Vegetarian Chicks - Please allow me to blow off some steam

My husband has been a vegetarian for many years...I believe going on 20 years. We've had a lot of occasions in our family recently to go out to dinner, and even in this day and age, it is so difficult for him to get a decent vegetarian meal.

The answer for a lot of restaurants seems to be to throw some pasta on a plate and throw a few veggies on top and call that a "vegetarian meal." There is no creativity or thought put behind it.

In most books I have read about being a vegan or vegetarian, the authors swear they can find something to eat in any restaurant, but it seems they haven't tried to eat out where I live. One Saturday my father came up and wanted to take us out to lunch. We went to a local diner...where they literally had nothing on the menu my husband could eat. They had no baked potatoes, no rice. Breakfast time was over so they couldn't make any breakfast foods. He could've had a green salad. Wow. That was the best they could do.

Applebees last Friday night...not one dish was listed on the menu for vegetarians. In very light print under the burgers it said that you could "substitute" any burger with a veggie burger. My husband is 50 years old and didn't see it...the server had to point it out when we asked if there was anything for him on the menu. :?: Surely an organization as big as Applebee's should be able to come up with something a vegetarian can eat besides the trite veggie burger or a salad.

We love living in the country, except for the prevailing attitude that there is something wrong with you if you don't eat meat. We are going out Saturday night to celebrate my son's graduation from law school. His girlfriend is a vegetarian too. We are going to Philadelphia, which has the best vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to, but very expensive. There's really nothing in our area unless you want to eat Asian or Italian, which gets very old. Good thing I like to cook.

Okay, rant over. Carry on.

We have the same issues here in Hilljack, Indiana. As such, we rarely go out to eat (which is better for us anyway!) and when we do, it takes a fair amount of planning. Good thing most places have menus online now! A lot of places around us will accommodate vegi's if you ask them specifically, such as substituting meat for vegs or beans in their meat dishes. I do wish more "chain" places had veg options though, maybe they'll get around to it sometime ...

I honestly haven't had any issues eating out as a vegan. My inlaws live out in the country and when we go out there, our choices are limited but I can find a decent meal.

The restaurant choices there are some local restaurants but they have Applebees (I didn't like their food pre-veg and I'm not willing to go there), Red Hot & Blue, Outback and Ruby Tuesdays. Ruby Tuesdays actually doesn't have anything vegan on the menu as I believe their veggie burger isn't vegan. They do have a decent salad bar though. Outback has decent sides so I've been able to order a 'meal of sides' basically of sweet potato and steamed veggies, as long as I ask for no butter.

Ok now having said all that. I only go to those places because I'm visiting my in laws and if it was up to me, I'd skip going out to eat entirely. I go out once a week to a vegan restaurant and I absolutely love it. I rarely go out to eat at a restaurant that serves meat if it is my choice. The exception is sometimes we will get ethiopian but I know 100% that there is no animal products in my meal and its delicious.

A good veggie burger can be a real thing of beauty, but I'm sure Applebee's veggie burger is just a thing of highly processed stuff.;)

Dude I went to applebee's last night and was planning on getting their WW fish meal and they were out of fish! I got the grilled chicken instead and didn't really like it BOO. I think they only have like 5 WW choices- I'm not surprised they have nothing for vegetarians/vegans.

Before we went to that diner, I'd have said, "Well, there's always a baked potato and some veggies," etc. but they didn't even have that. They had plenty of pork chops, chicken, burgers, etc. I guess he could've had fries but he likes to eat healthy foods. It goes without saying that there wasn't even a veggie burger on the menu.

I should state that we live in southeastern PA and live among the Pennsylvania Germans. I am Pennsylvania German too in my background but have modified my diet so that I no longer eat scrapple and such. More and more people are moving in from elsewhere, but the traditional diet still seems to dominate in our little corner of the world. There's always ethnic...but one gets tired of never being able to go to just a "regular" restaurant. When he says he doesn't eat meat, they look at him as if he has two heads.

It is indeed frustrating at times to find a decent veggie meal when going out to eat. The people I go out to eat with assume if there is only one thing on the menu that is veggie (and it's usually insanely unhealthy), then the restaurant is veggie friendly. The funny thing is, I'll go to the restaurant of their choice, which is usually a steakhouse or the dreaded Olive Garden, but when I ask if they would accompany me to this one lovely vegetarian restaurant where I live, they think I'm forcing them to live my lifestyle.

