If you've proudly chosen a vegan diet, does that mean you can ask the people next door to avoid barbecuing their meat outside?
That's the debate playing out in a community Facebook group in Australia right now, where a petty fight between two neighbours has quickly captured international attention as we head into barbecue season.
Photos shared in the Hey Perth community Facebook group show that one neighbour has penned some angry letters about the "meat smell" coming from the house next door, and the whole thing has people hungry for a resolution.
The vegan family, led by a woman named Sarah, and the meat-eating family, led by a woman named Kylie, have each shared photos of Sarah's letters with the group, and many of them sound intense.
"PLEASE TAKE SERIOUSLY," reads the message written on the envelope of the first letter, which Sarah sent to the group last week. She titled it "IMPORTANT MESSAGE" and asked her neighbour to "please shut your window when cooking please."
Letter to the neighbours.Sarah via Hey Perth | Facebook
"My family are vegan (we eat only plant based foods) and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset. We would appreciate your understanding." She signed the letter "Sarah, Wayne & Kids."
The letter backfired on Sarah pretty quickly in the comments.
"Just because they've chosen to be vegan, it's not your problem," read one comment.
"Letter should say it's hard to be vegan when the kids and husband wanna go next door for dinner," wrote another.
"Time to organize an outdoor BBQ," joked someone else.
Only it didn't turn out to be a joke. The other home held an outdoor barbecue a few days later, prompting another furious letter from Sarah.
"LAST WARNING," read the letter. "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH PLEASE TAKE SERIOUSLY."
Last warning letter. Kylie via Hey Perth | Facebook
Sarah goes on in the letter to say that Kylie is "downright rude" for ignoring her request and having a "BBQ on a Saturday night and inviting lots of ppl, and you knew this would affect me and my family."
Sarah also accused Kylie of taking the first letter "to social media" and said she'll do the same if things keep going this way.
"Please no more BBQ's and please keep that window closed when cooking otherwise I'm going to report you."
Kylie told the Facebook group that she'd planned the barbecue weeks in advance to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.
Some commenters criticized both sides as petty and called for more respect in the neighbourhood.
Others urged the meat-eating family to keep doing what they're doing and let the vegan deal with it.
"Party at Kylie's this weekend," wrote one person.
The two women have not been fully identified in the group.
The whole thing might sound ridiculous, but Australia has seen exactly this kind of debate blow up in the past.
Another vegan woman sued her neighbour over the smell of meat on the barbecue a few years ago. The whole thing went to Western Australia's Supreme Court and even sparked a plan for thousands to hold a barbecue outside the vegan woman's house. The case was ultimately dismissed.
In other words, this sort of veggie beef can quickly get out of hand if it's not settled quickly — especially when so many people are ready to roast you in public!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.