An enraged vegan neighbor hand-wrote a note after smelling a woman cooking meat in her home. The woman had left her window open, and the vegan neighbors couldn’t help but notice the “sickening” odor of cooked meat. Now, the vegan neighbor’s email to the woman has prompted a heated debate online about whether it is appropriate for the vegan to ask the neighbor to cease cooking meat or, at the very least, close the window when she does.
The handwritten note bears the phrase to “please take seriously” and delivers a very “important message.” Sarah published the note on social media. She lives in Burns Beach, a suburb north of Perth, Australia.
“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 everyone is having a BBQ? Ask them to stop cooking. “Audacity,” another reader wrote.
One social media user claimed that vegans live in another dimension entirely.
“Disregard the letter, as there is no such thing as a real vegan,” the recipient of the letter stated. “All vegetable farming has a massive impact on the land and kills thousands of small mammals and birds.”
However, other people believed that the vegan’s request to the meat eater was legitimate.
“I feel like this was a genuinely polite letter, and it’s true the smell of meat is overpowering,” a reader 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 user commented on social media.
Another responded, “No one has the right to tell you how to live in your own home!!”
“Become vegan. Eat meat. “Each to their own!” one response read. “No one has the right to impose their opinions on others or expect to have control over what they do. If she doesn’t like it, she can close her window. Simple.”
Do you think this vegan’s request was reasonable?