I seriously can never win here.

Robot - I have a similar issue. When going out to eat with coworkers, I'll list a variety of restaurants that would have at least 1 choice for me and if I'm lucky, multiple choices. I invariably get outvoted because of the one person who says there is only one or two things they like on the menu. The restaurants I choose aren't even vegetarian just with good vegetarian choices. So when I go out with my coworkers, I usually get a plain green salad depending on the place we go because that is what is available.

I hate Applebees since going vegan, one day I asked them if their rice and veggie plate was vegan or even vegetarian if I took off the chicken, and asked him to ask the chef.. he came back told me the chef checked that it is made in vege oil and the rice has no animal products in it, i ate a little but not being able to check myself waited till the next day to finish..


i then learned the rice is made in chicken fat and butter... i will never eat there again.

I went to Applebee's a few years ago after a friend convinced me there were a few veggie friendly options on the menu. It was a disaster and the waiter didn't know what I was talking about when I asked about vegetarian food.

I also recently went to TGI Fridays with my family. It almost makes you feel alienated from everyone else when they're enjoying their food and you're just tolerating what you're eating.

That's terrible- when my vegetarian friends and I hang out I always try to accomodate them- I always ask them where they'd like to go. When I cook I ALWAYS try to make foods they can eat. I'll do a meat item but have plenty of other foods as well. The good thing for me is that most of my vegetarian friends still eat things like cheese and milk and eggs. I don't mind taking the extra effort on my part to make it so they don't have to settle for lettuce and rice!

And the sad truth is that it is actually very easy to provide a vegan friendly meal that is tasty and nutritious. It just takes a little thought, and after all, these chefs went to school for cooking, did they not? You'd think they could use all that training for more than a veggie burger or pasta primavera, usually with a very fatty milk-based sauce.

Even foods that are traditionally vegetarian, such as minestrone soup or pasta i fagioli, are often made with a meat-based broth in these places. So frustrating.

On the other hand, I know we will love our dinner on Saturday night, but we will pay through the nose for it!

I thought the veggie patch pizza at Applebee's was vegetarian.
Also some soups on certain days vegan, or baked potatoes with out sour cream.
we usally got to taco bell and i get a bean burrito, or wendy's and i get a baked potato. limited for sure.

Have you seen the happy cow website? I know there are some expensive veg restaurants in philly but I've heard there are some inexpensive ones too.
http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/pennsylvania/philadelphia/

Trust me, I'm with you. I don't think Chef's learn how to cook veggie friendly. I even know someone who went to school in nutrition and animal proteins, especially dairy were pushed heavily. Its sad that the dairy industry has such a hold on schools from elementary to college, but I guess they have the (blood) money for it.

Not related but I was talking to someone yesterday who went to a 4 year state university where they slaughtered cows... I was a bit amazed. I think a little piece of me would die if I killed a cow or other animal with my own hand. I suppose it was better than them going through a slaughterhouse though.

I think a little piece of me would die if I killed a cow or other animal with my own hand. I suppose it was better than them going through a slaughterhouse though.

I accidentally hit a squirrel today on the way to work. I pulled over and cried. I can't even imagine killing an animal on purpose.

Living in Brisbane, Australia, eating out vegetarian was almost impossible. I was usually left with the option of having the chicken removed from a caesar salad, or a plain cheese pizza (dripping with grease). Then I found a wonderful little hare krishna restaurant called Govindas, which was cheap ($4 for a huge piece of delicious vege lasagne, $2 for a glass of mago lassi) and it became my favourite place to eat. But I could never get my friends to go there. It had the atmosphere of a friendly cafeteria, being run by hare krishnas there were yoga classes in the next room, sitar music and incense. Trying to get true blue aussies in there was like extracting teeth. So if I wanted a good veggie meal out, I had to go alone.
My husband and I have since moved to Canberra, which expands my eating out options to: veggie nachos (they replace the meat with chili, so it's difficult to enjoy, even when it's organic corn chips and guacamole with good cheese - and the chili can most often not be removed), very fatty creamy pasta, very plain risotto or, again, the plain cheese grease-bomb pizza.
I find it much easier to have friends round for dinner at my place. I always cook something meaty, as my husband is not veggie, and something just as nice for myself.
I do have to hand it to my husband's family - I never, ever, go wanting at family gatherings. Not a vegetarian among them, but they always go out of their way to make sure everything served has a vegetarian equivalent, just for me :D

I live in a mid size city that has two colleges and a community college with three campus'. In other places I've lived where there are colleges there are usually at least one or two vegetarian restaurants nearby. Not here.

