The mooing cry heard ’round the world. Someone stood up and complained about fake cheese still being called cheese. In just a matter of days, the new movement has spread like a wildfire traveling in the express lane on a hot and windy day. So… what is going on? What is real and what is fake besides the cheese? Is a grilled Gary just around the corner?
No, not the anonymous protesters who wear Guy Fawke’s masks. Who knows what they eat. This was an anonymous posting from one person that struck a chord with vegans everywhere and she made a point. If it is not cheese, can we really call it cheese? The irony here is that the poster is not a vegan. The complaint was calling the fake cheese “cheese” when it is really not. Vegans everywhere are taking up the challenge. Gary is born.
The complaint was sparked by and directed at a company called Sainsbury buying out a competitor in the vegan marketplace. To the poster, calling the coconut-based non-dairy product “cheese” was the last straw. Her diatribe posted on Facebook brought the discussion to the public, inspiring a whole horde of cheese-less fanatics to take up the banner. The response was overwhelming. Instead of causing a beef, Sainsbury came out with a new line that is marked an “alternative to cheese”called “Free From” but not Gary. But, still no grilled Gary yet.
Vegan Photoshoppers took to their desks and cut, copied and pasted existing brands with the new name for non-dairy cheese. Now, Gary is everywhere except the supermarket shelves. Some readers and articles are believing that Gary is now a real option for the public. There is still hope that someone might make a grilled Gary that vegans can enjoy in reality but no one is holding their breath… yet. When can we have a real grilled Gary sandwich?
Vegans everywhere were suddenly refusing to say the word “cheese”. Even non-vegans are getting in on the joke. Instead of wine and cheese parties, wine and Gary parties started sprouting up. A fictional and overworked Gary was interviewed on the production line how the crew was trying to get Gary out to everyone who wants it. One very real French vegan even posted a complaint that “it is hard to find Gary over here”. Even those who are not getting the joke are in on it.
A true sign of civilization is how difference of opinions are handled. Violence is still around unfortunately as are hate crimes. But, making things into a joke is an evolution. True, some jokes can be hateful and not really growth. But, have vegans been laughing at us omnivores all this time and we are just now noticing?
The real humor behind all of this is that the whole argument was started by a non-vegan and it still benefits… vegans.