us to have meat and dairy products. But, if my boyfriend is eating, for example, icecream and he offers me just a small mouthful, is it wrong for me to take it? I mean, surely me refusing it, which I do at the moment, would not make any difference as he has already purchased it and my taking a tiny bit is unlikely to make him purchase more? Also, if there was meat/dairy left over from a meal which would otherwise be thrown away, would it be wrong to eat that? I know ultimately it's up to me and each vegan must make their own decision as to the fine details of their veganism, but I was just wondering what you thought?

Additional Details

Seems I need to clarify this: I DIDN'T accept the icecream, nor have I ever eaten left over meat/dairy - it was more of a general hypothetical question. I am a strict vegan and I do not consume, wear or use any animal product because I believe it is wrong.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

i wouldn't......consider the fact that vegans are often questioned about their beliefs. do you really want to do anything that will make people think you don't take your stance seriously? i'm a vegetarian, but i wouldn't eat meat because it was left over or because it was already purchased. it's the same sort of thing. let your boyfriend enjoy it, but if you want your veganism to be taken seriously you should shy away from the milk products in my opinion.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Good point! I hadn't thought of how my decisions affected people's views of all vegans-neither meat nor dairy will EVER pass my lips again, whether it's offered to me or just leftovers - thanks Fab! And to Vedgie-Wedgie: Thanku for telling me about "Earthlings", everyone should see this documentary

Answer 2

You answer your own question. It`s up to you. Would you like a bite of my bacon buttie?

Answer 3

I wouldn't -- you aren't vegan if you're eating any dairy or meat, even if they are just left overs.

Answer 4

well in my opinion, you either use animal products or you dont, I am not a vegan but if you really stop and think about all the animal products, you would be amazed..... eating ice cream makes you a hypocrite unless it is made with soy milk.... you asked!!!
btw, what kind of shoes do you wear???

Source(s):

http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-in…
http://www.peta.org/MC/factsheet_display…

Answer 5

The decision is of course yours, but all products in the stores or in someone's home cannot be 'undone' (the critturs don't get their life back if someone doesn't use that meat or animal based product) so your justification could be used for anything already processed/created, and thus what's the point of going vegan as a statement about cruelty to animals, if the statement only applies to your personal purchases, but you'll eat things others purchased?

If you'd be willing to take a bite of your boyfriend's ice cream cone...why not accept a whole one he might offer to buy you (or say he buys it w/o asking, and hands it to you).

You have to decide for yourself why you are vegan and if you're trying to make a statement, eat healthier, or just jumping on a fad bandwagon because it sounds kewl and you want to seem like you "stand for something" for a little while.

Terrible things are done to plants and trees in this world, but I'm not gonna stop eating veggies or buying wood products because of it. We all make our own choices...and hopefully after reasonable and informed thought.

Answer 6

It is not only an issue what you eat, but also what we can spread in order to make real the day where animals won't be killed or used cruelty on them. And we spread a behaviour although nobody is watching us, because we are interconected by a kind of mental energy field. So, I think it is important not eat meat althought it is going to be thrown away. However, although I don't buy meat for my dogs, if there were meat to be thrown I would give to them.

Answer 7

Would you eat a little bit of beef burger ?

why not ? its the same arguement

I think you probably know vegans could not eat this, you would not ask if there were no doubts.

And I do think you eating some of it WILL make him buy more of it. If you were to say "actually, no, i don't eat dairy" he would be less likely to buy it again. But you sharing it will encourage him to buy more.

Answer 8

You decide what you eat, but if you do eat those leftovers etc, I wouldn't call you a vegan. It sounds kind of like a 'freegan' (Where you live off free food that is thrown away because it is almost out of date or the box is damaged). Veganism is about morals too, because it's going to be wasted or you're offered it sounds a little like a cop out and you're not ready to fully commit or are adjusting with difficulty. Don't mean to sound harsh, it takes time, it's your choice. Are you vegetarian yet? That makes the transition easier if you adapt to that first.

Answer 9

make your own decision beacuse this is your life.. anyway i think positvely No. leftover dairies are taken with the compost to help plants grow. no plants, no animals. no animals, no people! anyway a titbit of an ice cream will be okay...as long as YOU don't ask and the one who has it offers you! see my point?

Answer 10

You need to make your own choise: how strict of a vegan do you want to be?

Will you accept, that the driver of the fossil-fuel powered truck, which delivers your tofu to the store, fuels his body with meat? Will you accept that the cashier at the store, where you buy your vegetables, is wearing a leather-belt?

Noone will kill more (or less) animals, whether you personally live as a vegan or not.
Just as the Co2-emmision into the atmosphere won't drop or the environment won't be less polluted, if you personally don't drive, never litter and always recycle.
It's the collective effort, that makes a difference!!

Answer 11

I think it's up to you to decide whether it's right or wrong, but if you do eat bites of ice cream or eat meat/dairy that would otherwise be thrown away, you're not a vegan.

There are the "freegans" who would eat vegan when they're buying but will eat other stuff that would otherwise go to waste... but I don't think that that term actually has any bearing. They're basically omnis who eat vegan at home.

Answer 12

My opion is eat meat its part of the food chain. If life was suppost to be that easy for everyone(thing) Why do we suffer so much and have to deal with problems and bills that stress us out. Plus meat has nutrition in it that you cant get from other food. You could also ask you self if the cow died of a natural cause would it be wrong to eat it. Or would it just be right for another animal to walk or fly up and eat it. Either way it is going to be eaten. You know how it taste and it sounds to me as if your missing it and want it just let you self go. Its ok I'm not saying eat nothing but meat you should still have a balances diet.

