Guy Epically Factchecks Friend Who Shamed Him For Eating Veal Because She 'Doesn't Eat Babies'

Some people have deep identity issues regarding their food.

What a person will and will NOT eat can be seen as sacred.

People are very serious about this topic.

So much so that it can become an emotional issue at dinner parties and social gatherings.

Redditor Andrewcoo found himself in a personal dilemma regarding his friend's issues with different types of meat, so he turned to the "Am I The A**Hole" (AITAH) subreddit for feedback.

Similar to AITA, the AITAH subReddit allows posters to ask for advice and post about ending relationships—both things that are banned on AITA. However, there are no required voting acronyms—only suggested ones—and no official final judgment declared.

He asked:

"WIBTAH for repeatedly telling someone that she eats babies?"

The original poster (OP) explained:

"When my partner (58 M[ale]) and I (41M) ordered veal, a friend (69 F[emale]) of his said she wouldn't be having the veal because she doesn't eat babies."

"After the three of us got our meals, she again announced she doesn't eat veal or lamb because she doesn't eat babies, and went on to enjoy her chicken."

"I liked the veal, but her remark was untimely to say the least."

"She visited a few months later, and for some reason (I can't remember) she announced her stance again (even though we weren't having lamb or veal)."

"Later, when my partner said she would be visiting again, I decided to do some research."

"I discovered chickens are killed younger than lambs and calves for meat, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of their natural lifespan."

"Lo and behold, at an afternoon gathering with various other people, a wedding menu was discussed, and she proclaimed, 'I don't eat babies' yet again."

"I said, 'But you eat chicken.'"

"She said, 'So?'"

"I said, 'They're only around 6 weeks old when they're slaughtered for meat."

"She responded,' No, they're not; they're fully grown!'"

"Me - 'That's because of how bred and fed.'"

"Her - 'I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. SHUT UP!!!'"

"I shut up so as not to cause more of a scene."

"Months go by, and she visits again."

"I swear her 'I don't eat babies' stance must be core to her identity."

"Because I kid you not, she announces it again."

"I'm seething inside, but I don't say anything."

"I can't seem to let this go."

"She says it in a way that to me comes across as so morally superior."

"Which I could possibly tolerate if I believed it were true."

"Here's what I want to do and WIBTAH for doing it?"

"Next time she visits, I want to say with authority: you either stop eating chicken or you stop saying I don't eat babies. If you continue to do both, you're a liar!'"

The OP was left to wonder:

"So... WIBTAH?"

Some Redditors weighed in by using the AITA voting acronyms:

• NTA - Not The A**hole
• YTA - You're The A**hole
• NAH - No A**holes Here
• ESH - Everyone Sucks Here

Redditors decided the OP was NOT the A**hole here.

"Or just tell her to knock it off already, you've all heard her by now, with a deadpan expression like you're over it - cause you are."

"She's being childish." ~ D3rangedButFun

"The fact that the people in this story range from being in their 40s to their 60s is utterly and completely astounding to me."

"The sheer childishness on display is staggering." ~ medium_buffalo_wings

"I would just look at her and say, 'We know.'”

"Every time. Or maybe when you introduce her to people, you could say, 'This is Sue. She doesn’t eat babies.'”

"Like really lean into it."

"Get her a shirt that proclaims, 'I don’t eat babies!'”

"Go whole hog."

"Make her a bumper sticker!"

"A keychain gift her a series of stickers."

"A business card, 'Sue Sanctimonius, not a baby eater.'"

"When she arrives, preempt it 'Don’t worry, Sue! I’m not serving babies today,' or if you go out to eat and do want veal, tell everyone that you’re ordering 'the baby.'"

" If it becomes a big enough joke, she may knock it off."

'I would have so much fun with it."

"Now I wish I had a friend with this habit."

"NTA by the way." ~ HarpyVixenWench

"Invite a vegan over at the same time and have them shame her for eating chicken." ~ mystic_chihuahua

"Rather than a straight confrontation, here's what I'd do as a suggestion (but I'm petty as hell anyway)..."

"For the next dinner outing, make a passing comment about how you hope there's some vegan meals available when getting the menu."

"If somebody takes the bait and asks about it, just say you're forgoing meat for now."

"So when somebody asks for more details, or at the very least when she brings up her slogan again, you can spin it how she's been such an inspiration for you."

