So I don't disagree with anything in this statement, but what is it about cross-contaminating that's an issue here specifically? Is there a health reason to avoid any intake of meat products or an ethical/moral one?
For the later case... I'm on board with sane things (don't fry veggie burgers in animal fat) but less with (don't prepare this food where meat products were prepared) simply because... I feel like the same amount of effort should be taken with each meal and vegetarians shouldn't require separate processing things.
To draw a parallel, I'm lactose intolerant myself, but I've always felt it's a bit silly that <GENERIC COFFEE PLACE> has separate blenders for milk/soy/other (except almond, due to the factor of nut allergies).
Thank you for the support! Being a strict vegetarian myself I understand the concern. We operate out of a shared kitchen space, so other clients in the space make a variety of dishes which include meat, wheat, and nuts. We use our own kitchen utensils, dishes, pots/pans, etc to avoid contamination as much as possible. Maybe one day we can share a video of a "day in the life" of our kitchen staff to show you, but rest assured that we take it very seriously to not cross-contaminate :) Per FDA regulations, we must include that information on our packaging.
I can assume some food processing plants that do tofu dogs also are big enough to do regular dogs or other products. Which means you can expect a few molecules of "cross contamination" even with proper washing procedure like with peanuts. As a vegetarian this doesn't bother me in the least, its to be expected. Nobody can avoid microscopic consumption of non-vegetarian items. It's the same with those microscopic shrimp in the water in NYC. Probably the same for the food I cook at home because I cook meat for my spouse in the same bowls/pans.
Now if they were to say, 5% chicken, that's an issue.
Wanted to chime in as a vegetarian.
[That being said there WAS issues years ago of non-vegetarian gelatin being labeled as vegetarian. There was no possible way that was a mistake, it was straight up gelatin.]
This is some of why it is important to distinguish moral food specifications from health-related specification: it takes work for me to eat out anywhere that isn't exclusively vegetarian because meat contamination makes me ill, and restaurants don't understand that, for example, labeling things "vegetarian" when they are fried in the same oil as meat is misleading. Sometimes the grill is well-cleaned and it is fine, and then other times I am in for a night of misery and it's just not worth the risk.
I've known several vegetarians (not even vegan) who after being such for several years would frequently get significant stomach issues upon eating vegetarian meals cooked on surfaces used to cook (especially red) meat, so while its true that vegetarianism and veganism are not allergies, I think it may be significantly less accurate to assume this means that they aren't associated with digestive sensitivity to cross-contamination with meat products.
I'm not trying to criticise you here at all, but since you don't eat meat mainly to reduce animal suffering, why are you okay with dairy? The dairy industry arguably abuses and mistreats animals far worse than the meat industry.
Full disclosure:
Vegetarian for 10 years, eat fish occasionally and have recently been trying to cut out dairy (but it's tough).
I did say religious concerns and allergies have more merit for full separation than vegan/vegetarian preference to have no animal matter touch the food. My issue is it's a waste of resources to have two grills just for this.
As I responded to a sibling comment - there's nothing about eating meat that prevents me from also eating various vegetarian and vegan dishes. I've had some pho with tofu, and it was fantastic (if expensive).
There's also milk, and milk product that I would have to give up or accept substitutes for.
It doesn't sound like you're a vegetarian for an animal welfare reason though?
If you've stopped eating meat for environmental/health reasons then there isn't really the contradiction.
'Salty Crispy protein bits' gets us the same thing as vegetarian bacon, without seemingly being morally objectionable to a demographic you're targeting.
I think the parent is pushing an agenda for vegetarianism by presenting a false dilemma. There are all sorts of choices and places and ways of looking at things other than meat is gross so either be ignorant or a vegetarian.
I have killed and eaten (and enjoyed) my own meat. It is not a big deal. I am not ignoring anything about some "fact of gross", I am aware of what is done, I just don't mind. The animal had a decent life, and I get a good meal in exchange (see below).
However, knowing how most meat from the store is processed, how the animals are raised, and how many gross things they feed the animals and treat the product with, has drasitcally changed my meat habits. I still eat and enjoy meat where I know the animal in question, or at least know the animal in abstract (e.g. am aware that it's source is a humane farm), and it is processed in a skilled rather than industrial way. This leads to more meat expense, and less meat eating, but in no way means I will be a vegetarian.
I imagine some people are also hand-wavey about the inevitable insect meat they consume in their otherwise vegetarian or vegan diet, or the countless small animals killed in the production of those foods. We all have to draw our lines somewhere I suppose, but let's be realistic about it. Consuming a few specs of beef juice on a vegetarian sandwich is not the same as purchasing or eating meat.
I personally wish they wouldn't limit tofu to vegetarian eating in every Western soy recipe. I'm not a vegetarian (not even close) but I have a fair amount of tofu and other soy (beans, miso...) products in my diet. It's often along side meat. I'm white, but my partner is Asian - so it's not a fad.
Tofu is amazing for vegetarians - I'm good with that. But I think the constant limiting it to vegans/vegetarians hinders a lot of people who might actually enjoy it, and mutes the creativity one can and should have with it in their recipes or food purchases. It's one of the most versatile ingredients I've ever come to know. It needs to be normalized even for us meat eaters.
One thing I always thought - if cows are such an environmental problem, and people don't want to give up beef, why are there no recipes combining 50/50 (or so) beef with Beyond Burger, and other products and recipes like that? That doesn't solve the problem, but it meets the Earth half-way.
Are you absolutely certain this is the case? The majority of my vegetarian friends would be upset to find their vegetarian dish was contaminated with meat if they ate out in a restaurant. I don't see why it would be any different in BK?
If you're intentionally cooking something in beef fat to impart beef fat flavor, that's one thing. If you happen to be using the same cooking surface that might have some marginal level of beef fat residue, that's something entirely different.
If you adopt a definition of vegetarian that excludes any product that has a microgram of animal meat in it, you rapidly run into the problem that there is literally no vegetarian food, because dead animals end up unintentionally incorporated into pretty much all products in the processing stage. There's not even vegetarian water, because (animal) rotifers are present in it.
I say this all as a vegetarian who avoids fish sauce and animal-based broths, meaning effectively large swaths of Japanese and Southeast Asian cuisines are effectively off limits to me. The attempt to one-up the majority of vegetarians by demanding convoluted purity rituals for the right to claim membership in the One True Vegetarianism doesn't help anyone.
“Have you been tested to know eating beef is physically harmful to you?” is a question nobody would dream of asking a vegetarian/vegan. Veggie/vegan people exclude meat for reasons ranging from allergies, other health issues, political stance, an understanding (or misunderstanding) of how the food chain works, or just as a matter of personal choice. Does anyone subject a person’s choice to not eat meat to any kind of qualification?
But talk about omitting gluten from one’s diet, and suddenly one’s personal health information is fair game for any stranger to inquire about.
Just an observation from this wheat- and gluten-loving individual.
For the later case... I'm on board with sane things (don't fry veggie burgers in animal fat) but less with (don't prepare this food where meat products were prepared) simply because... I feel like the same amount of effort should be taken with each meal and vegetarians shouldn't require separate processing things.
To draw a parallel, I'm lactose intolerant myself, but I've always felt it's a bit silly that <GENERIC COFFEE PLACE> has separate blenders for milk/soy/other (except almond, due to the factor of nut allergies).
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