Veggie served meat - what if anything would you do? do?

[TortellinimorelikeTorteLIEni]

Went out for a meal tonight. A nice chain. Ordered aubergine tortellini. When it came and I ate the first couple of mouthfuls I thought it tasted odd. Had a bit more and thought it tasted and looked like beef. Asked a couple of the people with me and they agreed. I called the waiter over and asked if I could have been given meat by mistake. He said there was no meat version of the tortellini but he'd check with the kitchen. Came back and said it was definitely aubergine.

I checked the menu and there was no meat version on it so I told myself I must be mistaken. Took another bite but nope, definitely tasted like beef.

I Google and see that on New year's there was indeed a beef version of the tortellini on their menu. I am now 100% sure that's what they have given me. I check with a third member of my table, they also agree it's meat. The portion was small - literally like 6 big tortellini so by now it's almost all gone.

When the waiter comes to clear the table I mention it again, I tell him I'm now sure it was meat and ask him to inform the kitchen.

He comes back after some time saying they have now checked thoroughly and it is definitely aubergine. They have checked the meat tortellini from New Year's and it looks completely different.

I don't want to get into a big back and forth at this point as most of the meal has gone and the rest of the table have had nice food and are enjoying themselves.

However. I am wondering whether to email their manager or head office to ask them to check their tortellini and labelling? I'm not after money off but I am concerned about them dishing up meat to veggies and the potential for someone with allergies to eat something they shouldn't.

Is there any point now? Or should I leave it at this point?

I make Bolognese from roasted aubergine, mushroom and cauliflower. It tastes and looks quite meaty as it's chopped very small. Could it be something like this?

@Isxmasoveryet please don't use the term "Karen". It's sexist and misogynistic.

She cleaned her plate then complain the dish was wrong

I've been served meat a couple of times in my 30-odd years of being veggie and you can definitely tell if there's even a small amount of meat in a dish. There's this weird 'greasy' aftertaste that vegetarian food never has. Even with a non-fatty meat.

If we eat meat free we always eat aubergine because it really does have a meat like, chunky texture and it is quite fibrous . It really is a great meat alternative so I think it is possible that it was aubergine.

Why didn’t you stop eating it if you knew it was beef?

presumably they could have used beef flavouring as ironically a lot of meat flavourings are vegetarian?

I do think that given you finished it you just have to let it go. As this poster has shown it can be tested and you can't be 100% sure you are correct.

Off topic but we’re not saying Karen anymore. Most everyone agrees it’s not appropriate. My sister is called Karen and it saddens me to see that name besmirched so much.

Yeah, and that's not on, but there's no excuse for that term.

Sainsburys have twice mislabelled their chickpea curry slice when ive bought one only to bite into a steak bake! Luckily I'm.not a beggie but last time it was my son who had it so we complained as he doesn't like steak bakes and it could have easily been a vegetarian who ate it

Sainsburys have twice mislabelled their chickpea curry slice when ive bought one only to bite into a steak bake! Luckily I'm.not a beggie but last time it was my son who had it so we complained as he doesn't like steak bakes and it could have easily been a vegetarian who ate it

It sounds totally unbelievable that you are a vegetarian, you are SURE it was beef, and you also ate it…

If I read a complaint saying that, I would be totally baffled. I have allergies and if I have even the slightest doubt, I stop eating. If I’m not 100% assured and certain that it does not contain what I was doubting, I won’t eat another mouthful.

So a couple of things. I DID stop eating once I KNEW it was beef. It really was a small portion though so given 3 (or 4?) other people at the table had tried it by then there wasn't much left.

I didn't clean my plate.

I never asked for 'compo'.

I was extremely polite to the waiter as he was to me, I never asked to speak to a manager. Our interaction was extremely pleasant at all times. So apart from Karen being an offensive stereotype it doesn't even apply here.

I still don't want 'compo'.

I want them to double check something I believe to be mislabeled.

I think we've come to the point in a mumsnet thread now where people are making stuff up and I know from experience the responses aren't going to be helpful when that happens.

I absolutely take on board that I have no proof now so my expectation that they do anything should be low.

I've filled out the feedback form but I have no intention to do anything further.

I think you personally knew it was beef after a few mouthfuls but ate it anyway. Why clear the plate otherwise.

I've had meat served to me twice before. DD10 went to a McDonald's with her grandad, asked for a McDonald's asked for a Mcplant but we think the patty was meat as she was very sick immediately after.

Please can you point out where in any of my posts I said that I ate it all myself and cleared the plate?

No, actually don't bother. I will definitely bow out now. I might check back in a week to find out what version everyone made up by the end. I'll probably discover I ate an entire rump steak and claimed I had no idea it wasn't an aubergine ..

Did you take any pictures of what you were served? I'd send them to head office if you did.

I've been veggie over 30 years, I'm sure I have inadvertently eaten meat on a few occasions too.

Did you take a photo??

Yeah I’d run now OP, your at the stage now where posters have grabbed the thread from your hands and like a side of beef given to rabid dogs, your thread is being mauled about on the floor. I’ve name changed now as have had this happen to me, it nuts. No point even trying to defend yourself as they will either focus in on one irrelevant detail and elaborate or just completely make shit up and have a go over that. You handled your concerns in the restaurant perfectly.

I'm mostly veggie and I have been served meat a couple of times in restaurants when I've ordered veggie.

Once the chef realised how it had happened as soon as I complained (veggie lasagna/meat lasagna in an individual dish), apologised and gave us free desert.

The second time I had the same experience as you - being told that it wasn't. It was at a work do so I didn't make a fuss and just ate it but I'm 100% sure in my own mind that it was meat.

🤦‍♀️ That didn’t happen.

She ate some and it tasted odd.
She tried more and THOUGHT it MIGHT be beef.
She asked others who tried it for her (reducing the amount left on her plate) and they agreed it tasted like beef.
She then check with staff and was told that it couldn’t be beef as there was no beef version on the menu, so ate more thinking she must be mistaken.
On trying it again, thinking she must be wrong after what the waiter told her, she was completely convinced it was beef.
Another person at her table tried it (again reducing what was left on her plate) and also agreed it was beef.

It was a small portion which 4 people had some of, OP had a few mouthfuls altogether as well as 3 others. She hardly cleared the plate. 🙄

Why are you making stuff up?

Unless you have an allergy, I'd let it go.
I don't eat fish and was once served it. Did not realise until nearly finished. Didn't complain.

I think OP is right to mention it. It not nice for her and she shouldn’t have been served meat. Errors can happen, but they should be pointed out to reduce the likelihood of it happening again to others who choose not to eat meat and for those who can’t eat it.

Must be something about tortellini that it's so prone to getting mixed up

"What the eye doesn't see, the chef gets away with ..." 😀