Work trip restaurants have no vegetarian options and I hate fuss

[Clockinginat2pm]

Away abroad with work.
We have clients with us, there’s a few of us flown over.
Activities all organised by head office, lovely, it’s really well organised day & evening.
Restaurants booked for each evening… Smash burger place and steak & fish place x2. Checked out menus and there is zero, and I mean zero vegetarian option on any of the menus at all. Starters/mains ALL meat or fish pf some form. There’s not even any sides (which would usually be more go to)

I do not want to draw ANY attention to myself at all as I am excruciatingly dreading these events as I am introvert, socially extremely anxious and feeling very very out of my depth with it all.

Fade into the background is my main aim..

So, do I order something with meat/fish & just pretend to eat it and be hungry for a few days?

I don’t speak the language, the waiter from last night spoke no English so ringing them to order something else is not an option here at all. (I ended up with an appetiser of grilled asparagus which I couldn’t eat so pushed it around my plate for 40 minutes.

Ive used my emergency pack of biscuits as I was starving.
What would you do in my shoes???

That sounds like a nightmare. I can understand why you don't want to draw attention to yourself. I quit a job pretty soon after I realised I would be expected to be with clients a lot during meals like this, and I didn't have the added pressure of not being able to eat anything!

I think I'd find a shop during whatever time I have alone and find whatever I can to keep in my room so I can stuff my face full before the meal, then just order soup and if anyone notices, say I just didn't like it/don't feel too well.

Would it be an option to send any of the venues a message on facebook, etc using Google translate?

It sounds as if you're in France @Clockinginat2pm . I've had the same problem and asked the chef for a vegetarian omelette with vegetables: J'aimerais une omelette aux légumes s'il vous plaît. Je suis végétarienne.

@Clockinginat2pm Could you google translate "I am a vegetarian" and write it down so you can discretely show the waiter?

You can't be the first vegetarian to eat there!!!

Can you say where you aer so ppl can help?

I had the same issue when I went on a work trip to a small town in Southern China - I couldn't eat most things on the menu.

I just went along to the dinners and told my colleagues about my dietary requirements whilst I was in the restaurant and they liaised with the restaurant in native language to find me something I could eat. Granted, they weren't the best meals but no one minded and it didn't derail any plans.

Do you have some free time before dinner where you could go and get yourself something to eat. Then just order chips or salad when you go with colleagues.
I understand this is awkward for you, but you do need to advocate for yourself, it doesn't need to be a big thing.

I know, it's almost like an interview test question to weed out anyone unable to deal with even basic challenges politely and confidently, 'you're vegetarian and your client has just offered you a meal with no vegetarian options, and their first language isn't English' how do you deal with this without offending the client?

Just use Google translate to explain the problem and they'll be able to make a cheese omelette and salad if nothing else.

Was also thinking not France, it’s not that outlandish to be veggie in France is it?

Look, you must be competent and capable at our job or you wouldn’t be going overseas for it.

So I think you can also say that you are vegetarian and you need some veggie options! That would surely be much easier and less noticeable than pushing food around your plate all night?

People will understand.

This is crazy. Why lie? It’s hardly like vegetarians are terrorists.

You really need to speak up. Who has organised the trip? It wont be CEO making restaurant bookings so speak to the PA or whoever has organised logistics.

It still is very tricky. I was in Paris for a week last year and didnt get great meals. A couple of omelettes and frites were the best!

Surely both a smash burger place and steak/gish place would have things like fries and salad?

I cant imagine anywhere would just serve up a burger on a plate and nothing else? If you were going to be okay picking meat off asparagus just order a cheese burger/steak (well done if you get the option to choose as fewer juices) and you can eat the bread roll, cheese, salad, mushrooms (or whatever else the salad/sides consist of) and fries. Then dessert and you will have had a meal.

Do you have any more confident colleagues who would speak up on your behalf if you cant? It just seems insane to me that you would sit there poking a piece of asparagus for 2 hours and nobody would clock there was an issue!