Answer 13

That's a good question; I've thought about the same thing. The main concern I have is how other people would perceive it. For instance, say that you accept your boyfriend's ice cream and then he starts jokingly telling his friends, "my girlfriend is a vegan who sometimes eats ice cream". That would send a bad message and give people the idea that vegans are hypocrites. They might not take veganism as seriously and could think, "why should I even bother trying to change my food habits when vegans can't even stick to their own diets?"

It seems that people are always looking for proof that vegans are hypocrites, so that they can feel better about themselves and not have to critically examine their own food choices. (I can't count the number of times I've been asked whether my shoes are made of leather). Why give them any ammunition?

I guess it depends with leftovers... if it's a little glob of sour cream or something, that would be ok with me. It's hard to know with leftovers... are you sure that they would be thrown out, or would someone finish them off later? Maybe someone who's on a diet would want to eat the scraps...

There are times when eating animal products would be ok with me, though. For instance if my roommate threw out a bag of Doritos and there were a few chips left. I really don't think there's any harm in eating those chips when no one's there. I'm not vegan to be pure; I'm vegan to reduce animal suffering. I don't think I'd help to lessen the demand for animal products by not eating those chips.

As you said, each vegan has to decide where to draw the line. If you do eat animal products in front of other people, I'd call yourself "mostly vegan" so people don't get the idea that vegans eat animal products.

Answer 14

Hi, I personally would refuse their offer, but what you could do in the future is buy some lovely vegan ice-cream and share that with your boyfriend/family/friends.
There's chocolate, raspberry ripple, caramel and my fave...vanilla!

Answer 15

You can eat what you want, but if you eat meat or dairy - even a small amount - you're not vegan. (It's like saying you're straight-edge except for the occasional sip of wine... it's lying.)

What will come in time for you (it did for me) if you plan to be vegan for life is that for (most) vegans, meat and egg and dairy aren't "food" anymore. They're animal flesh and secretion, and not anything you want to put in your mouth.

Google a documentary film called "Earthlings" (you can watch it free online), and read a book called Vegan Freaks... they'll help you get into the AR/vegan mindset. When I was a new vegan, these helped me STAY vegan.

Best of luck!

Answer 16

How hard is a simple "no thank you"?
Seriously the wiles of the mind are amazing. Watch the trend of yours as you wrote this piece. .
from concern about the animals, to concern for the social mores of refusing a "bite" of already purchased ice cream, to cleaning up someone else's leftovers so as not to "waste" it.
Amazing.
A vegan eats no meat.
A vegan eats no dairy.
Simple, yes?
Yet the human mind knows only how to distort and deny. It does it really well.
Look at the Bible.
Here we have God saying "Thou Shalt Not Kill" (please note he didn't say "Thou Shalt Not Kill Humans", it as a more encompassing commandment than that, wasn't it? And later on in Leviticus you find people justifying their eating of meat but -- through the laws of Koshering food -- not eating any of the blood. And look at Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice which employs the same argument. . . "You can have your pound of flesh but not one drop of blood!" So, this subverting of the simple principle to honor all life results in rationalizations and questions such as yours and is no new thing. This has been going on for more than 6000 years!
Please understand there is no insult intended here to any one, not to you and certainly not to orthodox Jews, just a clear seeing of the specious deceptive quality of mind. Mind is powerful! And much bigger than we are. No question about it, we all are caught in the same dilemma of having to deal with its wiles. We all of us need to know that and be on guard against it in every aspect of our lives.
So thank you for your question, and your tender, loving heart that is concerned about the horrors inflicted upon the animals in the factory farms. And please know that you are lovingly supported in your decision to go vegan. Good for you! Good for the animals! Good for the planet and yes, good for the rest of us as well!
And keep on keeping on saying "No thank you." Those are powerful words.

Answer 17

You don't have to prove anything to anybody - you haven't signed a contract.
However, this vaccilation may cause problems when you eat around other peoples' houses - do you say, well I'm a vegan, but not today, or, I'm most definitely vegan today?
The additional details make this question a total waste of time for everyone involved. Git.

Answer 18

It still makes a difference for you to refuse it. For one, if you don't stand firm people won't take your choice seriously and they'll forever be offering you things you've decided not to eat.

As for food that would otherwise be wasted, it's your call. But if you're going to eat opportunistic meat and dairy, please don't call yourself vegan. To me, it's less an ethical decision at that point; I simply don't consider those things food (especially meat - I haven't eaten it in decades) and there's no way I would eat them just because they were there. "Well it's already paid for and *I* didn't buy it..." is a pretty slippery slope.

Answer 19

you really need to decide this yourself. me personally, i believe that if the product was already purcheased or a left-over, its less wrong to consume it. i mean if an animal has to die or give something up to feed us, why not use it to its full extent. if you still believe it is wrong, then politely refuse it. veggies and vegans are often stereotyped as pushing their beliefs on others, and making them feel bad, and nobody wants to be stereotyped.

ps, i applaud your decision to not consume animal products. the animal-slaughtering industry should die!

Answer 20

I'd would not accept just to be polite. But sometimes people will offer me a candy or something and I'll take it, but then I'll just give it to someone else later. If they expect me to eat it on the spot, then I'll just refuse.

I wouldn't eat left over meat etc. just to avoid waste for the same reason I would not eat left over dog food. I don't want to eat it.

Answer 21

I grew up in the farm country and so did my husband...


we don't consume the meat and the dairy because it makes us sick...

if you offer me a taste of your whatever out of politeness I will refuse...because it makes me sick...