Vegan Chef Refuses To Compromise His Ethics, Quits Romanian MasterChef On Being Asked To Cook Meat

Veganism is a lifestyle people adopt and swear by for a myriad of ethical reasons. Then there are others who choose a plant-based lifestyle out of concern for the environment and in order to combat climate change. Hence, it is understandable why people who lead this lifestyle have an aversion to cooking with meat. This ethical conundrum was faced by Romanian MasterChef contestant Alex Lenghel, when he was abruptly asked to cook beef on the show. In a stunning display of moral rectitude, Lenghel made the decision to walk off the set rather than cook meat.

The challenge that turned problematic

As a vegan and professional athlete, it appeared that Alex was doing well in the show, but things turned problematic in the latest episode. The first challenge was where the participants grouped together to whip up a meal for the judges. Lenghel worked with Andrei Klabacs to present a dish. This sent the two into the elimination round where the contestants were given beef to cook. The judges asked them to recreate a meat dish, but this was a problem for Alex who has been vegan for over three years. As the judges demanded that Alex cook meat during the elimination round, he found that he was unable to do so.

Reasons behind Alex’s refusal to cook meat

The professional athlete was the show’s first-ever vegan contestant. But when a challenge started with people binding the meat with a piece of string, it became clear that Alex couldn’t follow the cookout. Even though one of the judges tried to urge him to do it, Lenghel explained that he has no need to compromise his principles. The judge even tried to convince Alex by stating that he doesn’t have to eat the meat, he only needs to cook it for others. They probed “I’d like to ask you again Alex, are you going to cook the meat, or are you going to go home?”

The judges did no effort to offer Alex any other meat-free replacements for the task. Therefore, Lenghel remained resolute that he didn’t sign up for the show to cook meat after being a vegan for several years in his life. In the end, Langhel opted to take off his chef apron and leave the show.

The main area of conflict

Langhel said that he believed it was incorrect to kill animals for pleasure. He added that cooking meat was against his ethical beliefs. “I can’t cook meat when I believe that it is not normal to kill animals just for our pleasure. They need to be more flexible with ingredients offered in the show, as there are lots of vegan substitutes for everything,” Langhel stated.

His hope for the future is that reality shows like MasterChef, respect the ethical beliefs of contestants and choose plant-based practices. Indeed, offering contestants plant-based alternatives and substitute cooking ingredients is a must to respect their ethical beliefs. After all, veganism is a widespread choice that many are gravitating toward today out of concern for the health and safety of every creature on the planet.