A handwritten letter from a vegan neighbor requesting their resident neighbor to close their window while cooking meat has ignited a heated debate on social media over whether the request was reasonable. The note, labeled as “Please take seriously” and “Important message,” was shared by Sarah, a resident of Perth’s northern coastal suburb of Burns Beach.
“Hello, Neighbor,” the letter begins. “Could you please shut your side window when cooking, please? My family are vegan (we eat only plant-based food), and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset. We would appreciate your understanding.”
The letter’s content divided opinions, with some supporting the request and others arguing against it. One person wrote, “I’d understand if they were smoking cigarettes and the smoke and smell was spreading and affecting the family’s health. But not liking the smell of meat, this isn’t really a good reason to ask someone to close their windows.” Another claimed that there is no such thing as a “real vegan,” as all vegetable farming has a significant impact on the environment and kills small mammals and birds.
However, some commenters thought that the request was reasonable and polite. “I feel like this was a genuinely polite letter, and it’s true the smell of meat is overpowering,” one person wrote. “It would be nice to see some respect for your neighbors and not publicly trying to shame them for holding strong ethical morals.”
On the other hand, some responses were curt, such as “Yeah nah” and “Most people are downright nasty to people who don’t eat animals.” Another commenter stated that “No one has the right to tell you how to live in your own home!! Be vegan. Eat meat. Each to their own! No one has the right to push views on the other or expect to be able to control what they do. If she doesn’t like it close her own window. Simple.”
In response to a suggestion that the resident should close their windows, another commenter replied, “Not polite, actually so self-entitled and rude.” Some commenters even offered snarky suggestions, such as cooking bacon and steak every day with a fan behind it or asking the vegan family to move to a different room instead.
The letter has sparked a significant debate online, with people expressing their opinions on both sides of the issue.
