Mushroom. Fucking. Risotto.

[CompleteBarstool]

We're on a rare trip away, been looking forward to it for ages especially about having some lovely food.

Now I discover tonight's veggie option is mushroom risotto. Mushroom. Fucking. Risotto.

What's the meal that makes your heart sink?

These days it seems like every veggie option is full of some over sweet vegetable like butternut squash or sweet potato. My heart sinks, I want proper savoury food!!

I really hate the conflation of vegan and vegetarian on menus too, as my username may suggest!

Totally agree. Hate mushroom risotto. It’s an unimaginative and predictable ‘option’. I’ve been a veggie for 35 years and honestly it’s my least fave veggie standard. Give me a veg lasagne or even a mushroom stroganoff (whooo?) plus agree that vegan and vegetarian are not the same thing and it’s a cop out having one ‘option’ for both. I love cheese!

I am veggie and I hate:
Goats cheese
Feta
Nut roast
Tasteless lasagne
Chickpeas

And these awful fake meat burgers where the texture is vile (I like quorn ones but not the others)

Schnitzel. Don’t know why. I just feel like it’s a poor second to even chicken nuggets (or goujons which are exactly the same thing when it comes down to it just a posher name). Schnitzel is wafer thin, always over cooked, flavourless and covered in breadcrumbs which are either too crunchy or in such a thin layer they are soggy….

And schnitzel is usually served with pasta…. NO! You serve pasta with a sauce not as a side… it’s not a side. Or rice. Long grain American rice which to me is the black sheep of the rice family. Always slightly al dente (aka not cooked enough) and looks like it came out of a packet. Or chips.

And it needs a sauce, but never comes with it. And the lemon always makes it too bitter. Otherwise it’s dry. Totally dry meal.

I hate it. Until I wrote this I didn’t realize how much.

Was this just about veggie options?? Sorry if so…..

@MarvellousMonsters

As a coeliac menu choices are often really limited.

However, I am utterly sick of 'gf chocolate brownie' being presented as a decadent desert. It's often more like some kind of fudge too, really stodgy and sickly.

--Tried not to mention how little sympathy they have for those who's menu options are limited by choice, not actual need.

I don't understand unimaginative veggie options, it's not difficult to make a balanced meal that doesn't include meat, I do it regularly and I'm not veggie. My favourite (gf) pizza is goats cheese & red onion.

Completely agree - I’ve been gluten intolerant since 2007, and it annoys me so much that the only gluten free pudding on a menu is so often bloody chocolate brownie. I love chocolate. I eat it every day. But horrible sickly dry gloopy chocolate brownie every bloody time … why?

@Whatamess582

Was this just about veggie options?? Sorry if so…..

No reason why it can't be horrors for all. Although us veggies are much more likely to experience crap than non-veggies. At least as a non-veggie (unless you have a restricted diet for some reason), you usually have a choice of crap on the menu.

The words "vegetarian dish of the day" strike horror into the hearts of most veggies.

Can I add the lactose intolerant into the mix? I'm not even vegetarian, but I often have to settle for the vegan option as everything else has butter somewhere in it. And as for dessert - am fed up of fruit salad (usually on it's own, not even soya ice cream, which I would have at home) or bloody sorbet.

@MarvellousMonsters

As a coeliac menu choices are often really limited.

However, I am utterly sick of 'gf chocolate brownie' being presented as a decadent desert. It's often more like some kind of fudge too, really stodgy and sickly.

--Tried not to mention how little sympathy they have for those who's menu options are limited by choice, not actual need.

I don't understand unimaginative veggie options, it's not difficult to make a balanced meal that doesn't include meat, I do it regularly and I'm not veggie. My favourite (gf) pizza is goats cheese & red onion.

Ahh the gluten free chocolate brownie! I like MY gluten free chocolate brownie but some of the ones I've been served 🤮 i squeezed one out the once for a laugh it was dripping with oil it was not an isolated incident sadly they buy them premade as eating gluten free isnt common in my area goodness knows what I would eat if I ate gluten free and vegetarian they are still serving breaded garlic mushrooms as the vegetarian option or if your "lucky" breaded halloumi not really date food due to the amount of garlic they shove on it is...extreme

I feel quite overwhelmed with the responses here! Thank you

I half expected lots of "First World problem" or "you should be thankful you're not eating gruel" type responses.

