A woman on Reddit described how her family secretly tucked meat or meat products into her food while she was a practicing vegetarian during her high school years — and now the post has gone viral.
To date, the post has received some 2,300 reactions, with 600 people sharing comments about it — and a psychologist offered solace and advice about the issue as well.
Writing on the Reddit page known as "Am I the a--hole," the woman, calling herself "Lady_Squids," said she ate only vegetarian foods in high school "for a couple of years."
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She wrote, "I was really into it, not like ‘vegan teacher’ crazy, but more like I just enjoyed being in a community."
Today, she said, she's "no longer a vegetarian as an adult."
Recently, she heard her mother and grandmother "laughing" about her and telling stories "to their friends" about her time spent as a vegetarian.
The young woman wrote, "Turns out, the whole time I was vegetarian, my whole family (even extended, which is like 50 people) had a game where they would see how often they could sneak me meat."
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She said the family would cook her "veggies in bacon grease and stuff like that."
She said this type of food tampering apparently happened "at birthday parties, family gatherings, Thanksgiving, and just dinner at home," judging by the stories the family members were telling.
The woman said she learned her family members carried on an "inside-joke game for years, and I'm kinda upset" by it, she shared.
The young woman wrote that when she "confronted them" about it, "they said they were only doing it for my own good, that I needed more protein, but they kept smiling and giggling [with] one another."
The woman wrote to others on the platform that "maybe" they "really did do it because they cared, but it still feels mean."
The family, she also reported, "says I'm being a drama queen by being upset" about all of it.
She asked others, "So what do you think? Am I [wrong] for being upset by this, or should I just laugh with my family?"
The social media community leaped to the woman's defense about her food fight, deeming her not at all in the wrong — with the top reaction to her dilemma itself garnering nearly 3,000 reactions.
"It's valid you're upset by this," wrote the top commenter.
"At the same time, you can't retroactively do anything about it, unfortunately. So pick your battles. Although I would be wary of eating their food, considering the history of food tampering."
The same commenter went on, "Also, you may need to help your family understand nutrition. And just basic science. Bacon grease has 0 protein in it … It's a fat. Not a protein."
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The same person added, "It sounds like they think animal products = protein and that plant products can't have protein, and that's just horribly inaccurate."
The person went on, "To be clear, the comment about teaching their family about protein was sarcasm because they actually did this to humiliate her, not give her protein."
Even so, the same commenter wrote, the original poster "could give them science/nutrition lessons as a tongue-in-cheek way to insult them."
Another person wrote about what happened, "That's plain disrespectful."
Others also expressed concern about the woman's family, with one commenter calling them "childish and mean."
Wrote another commenter, "I am willing to bet their lack of respect and bad behavior can be seen in other situations you haven't thought about yet. I am not vegetarian, but I would never do this to anyone, especially my own family. If they genuinely can't see how messed up this behavior is, you need to distance yourself from them."
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Said another person in the comments section, "You don't have to cut them off or anything, but some healthy distance won't hurt."
Fox News Digital reached out to the original Reddit poster for comment.
Kathy Nickerson, a licensed clinical psychologist based in California, told Fox News Digital that it "would have been far better for [the woman's family] to express their feelings honestly rather than resort to deception" and make the woman "the butt of a joke."
Nickerson noted the family members could have told the woman, "We really enjoy eating meat at gatherings, so we don’t want to change what we cook."
Said Nickerson, "Not ideal, but honest."
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Or, the family members could have said, "I don’t want to cook a separate dish without animal products. It’s too much hassle."
Again, said Nickerson, that wouldn't be "the kindest response, but at least [it's] transparent and honest."
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What "is never acceptable," said Nickerson, "is lying and tricking someone, especially a loved one."
She recommended the young woman "speak privately with each family member involved, starting with the one you’re closest to, perhaps the mom."
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She said the conversation could go this way: "Mom, I overheard you talking about my vegetarian choices, and I felt really hurt for two reasons. First, you lied to me and didn’t respect my wishes. Second, you made my beliefs a joke and mocked me behind my back. This makes me feel unsafe and like my feelings don’t matter. If I ever have a dietary restriction or request again, I feel like I can’t trust you to honor it. Can you understand where I’m coming from?"
Said Nickerson, "See if they listen, validate your feelings and offer reassurance. If they don’t, you might say, ‘OK, then I’ll need to bring my own food to family gatherings in the future.’"
If people in the family are "still indignant," the psychologist said, then the woman "may even decide to skip family gatherings for a while."