To be fair, many of the non-chain restaurants have at least one vegetarian option and sometimes a vegan option, but it would still be nice to be able to have more than one choice.

The upside is that I cook a lot more and have become more creative in the kitchen, which is good for my diet and my bank account.

i went to a Mexican restaurant yesterday where I know the green sauce is extremely hot, so I played it safe and ordered a grill cheese sandwich, not the best choice,I thought they couldn't screw it up to bad. Wrong, one slice cheap crap cheese on texas toast. YUCK so i hate half and went home and had a salad.

I've been able to get salads around here or enchiladas, no cheese or even a plain bean burrito (not refried). I think when I went to NM was one of the best veggie experiences I had with zucchini often a choice.

i went to a Mexican restaurant yesterday where I know the green sauce is extremely hot, so I played it safe and ordered a grill cheese sandwich, not the best choice,I thought they couldn't screw it up to bad. Wrong, one slice cheap crap cheese on texas toast. YUCK so i hate half and went home and had a salad.


Really, that was the only option? No veggie fajitas or quesadillas, rice, and beans, meatless nachos?? I would have thought Mexican would have been easy to do vegetarian.

Willow - It depends, tortillas can be made with lard, rice is often made with chicken broth, beans often have lard and/or chicken broth. Fajitas are tex mex and not every place has them. I pretty much avoid mexican places myself although kind of more that I'm a snob than otherwise (I only like mexican food in CA and NM, it used to be only CA but then NM won me over)

Just a cheap whole in the ground joint. friends wanted to meet at. Never again.
we do have great Mexican restaurant here and I have had some great veggie meals.

There are many Mexican restaurants where I live, and they usually have veggie options on the menu. I'm happy about that, but I wish they had vegan options. Everything on the veggie menu is pretty much cheese covered and cheese filled. When I think about it, the veggie options on menus at most places are cheese covered food. I've been doing a 30 day vegan challenge for myself to help curb my cheese addiction, so I've had to be really careful on what I eat when I go out.

I ordered vegetable fajitas and learned the fajitas at that particular restaurant were cooked in animal fat :(

I ordered a veggie plate elsewhere and learned the green beans were cooked with bacon grease.

Rice is often cooked in chicken broth.

:shrug:

I am not 100% vegetarian although I love veggies a lot. I used to live in Philadelphia and I'm thinking of taking a trip down there this summer. Out of curiosity, what is the name of the good vegetarian in Philadelphia. I may try it when I go there. Thank you!

Lucia,
Horizons Cafe on Seventh Street near the famed South Street. They have a website. My son is not a vegetarian and he loved the food. My very favorite dish there is the grilled seitan steak. We had an excellent meal there on Saturday night, but rather pricey. We had a bottle of wine and three appetizers among the four of us. My son and I had the seitan steak, and my husband and my son's girlfriend both ordered the Pacific Rim Grilled Tofu, which was also delicious. The tab was around $150. If you don't mind paying the price, I can definitely recommend the place.

I used to live in South Jersey and so went to Philly quite a bit. Sadly I wasn't vegan at the time, because there are a lot of great places there!

Anyway, check out urbanvegan.com; it's a blog by a woman who lives in Philadelphia and she often talks about restaurants she visits in Philly.

I checked out urbanvegan.com...unfortunately, it appears to be some sort of advertising thing. Is there another link to the woman's blog?

I think it is urbanvegan.net instead of .com

It is .net! Sorry about that!

Found it -- thanks!

I know how you feel, I've only been a vegetarian for about a year and a half, but I live in Texas, where cow is king. The only place I can find vegetarian food is at the really fancy, california based franchises. Seeing as I go to school in Lubbock, we don't have much in the way of healthy vegetarian fare... or edible vegetarian fare. It's mostly fast food or expensive stuff.

