It’s happened, we have our first nominee for the 2023 Cringe Awards. An award for the person who does something so yikes that it makes the soul leave its body. Our first nominee is John Mountain, the FYRE’s chef who has banned all vegans from his Perth restaurant.
That’s right, in 2023, some people still think it’s funny to dunk on vegans. They’re trapped in the past. They’re mentally in 2005, when Gordon Ramsey tricked a vegetarian into eating some ham. They just can’t seem to grow up.
On June 19, FYRE asserted on Facebook, “Sadly, all Vegans are now banned from FYRE… We thank you for your understanding.”
But why are vegans now banned from this Perth restaurant? Well, it all started when a customer contacted Mountain and asked if FYRE had any vegan options. Mountain stated that they didn’t, but they will accommodate their needs. However, Mountain subsequently forgot about this interaction.
Understandably, this upset the Mountain’s customer when they went to FYRE’s Connolly-based restaurant. They then later complained to him over Messenger.
In a private message, they wrote, “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone, and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef.”
Granted, this is a very spicy message. But how did FYRE reply? Did they take the high road or did they drill to the core of the Earth?
Well, FYRE replied, “Thanks for your negative review… Please feel free to share your s**tty experience, and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish.”
“You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue. You are now banned.”
This response resulted in FYRE getting review bombed. It received a whack of one-star reviews. Unfortunately, some folks have gone through calling Mountain’s action cringe, to being cringe themselves.
When reflecting on the experience, Mountain said, “I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f**k off.”
So, that’s the long and the short of it. Well, besides the bit where FYRE weaponised therapy speech in their Facebook post. They originally claimed that they were banning vegans for “mental health reasons.” Experiencing mental health adversity is never a reason to spew hatred.
However, at this point, I’m not mad, I’m just exhausted. How long will our debates be trapped in 2005? When will the Cringe Awards be unnecessary? Hopefully, the answer is soon.
Related: The Best Sandwich Shops In Perth to Drop Into
Related: Plant-Based Recipes That Are Perfect For The Whole Family
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