I had cheese put into my food before, but now I was given meat-meat and not only once but twice (different places).
It wasn’t even by people not understanding what veganism is, it was just a very blatant swap.
Sure, I got money back, but I’m wondering: has the acceptance of vegans gone down and malice towards us gone up? I would’ve thought it would’ve gotten better over time.
I’m asking because I’m so far removed from the vegan community I forget I’m vegan because the store being “empty” for me is the norm, as is checking labels etc; I’ve no clue whether other vegans are facing similar issues as of late.
It’s fairly common to have English speaking servers, especially in large cities and student towns. That’s not really an issue. Even at significantly less than native proficiency, it usually works out.
The main problem here is that you need to know exactly what is on the menu so you can recognize the order, and you need to be aware of the variations so you can ask for clarification of you don’t get it the first time.
I’ve also found that in the Netherlands, “vegan” and “vegetarian” get swapped often. So I’ve gotten used to telling people I’m lactose intolerant as well as vegan.