Dad and vegetarian son clash over family’s meat freezer
One man recently explained in a Reddit thread that he and his son had gotten into an argument about rotting meat. Reddit has truly seen it all at this point, mark my words…
Turns out, the son took it upon himself to unplug the family’s meat freezer in the middle of summer. The father was upset because his son wasted a lot of money, so he proposed what he thought was a fair solution. Redditors were eager to share their thoughts about this beefy situation.
The Rise Of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism has become extremely popular in recent decades.
Many people make the switch to a vegetarian diet because of the potential health benefits, and because of the way animals are treated in the industry.
This Dad Wanted Some Advice
Recently, Reddit user temptemptemp772 posted a thread asking if he was in the wrong for “making my son deal with rotting meat.”
This is definitely something that I’ve never seen before, so buckle up, folks, ’cause this is about to get interesting…
“I Take A Few Deer Off My Property Once A Year”
The dad starts the post off by explaining that he goes hunting every year. He’s not a trophy hunter by any means, he just does it for meat and economic reasons.
He explains: “Taking a few deer off my property once a year keeps my freezer stocked and the grocery bill way down which is important because finances can be tight sometimes. As a little relevant background, the bulk of the meat is kept in a large freezer in the garage.”
His Son Recently Decided To Go Vegetarian
The dad explains that six months ago, his son decided to become a vegetarian.
“We started making meatless meals twice a week and made sure every other dinner was such that the meat was separate from everything else so he could still eat with us. This has been working great for the last six months with no complaints.”
He Noticed The Freezer Was Unplugged
“However, last week when I pulled the meat for the week out of our freezer in the garage he decided to come behind me and unplug the freezer. I guess he thought we weren’t doing enough to support his cause? He never spoke to us or complained about our twice-a-week set up prior to unplugging the freezer.”
Left to sit for a few weeks in the summer heat, the meat in the freezer began to rot, and it took the family a while to realize that everything had gone completely bad.
“I Unplugged It On Purpose”
The dad explains that he asked his son if he knew what happened, and he proudly said that he had unplugged it on purpose so the family would have to be meat-free. The dad told him that he didn’t have the right to ruin a freezer full of meat and raise the family’s grocery bill.
So, the dad said that as part of his punishment, his son would have to clean up his mess—meaning dispose of all of the rotting meat and either sufficiently clean and sanitize the freezer or purchase a new one out of his savings…
The Son Was Upset
The son called his father a jerk for making him interact with meat in any form.
The father was left feeling conflicted because his son made the mess, so he needed to clean it up. Let’s see what people had to say about this story.
“I’m A Vegetarian Myself”
“I’m a vegetarian myself, and I’d argue that what he’s done is worse because the deer have now died for no reason. Plus, it’s not okay for him to intentionally ruin the family’s groceries and waste money.” -LizWeasley / Reddit
Multiple vegetarians commented about the fact that the meat was left to go to waste because of the son’s actions, and even though he was trying to make a point, he ended up wasting the family’s food and money.
Therefore, many commenters voted the father as not the jerk (NTA).
“Hunters Are Vital”
“Hunters are vital in maintaining the health of the herd, and it sounds like OP is hunting in accordance with the law.” -Wandering_Scholar6 / Reddit
Some people commented that hunting for food has more benefits than buying meat from grocery stores.
Many people agreed that even though the punishment will be gruesome and disgusting for the son, he will learn a lesson and he needs to “clean up his own messes.”
People Were Concerned About The Smell Sticking
“I’m wondering if the smell of the rot can ever truly be removed, and if it can’t, if it’ll contaminate the new meat.” -Waury / Reddit
People expressed their concerns about the family never being able to remove the rotting smell from the freezer.
One user explained: “Chances are the smell in [the] freezer saturated the internal insulation. The entire unit would be ruined if that’s the case.” Looks like the son will have to get his checkbook out…
Everyone Thought That The Punishment Was Fair
The consensus on the thread was that the son had good intentions, but unfortunately, he didn’t seem to fully think through the situation.
Commenters, both meat-eating and vegetarian alike, agreed that the punishment was appropriate and fair.
