Being vegetarian is so tiresome.

[Brandnewskytohangyourstarsupon]

I’ve been vegetarian for over 25 years.

Just arranging dinner with friends who are raving about a particular restaurant. It’s a m at eaters dream of a place I’m sure gorgeous food is sold.
It’s Italian so there’s the usual vegetarian offerings of over priced margarita pizza available and it really pisses me off.
There are also some overpriced sides available but it boils my piss to pay £14-16 for a bit of cauliflower.

It’s the majority vote to go to this place.

I don’t want to bring it all down because there’s very little choice for vegetarians so I’ll do as I always do, eat before I go, order a drink and order the cheaper side to just be sociable.

Its always the same I find, always the same.

If you are vegetarian, how do you navigate this?

Anyone saying “eat meat” is a fkn twat.

I must admit those prices sound crazy. Italian food is usually so good for vegetarians.

In this instance I would probably just pull out and go somewhere else more suitable next time TBH.

• find vegetarian friends
• steer the current towards restaurants that actually have decent options for you and they can go to the shit ones
• Indian restaurants always a winner for everyone

I am surprised by the number of people who will eat fish out- after 40 years the idea and the actual would make me sick and my ethics and tastebuds aren’t different out the house!
After a trip to a steakhouse once with friends where my option was a shit salad bar and some chips I now have no qualms in just saying nope.

But I am lucky that my friends will happily eat wherever works for those of us who need veggie etc and will eat veggie themselves if it’s easier and I know not everyone has that.

Tiresome certainly for non-vegetarians who always listen to the never-ending whining, moaning and martyrdom of vegetarians/vegans. Speaking from experience here.

Wow. Being vegetarian is hardly niche. Maybe next time you go to a restaurant get someone else to pick the most boring thing on the menu for you and just say “there you go that’s your option” and eat what you are told. Don’t like mushrooms? Tough.
I am always amazed how little imagination some people have when it comes to food as if no meat means boring. How dull life must be for them

For me fish has never felt the same way in terms of morals/ethics as meat does. If I try to eat chicken I feel immense guilt that I’m eating the flesh of an animal, with fish there is none of that and never has been. I can’t really explain it but just wanted to offer a bit of perspective

Whining and snippy.

That sounds boring!

there are a lot of Mediterranean dishes that are vegetarian. I eat a plant based diet but eat no sugar and no flour and its hard. I have to do a lot of cooking but it's my choice.

For many years vegetarians have been saying to carnivores what is the big deal about eating a vegetarian meal if you visit a vegetarian friend or go to a veggie restaurant. Now we have lots of vegetarians moaning about having to eat vegan meals. Can't you manage to eat vegan for one meal?

I’m keto. 😭

Why should she have to simply ‘manage’? OP is a paying customer meant to be going for a nice meal out, the food should be enjoyable not just passable!

It’s proper crap. My family are the same - they choose country pubs which have very limited veggie options and usually no vegan ones meaning I get a crap meal and my vegan husband can’t eat anything. Husband and I are always outvoted on venue choice by the meat eaters and they don’t care that we don’t have a proper meal (they also have the cheek to request splitting the bill equally!!). Its just really crap that friends and family don’t pick restaurants where there is a proper meal for everyone attending - I’d be embarrassed if I was an organiser and picked a place that doesn’t cater a proper meal for everyone. It’s hard to not think they don’t care, especially after I explain why some venues would mean there are no options for us.
i also dont understand why some restaurants don’t provide decent veggie/ vegan meals - and by that I mean a compete, satisfactory and tasty meal - it’s not hard for a professional chef!
I don’t have any tips OP apart from either shortlisting restaurants yourself with decent options for you or not going to ones where you have a crap meal.

Also super helpful.
You clearly haven’t read any of my posts and have a problem with people who have a different perspective to you standing their ground.

So am I, at the moment. My cunning plan consists of not going out to eat until I stop. Actually, I'm also fasting today, which listing all that delicious food did nothing to help 🤦‍♀️

Absolutely no call for this comment.

We went to a very remote place up a mountain somewhere in the canaries to stargaze. When I told the people in the one local restaurant that I didn’t eat meat they presented me with………

A massive plate of one kind of cheese cut into massive wedges and……….

A whole raw onion.

And even that was better than the vegan crap that’s usually on offer in pubs and restaurants.

Yes this really annoys me too. Vegetarians have been completely bypassed for vegans.

I think I'd go for the margarita and ask if they can add some extra veggie toppings.

I'm a veggie that doesn't like mushrooms which unfortunately seems to be the go to ingredient😭I agree it feels less of a treat eating out when there's only a couple options on the menu and you don't fancy any of them & overpriced feels like another kick in teeth. I'm grateful there's some cafes/restaurants with lots of veggie & vegan options to go when i've more choice on venue.

It's not really the vegans fault that places are lazy and think well this covers all the veggie/vegan/dairy free people rather than increasing options for all.
Most vegans I know aren't big faux meat eaters either and would prefer more plant based and places could offer optional cheese or Ve cheese when toppings. Must admit I like a beyond meat burger as the V alternative was always spicy bean burger and some were ok and others too spicy and would repeat on me, but again it's the limited choices.

I mentioned Indian restaurants being good normally but this thread has reminded me that my family and I went for a business lunch at an Indian once. Iv no idea why they call the set lunch menu that.

I ordered the only option the vegetarian curry (which I was slightly worried about as it was quite a vague description considering how many standard curries are vegetarian) I was presented with a plate of onions that looked like they had been chopped lightly boiled then tossed in some curry powder mixed with oil. That was the entire meal 😂😩

Why not try Lebanese/Middle Eastern cuisine?

Hummus
Baba Ganoush
Tabbouleh
Falafel
Foul Medames
Fattoush
Spiced potatoes

What's not to like...

Or say you'll eat at home and meet them for dessert and a drink afterwards. It doesn't sound like a particularly great restaurant if they can't work out how to put some mushrooms or roasted veg onto a pizza, and charge £22!

The difference is that people eat vegetables, cheese, dairy whether they are vegetarian or not. Vegan food in restaurants is often not made out of vegetables, and pulses etc, it's made out of ultra processed fake ' meat' and nuts pretending to be cream and cheese, and tasting like neither. Before veganism became such a fad, I'd go to a niche vegan restaurants with vegan friends of mine and the food was made of actual food.

Eat good vegan food? Happy to. Eat food made with fake plastic cheese and a Beyond Burger that they’ve pulled out of the freezer? No thanks.

It’s not that it’s vegan that’s the problem, it’s that so many places take the easy option of sticking so dreadful ultra processed crap ok the menu rather than trying to make something nice.