Vegans/vegetarians, what do you think about shared fryers?

[eternalsummer]

Say you're looking to buy some french fries, but most places use the same fryer for chicken and mozzarella sticks as for fries.  Do you abstain?  Is it an absolute moral abstention (that is, you never eat things from a shared fryer ever for any reason) or more of a preference abstention - you don't think it's morally problematic but you don't want any little traces of milk or meat in your food?

 

Do you feel the same way about the "processed on equipment that processes milk products" (or read the same and substitute egg, meat, etc. products) line on the back of cracker or cookies or cereal boxes?

 

I am trying to work out what I think about this and would appreciate any thoughts you have on either side.  I am just not quite sure.

Edited November 30, 2017 by eternalsummer

[Arcadia]

My friend who is vegetarian for religious reasons would abstain. She won’t eat from a “contaminated†kitchen as well so she won’t eat when visiting friends. She just buys a soda when accompanying us to a fast food place.

 

McDonald’s French Fries used to use beef tallow for flavoring which made people who avoid beef for religious reasons upset since it wasn’t obvious that their fries were flavored using beef tallow.

 

ETA:

A friend who is vegan by preference is not bothered by contamination. He is not picky and it is just a food preference for him. Another friend who is vegan and Buddhist would avoid eating out.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Arcadia

[eternalsummer]

I think McDonald's still uses beef flavoring, and maybe a milk product?  

 

Chic-Fil-A uses dedicated fryers for their fries, but that is the only place I know of.

 

I had not considered the kitchen issue.  That is interesting - kind of like a strict Jewish Kosher, and I can see the reasoning behind it.

[hornblower]

I'm vegan. 

Canadian McDonalds fries are vegan.  No beef, no dairy and separate fryers. 

I prefer to have separate fryers. I live in a large city with tons of food options so it's easy for me. 

For packaged foods,  I'm ok with "may contain traces of" 

 

[eternalsummer]

That is not fair about Canadian McDonald's.  How did you guys get that?

 

I have only been eating Chic-Fil-A (when available, when not I don't eat fries) but I am not sure what the difference is between that and "may contain traces," morally.

 

On the other hand, a shared fryer is not "may contain traces," it is "definitely has traces," so maybe that is the distinction.

[KungFuPanda]

I can't imagine there is much overlap between people who are fastidious about their food and people who eat at McDonalds.  I'm not judging anyone.  I eat it, but I will eat almost anything and this is the crappiest of all the crap foods out there.  I imagine most people who treat their bodies like temples avoid it altogether and any changes made in fry prep wouldn't really result in much business for McDonalds.

[eternalsummer]

I am very fastidious about my food and I eat at Taco Bell :)  (not much better than McDonald's in terms of ingredient quality).  My fastidiousness is largely moral, though, not necessarily "I will only eat raw organic vegetables with proper nutrient ratios" or whatever.

 

I can see why McDonald's doesn't change their practices, sure - Chic-Fil-A has the market cornered, I guess, and it's a tiny market.  But how did the Canadians talk them into it?  That's what I want to know.

[KungFuPanda]

I am very fastidious about my food and I eat at Taco Bell :) (not much better than McDonald's in terms of ingredient quality). My fastidiousness is largely moral, though, not necessarily "I will only eat raw organic vegetables with proper nutrient ratios" or whatever.

 

I can see why McDonald's doesn't change their practices, sure - Chic-Fil-A has the market cornered, I guess, and it's a tiny market. But how did the Canadians talk them into it? That's what I want to know.

I’m thinking they just asked politely. I hear that actually works in Canada. 🇨🇦 ðŸ˜

[hornblower]

I can't imagine there is much overlap between people who are fastidious about their food and people who eat at McDonalds.  I'm not judging anyone.  I eat it, but I will eat almost anything and this is the crappiest of all the crap foods out there.  I imagine most people who treat their bodies like temples avoid it altogether and any changes made in fry prep wouldn't really result in much business for McDonalds.

 

There are actually many vegans who are not in it for health at all - they're doing it for ethics.

 

Health has little to nothing to do with it for them.

 

Animal rights is what they care about. Some will avoid certain companies or outlets due to labour law violations but not because it's unhealthy. 

 

That's often the main difference between people who define as plant based versus vegan. Plant based care about health and tend to motivated by health issues. Vegans may or may not care about health, but are definitely committed to eliminating animal  consumption or abuse in any form. Body as temple doesn't have anything to do with it at all.   

[Corraleno]

Shared fryers would not bother me any more than a shared freezer would; the fact that potatoes are in the same space as meat and dairy does not increase the suffering of the animals. OTOH, I do avoid McDonalds, Taco Bell, and other cheap fast food places because they generally use the cheapest sources of meat, eggs, and dairy, and I feel that supporting their business supports the mistreatment of animals. So I don't care about the fryer, but I wouldn't eat there for other reasons.

