Question: Although I am a Buddhist vegan, I sometimes receive non-vegan dishes of food wrongly prepared by restaurants. Should I just consume them?
Answer: Since the mistakes are from the restaurants, they should be notified to be re-served with the right order. This is important, so that the restaurants will be alerted and thus be more mindful, to prevent more of such mistakes in the future.
Question: What if the dishes were wrongly ordered?
Answer: Since the mistakes are from oneself, to not create the slightest evil karmic affinity with the dead animals, their carcasses and produce should not be eaten. Not eating them will also give no excuse to give in to possibly insidiously present greed for meat and such. Double-paying to get the order right also makes one more mindful, to prevent more of such mistakes in the future.
Question: Is rejecting wrong meals considered as wasting food?
Answer: Non-vegan dishes should not be regarded as food. They are the unfortunate remains of sentient beings and their products. Thus, food will not be wasted if they are not consumed.
Question: How about giving them to non-vegans?
Answer: Since we do not want to support the eating of animals, their bodies should not be offered to others, who might like their taste and order more in the future.
Question: What else should be done?
Answer: There should be mindfulness of Buddha to create and dedicate meritorious virtues to the animals, with practice of repentance first too, if the food was wrongly ordered.
