I want Vegetarian choices, not just Vegan!

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

For 25 years I have eaten a vegetarian diet. I am vegetarian because I don't enjoy meat or fish.
I like eggs, cheese and all other dairy products. So I am not vegan.
This summer has shown to me that increasingly restaurants and supermarkets are making their vegetarian dishes vegan. So using substitute milks, cheese etc. I do not want substitutes. I am not vegan. I do not like any of the substitutes (I have tried them as I had a dairy free son for 3 years).
What can be done to protect those who are vegetarian? I am actually genuinely concerned about how places are doing this. It's much more common than people probably even realise (unless you're a vegetarian!). I want food choices when I eat out.

Slowly because I'm autistic and not good with change, and I'm more likely to stick with it this way.

Why would you put oil in cakes?

Oil in cakes is fine. It’s the egg replacement that’s more of a problem.

Vegans say vegan cakes taste as good as non vegan ones. They really really don’t.

At the moment, there (clearly) aren't enough people ordering veggie dishes to warrant their own dish.

When I first became veggie 30yrs ago, the only choice was veg lasagne or cheese salad. more and more people chose to not eat meat, and restaurants provided lots more choice (so must be warranted) The recent rise in veganism has caused restaurants to lump us into one category, which we are not. It’s nothing to do with a great business plan imo. They just think they can cut corners and provide less choice. This will not work, as there are already a few places I will not be returning to with my family due to a really bad vegan choice replacing the veggie options. They will lose business.

YANBU. The popularity of vegan food is the worst thing to happen to vegetarian food for years! I know it won't kill me to settle for the vegan option but when I eat out it's for a treat and I want something I'm going to enjoy and that is a little indulgent.

Personally I have noticed menus expanding as they include vegan options as well as vegetarian. The thing I have noticed that is annoying is that vegan options used to be of the 'super healthy' variety which I love (it's nonsense that vegan food is 'processed crap' as PP have said - you could say that about any diet - it just depends what the individual chooses) but now it seems more popular to have meals based on meat and dairy replacements which I'm not as keen on. I love a bit of 'junk food' now and again but not all the time. I'd like to see more of the old style vegan choices based on vegetables, beans, nuts, grains.

YANBU, is prefer not to eat meat as I don't really like it. So would choose a non-meat option, but love cheese and eggs etc. It's a shame that everything seems to be vegan or meat these days!

Ps the local arts centre makes amazing vegan courgette cake with "cream cheese" you would never know (and I eat meat etc)

I get that people enjoy dairy. I do too, but I don't think there needs to be a dairy option on every menu when vegetarians can eat foods that are solely plant based and that don't contain fake meat. Like the items I listed. That isn't to say that I don't think restaurants shouldn't offer dairy options, but vegan and vegetarian food are not necessarily completely different as some are claiming. Not all vegetarian dishes have to contain animal products.

@Biber Just checked the ingredients in a morrisons chocolate vegan cupcake. Not sure how nutritious they are?

Ingredients
Allergy Advice: For allergens see highlighted ingredients

Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed, Palm), Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Iron, Thiamin, Nicotinic Acid, Calcium Carbonate), Water, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Coconut, Humectant (Glycerol), Dried Glucose Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Strawberry Purée, Strawberries, Raising Agents (Sodium Carbonates, Potassium Carbonates, Diphosphates, Calcium Phosphates), Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Acacia Gum, Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Flavouring, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Propionate), Gelling Agent (Pectins), Maize Starch, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrates, Potassium Hydroxide), Colours (Anthocyanins, Annatto, Curcumin), Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum), Caramelised Sugar

groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Morrisons-Chocolate-Vegan-Cupcakes-/469835011

YABU
There are still plenty of veggie options. In fact you have the best of both worlds, as depending on the type of dish and the manner it is cooked / served you could ask for the meat dish without the meat or the vegan dish + plus normal cheese.
At least you have options.
Ive had to endure the last 10+ years of there sometimes being NO option or 1 shite option for me & just having to crack on. I dont know myself these days i love how places are becoming more inclusive for everyone. If you dont like somewhere go elsewhere.
Ps nothing wrong with my vegan blood regular blood donor so fuck all deficient in me

YABU, surely if you're a proper vegetarian you must be bothered about animal products in some capacity even if it is just because you don't like meat and fish - so it's a good thing that there's more vegan choices, surely?
It caters to more people by being vegan.
I'm loving the explosion of vegan stuff as I'm unable to eat milk and eggs for example.
There's always some dish vegetarians can have, it's not like every dish is vegan cheese or whatever
Restaurants can't bloody win, they'll never please everyone and there's always going to be someone moaning.

