That restaurants should know parmesan isn't vegetarian?

Why don't you call the restaurant and ask if they have a substitute. Or just go elsewhere.

Easy.

Totally agree with you , a local , well thought of restaurant / hotel put their fathers day menu up , a roast , a gammon , a fish fish and a mushroom risotto complete with Parmesan cheese . I left a message on their Facebook page asking if the risotto was the vegetarian option and telling them it's not because of the cheese.

Pizza hut cheese became vegetarian in 1987/88, yet they advertised vegetarian pizzas for donkeys and I as a veggie used to eat them too! How do I know? I worked there. I complained to the manager and he ignorantly threw at me that you'd eat a burger if you were hungry.

We're decades later now, so, I would ask but there might not be a substitute the chef is happy with.

If you can go without or take your own.

@SpikyCoconut I believe Parmegiano Reggiano must use animal rennet and comes only from specific places but if it is called anything else, e.g. ‘Parmesan’ only, there is scope to use vegetarian rennet instead. It is only relatively recently that cheeses like cheddar changed to non-animal rennet; I remember years ago having to read all the packets in great detail.

Anyway, here is an example. I would just call the restaurant well ahead of time.

https://www.thefoodmarket.com/products/gran-kinara-vegetarian-parmesan-style-cheese-2x-400g

Many vegetarians choose to eat cheese, including parmesan and to drink milk. . Some will eat only cheese that isn't produced using rennet. Some eat eggs, some dont. So I think its fair to say that dishes containing cheese are suitable for consumption by vegetarians. They are definitely not appropriate for vegans.
On a similar issue..when eating at grill restaurant a customer let the staff know they were vegan. The chef came out to see how he could accommodate their needs. He made several suggestions...most were ruled out because the customer didn't like a large number of vegetables including tomatoes, courgettes, cauliflower ,mushrooms, broccoli, carrots or onions and was actually looking for soya "beef" burgers with chips.They made the most awful scene when he said he didn't have them. What was he to do ?

You wouldn't be bothered by animal derived additives in things like cheeses or wine then would you? My argument is that, out of people I know, those who would be bothered by non vegetarian cheese would be happy to choose a vegan option.

Does the wine on the menu contain fish extracts too ?

Because as I said I gave up eating meat because I dislike the taste and the texture of it. Nothing to do with animal rights. I can’t eat tomatoes and the other veggie options tend to be dairy based. And I love cheese and cream and eggs. So I eat those.

it’s just awful that so many veggie options are highly processed meat imitations because I can’t eat those either. If the options are things that taste like meat, I’m better off eating the meat.

I’m extremely allergic to vegetarian cheese. It won’t kill me but it does upset my stomach to spectacular effect. Very few restaurants know which of their cheeses are vegetarian and which not. I simply don’t eat cheese when I’m out.

Oh my god I have this issue ALL the time in restaurants, including Michelin starred ones etc. drives me bonkers. Don’t understand how professional chefs don’t get this.

I'm wondering if most 'vegetarians' just aren't bothered by the occasional additive. The just 'vegetarians' and 'pescatarians' I know don't check cheeses or wine. Those who do check would be happy to choose the vegan option, as although they are not fully plant based, they are trying to make switches. It would be difficult if you are a strict (genuine) vegetarian. I would wonder why you are happy to eat dairy though, as calves are needed for that.

@NotTHATMelania

• So I clicked on the link and looked at the menu and it clearly says on the vegetarian menu that the dishes can be made "vegan by request", so I think you are being extremely unreasonable - the chef has clearly taken into account that some people will not want to eat parmesan.

But it's on the vegetarian menu.

Parmesan and pesto aren't vegetarian.

It's not about not wanting to eat it - it's not vegetarian.

You can't eat marshmallows, pop tarts, panna cotta, jelly either.

ohmyveggies.com/foods-vegetarians-cant-eat-but-dont-know-it/

If anything I can see myself eating meat again in the next few years because it’s just becoming so fucking hard.

Ignoring the parmesan debate, those menu's are dire for vegetarian choices in that there just aren't any! That is definitely a chef who couldn't care less about Veggies having a nice experience.

(not a vegetarian myself)

Lea & Perrin's isn't vegetarian - but other versions can be.

I do wonder how many genuine vegetarians there are? Those who make sure cheese, wine, pesto, sweets etc are vegetarian, even when eating out, yet are not working towards going plant based so happy to choose the vegan option? IRL I know none. I know 'vegetarians' who don't eat actual meat but don't check packets, and I know vegetarians switching out dairy for plant based options and only eating high welfare eggs. No just vegetarians.

Also Worcestershire sauce - with Welsh rarebit often being offered as vegetarian!

How can OP be ‘extremely unreasonable’, to expect things that are described as vegetarian by a restaurant, to actually be vegetarian. 🤦🏻‍♀️

many vegetarians are sick of restaurants thinking vegan is acceptable to vegetarians because they can’t be bothered to cater to vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters.

@FunZebra , you’re right, I miswrote and needed to read it several times to realise.

I meant they DO eat things made by animals (etc) but not from them. Vegans eat neither.

I was focusing on the inclusion, or not, of things made by and from fish.

Shared sympathy re nightshades 🤗

Yep 😆

Which is fine, if you want the dish to become vegan, but that sort of misses the point that they are describing the original dish as vegetarian when it isn’t if it contains Parmesan!

Pesto normally has parmesan in so that's unlikely to be vegetarian as well.

The other things that are never proper labelled are desserts (mousses etc) which are often made with gelatine…waiters look at me as if I’m mad when I ask if chocolate mousse is veggie!!!