[eternalsummer]

Corraleno, do you feel the same way about grocery stores that sell factory-farmed animal products alongside humane products?  This is another conundrum I've had.  DH is of the "don't support the restaurant at all as it also profits from animal abuse" and I agree in some ways - I can see why people who are opposed to abortion don't go into Planned Parenthood for mammograms either, same theory.  But I am not sure how it can be avoided entirely, tbh.

 

That is a good point about the shared fryer not increasing the suffering of the animals.  If all anyone ever bought was french fries from the shared fryer, eventually there would be no contamination possible.

[rebbyribs]

I don't worry about it.  I don't often eat fast food - it tends to be on rare occasions when there aren't other options available, and at that point I'll just have a burger with no patty and some fries.

 

I am mostly vegetarian because I am a terribly picky meat eater and have issues around fat, skin, gristle, dark meat, organ meats etc. to the point where it just seems incredibly wasteful for me to eat meat.

[Corraleno]

Corraleno, do you feel the same way about grocery stores that sell factory-farmed animal products alongside humane products?  This is another conundrum I've had.  DH is of the "don't support the restaurant at all as it also profits from animal abuse" and I agree in some ways - I can see why people who are opposed to abortion don't go into Planned Parenthood for mammograms either, same theory.  But I am not sure how it can be avoided entirely, tbh.

 

That is a good point about the shared fryer not increasing the suffering of the animals.  If all anyone ever bought was french fries from the shared fryer, eventually there would be no contamination possible.

Well I can't avoid grocery stores entirely, so I mostly shop at the farmer's market, TJs, and Whole Foods (which claims not to sell factory farmed meat or eggs). DS is not vegetarian, though, so I'm still buying organic free range chicken, pastured eggs, and a little organic milk & cheese until he leaves for college next fall. As an athlete, he drinks a lot of protein smoothies and at least I've been able to veganize those. 

 

I'm curious what most vegans and vegetarians feed their pets. I've been trying to find a fish-based food that my dog will eat, but he hasn't been enthusiastic about anything I've tried so far.

[eternalsummer]

This is part of the reason we don't have pets - we could feed them (we're okay with wild game) but boy would it be expensive!  My grandmother had a cat who lived entirely on goat's milk and chicken livers.  She didn't smell great, but she had nice fur.

 

 

[MEmama]

I was never bothered by it.

 

Eta I never eat fast food, but sometimes have fries at pubs where the fryers are probably shared.

 

I have a biologist friend who assures me no one is actually vegetarian anyway, and of course he's right. Life is too short for me to fuss over every tiny decision. There is no end of bigger ones with more consequences for me to worry about. My 2 cents, of course, and not a judgment on anyone else.

Edited November 30, 2017 by MEmama

[Zebra]

I have a biologist friend who assures me no one is actually vegetarian anyway, and of course he's right. Life is too short for me to fuss over every tiny decision. There is no end of bigger ones with more consequences for me to worry about. My 2 cents, of course, and not a judgment on anyone else.

 

There are so many different reasons to be vegan or vegetarian.

 

I don't even like telling people I am a vegetarian, because why I do it is complicated, and I don't want to get into it with people.   I like to say, "We don't eat meat" because I am not sure I am a vegetarian when I start thinking about it.   I do avoid all obvious meat. 

[KungFuPanda]

Well I can't avoid grocery stores entirely, so I mostly shop at the farmer's market, TJs, and Whole Foods (which claims not to sell factory farmed meat or eggs). DS is not vegetarian, though, so I'm still buying organic free range chicken, pastured eggs, and a little organic milk & cheese until he leaves for college next fall. As an athlete, he drinks a lot of protein smoothies and at least I've been able to veganize those.

 

I'm curious what most vegans and vegetarians feed their pets. I've been trying to find a fish-based food that my dog will eat, but he hasn't been enthusiastic about anything I've tried so far.

Costco has a salmon flavored grain free dog food that made that bevworth investigating. My dog eats it and he’s a bit picky and not really food-driven.

[MEmama]

There are so many different reasons to be vegan or vegetarian.

 

I don't even like telling people I am a vegetarian, because why I do it is complicated, and I don't want to get into it with people. I like to say, "We don't eat meat" because I am not sure I am a vegetarian when I start thinking about it. I do avoid all obvious meat.

I can totally relate. I never bring it up, and what others choose to eat doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's just not how I identify (I stopped eating meat as soon as I left my parents house at 18, and only very recently have started introducing a bit back into my diet. I can't explain why and it's equally complicated, so I don't bring it up with anyone either. People like parents and in laws who know me as vegetarian always will; I'm not going to open myself up to that discussion. Same as being vegetarian, it's just not open to other people's judgments or input).