Living in the dorm wasn't always great. Sometimes I would have to go for months at a time just eating salads with hot vegetables on top. I lost a lot of weight but I was miserable as well. Hopefully now that I'm moving into an apartment I should be able to eat what I want and make it taste good as well. :D I'm spending the summer compiling recipes and stuff.

Its a shame that restaurants don't realize the money they are losing by excluding vegetarians. It's not all that hard to make a delicious vegetarian meal. I don't know if y'all have Beck's Prime up there, but it's a fast food steak house type thing, and they also happen to have several different vegetarian items, such as the black bean veggie burger. As for Mom and Pop shops, I usually just get stuck with the salad and eat when I get home. This is why I've suddenly grown a hate for Chili's, as for Apple bees, not even the wait staff knew that they served veggie burgers, I didn't even know until i read your post.


But really, best of luck to your husband. Hopefully y'all will be able to find some veggie gems.

Huggamouse, love the name!
They list the fact that they have veggie burgers at Applebee's available in teeny, tiny print beneath the various ways they will serve a beef burger. They charge just as much for a veggie burger as they do for a beef burger, which seems a bit off to me.

I mean, how hard is it to do something nice with portobellos, for one thing? I see portobellos anyway all the time on menus, but paired with steak.

The kicker was the time we went to an Italian restaurant in Cape May. Generally, my husband can order something vegetarian in an Italian place, no problem, but this particular place paired its stuffed shells, spaghetti, etc. with meatballs or sausage. When I asked if they could leave the meat off and just increase the size of the pasta portion accordingly, they absolutely refused, saying that everything is already "pre-portioned." We will never go back there, for sure.

I hate restaurants that have nothing or just a veggie burger or pasta.

Why on earth would I want to go out and pay $10 for a sweet potato and steamed veggies? Not cool.

I went o Red Lobster for someone's birthday - there was nothing! I ate cheese biscuits and some folks gave me the little salad that came with their meal (that wasn't on the menu, only came with entrees - all the salads had meat but what is the point of an $8 bowl of lettuce?) and it was miserable. Applebee's is crap, too.

Here is the problem, besides the lazy chefs: lot's of vegetarians don't eat vegetables or healthy food. I had a veg friend who ONLY wanted alfredo pasta or spaghetti. She hated it when the veg option was a portobello something or other. Her favorite restaurant was Chili's and I went and I was like "WTF do you even eat hear?" She was eating the chili con queso (which she had no idea had meat in it) and chicken alfredo minus chicken.

A lot of vegetarians only eat veggies burgers and spaghetti and so they go to lowest denominator. It ruins it for the rest of us.

(Caesar salad dressing is not vegetarian - it's made with anchovies).

So last night hubby wanted to take me out to dinner because I'd had a bad day. Called one restaurant called Energy Station - with a name like that, I was sure there just had to be something vegetarian on the menu. The girl said "We have meatloaf...burgers...chicken croquettes..." and I interrupted to ask if there was anything vegetarian. "Not really," she said, "Well, we do have salads." So I told her no, thanks, but they really should consider adding some vegetarian dishes to the menu, because they are out there and they do eat more than just salad. She got all huffy with me, so I said thank you and hung up.

And the sad truth is that it is actually very easy to provide a vegan friendly meal that is tasty and nutritious. It just takes a little thought, and after all, these chefs went to school for cooking, did they not? You'd think they could use all that training for more than a veggie burger or pasta primavera, usually with a very fatty milk-based sauce.

In making a menu, chefs base most dishes around meat because it is far easier to conceptualise a chunk of meat on a place rather than some beans or a chunk of tofu. It's unfortunate, but true. It's just easier to make meals that appeal to the larger majority of people (meat eaters), and it's how we are taught to think. I am training to be a chef and I look forward to the day when I can open my own restaurant that goes against this grain.

It's important to remember, though, that in choosing a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, we accepted the challenges that came with it. Not everybody will accept our ideas, just as we do not accept theirs.

I guess I picked the right time and place to go back to vegetarian. While I love salads and have no problems with choosing them in restaurants; there are plenty in LA that make an effort to please vegetarians. I just got a new menu from a local restaurant that offers every dish with tofu in place of meat. I can't wait to try the Kung Pao tofu.

