Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I walked past a young lady today as she was biting into (while walking in the opposite direction) a corned beef sandwich and the smell was so overwhelming that I actually dry heaved -- it is a good thing I had an empty stomach or I would of had a much more embarrassing situation to deal with. Minutes after that, I had to walk past a selection of the days animal product offerings and I the feelings came back in another wave. Is this kinda thing normal for vegans? I have been clean for a couple of years and I have not had this happen until now.

I do notice, that more exposure I have to the injustices perpetrated on non-human animals, the more deeply I feel the sadness. It is much more painful now....almost like the ability for compassion is strengthening like an exercised muscle. Is the above scenario an offshoot of that? Just curious if it is common and will be occuring from time to time (which I suspect) or if I am just have a sensitive day.

Thanks for your insight.

I feel nauseous at the smell of smoked sausages especially. Yes I do feel sadder without the blinders on. When people talk about how much they love a meat dish I think about the torture and fear that came before it came to their plate. I am not sure how others feel but I feel this way.

This happens to me with cheese. Specifically, super gooey, stretchy looking cheese, like on pizza or mac n' cheese. A friend once told me something gross about what casein does while digesting or something (I can't even remember what it was now, and it probably wasn't even true) but it's stuck with me ever since.

Yeah, it is really hard to bite my tongue because there are so many opportunities to challenge their choices, and so many angles to argue from. I just want to grab people and shake some sense in them...

and then I remember that I was just like them for a really long time; however I didn't run from the truth though once I found out about it. I embrace the facts. So many people around me just don't want to know because it will force them to make an educated choice instead of being totally blind to the situation.

It happens. Smell more so than sight will make me dry heave but I have a pretty weak stomach. Bacon won't do it as much as the smell as hot dairy or ham or greasy fish. I don't know if it's normal but it happens to me.

I think the smell of certain meats can gross anyone out, not just veg'ns though I do feel like I'm more sensitized to it these days...especially hot dairy. One of my coworkers brings some pork dish for lunch most days and it smells like really gross dog food. He will stink up the whole lab with it. I've started to take my lunches outside because the smell makes me gag.

I'm definitely more aware of animal suffering and it also really affects me now, to the point of feeling physically ill. I'm also really affected by human suffering these days. I can't even watch any movies depicting violence or suffering without getting really distraught.

The fish and meat section of our local market smells awful to me. It's sectioned off from the rest of the market but if I'm walking by and someone comes out of the automatic doors the smell that comes out with it is something I can't inhale. Same with the hot chicken counter at the supermarket, which smells like hot stale urine to me now.

Cheese, especially cooked cheese, is doing it to me lately. It's like I went from mildly craving cheese once in a while to overnight being wholly grossed out.

I always take pains to avoid the meat sections of the store, but I've gotten light headed and weak kneed when I've had to stop to get something for my mom for my dad. I think this was only once or twice, but given the long list of things they both always do for me (including go out of their way to get vegan things), it seemed really awful of me to refuse.

The smell of mayonnaise gets me every single time. Thankfully where I work now there is no hot meals. Last place I used to work in I used to almost pass out at the smell of things like beef and lamb.

I'm not particularly bothered by the smell of most meats, but fish really does it to me. I have to hold my breath if I get near the back of Whole Foods, and my roommate has recently taken to cooking fish several times per week, so that's forking nasty.

Yes - this too! I forgot until now when Mr8 and I walked into a tea shop and left straight away because of the smell of toasted cheese.

Also when someone cooks fish at work in the microwave just before I want to heat up my lunch. Ick!

The other night at work we had a "food night" and everybody brought stuff to share. We usually set-up a clean little table in the medication room, and we'll graze all night. Well, someone brought shrimp. Every time I had to go mix meds I had to fight back the chunks, and this was even for hours after it was gone.

I get randomly nauseated by random foods. The seafood area of the grocery store has always done that to me, even in my omni days. Smells hit me randomly, sometimes they make me feel ill, other times I just ignore them.

I think the worst is when I smell cheese and think it smells great. Then I feel sick because it smelled good...oh, the confusion.

I never liked the smell of tuna - but now it really makes me ill feeling.

I am like you bekki - cheese and bacon both still make me salivate...and then I remember what they are and I feel a little unwell. Wish that stupid bacon smell would hang around ALL day when my husband cooks it in the morning...

Fish - makes me so sick...Fried greasy smells make me feel dirty...

The worst is leaving a restaurant and the smell that lingers on your clothing.

i was veg for 15+ years before becoming vegan and meat smells didnt really bother me that much but after becoming vegan i cant stomach seeing/smelling certain things.

steak doesnt bother me (i actually like the smell) but bacon or ham makes me want to projectile vomit.
chicken being overcooked makes me want to puke.

i cant stand looking at hamburg that is some nasty shiitake.

cheese doesnt bother me though.

i think it's kind of normal because you associate the end result with how it was treated to get there. a thing most humans seem to be missing. most people block out those things and keep eating.

yeah this is the worst cause it always smells rotten and old too.

*vomits*

We have a bbq ribs festival that happens down the street from us in the summer. I went from finding that smell appetizing as an omni to being wholly and truly nauseated by the smell and the sight.

I just came from a friend's house and she had a huge hunk of raw meat defrosting on her counter. I haven't seen raw meat in years and I threw up in my mouth a little.

My father-in-law got a huge hunk of meat for Christmas, and I seriously had to look away. I never thought I would be "that vegan." I guess it's been a little over three years since I stopped eating meat (vegan off and on, but mostly on since about 2.5 years ago), and living hours away from family, I never really had to see that shiitake either. When I say "huge hunk," I'm talking like, half of a large animal. Uugghhh.

Not quite as traumatizing as husband's uncle walking in with a giant dead turkey slung over his shoulder on Thanksgiving though.

Interesting reading. Guess no matter how hard I try, I am ultimately destined to be "that vegan" as creep noted above. Glad I am progressing normally. I will gladly take the occasional bout of nausea vs. all the other benefits of being a joyful peaceful vegan.

Funapack, I know you a bike rider: how about those evening rides in the summer being inundated by BBQ smells 2-3 times a block? I never noticed it all when I was a meat eater. BBQ smell really doesn't bother me too much at this point but it was a very noticeable change in perception. I assume my progression will mean that my bike rides will be pretty gross in the near future.

Yes! Frozen dinners in the work microwave are worst for me. Ugggh they don't even smell like food, just a box of weird chemical shiitake. The smell lingers for hours afterward, too. Also rotisserie chicken in the grocery store will make me gag as well. Again it doesn't even smell like food - just old grease and chemicals. I hate being in line behind someone buying one because a) god awful smell b) nasty chicken bag on belt where I have to put my items and c) I can't help thinking the chicken buyer is a gross disgusting person for actually eating that.

Also totally agree with Fupa on the restaurant smells, that is the worst when the smell is in your hair and clothes!! Eww!

You know what's weird is that BBQ veggies smell like BBQ meat to me. Maybe I'm just smelling the charred bits? I actually thought it was pretty funny that last summer we were grilling portabellos on our patio and our upstairs neighbor was like "oh man, someone's grilling STEAK and it smells AMAZING1!!!111!!!11!" and then I shouted back that it was mushrooms, which resulted in silence. Ha ha ha!

The people above me are huge (literally) meat eaters and they said to me that they are going to break my door down and steal my dinners because of all the fantastic aromas they get. I responded, "Sure come on down...but you know I am a vegan right...like, no meat." Silence and then, "Why don't you eat meat? You don't need to lose any weight!"