That restaurants should know parmesan isn't vegetarian?

[SpikyCoconut]

My Mum has booked this restaurant and asked if I want to come along.

Surely the chef should know this?

https://www.315barandrestaurant.co.uk/

Wibu to get in touch with them and ask if it is actually a parmesan substitute (in which case it should be labelled correctly!) Or if they can develop a different dish that actually IS vegetarian? There are two dishes with parmesan on the vegetarian menu.

I had no idea parmesan wasn't vegetarian! I have only been veggie for a couple of months though, what else should I know?! Slightly embarassed now!

Vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, both made by animals. They don’t eat animal flesh or parts of the animals.

Vegans don’t eat anything that comes from animals. Including honey. They shouldn’t really eat mushrooms or avocados either.

Not all vegetarians are vegetarian due to environmental or animal welfare concerns. I haven’t eaten meat for over 30 years because I just don’t like it. The tidal wave of fake meat and cheeze marketed as vegan that’s flooded
restaurants makes it near impossible to eat out now as a vegetarian.

I don’t think we’re disagreeing. Are you clarifying? If so, thank you.

As a vegetarian who can’t eat gluten, mushrooms, courgettes, aubergines or peppers I rarely even try to eat in restaurants.

It is my understanding (from having a very strictly vegetarian partner) that in the UK dishes should be marked with a 'V' symbol to show they are properly vegetarian. If they don't have that, they might not be (even if the ingredients appear to be veggie). That's how restaurants get around using things like chicken stock and non-veggie cheese. They will often have a disclaimer somewhere that states they don't have a separate area for cooking too, which means they'll be stirring things with the same spoon or using the same frying oil for meat and vegetarian dishes.

I would assume the cheese in this restaurant is real parmesan and therefore not vegetarian. That veggie symbol on the crab starter is puzzling too, and suggest they don't really care.

Rennet is part of an animal, therefore many vegetarians don't eat it.

No, that's a vegan.

Vegetarians do eat products made by animals, ie eggs, milk etc.

I don't think some wine is veggie as it contains fish bladder (or something else obscure) so you might want to check that!

Ha. I have a nightshade allergy too. Feel your pain. Tomatoes are the worst for me but the basis of so many veggie dishes.

I was clarifying because you talked about veggies not eating products made by animals, but they do (milk, eggs).

So I clicked on the link and looked at the menu and it clearly says on the vegetarian menu that the dishes can be made "vegan by request", so I think you are being extremely unreasonable - the chef has clearly taken into account that some people will not want to eat parmesan.

.https://www.315barandrestaurant.co.uk/vegetarian-menu/

Lots of people are confused, and that's understandable if they follow an omnivorous diet and don't need to cater for vegetarians or vegans.
Those who prepare food professionally should be expected to understand what it's made of, and give correct information to their paying customers.

Are there genuinely that many people that will care about rennet while eating dairy products that required the calf to be born in the first place? What do they think happens to the calves? I don't know a single genuine vegetarian myself, except for those moving towards plant based.

The other things that are never proper labelled are desserts (mousses etc) which are often made with gelatine…waiters look at me as if I’m mad when I ask if chocolate mousse is veggie!!!

Pesto normally has parmesan in so that's unlikely to be vegetarian as well.

Which is fine, if you want the dish to become vegan, but that sort of misses the point that they are describing the original dish as vegetarian when it isn’t if it contains Parmesan!

Yep 😆

@FunZebra , you’re right, I miswrote and needed to read it several times to realise.

I meant they DO eat things made by animals (etc) but not from them. Vegans eat neither.

I was focusing on the inclusion, or not, of things made by and from fish.

Shared sympathy re nightshades 🤗

many vegetarians are sick of restaurants thinking vegan is acceptable to vegetarians because they can’t be bothered to cater to vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters.

How can OP be ‘extremely unreasonable’, to expect things that are described as vegetarian by a restaurant, to actually be vegetarian. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Also Worcestershire sauce - with Welsh rarebit often being offered as vegetarian!

I do wonder how many genuine vegetarians there are? Those who make sure cheese, wine, pesto, sweets etc are vegetarian, even when eating out, yet are not working towards going plant based so happy to choose the vegan option? IRL I know none. I know 'vegetarians' who don't eat actual meat but don't check packets, and I know vegetarians switching out dairy for plant based options and only eating high welfare eggs. No just vegetarians.

Lea & Perrin's isn't vegetarian - but other versions can be.

Ignoring the parmesan debate, those menu's are dire for vegetarian choices in that there just aren't any! That is definitely a chef who couldn't care less about Veggies having a nice experience.

(not a vegetarian myself)

If anything I can see myself eating meat again in the next few years because it’s just becoming so fucking hard.

You can't eat marshmallows, pop tarts, panna cotta, jelly either.

ohmyveggies.com/foods-vegetarians-cant-eat-but-dont-know-it/

@NotTHATMelania

• So I clicked on the link and looked at the menu and it clearly says on the vegetarian menu that the dishes can be made "vegan by request", so I think you are being extremely unreasonable - the chef has clearly taken into account that some people will not want to eat parmesan.

But it's on the vegetarian menu.

Parmesan and pesto aren't vegetarian.

It's not about not wanting to eat it - it's not vegetarian.

I'm wondering if most 'vegetarians' just aren't bothered by the occasional additive. The just 'vegetarians' and 'pescatarians' I know don't check cheeses or wine. Those who do check would be happy to choose the vegan option, as although they are not fully plant based, they are trying to make switches. It would be difficult if you are a strict (genuine) vegetarian. I would wonder why you are happy to eat dairy though, as calves are needed for that.