Internet furious about photo of “vegan lasagna” that is basically a giant salad

At Twisted, we’re not unfamiliar with a lasagna identity crisis. When you’ve put everything from pulled pork to butter chicken in between pasta sheets, it feels slightly ironic to point fingers at anyone else getting creative with their definition of the classic Italian comfort food. However, there are some cases where even we draw the line.

One such case has emerged on the internet, after a Twitter user shared a photo of what their colleague had allegedly claimed was a “vegan lasagna”, despite only appearing to be a massive layered salad. In a tweet from April 30th, user @AristaFbabi captioned the controversial photo, “Coworker brought in vegan lasagna today and I’m ready to knock all that shit over,” making her feelings on the subject clear. The internet was predictably quick to respond.

In the weeks that have followed, the original picture has been liked over 70,000 times, and shared on more than 20,000 occasions. Comments ranged from the incredulous, “Is your colleague actually vegan? Because this kinda looks like what a non-vegan thinks a vegan dish looks like,” to the downright alarmed, “I don’t even eat meat and that picture makes me angry”. Though the reactions were many and varied, the vast majority of Twitterers seemed to agree that the dish pictured in no way qualified as an actual lasagna.

As debate around the image continued to rage, some internationally recognised names began to get involved. Clearly annoyed by the implication that their product was in any way similar to what was being shown on social media, frozen lasagna makers Stouffers – a subsidiary of Nestle – gave the internet their two cents, indignantly stating, “Definitely. Not. Lasagna.” Even Dictionary.com weighed in, innocently positing that “We have another word for this,” accompanied by a link to the site’s definition of “salad”.

However, it wasn’t all bad news for the as yet anonymous dish-namer. Members of the vegan community jumped to their defence, with one user responding, “Vegan lasagna is delicious when it’s done right, it’s just regular lasagne with no meat or cheese.” However, it’s important to note that they went on to add, “This mess looks like a tragedy,” suggesting that support may not have been as forthcoming as it first seemed.

Given the nature of everything we cook at Twisted, we are obviously all for cooks getting creative and testing the rules of tried and trusted dinnertime staples. But, as this debate proves, there comes a point where everyone, however unorthodox, has to say that enough is enough. No matter which way you spin it, salad and lasagna are not the same.