I'm a long term vegetarian turned vegan.When I did eat out as a vegetarian I found that dairy and eggs were over used almost as if to compensate for the lack of meat. I think anything which increases the range of healthy foods available has to be good.

I don't think yabu but for me personally I've been veggie for a very long time since I was a teenager, and I am so pleased that vegan has become quite mainstream even in the supermarkets in my deprived coastal community.
I've got vegan cheese in the fridge (but also buy the odd bag of grated proper cheese) and almond milk is so low calorie I've got that to try next.
The increase in vegan ism has led this very fussy eater to try new things (when they are reduced as it tends to be quite expensive)
The Morrisons vegan mozzarella sticks were lovely!
So although I do respect other veggies opinions, I think it's great myself!

@justasking111

I'm not sure any cupcakes are particularly nutritious, to be fair.

@justasking111

I dont think Biber is implying they are healthy. Think they just mean taste. Those are same additives you find in standard mass produced baked products. Some even have gelatine in. Yummy- hooves in cakes .
I am not a faw foodist but raw vegan desserts are delicious and not full of shite.

@MrsDimmond
Surely people remember the days when the only vegetarian options on most menus were omlettes or cheese salad

Exactly, so much choice nowadays, and people are still bloody moaning lol

I haven't RFT (only page 1) but where are you eating out? I live in the South East and restaurants here always seem to have a good variety of vegetarian AND vegan dishes. We've just been up to Wensleydale and most restaurants there were only serving meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. One restaurant there had two vegan meals and one vegetarian one on the menu and the vegan ones weren't processed or full of meat substitutes.

Subway not doing the veggie patty just the vegan one which is gross 😒
McDonald's only doing those tasteless vegan fingers instead of the veggie burger.
Ruining all my treat food and they look at you like a freak when you ask for cheese or Mayo!

A lot of vegan food is not only processed weird synthetic shit, but more environmentally unfriendly than locally-sourced meat, or eggs.
Also, if you want to bang on about vegans being morally superior, you might want to think again

@aliensprig

“Honestly, vegetarianism is an utter waste of time”. You’re wrong. Educate yourself on how everyone can help the environment by cutting certain things out of their diets.
I agree that Veganism would be best but some people don’t want to be vegan. I’d rather people be veggie than “just eat meat” as you suggest.

YABU
There are still plenty of veggie options.

Oddly enough, I have just been discussing this issue in the local pub. The landlord has a limited menu so the has one vegan option that, by his reasoning, is suitable for vegetarians too. There are no other vegetarian options.

I'm an omnivore so don't care either way. It's all just food to me and I'm happy to eat whatever is available.

The Subway veggie patty is still showing on their site. Perhaps it varies by store?

@justasking111

Link to "normal" morrisons cupcakes:
groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Morrisons-Party-Cupcakes/458467011#3

So yeah pretty much the same just plus the milk & egg

OK mozarella sticks. Vegan v non vegan ingredients.

Vegan:
Ingredients Water, Coconut Oil (13%), Rice Flour, Gram Flour, Potato Starch, Modified Potato Starch, Modified Maize Starch, Maize Flour, Maize Starch, Cornflour, Sea Salt, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Flavouring, Thickeners (Methyl Cellulose, Cellulose, Xanthan Gum), Parsley, Lemon Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Raising Agents (Sodium Carbonates, Diphosphates), Ground Sunflower Kernels, Dextrose, Olive Extract, Pepper, Acid (Lactic Acid), White Pepper, Colour (Carotenes), Vitamin B12 58 calories.

Non Vegan:
Ingredients Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (50%), Mozzeralla Cheese (Milk) (50%) 63 calories

@ReanimatedSGB

I didnt know carrots, organic apples off my tree, walnuts, home made houmous, beetroot, lemons and potatoes from my local farmshop, my homegrown tomatoes etc etc etc was weird and synthetic

Im not here to try and convert anyone but please think before making such sweeping statement.

What is weird and synthetic is the drugs pumped into the animals you eat but im not going to attack you for your choice.

I love being vegan and wouldnt change it for the world. If someone wants to cut down on meat and not put a label on it well good for them but im not going to sit and judge them for not going "full" veggie/vegan as it doesnt exist. Money isnt vegan. We can only do what we can do.

Spread houmous not hate