Accidentally ate animal products...

DontStopMeNow

Newcomer
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Reaction score
6
Age
27
Location
US
Lifestyle
  1. Vegan
I have been emotionally distraught since this happened. Yesterday, I went out to eat at a restaurant and specifically asked if the food I was ordering was vegan. I was assured that it was, but as soon as I took my first bite, I knew. I had ordered quinoa as a side, but nothing on the menu (and the workers didn't mention this either) stated that it was quinoa salad. It was mixed with mayonnaise, which I only discovered after I asked a second time. I was pretty upset but I tried to brush it off. Today, I ordered a coffee from Starbucks and specifically asked for soy milk (I double checked with my boyfriend that I had mentioned this part). I drank nearly half the coffee before I realized they used regular milk.

I realize that this might seem trivial, especially since it wasn't intentional on my part, but I've been extremely upset about it and just want support or something? I don't know if I'm overreacting or if I want justification for feeling so upset, but I do know that I almost feel like a fraud at this point, as weird as that sounds. I just feel like I'm not vegan anymore? I know that's ridiculous but it's just upsetting me. Any advice or thoughts would be welcome. I don't have any friends or family who are vegan so they have trouble understanding why this is so bothersome ):
 
  • Like
Reactions: betiPT
I'm sorry that you had this experience. It angers me if I'm wronged in a dining establishment so disrespectfully.

On the other hand, this isn't your fault. You didn't consciously choose dairy milk or egg mayonnaise. Also, on a socioeconomic level, you being wrongly served milk or mayo doesn't create capitalist demand for animal products. Rest assured that trace ingredients like accidental mayo or even milk in your coffee isn't like buying a jar of mayonnaise or explicitly ordering a cheese pizza in the System. In fact some people rationalize eating animals this way. They're called Freegans. Very controversial, but essentially they never actually BUY animal products but will dumpster dive or accept charity. From an ecological standpoint it is rational but from a vegan standpoint I really have a problem with "I eat meat if someone else bought and cooked it for me." I have friends like this. I'm an environmental science major. I love my one friend, she and her partner never buy meat, they're fiscal vegetarians but she'll eat meat at conferences or events etc. Then she says oh I feel fat. Never I feel unethical. But I have high hopes for her EVENTUALLY. She's smart and is nicer about my being vegan than most of my non vegan acquaintances. She's like here you deserve some herbed olive oil because you don't eat cheese. She thinks it's funny and cool I'd show someone my blood test results. I wish more omnis were like her.

Don't beat yourself up. You're still vegan. Personal purity is a pointless and irrational goal, though I know I'd gag and probably throw up if something had actual flesh in it. I can't psychologically deal with meat.
 
I'm sorry that you had this experience. It angers me if I'm wronged in a dining establishment so disrespectfully.

On the other hand, this isn't your fault. You didn't consciously choose dairy milk or egg mayonnaise. Also, on a socioeconomic level, you being wrongly served milk or mayo doesn't create capitalist demand for animal products. Rest assured that trace ingredients like accidental mayo or even milk in your coffee isn't like buying a jar of mayonnaise or explicitly ordering a cheese pizza in the System. In fact some people rationalize eating animals this way. They're called Freegans. Very controversial, but essentially they never actually BUY animal products but will dumpster dive or accept charity. From an ecological standpoint it is rational but from a vegan standpoint I really have a problem with "I eat meat if someone else bought and cooked it for me." I have friends like this. I'm an environmental science major. I love my one friend, she and her partner never buy meat, they're fiscal vegetarians but she'll eat meat at conferences or events etc. Then she says oh I feel fat. Never I feel unethical. But I have high hopes for her EVENTUALLY. She's smart and is nicer about my being vegan than most of my non vegan acquaintances. She's like here you deserve some herbed olive oil because you don't eat cheese. She thinks it's funny and cool I'd show someone my blood test results. I wish more omnis were like her.

Don't beat yourself up. You're still vegan. Personal purity is a pointless and irrational goal, though I know I'd gag and probably throw up if something had actual flesh in it. I can't psychologically deal with meat.

Thank you for your response! I know I'm probably overreacting a bit, but it's just so frustrating when places claim to be vegan friendly and then don't even try... I've pretty much decided to swear off food that I don't prepare myself.
 
This happened to me about a week ago. My own dang fault. I bought some bread - same brand, different flavor than this other bread I've got before that has no animal products, only to realize later it had milk and eggs in it (my son actually was the one to read the label after I ate it!).
I tried to block it out of my mind, but I was so mad I did that. For whatever reason this one time i didn't check the label. Why?? :'( It then actually ended up messing with my stomach exactly 48 hours later. ...

So sorry you had this experience. You're still vegan, IMO because it wasn't intentional and because you care. (((hugs)))
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hear you had to deal with this.

I had something similar a few months back, someone sprinkled some cheese in a burrito that should have been specifically vegan. I only ingested one bite before I realized, but it was too late. I actually got sick for about a week after, the only time I've been sick since I went vegan.

The only thing we can do is move on from it. You didn't do it on purpose. I've also seen Omni's that think they're cute and try to sneak stuff in to trick or upset vegans. I've discovered the less you react, the less power it gives them. They want to see you squirm, to prove you're weak or whatever. Try to brush it off, but find resolve in it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: betiPT and Sax
You are no less vegan now than before. Being vegan is a commitment to a journey and all journeys have wrong turns. All you do is back track to the last known location and carry on from there. In your case this is just a few days ago.

The point is that you are trying. Mistakes happen but you also need to be making a formal complaint to both places to ensure less mistakes are made in future. Both of those items (eggs in the mayo and cow's milk in the drink) are potentially fatal allergens and if you want to make sure it doesn't happen to someone else (such as me who would be in ER fighting for my life after just 1 sip of that coffee because of a life threatening allergy (not intolerance) to dairy proteins) then you have to make an issue of it.
Complaining to the company's concerned will make you feel much better as well and pointing out that in addition to ethical beliefs not being honoured, there was the potential, in both cases, for a fatality or near fatality will get the companies' attention .
 
You are not overreacting:)
You are still vegan :)
You are not a fraud :)

The fact that you care so much about it is great!

These days I avoid eating out... makes life easy :)
 
Very sorry to hear this.

Just rest assured that it has happened to almost everyone who is vegan. It use to bother a lot in my case since I chose to go vegan due to heart related issues as I had reactions after drinking dairy or eating meat.

Throughout the years I ended up telling myself to double check things and beyond that I do not have control of what happens.
So you do not have to kill yourself it happens to everyone.