If you’re vegetarian, and you’re served meat by accident, what do you do? Comment below if so inspired.

A conversation:

“Meat isn’t the problem. Killing is the problem. If it’s already happened, respect the animal that’s given its life by not throwing it away.” ~ Mathew Gerson

Just do not add to the supply/demand chain. ~ Waylon Lewis

It begs the question: is this about you not wanting to eat meat…or about wanting to protect the life and prevent the harm or suffering of a sentient being? I personally think there’s something sacred in the exchange of life forms.” ~ Mathew.

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The idea behind vegetarianism is to prevent harm.

I’m at Natural Products Expo West. I just ate a meat burrito, by accident, a sample given to our elephant team. They’re vegetarian burritos, we thought. But my friend Mathew just bit into one and said, this is chicken. I said, no way. I looked at mine. Yup, that’s chicken. Oh well, I said: it’s dead already.

I don’t like eating animals. I don’t like eating meat. But I’m vegetarian to save animals. If they’re already dead and I’m not ordering meat, adding to the wheel of supply and demand, I sure as hell am not gonna throw out the flesh of an animal that, unwillingly at that, died for my unwanted pleasure.

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A year ago, I was eating at one of my fave “eco-responsible” restaurants, and ordered a salad. It came with chicken, though it wasn’t listed on the menu (!?!?!). They apologized profusely, and went to take it back. I asked what they’d do with it.

Throw it out, I’m afraid.

I’ll eat it, I said. I tried, but ended up only eating the salad. The flesh felt, and tasted, like flesh: like the meat on a sentient being. I couldn’t do it. But I tried, and I tried not out of desire, but respect.

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What do you do, vegetarians and vegans, if served meat accidentally?