A chef in England is facing death threats after she posted that she “spiked” a vegan’s meal at the restaurant she owns.
Laura Goodman posted on her Facebook that she had “spiked” a group of “pious and judgmental” vegans with non-vegan foods. According to the Telegraph, her Facebook post read: “Pious, judgmental vegan (who I spent all day cooking for) has gone to bed still believing she’s a vegan.” Goodman later specified that she served a group of people the non-vegan food, not just one woman.
Her post ignited a strong backlash, resulting in death threats and calls for Goodman to be charged with assault. Her restaurant, Carlini in Shropshire, England, was attacked by a barrage of one-star reviews by angry patrons on TripAdvisor, which caused the restaurant to drop to a 1-star rating before the site temporarily suspended new reviews.
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from consuming all animal products, such as meat, eggs, and milk. Many vegans choose their lifestyle for philosophical or even health-related reasons. Local Shropshire vegans are threatening to picket the restaurant, outraged that Goodman violated someone’s personal lifestyle choice.
Hope Lye, the founder of Telford Vegan Action, told the Telegraph, “I have had dairy product put in a meal before and because I have been a vegan so long I ended up in hospital with violent diarrhea and violent stomach cramps… When you are trying to live an ethical lifestyle this is a place where you expect the chef to get it right, so this is absolutely appalling.”
Michael Gale, the restaurant’s co-owner, and Goodman’s fiancé, apologized on behalf of Goodman and said she was devastated at the response her comments had prompted. He told The Mirror, “We are very passionate about good quality vegan and vegetarian food… This has all got out of hand. There was absolutely no meat in the dishes. We have received death threats and had all sorts of vitriol thrown at us.”
“The comments were made when [Goodman] was very tired and had a few drinks at the end of a 72-hour week,” Gale told The Mirror. “It was a bad choice of words. It was a mistake.”
After days of backlash, Goodman offered her resignation Wednesday, according to the BBC.
There is currently an investigation underway from the Shropshire Council government body.
