Veganism has been becoming more widespread in mainstream culture with more vegan options available at grocery stores and trendy vegan restaurants popping up at an increasing rate. This in itself is not a problem- the problem is the disregard among vegans that these restaurants and eateries are catering to a very niche clientele: middle class white people.
Most vegan eateries are located in higher income areas which are historically predominantly white. This is problematic for a variety of reasons. One being that it denies a large number people of color who wish to pursue a vegan life style from being able to due to monetary and geographical circumstances. The vegans on social media who condemn those who cannot afford to maintain a vegan diet are the same people who are opening up these vegan eateries in predominantly white, middle class neighborhoods and refuse to grant access and provide resources for a healthy life style to those who can’t afford it. If it was really about educating people on the benefits of a healthy diet and not shaming them wouldn’t a priority be to provide access to lower income communities?
On the cultural level, vegans have been known to be insensitive toward cultural practices and traditions. Many cultures around the world are meat and dairy oriented. As a Latinx person, food is a large part of my culture and identity and meat and diary is central to many traditional dishes. Cutting these dishes out of my diet would be like cutting out part of my identity. In addition, the “veganization” of many of these cultural dishes is very appropriative and just plain disrespectful. An example of this is a company called Tres Pupusas that makes pupusas, which is a traditional Salvadorian food. Their pupusas are vegan and gluten free which wouldn’t be a problem if the company was actually owned by Salvadoreans but it is not. On top of this, they advertise their pupusas as “Latin hot pockets” proving just how ugly cultural appropriation is.
Veganism is a lifestyle that around 5% of the US population has adopted and this number continues to grow. Everyone has the right to find a lifestyle that suits them, but it is important to keep in mind that just because something suits you does not mean it will suit someone else.
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