Who is in the wrong - vegan or manager?

[iloverobbrydon]

A group of friends go into a pub that do food. One of them is vegan. She looks at the menu and sees that there are no V or VE signs on the menu at all. Even for items that clearly veggie and vegan, the pub don't use the signs. However, they do list the ingredients and a description of the meal under the meal title.

There are 2 or 3 vegan options. One of them is a pasta where the ingredients are listed as pasta, tomato, basil etc. And have a little description of the taste. No animal products listed at all so the vegan orders this.

The meal comes out and it has a fried egg on top of it. The egg was not listed in the ingredients so she sent it back explaining why.

The manager who took the order is not happy because she never actually said she was vegan and they arent mind readers. They come out and say if you can't eat certain foods then you need to tell the staff to make sure that those things are actually 100% ok for you to eat.

It does escalate into a bit of an argument because the vegan is saying well if you list your ingredients then how am I to know that you only list some ingredients and not others? Where on your menu does it say how your menu works and that you won't list everything? That's just confusing. Either list everything or nothing. The manager is saying if you need a meal to not have an ingredient you need to tell us.

You can probably work out which one I am but I didn't want to write it one sided, just wanted to explain the situation and ask who you think is in the wrong here?

In what world would you expect a bowl of pasta in sauce to turn up at the table with a fried egg on the top? The meal should be properly described on the menu and the ingredients listed. No one in their right mind would think to check with the waiting staff if the chef was planning on putting a fried egg on top. Just bizarre.

I think it's an odd addition to pasta and should be listed. However I also think it's odd that a vegan wouldn't check that the menu option was suitable. The pasta could've been egg pasta, the sauce could contain butter - three was a fair chance it wasn't suitable.

Well she can't bloody win then can she? She was avoiding even mentioning being vegan, so as not to cause trouble.

If she'd actually asked, you would have accused her of being a fussy, picky vegan making a scene for no reason.

The manager for sure! Like why the hell would that dish come with an egg???

Ah yes, I forgot to mention that the other standard requirement of being vegan is not having any sense of humour. Thanks for the reminder!

Egg is an allergen and I think actually has to legally be stated as an ingredient

I think you should have asked to ensure your meal was vegan- eg eggs in pasta, cooked with butter, items in the sauce etc. If the menu is unclear you should check- no matter how silly it seems not to have this marked.

However- the restaurant are more in the wrong for not mentioning the egg ON the pasta. Not only is it an allergen but it's the sort of thing that might stop someone ordering entire or that they'd ask to have removed. I can't abide cooked eggs and would have sent it back and possibly would have asked for a different meal as I won't eat things that have been egg-tainted either. I tell you this OP as someone who eventually did learn the hard way to ask about seasoning in Italian restaurants and who no longer sends food back to be scraped free of the abomination that is unstated, unwanted oregano.

Agree with this

Erm pasta isn't vegan tho as is made from eggs?

Vegan aside egg is an ALLERGEN. Should be listed.

I thought most dried pasta didn’t contain eggs?

This reminds me of the thread where the OP ordered a cake from a local baker and it smelled of smoke. A poster said the OP should have specified she didn't want it smelling of smoke 😂😂

Who the hell puts an egg on tomato pasta? That’s like putting a pizza on a curry. You would never think to check if it comes with that because in Normal Land it never would. What is your friend supposed to say? ‘Does it come with an egg’, ‘Does it come with beef?’, ‘Does it come with a lamb chop’, ‘Does it come with stuffing?’, ‘Does it come with a banana?’ Etc.etc. Forever and ever.

Really you're in the wrong, pasta sauce could easily be made with butter, it often comes with cheese on top, parmesan isn't even veggie. Also pasta is often made with egg.
Whether she had an attitude or not is another story.
When I waitressed I would've smiled and said yes of course let me change that, walked into the kitchen and rolled my eyes at the vegan who hasn't questioned the ingredients in a dish not labelled vegan, that could very easily be made with eggs and dairy.
It's a bit like ordering an ice cream and then being annoyed it's not vegan because they put chocolate on top. Nonsensical.

On a side note putting a fried egg on top of tomato pasta is a travesty

Seriously

I've had similar happen when I ordered a tomato burratta pasta and it arrived sprinkled liberally with... cashews. I have an anaphylactic nut allergy. I hadn't said to them about the allergy but I was ordering a tomato burratta pasta which one would not expect to have nuts in it and ALSO I'd ordered that dish from that exact restaurant a few weeks ago, explained the allergy then and at that point they acted like I was mental for asking if there were nuts in the pasta. Manager tried to make me pay for it, but I refused. I can't bloody win!

The vegan is BU. If you can’t eat something you need to tell the staff and check. For example, if you can’t eat wheat and you order a salad, you need to check there are no croutons. If you can’t eat dairy and you order an omelette you need to check it isn’t made with milk. Etc.

Hang on, you're a vegan and didn't know that quite a bit of pasta isn't vegan? I'm an omnivore who can't cook, and even I know that a lot of fresh pasta contains egg. And whilst no one would have expected an egg on top of that dish, a sprinkling of parmesan would hardly have been surprising, and isn't even vegetarian.

Not a common ingredient in a pasta dish.

Carbonara?

plus many pastas are made with egg.

@nutellacrepe the time I've encountered an egg in Italy was on a floritina pizza, never encountered one on pasta

Gotta ask
Was the dish called pasta with pancetta and egg?

Most menus do not list all ingredients. It would be wonderful if they did and it would make dining out with allergies much easier, but it just doesn’t work that way.

It is also possible that the pasta itself wasn’t vegan. if you need a dish to meet a dietary preference, you need to ask.

those of us who have actual dietary requirements definitely ask about everything we order.

Egg on top of pasta sounds revolting and I would never order it! May be un-English, but certainly not unheard of.

So, unless diners specifically state they are vegan, they could, in theory, end up with a fried egg on top of their apple cobbler? Or a pork chop in their fruit compote? The chef is clearly as mad as a broom and the staff are enabling him.