![antler-945419_960_720.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNYYQDGcX5j2hqqUJqdxtcqjgRDz8CsDJ1NskVwbFW14Z/antler-945419_960_720.jpg)

Oh gosh. What a question from @ecotrain this week.  I am kinda terrified to touch this but here goes .... 

##### The question: Why do you think there is so much hate and anger toward Vegans, and why are those who eat meat so threatened by the notion of giving it up?

> Seventy per cent of the world’s population is now eating less or no meat, according to leading data and analytics company GlobalData. In Canada, a recent Dalhousie University poll reported that 7.1 per cent of Canadians consider themselves vegetarians, while 2.3 per cent identify as vegans. [source](https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/in-defence-of-veganism/)

Things are changing on the food scene. People are becoming more mindful of where their food comes from. 

From my experience, here in Canada vegans do not generally face much wrath.   A lot of restaurants cater to vegan diets and it is commonly accepted as are a wide range of other dietary choices and needs. Vegan protesters however,  they get a bad rap, and honestly, I think they've earned it. 

# Here's a recent story that happened in Canada. 

Antler Kitchen is a restaurant in Toronto, known for serving locally foraged ingredients and meats including wild boar, venison, bison, and deer. They also serve vegan and vegetarian dishes. Their focus is on sustainable, local ingredients. An animal rights activist and vegan who was cycling past the restaurant took issue when they noticed Antler's chalkboard sign that stated "Venison is the new kale". Days later protests began. 

> The protesters, armed with signs declaring “MURDER” and small, blood-red placards reading “animals are not ours to use” have, since December, on occasion crowded around the front window of the aptly named Hunter’s restaurant and chanted, “You’re a murderer” whenever a customer opens the door. They were at it again Saturday, staging a “peaceful demonstration” outside the restaurant. [source](https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/wallace-protesters-real-animals-in-antler-dispute)

The protests were less than peaceful. Megaphones came out when police were not supervising and patrons of the restaurant were called murderers as they entered. Eventually the chef got angry. To defend his customers he carved up a leg of venison in the front window of the restaurant. He then went back to the kitchen cooked it up, at then came back to the window and ate it in front of the protesters.  He hoped it would make them go away but it only fuelled the fire. 

Why was a seemingly ethically minded business targeted when there are obvious villains in the story that should be targeted? Well, according to interviews with the protesters, it was because Antler is a small business and easy to target. Large companies are hard to reach and simply don't care. They also feel that there is absolutely no ethical way to eat meat. 

Well guess what? Even though the protests persisted, the chef at Antler apologized for his actions. 

Then he offered an olive branch. 

Antler sent the protesters an emailed invitation after the venison incident, suggesting they go foraging together. An opportunity for them to talk, learn and share knowledge. An opportunity for growth and change. 

The protesters didn't accept. 

Instead they insisted that Antler put a slogan in their window and then they'll stop the protest.  

The slogan reads “Animals’ lives are their right. In their desire to live and capacity to suffer, a dog, is a pig, is a chicken, is a human. Reject speciesism.”

Antler said No. 

# This is the sort of thing that pits vegans and meat eaters against one another and pushes people to take a side and become rigid in their positions. No one responds well to being bullied and shouted at and the protesters come across as fanatical and uncompromising.  Vegans attacking a company and clientèle who are embracing a new paradigm of sourcing local, sustainable food, biodiversity and sustainability makes no sense at a all. Yet, we see it happen all the time. 

The progress being made towards animal welfare is not coming from protests like this. It is coming from documentaries, research, exposes and a whole lot of conversation and awareness about the broken food system. It is coming from people of all dietary beliefs making changes in how they support the food economy. 

To believe that everyone can (or should) be vegan (or a carnivore for that matter) comes from a place of privilege because food insecurity is a huge problem in our world. Not everyone has a choice about what they eat. A lot of people go to bed hungry. Declaring that one diet is morally superior to another is absurd when the main priority of a family is to fill their bellies. 

> “And if your body is designed to digest meats and fats, because that’s what your ancestors did for the last few thousand years, maybe you’re best suited for that,” Patricia DeMaio, a family physician working for the Nunavut government, speculated. “That’s a form of malnutrition, if you’re not getting what you’re supposed to be eating to keep you healthy.” [source](https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2018-10/heavy-toll-empty-calories-nutrition-focus-inuit-health?fbclid=IwAR39OiQb7NNqT_mvnrkBZmKr5RBs1vzNhU_G_kSMcRsObaU3dvvSa3ZYHgw)

# A lot of people in Canada rely on country food to feed their families. 

Country food or subsistence Living is a term that describes traditional food, including game meats, migratory birds, fish and wild foraged foods such as plants and berries. A lot of people still rely on country food to survive, especially in harsh climates where winter is long and vegetation is scarce. 

I suppose that's why vegan protesters are not taken seriously here in Canada. The are looking at the matter through such a narrow lens. It's hard to listen to their message when you see the hunger and the struggles of your fellow man to simply feed their families and stay healthy. One only needs to witness the appreciation and relief throughout a community when a hunter brings food back to be shared to see that the answer is not the same for everyone and nor will it ever be. 

### Further Reading 

https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/antler-chef-refused-vegans-ultimatum-to-post-slogan-that-reads-a-dog-is-a-pig-is-a-chicken-is-a-human

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-food-price-survey-2016-1.3650637

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/nov/01/animal-rights-activists-inuit-clash-canada-indigenous-food-traditions

# Image Source 
https://pixabay.com/en/antler-horns-macro-closeup-natural-945419/