"Flattering her WILL have her listening, and you simply cannot be painted as the bad guy by veiling it that way... lol."

"Something like: 'You know, I always admired her stance on that, so I decided to look it all up, and she's completely right! Lamb is slaughtered at x age, veil at x age, and (a little emphasis here) even chicken at 6 weeks! (Hit them with your best 'Can you believe it?!' face.) It's really something we just consume without a second thought, so I am trying to do better and not eat any living creatures, no matter their age.'"

"English is not my first language, but you probably get the gist."

"If you see her only here and there, months apart, she won't know what you eat outside of these events." ~ PM_ME_YOUR_CUDDLES_

"I am a vegan who typically avoids arguments about moral superiority like the plague, especially during meals, but I can confirm that if a friend asked me to be That Vegan for them in this situation, I’d be happy to do so lol."

"I grew up with pet chickens and later worked on a farm where part of my job was slaughtering meat chickens, and I find this lady’s claim of moral superiority especially infuriating when she eats chickens."

"Chickens are among the worst-abused beings in animal agriculture."

"Poultry are even excluded from basic protections like the Humane Slaughter Act and the 28 Hour Law that protect livestock."

"And I can confirm from personal experience that they still have high-pitched chirpy baby peeps when they’re slaughter weight at ~2 months old or younger."

"They’ve just been bred to grow horrifically fast."

"Sorry. Not trying to rant."

"But she can’t act morally superior for 'not eating babies' when she literally eats babies!"

"Also, if she actually gave a sh*t about the babies in question, she wouldn’t immediately get people’s hackles up by being snotty (the same mistake some vegans make, which is not only not persuasive, but it also makes people annoyed and more entrenched)."

'It’s not about the animals to people like that."

"It’s just an excuse to feel superior." ~ whistling-wonderer

"She wants to feel morally superior without actually inconveniencing herself in any way to be morally superior." ~ BabynATrenchc0at

"Should have shown her a video of commercial poultry farming."

"Although I don't think any animals should be treated inhumanely, it is a bit different when it's a smarter, social animal."

"I think baby cows vs. chickens is still different based on my interactions with farm animals lol."

"Overall, though, your argument would have been more effective if you showed her current farming practices."

"Veal isn't raised like it used to be."

"It's still pretty bad, but that's the case for all commercially raised animals, not just baby cows, and it's especially bad for poultry." ~ ph0artef1

"The way veal is raised, separated from the mom and confined, is especially cruel."

"It's not that you're eating babies, it's that you're eating an animal that was tortured to be tender." ~ bubblebutt_86

"I agree completely, veal is especially cruel, but if you look into chickens and pig breeding pens, it's also incredibly inhumane."

"Not even touching on the age of the animals, the treatment of a lot of meat animals is pretty terrible, cows actually kind of have it the easiest of everyone." ~ chuubastis

"The standards have changed."

"They aren't kept from moving anymore, but it's still not great."

"Nothing in commercial farming is."

"It's all incredibly inhumane, regardless of age."

'So it's just hypocritical to claim moral superiority while eating chickens, which are arguably treated the worst of all commercially farmed animals."

"They aren't as smart, but it's still cruel." ~ ph0artef1

"NTA, as a chef, I find nothing bothers me more than people who refuse to engage with the ethics of their consumption."

"I run into so many people who won’t eat a fish with the head on or any sign that their protein used to be an animal."

"If you can’t face the fact that your fish had a head and eyes, you shouldn’t eat it."

"By all means, have a moral stance, but make it consistent."

"I have as much respect for a vegan as I do for a guy that goes out and hunts and eats an elk."

"But don’t bury your head in the sand cause chicken is yummy and you wanna keep eating it." ~ Pepperyhalibut

"She sounds annoying AF, and I would sit down with your partner about not having them over anymore."

"Your partner should be supportive of getting rid of someone who bullies you like she is. NTA." ~ EclecticEvergreen

"NTA. Next time you see her, suggest that she start riding a bike, doing CrossFit, or go full vegan, as those are the only possible ways she could be more aggressively annoying." ~ SnarkFest2026

Reddit is with you, OP.

This woman's behavior is uncalled for.

If she is too much, maybe stop inviting her to dinner.

Do yourself the favor.

Enjoy your meals.