Ordering Vegetarian in Restaurants

[Ricardo]

I know that there are some great vegetarian restaurants out there, but if you're in an "ordinary" place that serves meat, do you trust the server to really know if there was any meat products used in the preparation?

I think sometimes a chicken or beef stock could be used in vegetable soups for example and the server may not know.

[heretoday]

Think I just dropped a post, sorry if two show up instead of one.
Anyway, I've found that in "mainstream" food chains, the wait staff doesn't really know what meat products, such as stocks, are in the food. If a wait person volunteers to go back and ask the cook, you can get some really vague answers like "it's natural ingredients".

[Lyndsey]

I have the same problem with food allergies. They'll bring me something and say there's "only a bit of milk" in there. I'm either allergic or not, so if I say I am, be more careful. That's why I stick with "naked" salads. I also find potato tortillas (omelets) in Spanish restaurants to be safe because they rely purely on eggs, potatos, olive oil and chives.

[ACCER]

I know all the local places and when travelling I tend to rely on chains or order a salad inless it's an actual vegetarian place. After a number of servers were seemingly unaware that ham, chicken and bacon are "meat", I decided not to risk it.

[knight]

The best thing is to question about the ingredients added in the food before eating them. Whenever I go to restaurants I would get information about the recipes added before ordering them.

[enna]

Luckily, most places these days tend to have a salad on the menu because they're catering to people on diets or whatever. I guess vegetarians also benefit from this kind of marketing, too!

[frankie1]

True Enna.

Funny thing is that from a diet standpoint, one of the WORST things you can order is a salad in a restaurant.

[urs1]

I was watching some tv show about fat and thin identical twins.....when taken to a buffet before they thought the interview started, the fat ones immediately went for the fried foods. The thin ones to the frest fruit and veggies.

The ones on a "diet" loaded up with a salad 3 times the size of the average thin twin and drenched it with dressing. EVERY ONE of the thin twins put the dressing on the side.

The thin twins invariably had iced tea or water to drink. The fat ones all drank soda.

Someone did the math on it once ans said that a ceaser salad at Mcdonalds with the ceaser dressing was no different than a double cheeseburger and small fry.

[enna]

It sometimes gets a little hard when talking to waiters, asking them what's in food. I just hate asking people about the ingredients. They get all confused and act like they don't know what you're talking about.

[liza123]

Well, when some people think that "fish" and "eggs" come under vegetarian category(some will say that free-range egss are but I simply do not take eggs!), it is really difficult to ask the waiter/waitress. Sometimes, the cook just mixes shrimps or some other tiny non-vege ingredient:)

[urs1]

Depending on the place, the garden salad with the dressing on the side is the safest bet. Our local Bob Evans has a Vegetarian Cobb Salad....it has every vegetable you could ever want in it, egg on the side (in case you are that kind of vegetarian) and the dressing is served in a pretty little container for pouring yourself. It's a great salad!

[frankie1]

Ours has that as well out here. I love their raspberry dressing. It's even great on strawberries.

[ACCER]

If you are pesco, you can always get the grilled fish, steamed veggies and salad.

[bubble]

I usually order things that are very unlikely to contain meat produce or stocks, generally sticking to salads and veggie specific recipes.

I actually went to an Italian restuarant a while ago and ordered the 'vegetarian lasagne' which actually had ham in it!!:eek:

[ACCER]

It's not meat, it's ham.....doncha know! I've actually been told that before. Go figure.

Several places, and Bob Evans is one, have a few very nice vegetarian meals on their menus. Bob Evans has a vegetarian stir fry that is outstanding.

[katharina]

I actually went to an Italian restuarant a while ago and ordered the 'vegetarian lasagne' which actually had ham in it!!:eek:

That's amazingly unbelievable! Was it a mistake, or they actually thought ham isn't meat and always make their vegetarian lasagne that way?

[justontime]

It depends what country you are in. My daughter has spent a lot of time in France and they really don't get it, she really struggled to find vegetarian food, and she had a number of lectures about it being unhealthy to be a vegetarian.