It is not uncommon that from time to time we explain that in a restaurant a mother who breastfeeds her baby has been invited to go out, or to do it in the sink. It is not uncommon because it has happened many times. What is rare, very rare, is that the opposite happens: forbid you to give your baby the bottle.
This is what happens in a vegan restaurant, and the debate is served because there are those who defend the freedom of the restaurant owners to choose what can and cannot be eaten in their establishment, and there are those who defend the baby's right to be fed wherever and whenever, based on your needs.
We like mothers ...
As we read in the Diari of Tarragona, the vegan restaurant "The Vergel" He shared this image on his Instagram account, with the aforementioned text. They did it as a warning for mothers and fathers to avoid giving bottles of cow's milk inside. It is possible that it happened on some recent occasion and that's why they shared it, but there is no record.
Interestingly, on TripAdvisor a mother told what happened to her in this regard just over a year ago:
"Mom humiliated"
We were celebrating a birthday with friends, my 4 month old baby had to eat and I gave him the bottle. Shortly after starting it, the waiter put a paper next to my plate and left. The paper said that you can not enter with food of animal origin and if it is a bottle then either. Amazing. I didn't know what to do, it was a totally unexpected situation, humiliating and unable to defend myself. Let me know with a paper ... The waiter did not know what kind of milk I am giving my baby, it could have been breast milk, or of vegetable origin but it is the same, I think it is very very personal, I would even say intimate.
Anyway, what did the waiter expect? To keep the bottle as if nothing? What just gave the bottle to my daughter in the street? I guess there will be mothers who get up from the table and leave ... very very bad.
Then we saw the same notice at the entrance between several papers.
I liked the place, the concept, the food, I went several times, but I will never go again. I think that in the hospitality industry you have to be much more humble and above all respect your customers. At the end of dinner he told me that next time they will prepare a bottle of vegetable milk ... This does not work that way. Babies are in development and cannot change food as an adult.
I think that such an extreme would not be necessary to carry their ideas, if they mess with the babies they could already prohibit the entry of people with bags, wallets or leather jackets or prohibit the use of toilets to those customers who ate meat / milk / eggs inside 48 hours ...
The concept they intend to promote seems great to me and I am totally in favor.
The way they did that day with me and my baby rather reminds me of a totalitarian regime.
To which from the restaurant they responded in this way:
Dear Customer:I am very sorry that you felt humiliated. You are right to complain and feel bad. The form might not be the most appropriate. It is not easy for us to face these situations either. We try that people who come with children receive this information before entering the restaurant, both with the notice at the entrance door and verbally when making a reservation, in order to minimize these conflicts.
I am the waiter who reminded you of this standard established in our restaurant; I am also one of the owners. I decided to give them the written notice when they started giving the baby the milk, assuming that they had not heard until then. In doing so, he tried to avoid exposing them and creating an awkward situation in front of his tablemates. Unfortunately, during the time that the restaurant has been open we have had to witness the supply of baby food with ingredients of animal origin both directly and secretly by some parents, which is why we have decided that no type of food is consumed Exterior. Customers should also keep in mind that there are rules in each business; for example, a dress code, the admission or not of pets, children ... We do not discriminate against families with children, despite the fact that on many occasions the rest of customers complain and ask us to prohibit them from entering. I do not say that this time was the case.
Regarding the opinion that we do not allow customers to enter with leather wallets or who have eaten ingredients of animal origin before, it is, again, a property decision. The determinations that are made in a business are not democratic. Who assumes the risk and responsibility are the owners, and ours are the decisions. As a restaurant, we do not accept food from abroad. We have vegetable milk suitable for babies, porridge and mashed vegetables and fruit compotes. Nor do we have any problem with mothers breastfeeding their children in the restaurant. We do not manufacture handbags, shoes or coats, but we do make food that you can buy according to the rules of the restaurant. If someone believes that giving a food to his son different from the one he normally takes will be a serious damage for him, he has two options: feed him at another time, outside the restaurant, or go to another establishment with other rules.
I don't know if the bottle contained cow's milk or its own, but I suppose if it felt attacked it was precisely because it was of non-human animal origin. However, truly humiliated mothers are those raped throughout their lives to have babies that are stolen and dismembered so that we humans snatch the milk that was for them: these mothers are cows, sheep and goats, victims of the bottle of their son.
Hopefully one day I can really understand our point of view. Once again, I apologize for the bad drink that could happen and I hope that this explanation will help.
Greetings!
What if the bottle was made of soy milk?
There are formulas for babies based on vegetable drinks, such as soy or rice formulas, that could be inside the bottle of each baby that enters the restaurant. But of course, to know, we would have to ask. And still, the answer may not be true. Perhaps some parents, connoisseurs of the norm, could say that it is rice or soy milk without it. It is likely that this is why, from the restaurant, they consider that it is best that no baby be bottle fed in their establishment, and so there is no doubt.
The right of admission vs. the right to be fed a baby
The restaurant's rule says that the baby cannot take a bottle inside if the food comes from outside. You can do it before or after, but not during. The problem is that the hunger of a baby does not usually know of hours (sometimes yes, but not always), and can coincide precisely with the parents' mealtime.
If the baby starts crying while his parents are eating, what they should do is:
- Order a bottle of vegetable drink in the restaurant: it is not very advisable if it is not what the baby usually takes and does not leave the restaurant in good place.
- Having the baby crying until everyone leaves the restaurant: it does not make much sense and does not leave the restaurant in good place.
- Going out of the restaurant to feed him and enter again when they finish: it does not make much sense and does not leave the restaurant in good place.
- Going to the sink and sneaking the bottle: it does not make much sense and does not leave the restaurant in good place.
So here the restaurant's admission rights collide with that of the baby to be fed when he is hungry (the right not to be discriminated against basically because of his condition as a baby).
Which prevails? Well, it is an interesting debate that is probably based on an erroneous premise. Can you prohibit a baby from drinking artificial milk in your establishment?
The law says that when talking about the right of admission to a place you can not set the rules you want, if these rules involve some kind of discrimination:
The exercise of the right of admission cannot, in any case, lead to discrimination based on birth, race, sex, religion, opinion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other personal or social condition or circumstance of the users of the users. establishments and spaces open to the public, both in terms of access conditions and the permanence in the establishments and the use and enjoyment of the services provided in them.
It is understood that a baby fed with infant formula cannot suddenly drink breast milk to meet the demands of the restaurant. It is also understood that you can not suddenly take formulas made with vegetable drinks because it is not your main food (And if the restaurant is given a soy formula and the baby has an allergic reaction?). What other option does a mother or father give a bottle with formula based on cow's milk?
Everyone who draws their own conclusions, but it is very possible that the norm they have implemented is not even legal. What parents can then decide whether or not to go? Yes, of course, but that does not mean that babies are being discriminated against, and in passing to mothers, because they are not breastfeeding their babies and feeding them with a formula based on cow's milk, the sale of which is legally permitted.
