Vegan woman complains about smell after her neighbour cooks meat outside - so who’s in the right?

A man is having a fight with his vegan neighbour who complained about the smell of him cooking meat.

Posting on Reddit, the man explained that he makes beef jerky in his garden and asked for advice on how to handle complaints from his neighbours.

He wrote:

“They [the neighbours] moved in about 6 months ago and all was going well until the female neighbour knocked on our door and asked if we could stop making jerky outside because she and her husband are vegans, and the smell is making them sick.

“I told them I’d rather not have to make it inside because the smell is quite strong (ironic, I know) and that I’d prefer to continue to make it outside.

“I explained that it was only once every 2 or 3 months and maybe if I move it further away from their side it might make a difference. She wasn’t too happy but left.

“Last week I was making jerky again and sure enough she knocks on the door again, this time much angrier and demanded we stop because it was making her and her child sick.

“I told her that no, I wouldn’t stop and perhaps they could close up their house or something.”

He added that his old neighbours were fine with it but he wasn’t sure if he was in the right. He added:

“Anyway, I kind of feel bad because I can understand where she is coming from.”

Some people were firmly on his side, with one commenting: “People BBQ in their backyards all the time too and that smell goes everywhere.

“Is she going to go tell everyone they can’t BBQ in their backyards either because the smell of hotdogs and ribs are overwhelming?

“The entitlement of some people baffles my mind.”

But others thought the jerky maker was being a jerk. One said: “Dehydrating meat is honestly foul. And it lingers”.

“I imagine even some omnivorous neighbours would be pretty annoyed by the wafting scent of dog food permeating their yard,” another added.

A third added: “Dude if you don’t want the smell of dehydrating meat lingering in your house, you can imagine why they wouldn’t want it stinking out their garden.”

Reflecting on the comments he received, the man said he had decided it was acceptable to continue making jerky outside but that he would let them know in advance in future.

“I will endeavour to have a good relationship with my vegan neighbours and give them fair warning in the future. Hopefully they’ll be ok with that, otherwise there’s not much else I’ll be doing,” he added.

Will they be ok with that? We’re not holding our breath. But the neighbours probably are.