Chef in America accused of cultural appropriation for ‘pretending to be vegan by using tofu in recipe

A chef has come under fire for using tofu in his recipes despite not being a vegan.

The chef heated exchange, which was later shared on Reddit, began innocently, with the vegan complimenting the chef for his ‘tofurkey’ recipe.

“I loved your tofurkey recipe you shared, how long you been vegan?” the message read.

The chef replied, explaining how he was not vegan or vegetarian but just didn’t like the taste of texture of most meats.

He was then accused of pretending to be vegan.

“So your (sic) like pretending to be vegan cause it’s cool and in? I’ve been vegan 3 years now and it was the best decision of my life. It’s not hip or cool. It’s important.”

The chef attempted to explain how he wasn’t pretending to vegan. He explained how he had been open about eating beef but preferred tofu over most meats.

The vegan then responded with an outrageous claim.

“Tofu is strictly for vegans and vegetarians.

“You are basically admitting to appropriating us and stealing what we need for your own selfish use.

“I’m going to request to the admin that you are removed from our group.”

The chef then fired back, saying: “With all due respect, I’m not appropriating anything, I’m eating food I like you absolute f***.”