Animal rights supporters: Restaurants and veal?

Question

Yesterday I went (unwillingly) to an Italian restaurant with my family and on the menu I saw that they sold a dish with veal. I am an animal rights supporter and a vegan and I know what happens to baby cows when they are seperated from their mothers. It disturbed me so much to see it on the menu. I wanted to leave because I didn't want my money going to a place that supported the slaughter of veal.

Have any of you ever experienced something like this? Did you do something about it, or did you just ignore it?

Answer 1

you just ignor it because in some costums people rost or cook lamb pig and cow

Answer 2

I know how you feel.  I am a vegan too.  I used to love veal until I learned how the cows were treated to get it.  They serve veal in lots of restaurants so it is up to you whether you want to stop going there or not.  

Answer 3

No I have never experienced that.  I would expect to see many things on a menu.

Answer 4

Fortunately, I haven't run into veal on the menu very often.  If I was alone, I'd leave and eat somewhere else.  If I was with other people, I'd go ahead and order something vegan and never go back again.  If you were really going to take a hard line on not supporting businesses that profit from veal, you'd be hard-pressed to find a grocery store you could shop in...

Answer 5

I think we cannot control other people who have utter disregard to cruelty or killing of animals or even inhuman treatment like child labor abuse, bonded labour.Soaps contain beef tallow unless it is specifically mentioned that it is made from vegetable oils.I doubt if veggies or vegans can avoid this.Also the same companies who make veg.oil soaps also make beef tallow soap, so buying the veg.soap supports the same company.Likewise supplements or medicines unless they are herbal medicines may contain animal or human derivatives.I and my whole family consist of pure vegetarians and it is very difficult indeed.We have literally hunt for veg. stuff in stores etc or while travelling, read the contents in everything served to make sure we dont get contaminated with corpses.Best wishes

Answer 6

"wanted to leave"......did you leave, or just want to ?

If you didn't leave then you probably have no real case to moan about it.

And if you didn't leave "because it was a family meal and i didn't want to upset anyone" then we know the value of a calves life...just below upsetting the family.

I'm not saying thats the wrong value, just pointing it out for your reference.

Answer 7

As a chef, I deal with special needs diets on a daily basis, not just vegetarian and vegan, but also allergies that include nuts, soy, gluten, dies, food coloring and many other things you would never suspect.  It drives me crazy to have to alter one of my recipes for special needs.  But I do it because people need to eat.  I don't expect people without food allergies to suffer for those with. Obviously some of your family members don't really care about this issue of yours.  I'd say you need to suck it up and act like an adult.

Answer 8

Anyone who drinks milk supports the veal industry. Thus, any restaurant you go to [aside from exclusively Vegan restaurants]  supports of the veal industry, event if they don't serve veal.

Humans drink cow's milk that was intended for baby cows. The female cows are raised to become the milk cows. The male cows are shipped to veal farms to become veal. They don't get to grow up to become milk producing slaves. In a way, their short life on earth, in a small cage, unable to move, is more merciful than the life of torture the female milk cows experience. Females are artificially inseminated, give birth, then they're separated from their children, and they're hooked up to cold, unpleasant machines to produce milk. I don't support supporting this industry in any way. However, we have very few options. The best way to deal with this is to not eat any of the products, and hope that others choose a cruelty free lifestyle as well.  

Answer 9

You are right that veal is 'baby cow' (calf) and SOME veal - the really high priced stuff - is from mistreated calfs. However, the normal veal in midpriced resturants and stores is from calves that are treated the same as older beef. While you and others may still have an issue with any killing of animals for food I don't think that avoiding a resturant or store that sells midpriced veal is going to hurt the folks that mistreat calfs for high priced veal.

Just curious - do you support stores that sell fish and meat by buying your non-food items there (soap, paper products etc)?

Answer 10

This really doesn't seem like a question; more of a rant against that which you seem to have a deeply-rooted hatred against.  Ultimately, as an adult, you can choose to leave the restaurant, or quietly sit and eat your meal.  Those are your options; I would hope that nobody would force you to eat something that you're opposed to eating.  A level of mutual respect and courtesy would go a long way.  

Downie- I feel for you; I have a couple chef friends (always great fun and who know what the good stuff is), and to hear what they go through in the interest of trying to please customers of all kinds is incredible.  

Answer 11

What good Italian restaurant doesn't have veal on the menu???

There is more out there beyond Olive Garden.

Anyway, as long as you stuck to your principles, I don't see any conflict with going to that restaurant.  After all, I routinely see questions on here asking what veg options I can get from KFC and many people happily provide answers.  For some reason no one makes mention that if you go to KFC at all, you may as well have the chicken because you still contributing to the bottom line of the company whether you order extra crispy or just a side of corn.  Same goes for Silk soymilk.  Made by Dean Foods--largest dairy producer in the US.  Buying Silk supports the exact same pockets as buying regular milk.

Answer 12

I know its disgusting isn't it. I had a similar experience on holiday in Florida once.

I walked into a restaurant thinking it was fine only to find lobster on the menu which, IMO the way they boil them is appalling. I just walked out.  I would never ignore my beliefs and would always walk out regardless of whoever I was with.

I never have that problem anymore because I always ask to see the see the menu before I sit down now.

Answer 13

Yes, I had the opportunity to go to a Humane Society fundraiser but when I found out the focus was the BBQ with the sale of gourmet hot dogs I was unable to get over the disconnect there. Sure they had veggie dogs for those who preferred them, but hot dogs are so gross to me they were a big reason I headed this way to begin with; so I hate the veggie ones too which only remind me of the real thing. Mostly though, that animal was being served to "save" animals just made me sick. Just a perpetuation of the whole animal abuse deal. Which animals are worthy then? Sacrifice one for another? Twisted.

I did write a couple letters with one answer that pretty much dismissed my points. And I didn't go. Just wouldn't be able to without taking a stack of Vegetarian Starter Kits to hand out or something which isn't like me but the whole thing disturbed me.

In your case you were already there because of family but there's certainly no reason to go back on your own as long as they have the veal on the menu. You can drop them a line and let them know that. May not get anywhere with it but you'll have the satisfaction of having lived up to your own ideals, getting the word out that some things are offensive/raising awareness, and you'll have done something that puts the situation behind you so you can get on with life having addressed it.

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Edit to add: I do buy some things from a store that sells meat but no factory farmed meats, and I've been buying more and more from a co-op that doesn't sell any meat at all -- the co-op is farther away though but they've been seeing explosive growth the last two years so they are doing something well.

Answer 14

I completely empathize.  It sucks being stuck in meatyville with not a lot to eat.  And it sucks seeing the diseased flesh of baby cows on the menu.

But I'm of two minds here.  Yeah, it's one thing to not go to a place that serves veal because of the inherent cruelty.  But if we go to a place that serves dairy, isn't that also supporting cruelty?  After all, the dairy industry feeds the veal industry.  We could drive ourselves crazy over what to boycott.  

You had no choice here, so you just order your veggie meal, hope your family doesn't order veal, and never go there again unless your family drags you there again.

And if they drag you to a place that serves foie gras, you do walk out.