Veggie here.
A sodding bean burger.
Shove your bean burger up your bum

@pteradactyl

Veggie here. A sodding bean burger. Shove your bean burger up your bum

Amen to that. And I hope its cheap, horrible crumby coating scratches on the way up.

We used to live near a pub that never changed the food menu - was never tempted to eat there and try the lone veggie option, which was:

“Country Bake” (no ingredient clues provided, their quotation marks)

Mmmmm

@pteradactyl

Veggie here. A sodding bean burger. Shove your bean burger up your bum

I love bean burgers! I also love mushroom risotto. I'm not a vegetarian but this thread is making me hungry for those things.

I remember having spicy bean burgers years ago,they were gorgeous.

@heidipi

We used to live near a pub that never changed the food menu - was never tempted to eat there and try the lone veggie option, which was:

“Country Bake” (no ingredient clues provided, their quotation marks)

Mmmmm

Its random veg (whatever they are cooking for the meat eaters) shoved in a bowl mixed with cheese flavoured with thyme usually and topped with breadcrumbs (maybe more cheese) and baked

Its ummm "interesting"

Occasionally you get the porridge oat version so slightly crunchy cheesy time flavoured slop

Years ago good vegetarian food was good and worth the money but then they decided everything should be vegan and full of fillers so good vegetarian food is hard to find unless your a gluten eating vegan

I asked if a jacket potato was gluten free I was being sarcastic but it turns out that actually its not I just looked like 👀👀👀 ummm hot chocolate? (Also no) decaffeinated coffee (no) I ended up with a glass of milk

Veggie for over 30 years here.
The most common option used to always be the horrible soupy vegetable lasagna or sometimes just wholemeal pasta and tomato sauce with no cheese or flavour at all! A vegetable burger was occasionally offered at more ‘modern’ places but often came with new potatoes and green veg because what vegetarian would want chips or anything ‘junk’ with their kidney bean containing smooshed veg burger?

I love goats cheese and am happy to eat halloumi but not as a starter and a main on the same day especially if the veg pudding is cheesecake or other dairy gloop!

In summary - mushroom risotto / veg lasagna / bean burgers and wholemeal pasta can fuck off back to the early 90s - give us tapas and spiced morsels of deliciousness please!

Manchego cheese (or Parmesan while we’re on the subject) isn’t vegetarian though.
I hate seeing menus with ‘veggie’ Options full of animal rennet!

Liver and ANYTHING. Liver literally makes me sick. I actually used to like the flavor, but it is too rich for my tummy, and after getting sick just so many times, I stopped liking the flavor!

Oh good grief I had forgotten the hell that was vegetarian lasagna soggy zucchini celery and tons of tomatoes

Grim

My particular bugbear is when vegetarian is listed like it's a flavour - like when the choice between two pies is "steak and ale" or "vegetarian".

Also veggie lasagne. It crops up way too often.

@pteradactyl

Veggie here
A sodding bean burger
Shove your bean burger up your bum

I hear you sister!

Or a lasagne/generic veg pasta dish or vague veg chilli. Agree with other posters that butternut squash is bland.

The other thing that makes my teeth itch is restaurants and pubs that never change their veggie option. Our closest pub has had mushroom risotto (yep that one) and bubble & squeak, asparagus and a poached egg on the menu for 5 years (both delicious but yawn let's try something else). We are on holiday at the moment and some of the family want to go to a lovely village pub, but it has had the same 2 veg options for about 12 years! I know it's a year since we were last there, but my heart sinks when I go in and read the menu.

@roseinthedark

I recently cooked a Korean meal for my vegetarian teen nephew. Jasmine rice, spicy tofu gochujang soup, spinach salad banchan, aubergine gaji-Namul banchan made without the fish sauce, Korean veg pancake with vinegar soy dipping sauce, japchae noodles cooked without the meat element, and a tamagoyaki style egg roll with cheese on the inside. Not as much work as it sounds and a very simple cuisine to vegetarianify as Koreans are practically addicted to vegetables… but pre-made kimchi’s often have anchovies and fish sauce in them so I wouldn’t have it on the side unless homemade. (Although it is traditionally indispensible!)

That would turn me into a vegetarian . It sounds so yummy

@BananaMilkshakeWithCream

Trouble is OP, most people are meat eaters. Therefore, if you want a wide range of food to choose from, either go to a vegetarian restaurant or eat meat 🤷‍♀️

How helpful.

OP - I don't mind mushroom risotto.
I'm with the vast majority on here though that loathe goats cheese. In any form. 🤮

@Pennybubbly

Not a problem.