Also I dont really see the point in telling your boss once you've arrived home - it will be too late by then and tbh I agree with the poster above it would seriously cause me to query your competence if you told me you went hungry for several days rather than raise it at the time.

I have multiple allergies ( not anaphylaxis) and there's no way on earth I'd order something I couldn't eat just to blend in!

What will happen on the next trip?

E-Mail the restaurant in advance (use a translate app ) and ask if they can provide you with a vegetarian option

I do understand how stressful this is (and also guessing France based on how impossible it was to get vegetarian food there). I have a serious shellfish allergy and went to Hong Kong with my inlaws years ago and basically didn't eat most meals as it was just impossible to explain in a way that made sense. Not anyone's fault, just a total failure. I think maybe a lot of waitstaff were illiterate so my very carefully translated allergy card meant nothing, and there was often some sort of sprinkled fish stuff on top of dishes that weren't meant to have shellfish so after one bad experience I just gave up. I went to McDonald's before / after each meal and ate at the hotel which was basically American themed.

In this scenario, as I appreciate you don't want to make a fuss and don't want to spend ages explaining, I'd just get up early tomorrow and go stock up at a grocery store, Get nuts / granola bars / whatever shelf stable stuff you can find and have regular snacks. If the schedule allows, pop out for a sandwich whenever you can. And tell your boss and anyone involved with this trip that your dietary requirements were ignored as this is a serious mistake and could have had really dangerous consequences if it was an allergy instead of a preference.

OP, if you are confident enough to be in a role that has you travelling abroad with/to meet clients, then you must surely be confident enough to say to someone “I’m vegetarian”. It’s not like it’s something to be embarrassed or ashamed about.

I’m sure your boss and the clients would be absolutely mortified if they realised you hadn’t eaten because there was no suitable food - and also quite that you hadn’t spoken up about it.

This is a you problem, grow up. Adult enough to be on a professional work trip with clients, but scared to find options to suit your own dietary needs and pretending to eat? For goodness sake, pull your socks up.

Sorry but this.

it’s not causing a fuss. It’s just the basics and they have failed by not checking dietary requirements.

or just order chips and and a side salad

In Paris, I default to Lebanese or Italian restaurants, or the falafel places in the Marais. There are increasing numbers of vegetarian restaurants, though.

So they're not even aware of allergy requirements of the staff?!
That's beyond shit, and dangerous.
Also you say your boss knows you're vegetarian, in that case she should be sympathetic that there's nothing you can eat then and act accordingly.
I'd be saying "sorry I won't be able to join you tonight as I'm finding there's nothing on the menu for me that I can eat. I'll meet up with you after for a few drinks instead."
She should be mortified on hearing that and apologising for lack of options, I know I would.

I'm sorry but you are being absolutely ridiculous. And I also don't believe that every single restaurant doesn't have anything at all on the menu without meat.

How about using Google translate to translate "Do you have a vegetarian menu?" and show the text on your phone to the waiter.

I've been surprised in the past to find nothing I can eat on a menu, and it turns out that in some countries it's more usual to have a separate menu.

Bluntly, are you in the right job? How do you handle genuinely delicate and difficult interactions with clients abroad, if you can’t advocate for your own dietary needs without this level of stress?

I'm only here to find out what country this is that doesn't have anything to suit you in the restaurants selected.

I had this issue in Barcelona last year. 4 day trip and I barely ate. In Five guys, I filtered the touch board to vegetarian and it left me the option of the lettuce and cheese that goes on burgers. Not even fries so Im guessing they were cooked in animal fat too. Like you I just had the biggest breakfast I could squeeze in and bought snacks whilst watching everyone else tuck in.

I guess you are in Spain, France, Germany? Several european countries don't seem to always understand vegetarianism and you may well just be served a plate of vegetables BUT you do need to speak to whoever organised this in your company.

It's very short sighted & not at all professional of them not to accommodate various diets.