In making a menu, chefs base most dishes around meat because it is far easier to conceptualise a chunk of meat on a place rather than some beans or a chunk of tofu. It's unfortunate, but true. It's just easier to make meals that appeal to the larger majority of people (meat eaters), and it's how we are taught to think. I am training to be a chef and I look forward to the day when I can open my own restaurant that goes against this grain.

It's important to remember, though, that in choosing a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, we accepted the challenges that came with it. Not everybody will accept our ideas, just as we do not accept theirs.


Or perhaps if you're a "real chef" you can make a meal that would please all types. I have no problem conceptualizing meals made of tofu, beans, veggies, grains. It's not hard and it is an excuse that "chefs" use to not branch out a bit. I've been to several nice places with classically trained chefs that enjoyed making something different then their standard menu items when I asked.
I don't care if you accept what I do or not but if I'm a paying customer in your place of business then you should probably figure out a way to make me happy. I've run into very few places that wouldn't accomodate me (I don't go to chain restaurants except when forced).

ETA: My point is that by us complaining about meals and how hard it can be it makes the lifestyle seem hard when it really isn't .

Hey girls!!! You're in southeastern PA? I'm in Ardmore, just outside of Philly. Two words for you: BLUE SAGE (southhampton, PA). Go there, live it up, and never look back. Amazing place for a Friday night vegetarian/vegan meal or we even rented it out for a formal graduation party. The place is a legend and the only animal product they have in the whole place is goat cheese (which can be left off).

We usually start out with a veggie bisque, like pumpkin apple-something, and their entrees are amazing. It's about 1 hour from me but so worth the trip. The place will change your life :)

http://www.bluesagegrille.com/

Speaking of "pre-portioned" food in big chain restaurants, I've been wondering more and more if most of the food is frozen and merely being heated up back in the kitchen, before being brought out. That would certainly explain a reluctance (or inability) to modify certain dishes, and the huge selection of menu items that some places offer.

What proportion of food at chain restaurants like Applebees/Olive Garden, etc (aside from steaks/burgers/fries) do you think is actually prepared fresh? I would really like to know.

being vegan i have so much trouble eating out in this smallish town i live in. We have been booming with new restaurants but it is mostly mexican food, you know how the love their lard:( it gets frustrating. most of the time i try to avoid going out to eat. its just to hard

What about trying to start up a vegan cooking club or group. Maybe the healthiest local market would let you put up flyers or something. Maybe have a monthly cooking day to exchange ideas and share food. Like everybody make one thing and split it up between the group to give you variety.

Maybe I'm just lucky but even in small southern towns I can get something to eat out. It may not be a primo super awesome meal but it'll pass if I need to eat out. Generally just being overly friendly to the waitstaff and making what you eat /won't eat quite clear and offering suggestions for what they could make you normally does the trick. I've even had some servers bend over backwards to double check ingredients for me, without me asking them to. I do have trouble at Mexican restaurants on occasion... the language barrier doesn't always work in my favor but in that case I just get a salad with salsa and maybe some chips.


ETA - I do make sure to tip extra generously when special items are prepared for me or when a server goes out of their way to accomodate my requests. As someone who served and bartended their way through college I think that's very important. Get a good tip and next time a vegan comes through they're going to be just as helpful to them.

Generally just being overly friendly to the waitstaff and making what you eat /won't eat quite clear and offering suggestions for what they could make you normally does the trick. I've even had some servers bend over backwards to double check ingredients for me, without me asking them to.

I got stuck at a Damon's steakhouse for a work function a few weeks ago. The cook actually came out to my table to ask me what, exactly, I couldn't eat. Then he pointed out the items on the menu he could modify for me, and how he could modify them. Granted, it's a steakhouse, so it wasn't much - but I felt like a very valued customer.

It was certainly a nice change from the last work outing where I got stuck at Chili's and the waitress looked at me like I'd grown another head when I asked about veg options. Sad, because the Chili's website has a PDF that lists all of their veg mods. Too bad I found that later!

That's awesome bacilli! I should add to my post that I avoid chain restaurants like the bubonic plague, even in my omni days I wasn't a fan. I do think that helps in finding something suitable to eat. I will go to a Ruby Tuesday's for their salad bar but other then that - no thanks if I can avoid it!

