Dairy protest at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
It’s a typical St. Louis scene: long lines of families and friends huddled around a luminescent spot on Chippewa Street where friendly workers in bright yellow shirts dole out cups of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Laughter from old friends meeting over sweets as well as giggles from toddlers with chocolate-smeared faces fill the Saturday night air. Everyone is smiling. Everyone is content. Except for those across the parking lot.
A group of protesters stood across the parking lot of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard holding signs condemning dairy consumption August 25. Outnumbered by the crowds waiting for their dessert, they continued to stand proudly, sometimes even coming over to pass out pamphlets about veganism and entertain quick debates. One woman held a sign that read “Misery comes in many flavors.” She wore a “Vegan” ballcap and a microphone headset into which she preached about animal cruelty. Her name is Sasha Zemmel, and to her, animals do not deserve to be raised for human enjoyment, such as frozen custard.

Sasha Zemmel, local animal rights activist, holds her sign at the dairy protest at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard August 25.
“All animal use is abuse,” Zemmel said. “All animal exploitation is abuse. Our point is whether it’s the ice cream shop, whether it’s the steakhouse, whether it’s leather or fur, animals are not products. They’re beings. They reserve the right to live out their lives naturally and happily.”
As a local animal rights activist, Zemmel said that raising awareness about animal cruelty through protesting or educational outreach is part of her routine. The group at Ted Drewes consisted of individual activists like Zemmel, as well as members of larger groups, specifically the St. Louis chapter of Direct Action Everywhere, an international animal rights network. She said that they try to come together in action at least once a month, and if things like barbeque festivals pop up, they try to be there to advocate for the animal victims of the event. Not everyone enjoys their presence at these events, however. Especially not at a busy Ted Drewes on a Saturday night.
“You should do what makes you happy, and if you don’t eat meat, then that’s totally cool. But I don’t think we should shame people for eating meat,” Andrew West said. West, there to enjoy his night with friends, stood talking with them after the protestors left. “I want to know why they’re protesting families eating ice cream instead of protesting the tens of thousands of children in this city that are going without food, without homes, without a proper education. They’re obviously very privileged individuals [who] can make a real impact on this community, and I think they’re wasting their time.”
Sara Isaacson, a senior at St. Joseph’s Academy, also felt perturbed by the protest while she tried to enjoy her frozen custard. Looking through the pamphlet the activists passed out about the reasoning behind going vegan, Isaacson said their marketing and mission was good, but that it would fall on deaf ears at Ted Drewes.
“Obviously animal cruelty is not a good thing, but I think [saying] ‘let’s just wipe out one of the biggest industries in America’ isn’t ideal.” Isaacson said. “Coming to places like this, you’re not going to have an actual conversation that will really help anything. I wish there was a better forum to have actual understanding and discussion that’s educated and deals with the issues [to] find compromise instead of just yelling back and forth.”
Though despite all the criticism, Zemmel and the rest of the protesters tried to educate about veganism, giving tips to people who quarreled with their message and taking down contact information of people who questioned their choice in eating frozen custard. When asked what she would say to someone who thought veganism was out of their realm, Zemmel called on her experience before she cut out animal products.
“I [thought], ‘am I just going to eat salad?’” Zemmel said. “Every video [about veganism] I saw just made it more and more authentic. You find things to eat. You find new recipes. Everything I used to eat, I can still eat. Take a few minutes to do the extra research. Keep trying new things. Keep thinking about the victims, thinking about the animals and don’t give up.”
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Mare E Florentino • Sep 2, 2020 at 6:15 pm
For those of you saying that you don’t understand why dairy is torture, please educate yourselves. Dairy cows are bred to produce excess milk in order for humans to exploit them. It is painful for the cows. All the cow’s calves are stolen from them at birth & the males are reared in isolation crates where they are fed iron deficient diets & slaughtered while still babies to supply veal to humans. The female calves are separated from their mom’s & reared to replace them when at only 5 yrs old, the mom’s are so worn out from repeated forced pregnancies & milking, they are sent to slaughter. Under normal circumstances cows live 25 yrs. The dairy industry is one of cruelest on earth. There are many vegan options when it comes to ice creams & other desserts. Please educate yourselves & GO VEGAN.
Chas • Mar 3, 2019 at 5:59 am
I think I’m going to start organizing protests against vegans for being insufferable holier-than-thou-ists who can’t seem to go 5 minutes without trying to shove their OPINIONS down everyone else’s throats
Tyler Rushing • Sep 26, 2018 at 8:05 am
I don’t know… You don’t kill a cow for dairy! Do you!? Like Milking a cow is not torture!
Aiden • Sep 26, 2018 at 8:03 am
Vegans are absolute mad lads. Dairy Cows have been selectively bred for hundreds of years to produce enough milk for their calves and humans. Without humans milking the cows on a consistent basis, the cows udders will begin to overfill and swell, putting the cow in immense pain, eventually leading to death. And if all animal use is animal abuse they why isn’t keeping animals as pets considered abuse. We are using them for our happiness and enjoyment.
Sophie Smith • Aug 29, 2018 at 8:51 pm
I totally support animal rights, but am curious as to how using dairy is “animal abuse”?
Jacki • Aug 26, 2018 at 9:20 pm
Thank you for standing up for animals being hurt and abused!!! I hope someday the baby calfs will get to stay with their mothers. I hate to see them starving.
Sean Murphy • Aug 26, 2018 at 5:00 pm
Every bit of activism is effective. Amongst the majority of deaf ears there will be those that can hear the truth. For every blind eye turned away, there will be those that can see the truth. Not every seed planted grows, yet the largest forest began as a single seed. Live a life of compassion. Live Vegan.
LIsa O'Brien • Aug 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Thank you for doing this article. I am a KHS alum and my kids went there as well. I am vegan and am thrilled that this happened. If everyone kept their head in the sand nothing will ever change. These dairy cows are being horrifically abused. There are so many other options now. I hope for change. I know I am happy I don’t partake in harming any beautiful animal.
Laura Mills • Aug 26, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Sasha is great 💙💚Thank you for all you do.
Mary • Aug 26, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Sasha is my hero 💗