That's why I was overjoyed at ODF Plugfest Rome when the organisers made this announcement:

Terence Eden is on Mastodon

@edent

"All lunch boxes will be vegan (so that everyone can eat everything)"

THANK YOU! #LibOCon17 #odfplugfest Sensible inclusive policy. pic.x.com/zuqf0h14hx

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It was such a thoughtful thing for the event to do. We each got some fresh pasta, some salad, fruit, biscuits. Lovely!

(As an aside, yes, allergies and intolerances were catered for separately.)

Everyone I spoke to at the event was happy with the food. I didn't notice anyone sneaking off to one of the hundreds of pizza restaurants in the vicinity.

As someone who has run large scale events before, I think making an event mono-culinary is an excellent idea.

• Cheaper. Vegan / Veggie food is cheaper than meaty alternatives. A huge consideration when running a community event trying to cater for a few hundred people.
• Logistically easier. I've lost count of the number of events I've been to where organisers have misplaced the details of who has requested which meal, or where meat-eaters have accidentally polished off the food meant for veggies.
• Suitable for nearly all dietary preferences - vegetarian, Kosher, Halal, Hinduism, Buddhism. Means not having to quiz people on their ethical beliefs.
• Healthier. A typical hackathon just provides pizza and beer. That's fun, but not always the healthiest option available.

If you're planning on catering for a mass event, have a think about whether only providing vegan food will be a sensible and inclusive way to feed your attendees.

Here be dragons

Lots of people are psychologically addicted to meat. When you politely suggest they skip meat for a single meal, they have an extreme reaction. A huge amount of marketing money has been spent on associating meat with masculinity. This causes a form of castration-anxiety when people are "threatened" with a salad.

It's a little silly seeing grown adults tremble at the thought of vegetables, but that's the power of marketing!