I really only eat out if it's a work meeting, or a special occasion for DH and I. For those special occasions, we usually go to a hole in the wall place and stay as far away from chains as we can. Although I will admit to a new-found love affair with Noodle Company!

DH and I both had birthdays last month. Tradition in our house says that on your birthday, you may have any meal you want - homecooked or in a restaurant. There's no calorie counting or pouring over nutritional information for that single day every year. So for my birthday, he made me dinner. We had grilled asparagus, roasted broccoli, and corn on the cob. For his birthday, he chose to go out to Famous Dave's BBQ.

Picture this for a moment. A strict vegetarian that leads an almost vegan life (yogurt, I love thee) in a Texas themed BBQ joint. Even the SIDES had meat in them. The waitress told me the only substitutions they could make would be to leave the bacon/chicken/beef/pork/cheese/egg/croutons off of the salad. I had to laugh, it was just too amusing. I watched him eat and then came home ate some veggies. DH gorged himself so full of pork he felt sick for a week! His poor tummy just isn't used to eating meat anymore.

Noodle Company... drool.

Ha, I remember a few years ago when I used to eat at Chilis, I got the veggie bean burger thing and you can order a burger and then substitute basically. You know like the "old timer burger" but with a bean burger instead. Well the burger I wanted originally has bacon on it, so of course I wanted no bacon or meat. My boyfriend caught them peeling the bacon off of the burgers, meaning they did a bean burger with bacon and realized the error and thought they could get away with it by just removing said bacon. EW!

He said he had a heck of a time explaining why that was no good. The person behind the counter said to him "but it is just bacon, it isn't meat" lol!

The person behind the counter said to him "but it is just bacon, it isn't meat" lol!

I just do not get that! If I didn't *know* people say things like that, I wouldn't believe it if someone told me.

I just ran into this problem this weekend. My mom had a party catered and asked the caterers if they could make some vegan items. They were making all appetizer type food, so they gave her a menu and said they could make anything on it vegan. My mom picked several items and guess what we got?
A veggie platter with a ranch dip (dairy), a fruit platter and stuffed mushrooms (which I hate).

I was so looking forward to it and so disappointed once I got there. I'd eaten very lightly all day so I could enjoy the food. My sister rustled up some hummus so I'd have something decent to eat. I like fruit and veggies as much as the next person, but I can eat them at home!

It's definitely a challenge eating this way sometimes!

I just do not get that! If I didn't *know* people say things like that, I wouldn't believe it if someone told me.

Haha yeah...what can you say to that? He just went "make it over again please" and then he got a "i didn't know you were a vegetarian for religious reasons" from someone else behind the counter. I mean...people cannot be that thick can they? lol

Totally random! :carrot:

I generally have low expectations for catered events even with enough warning. I went to a training class and gave them a months heads up of what I could eat and what I couldn't.

Anyway, the first day, for lunch they had cheese covered sandwiches. The veggie sandwich they prepared to me had melted cheese on it. The guy next to me in class couldn't eat dairy and had told them a month ahead of time so none of the options worked for him either. Even though I had given them a months notice and had communicated very clearly, I ended up bringing my own lunch and good thing too. Anyway, there were a couple days where they had an option that worked for me but most days not even with feedback after the first day and the second day and the third day... Other offerings included buttered rice and veggies (uhh what?), croissants, caesar salad, pasta salad sprinkled with cheese, and cold veggie sandwiches but still with cheese on them. I think on the last day they finally made a no cheese veggie sandwich for me.

In high school when I decided to stop eating meat, my mom said she would make this broccoli salad thing for my birthday. She's telling me in the kitchen how she has been very careful to not put any meat products in it .... as she's crumbling up strips of bacon into the salad.

Just last week, almost 20 years later, she calls me RAVING about this dish she made for dinner that I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE. She says she took some garlic and onion and spices and rubbed it on a chicken breast and I JUST HAVE TO TRY IT AT HOME RIGHT NOW CAUSE I'M GONNA LOVE IT!!!

She's so adorable. :D

These particular caterers have actually catered an entire vegan Christmas dinner for us (two years in a row) and it was wonderful, so I had really high expectations.

I have been in your situation before, Nelie, where even though you've discussed your dietary requirements with someone, they still can't get it right. Very annoying! It always makes me wonder how people with food allergies can eat out if these places can't remember to keep a piece of cheese off a sandwich.