When I was a vegetarian I felt that I faced less moral dilemmas than I do as a vegan. The moral debate of ‘is it better to eat meat if it is going to waste or refuse it and let it be thrown away’, is one that I am sure will continue for many years, but as a strict veggie it was a debate for me that needed no further conversation. I love animals, I don’t eat them. Period.
As a vegan I struggle with these morals a tiny bit more. I’m 100% pure and meat eating is never ever going to be an option, but I get massively frustrated if I order a cow friendly soy-latte and they put normal milk in it, then I have to watch them pour it down the plug hole knowing a cow suffered for that and even though my intentions were good, that time around I didn’t help my cause – albeit through no real fault of my own. The same applies to when I ask for something with no egg, or no butter, or no cheese and as if by magic my request goes ignored and they appear on my plate. Then, straight to the rubbish bin! You get the idea.
But recently I’ve been presented with a whole new ‘to cow or not to cow’ dilemma. Much to my joy, a coffee shop and cafe on a street close to where I live has changed from full omni to full vegan. Rejoice! Now it’s even easier for me to enjoy all of the perks of being vegan and I can’t stay away!
But, there’s a twist. The place was very popular under previous ownership and was mainly a coffee shop, serving the hordes of workers in the area. Business seemed to be going well and it even won an award for best coffee shop in London. But, since the new owner took over and changed it to vegan (or plant based as he labels it), customers have dropped dramatically. The vast majority of the old regular customers have simply moved on, to one of around six other coffee shops and cafes on the same street! Competition is tough and some customers clearly aren’t in the mood to experiment when it comes to their daily caffeine fix.
Whilst I’m doing what I can in the vegan community to help his cause and to drive trade to the new place, the truth is that the owner has bills to pay – and commercial rent in London, my global vegan friends, is not cheap!
So, here’s the dilemma. The new owner genuinely risks going out of business if things don’t pick up. What that means is that the business would close and another cafe would open. It is massively likely this cafe would be omni, contributing to the slaughter of thousands and thousands of animals each and every day. Clearly one option is that the owner could stay true to his principles and hope that things pick up before the next rent cheque is due. It might work, or it might not, but either way it is a risky play. Or, and here comes the great vegan dilemma, he could start selling milk again for the coffees, get back his regulars and his main source of trade and keep everything else vegan. No eggs, no butter, no meat, no honey, no cheese, no animal fats, lots of milk alternatives, but with milk.
As a vegan, but also as someone whose day job is managing the UK office of a very large organisation, I am truly torn. Is it better to be a veggie cafe with everything bar cow’s milk fully vegan, or is it better to stay true to your principles and risk not being there in six months and being replaced with someone that will be hurting far more than just dairy cows?
It’s a difficult one and I’m not entirely sure that the dilemma is resolvable morally. I’m sure the HappyCow community will have lots of different opinions, and I’d love to hear them. But what is a bit clearer is that the dilemma requires a grown up and pragmatic approach and solution. As vegans we know we are doing all we can to protect animals from abuse and minimise our environmental impact – as well as staying healthy too! But, I also know a lot of vegans who are very anti-vegetarian, who feel that our veggie friends aren’t doing enough, aren’t committed enough or simply are choosing to ignore the inconvenient truths of the dairy, egg and leather industries (amongst others) just for the sake of some cheese (or should I say Gary??), an omelette or a ‘nice pair of shoes’. I think I’m kind of one of them too if I’m honest – after all why do things by half?
But, when it comes to the reality of business, we as a group of like-minded vegans have to unite and we have to be realistic and supportive, recognising that sometimes, in some places and in some situations, it’s genuinely much harder to stay 100% true to principles.
I don’t know what path the cafe will end up going but what I really hope is that if my cafe-owning new friend does make that cow milk decision, that the vegans of London, and beyond, support him in it rather than berate him for it. Because after all, if you cannot provide for yourself, you can’t still be there fighting for the welfare of others around you. I for one will still be popping in….. most days!
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