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???

By picking at your food and not eating it you are drawing attention to yourself. If I was with you I would feel upset that you weren't eating and, TBH, a little frustrated that you didn't politely request, without fuss something without meat or fish.

I'm afraid that making a martyr of yourself by just eating dry bread looks silly, and attention seeking.

Is there no-one in your party who speaks the local language that you can aak to speak to the waiting staff?

Could you not just duck out of eating out instead?

Smash burger do veggie options.

“I dont think you understand how anxious I am and what a mess I am in these situations”.
You are asking for vegetarian food, not how to make a bomb.
If you can’t ask your host/boss/line manager/hr dept/google translate to help you in this situation then you really shouldn’t be travelling abroad for work.
Or maybe stop being a veggie on work trips and go for the option with least meat.
When you get home maybe think about getting some therapy to help you grow a backbone advocate for yourself.
I can’t believe a grown woman who is intelligent enough to hold down a job which requires overseas travel can’t advocate for herself.

I lived in France for a year with a friend who was vegetarian and she managed just fine.

Can you at least not go for a walk outside the hotel and get to a shop that sells protein drinks? Or even crisps and chocolate? You’re being a bit of a wet blanket OP.

Just order chips, olives and other safe food.

I certainly wouldn't order meat to throw out because it genuinely repulses me now but if you feel forced into ordering it, maybe buddy up with a meat eater and trade meat for veggies.

I know you "should" speak up etc, but youve said you dont want to and so i wont advise on that.

I'll just say that when I've been in that situation I just pick the least unappealing item that is most likely to meet the minimum criteria and go with that.

Why on earth would you go to Five Guys at all, but in Barcelona of all places?

They're notorious and quite unique amongst burger places for not catering for vegetarians. Granted in Spain, you have to watch out for the undeclared ham or tuna, but there's loads of tapas options that are vegetarian plus international food like Italian, Middle Eastern or even Indian that has a good selection of vegetarian options.

This is a restaurant problem, not a problem with your diet. But if you don't tell anyone, how can they help?
There are very few places in the world which couldn't manage to knock up an omelette. Not my favourite thing to eat by a long shot, but better than going hungry or making a scene by refusing to eat anything. If you'd say what country you're in it might help.

What a nightmare for you op.

Would Google translate help in the restaurants?

I would speak to your manager, explain the issue and ask if it's ok if you join later for coffee and drinks.
I would then google vegan/veggie places to eat and book an earlyish table for one and enjoy worry free meals.

That’s mad. I’ve been in Barcelona several times as a lifelong vegetarian, and ate perfectly adequately — I mean, if you’re just walking around looking for a neighbourhood restaurant, you’ll end up eating sauceless patatas bravos and pan con tomates a lot, but a fairly cursory search will show you lots of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, some very good.

are you in France? I was in France recently with a veggie family member and had the same issue with restaurants. Often all but a couple of sides had some meat or fish. And we went to a supermarket and asked where the vegetarian section was and they looked at me with utter contempt 🤣

Well it depends on the context. If you're in charge or it's a friend/family trip - sure. But in a work context it can be difficult to force everyone to accommodate you.

I tagged along with my husband for a work trip just to enjoy the free hotel room and was invited to join them for dinner one night. Turned out to be a tasting menu at a shellfish restaurant where I could eat nothing. I wasn't going to make everyone change their plans just for me so I just drank (too much) wine and stopped for chips on the way home.

I’m veggie and I’ve had this a few times.

depending on the people if you advocate for yourself it can and does cause a big fuss.

i remember one big work trip where the whole company pretty much went and it turned out the hotel really didn’t understand the concept of vegetarian and the veggie food had been cooked with pork “to make it more interesting”.

i got an omelette my then h got pasta. The waiters literally came up to us and said we didn’t know so just ask for what you want.

the rest of the company got a five course dinner with wine.

France is particularly bad as they just don’t understand the concept so no matter how many times you explain or have cards it doesn’t work. (I have relatives in France and have been visiting on and off for thirty years).

china was surprisingly easy although by that point I was disabled and they just told everyone it was medical reasons.

This.

Also surely it's more embarrassing if your boss gets back to the office and is like... "Oh hang on, aren't you veggie?" I would cringe so much as your boss if I'd organised these meals and then remembered, and realised that you'd just been coming along to meaty restaurants and not saying anything.

You have the choice to speak to your manager, or to speak to the restaurants. Surely there is a solution that doesn't involve you starving. If I were your manager I would be mortified to learn you were going hungry.

But you need to speak up for yourself on this and stop being a martyr. And let head offie know that either they or the agency really dropped the ball.

Any restaurant will be able to make something for you.
Can you post menu and people can talk you through what might be adapted.
Then I’d message restaurant using a translation app and say I have restricted diet strictly no meat or fish. Can I have the x dish no ham etc.
I admit I’d be bemused as a boss you are senior enough to be away internationally with clients but not comfortable sorting it. It’s common to have allergies or dietary restrictions.

It woukd be quite rude just to pretend to eat something. You'll either have to speak up or eat one of the dishes.

Why not?? Do you think they'd just let you not eat anything?

You need to either ask someone who speaks the language to call the restaurant or go prepared with your phone so you can show the waiter. A burger/steak place would definitely be able to do you fries, cheese, salad, bread at the very least.

Your clients/colleagues won't have a second thought about you making a very standard dietary request. What they would definitely find unusual/weird is you spending the entire trip ordering something you can't eat if they later found out you are vegetarian. Last night you can just about get away with if you say you didn't realise the asparagus would come with meat

Is it just you on the trip or is anyone else from your company there? If there is someone else chat with them about this - they may have passable language skills

How can you be travelling abroad meeting clients if you're 'so anxious'?

@Clockinginat2pm please tell us the country if you don't want to post the menu

It’s common not to have veggie options in restaurants that serve meat overseas (2 vegetarian DD’s here) but only in France have they refused to adapt their items to suit and even there we did get vegetarian food after a heated discussion (in French, we were with French friends and he had called ahead in French and still got the run around from chef who refused to serve a starter (vegetarian by chance ) with fries as a main! Go onto the internet and download an appropriate statement explaining you are vegetarian and don’t eat meat or fish, then a second statement explaining that you would be happy with some cheese, salad and fries or something else they are likely to have lying around.

This problem occurs even when you call ahead, my DD’s co (armed forces) was totally embarrassed when they were at an official meal over the pond and despite sending dietaries for dd and her colleagues (another vegetarian and a coeliac) they were served steak, chips cooked in beef fat and laughed at by a very senior us official. Her co arranged for packed meals for the next 2 events. Ironically they had kosher food but vegetarian is too out there.

Does no one see the irony of the OP being repeatedly bullied on here about being wet and pathetic and childish, yet telling her her boss/colleagues/clients won’t have a problem with her being vegetarian when so many on here obviously have a massive problem with it?

My boss is a vegan, but he comes along wherever the rest of us are going, and tells the staff, I'm a vegan, just bring me plate of whatever veggies you've got and maybe some rice and potatoes. He's been given some pretty, let's say unusual, food combos! But it always turns out good.