Seen a lot of posts on Lemmy with vegan-adjacent sentiments but the comments are typically very critical of vegan ideas, even when they don’t come from vegans themselves. Why is this topic in particular so polarising on the internet? Especially since unlike politics for example, it seems like people don’t really get upset by it IRL
Considering even a basic caesar salad (cheese) and Jell-O (gelatin) are not vegan, providing vegan options at an event really isn’t particularly easy. Most events will have vegetarian options without even thinking about it. However, vegan options require very explicitly thinking about what is offered. Meanwhile, group event planning is already quite a bit of work even before considering such heavy restrictions.
When I’m hosting an event, guest comfort is my highest priority. I’m not a vegan, but if anyone coming to an event that I’m hosting has dietary restrictions, you can bet your ass I’m going to be accommodating.
It’s not giving them “special treatment” in my eyes; it’s giving them basic respect as my guest. I invited them to an event because they’re a friend/colleague/fellow human who I invited to attend. It’s my responsibility as host to make sure everyone who decided to join me at the event is fed a good meal.
I sympathize with anyone who has a restrictive diet (for medical reasons or otherwise) so I consider this high on the totem pole of tasks involved in event planning. A couple of years ago my doctor told me to cut my carb intake to help lower my cholesterol a bit and it sucked majorly at any event I attended cause there’d be no low-carb options. Could eat all the bacon and eggs I wanted, though, ironically.