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???

Which country and maybe we can help you explain quietly to the staff aside to ask for something with no meat? I’m veggie due to allergies so would absolutely have to order something and would love to help you if it’s a language i speak

I would suggest using translate on your phone and ask for a plain omelette with chips - most restaurants should be able to accolade that. Just go up to the waiter as soon as you are seated, have it ready to go on your screen. It’s worth a try.

My immediate fix would be to contact the agency to sort out appropriate meals for you for the next couple of days... they organised it and they can put it right. I have a meeting for just under 200 people in June, I have already drafted a note for attendees to let me know their dietary requirements... I know from previous experience that I will get queries about Halal meat, that I will also need to provide Kosher meals, I have someone who is allergic to onions and garlic, to say nothing of the dairy free, gluten intolerant colleagues... you just sort it. And I have previously had someone walk up to me just before a meal to say that they could not eat any of it... we sorted it and they did not starve.

I realise you do not want to make a fuss, but either speak to the organisers or the restaurant staff and they will sort it... they are all used to this happening.

We are in France all the time and have no problem finding vegetarian options, or restaurants that are wholly vegetarian, vegan, organic etc....

Probably because they didn't understand the question. French supermarkets are usually full of fresh bread, vegetables and cheese, plus they have the usual pasta, rice, tinned goods etc. What do you mean by a vegetarian section?

@Mapletree1985 Ha ha - strong memories of my vegan friend who was served spaghetti with stewed apple at a restaurant in Madrid.

I was in this situation on a work trip to the US a few years ago. I spoke to the person who organised the restaurants who then spoke to the restaurant and they came up with something for me. In one place it was a plate of absolutely beautifully cooked vegetables.

The US can be tricky though, especially in the south. Ham/bacon in amongst vegetables, refried beans cooked in pork fat etc...

Fries should hopefully be OK at a burger place? Fried and salad?

Anyway. You need to say something discreetly and also get to a shop and buy some snacks.

Call the restaurants, they usually will accommodate once you explain.

Just tell the organiser that you are vegetarian and also email or call the restaurants to ask them for a veggie meal. If you tell them in advance they can prep something.

Its really not a massive deal and you’ll draw more attention to yourself nibbling on dry bread at every meal than by asking for a veggie meal. Even in France (I’ve lived in France as a vegetarian!)

If you're vegetarian though, chips aren't even veggie as a lot of the time they're cooked in beef dripping.

Anyway in terms of this issue tell your boss or the trip organiser about the problem and they should sort it out.

Literally "I am sorry to bother you but as you know I am a vegetarian and there does not appear to be anything I can eat at the evening meals, could you speak to the kitchen to ensure there is something I can eat, for example XXX would be perfect".

This.
@Clockinginat2pm this is not about you. The agency who arranged it messed up and messed up in a dangerous way if they failed to check the hosting staff's food requirements. Pull up your big girl knickers and get this sorted, not because its about you but because its about the risky situation the agency has put people in.

This thread is a massive fuss.
Surely there's a solution to the "problem".

Has anyone indicated a problem with vegetarians? Many posters are vegetarian!

The thread is rather frustrating as op seems to reject every suggestion. Even if it is France and every restaurant headed by the most obstinately inflexible pro-meat chef, she should be able to explain to colleagues that she can’t eat and will need to stop by a supermarket. The problem here is not being able to speak up. She really should address this as it’s clearly tiring, limiting and miserable.

You say you hate fuss but here you are making a whole fuss. Surely you just ask the waiter for a vegetarian option? It’s hardly unheard of for someone to not eat meat, there doesn’t need to be a fuss just a simple ‘do you have any vegetarian options?’ or ‘can you do X but leave off the burger?’

we were having a bbq and she wanted to look for some meat alternatives like veggie sausages and to get veggie mince and tofu. We searched the whole place and didn’t find any. It was a small town, not sure if that made a difference!

I booked my own arrangements many months ago but itinerary was booked by this company.

So this outside company has booked and arranged the trip for your clients, but you have made your own arrangements separately to that.

That will be why you have fallen through the cracks, they have arranged the itinerary for the clients, who they have organised the trip for, and you as a separate booking are going to the same things at the same time.. it is probably assumed that unless you speak up you are happy with the itinerary they have provided.

knowing how utterly anxious you are, you should have emailed the company organising this trip WAY before you even went if you knew you were going to be following their itinerary but weren't part of their booking?

Talk about a problem of your own making.

I'd be annoyed and I'm not vegetarian.

Is dessert usually vegetarian? I guess anything with gelatin might not be.

Use your mouth words.

This is what DH and I do. It's very unusual for a restaurant to have no sides we can eat at all.

The worst places are usually the cheap fast food places where there is a set menu and they just heat up their food. Any restaurant with an actual chef who is making stuff can usually come up with something if you're flexible. I eat pizza with no cheese for example or just plain pasta/rice/potatoes with green salad or veg.
I get it though, if OP is shy and anxious as it can draw attention a bit. I use google translate a lot - you can use the camera to read menus and translate them. It's great. If you're nervous, OP, get something ready via google translate, save it on your phone and show it to whoever is showing you to your table.
Usually when other people are reading the menu/choosing their food, they're not really very interested in what you're doing so this is the ideal time to sort it out low key.

Slightly gobsmacked at the amount of people on this thread who have absolutely no understanding of the fact that anxiety doesnt presents itself in one way or think that if you can do THIS thing, then SURELY you must be able to do THAT thing. Delighted for all of you that have people with such stereotypical presentations of ill mental health in your life, must be really easy for you to navigate, but its not actually a one size fits all thing.

Also does anyone actually believe saying 'get a grip and get over yourself' is actually going to help OP.

There's a way of saying 'You can push yourself to do something that makes you anxious, with the right tactics in place, why dont you try x' where you are still encouraging someone with anxiety to work on it and help them through their problem and arent just enabling them to stay in their comfort zone, but also just arent telling them to get over it....

Speak to the restaurants and see what is possible - even if it’s just chips, salad and bread.

the problem is a lot of places abroad are not geared up for vegetarians and don’t necessarily understand the concept so don’t have it on the menu. That doesn’t mean they can’t give you something - it likely won’t be your best ever meal but can keep you going.

This! A quick google shows all the veggie restaurants around the 5 guys ones!
why on earth be in such an amazing food place and go to a chain burger restaurant?
salad pic= veggie burger = 5guys

I must admit I'm with those who think not eating or pushing food around your plate is going to draw more attention than just asking the restaurant for something , anything vegetarian. They will be able to do something. Whether you have to write it down with google translate , use Chat GPT or whatever. You do run a risk of some of your clients feeling awkward if you are not eating. I know you don't want to draw attention and I don't want to make you feel more anxious but just pointing out how it might look if you suffer in silence.
But your choice

Exactly. Unless OP is going to reveal she’s in some isolated village where they rely on meat to survive, she’ll be able to get a vegetarian meal.

The whole set-up sounds very exclusive in terms of dietary requirements for anyone and everyone. Did nobody bother to check if anyone had any allergies?
Very poor planning IMO!