Dad Makes Vegetarian Son Deal With Rotting Meat After He Purposely Unplugs The Freezer
One man recently explained in a Reddit thread that he and his son had gotten into an argument about rotting meat. Reddit has truly seen it all at this point, mark my words...
Turns out, the son took it upon himself to unplug the family's meat freezer in the middle of summer. The father was upset because his son wasted a lot of money, so he proposed what he thought was a fair solution. Redditors were eager to share their thoughts about this beefy situation.
The Rise Of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism has become extremely popular in recent decades.
Many people make the switch to a vegetarian diet because of the potential health benefits, and because of the way animals are treated in the industry.
This Dad Wanted Some Advice
Recently, Reddit user temptemptemp772 posted a thread asking if he was in the wrong for "making my son deal with rotting meat."
This is definitely something that I've never seen before, so buckle up, folks, 'cause this is about to get interesting...
"I Take A Few Deer Off My Property Once A Year"
The dad starts the post off by explaining that he goes hunting every year. He's not a trophy hunter by any means, he just does it for meat and economic reasons.
He explains: "Taking a few deer off my property once a year keeps my freezer stocked and the grocery bill way down which is important because finances can be tight sometimes. As a little relevant background, the bulk of the meat is kept in a large freezer in the garage."
His Son Recently Decided To Go Vegetarian
The dad explains that six months ago, his son decided to become a vegetarian.
"We started making meatless meals twice a week and made sure every other dinner was such that the meat was separate from everything else so he could still eat with us. This has been working great for the last six months with no complaints."
He Noticed The Freezer Was Unplugged
"However, last week when I pulled the meat for the week out of our freezer in the garage he decided to come behind me and unplug the freezer. I guess he thought we weren't doing enough to support his cause? He never spoke to us or complained about our twice-a-week set up prior to unplugging the freezer."
Left to sit for a few weeks in the summer heat, the meat in the freezer began to rot, and it took the family a while to realize that everything had gone completely bad.
"I Unplugged It On Purpose"
The dad explains that he asked his son if he knew what happened, and he proudly said that he had unplugged it on purpose so the family would have to be meat-free. The dad told him that he didn't have the right to ruin a freezer full of meat and raise the family's grocery bill.
So, the dad said that as part of his punishment, his son would have to clean up his mess—meaning dispose of all of the rotting meat and either sufficiently clean and sanitize the freezer or purchase a new one out of his savings...
The Son Was Upset
The son called his father an a-hole for making him interact with meat in any form.
The father was left feeling conflicted because his son made the mess, so he needed to clean it up. Let's see what people had to say about this story.
"I'm A Vegetarian Myself"
Multiple vegetarians commented about the fact that the meat was left to go to waste because of the son's actions, and even though he was trying to make a point, he ended up wasting the family's food and money.
Therefore, many commenters voted the father as not the a-hole (NTA).
"Hunters Are Vital"
Some people commented that hunting for food has more benefits than buying meat from grocery stores.
Many people agreed that even though the punishment will be gruesome and disgusting for the son, he will learn a lesson and he needs to "clean up his own messes."
People Were Concerned About The Smell Sticking
People expressed their concerns about the family never being able to remove the rotting smell from the freezer.
One user explained: "Chances are the smell in [the] freezer saturated the internal insulation. The entire unit would be ruined if that's the case." Looks like the son will have to get his checkbook out...
Everyone Thought That The Punishment Was Fair
The consensus on the thread was that the son had good intentions, but unfortunately, he didn't seem to fully think through the situation.
Commenters, both meat-eating and vegetarian alike, agreed that the punishment was appropriate and fair.
Vegan Woman Demands Boyfriend Gives Away His Cat Or They're Done
A Reddit user went to the popular r/relationship_advice thread to ask people how to handle the extreme ultimatum his girlfriend had given him.
He started by explaining that he had been dating his girlfriend for about seven months. He called her amazing and said that they were compatible in many ways.
She Was Looking For Someone Who Shared The Same Cruelty-Free Values
He revealed that his girlfriend was "an outspoken vegan" and she made it clear when they began dating that she was looking for a partner with the same cruelty-free values.
He said that since he was already a pescatarian, it was fairly easy to make the transition to a fully plant-based diet like his girlfriend.
They Became Known As "The Vegan Couple"
After going fully vegan, the 22-year-old said that his girlfriend was proud of him and they became known as "the vegan couple" on their college campus.
Unfortunately, it wasn't always a picture-perfect relationship, especially when it came to his pet cat Mittens.
She Avoided His Apartment To Avoid The Cat
He said that he had owned his cat for three years and described her as sweet, cuddly, and very well-loved. His girlfriend was always very apprehensive around Mittens and blamed it on not growing up around cats.
They decided it would be best to spend time at her apartment in the future to avoid her feeling uncomfortable, and they never really discussed his cat again.
They Were Planning To Move In Together
"Fast-forward through all the quarantine stuff... My [girlfriend] and I have spent a lot of time together during this pandemic and we've started talking about taking our relationship to the next level."
The post continued to say that they had seriously considered looking for a new apartment together or moving in with one another.
She Told Him There's No Future Unless He Ditched His Cat
They were well into the planning of their next steps when his girlfriend dropped a bombshell on him.
She admitted that she did not see a future with her boyfriend unless he was willing to give away his cat Mittens. When she explained why, he was left shocked and confused.
Cats Are Carnivores
"She said that she believed owning a cat is unconscionable for vegans because they hunt mice and eat meat." She continued to explain that she believed "the very act of owning a pet is a violation of vegan principles."
Stunned by her request, the man told her that he was absolutely not willing to give up Mittens. He pointed out that the cat had to eat meat to maintain a healthy diet, but that he always purchased responsibly sourced food where possible.
"How Much Flesh Does Your Cat Eat?"
She was angered by his response and asked him unsettling questions, such as, "How much flesh does your cat eat? How many animals died to make all that food? Would you be okay with that being human flesh?"
He told her he wished she had made her feelings toward cats clear much earlier in the relationship. The fight ended with him storming out of her apartment and turning to Reddit for advice.
Was The Fight Worth Breaking Up Over?
He vowed that he would not be giving up his cat, but admitted it pained him to think he may be losing an otherwise wonderful relationship "because of a difference in ideology."
Apparently, cat ownership can be a controversial topic in vegan circles, but the man said that after talking to some of his vegan and vegetarian friends, even they couldn't understand her logic.
He Wasn't Ready To Give Up Yet
Some commenters suggested that this whole ultimatum had less to do with Mittens and more to do with a control issue, or finding an easy end to the relationship.
The man said he cared about his girlfriend so much that he didn't want "this bizarre curveball to be the end of a beautiful thing." He ended his post by saying, "I want to try and work something out," and asked if there was anything else he could do, aside from giving up Mittens.
Was It Unfair To Have To Give Up The Pet He Loved?
The top comment on the post said, "She suggested to give [the cat] away? It makes no sense whatsoever... Will it consume less meat with another owner? Of course not. It's like boasting about your lack of garbage because you dump it all in your neighbor's yard."
Another user wrote, "Unfortunately some vegans can find their ideology so compelling they too would choose it before anything else, and in this case, she seems to have never even considered the fact she's demanding [he] give up a cat he loves."
Her Extreme Veganism Is Not A Reflection Of All Vegans
Many commenters who practice veganism were quick to defend themselves in the comments section, highlighting that this woman's actions are not a reflection of the vegan community as a whole.
The original poster even updated the post to say, "Please allow me to take this moment to reiterate that my [girlfriend's] views are not representative of those held by the wider vegan community!!"
