To be annoyed that vegan options have replaced vegetarian?

[Sacredhandbag]

It's only a silly gripe in the grand scheme of things but it's bloody annoying.

I've been a vegetarian my whole life but since veganism has become more popular and more and more people are becoming part of the movement (and good on them!) it's like restaurants, cafes and hotels have skipped adding vegetarian options and thought "well vegan options covers both so we'll just add a few of those"

No! I am not vegan. I am vegetarian. I still want my eggs, my cream, my cheese, my butter. I want a stilton and broccoli bake, not a grilled bit of cauliflower!

Afternoon tea (I'm a fan and have one as often as I can) is the worst for it. There's an ordinary menu and then there's a vegan menu and that's it. You order one or the other. I don't want chicken or fish sandwiches but I sure as hell want my scones with proper clotted cream! So I have to be specific about the sandwiches and say I want some from one menu and some from the other. Bloody annoying.

Any other veggies feel the same?

That said when work used to lay on lunch for functions - the request would go out for numbers of veggie/vegan/meat and invariably the vegan/veggie options went first because the meat eaters would 'sample' them along with their options. Now that isn't on!!.

It's infuriating when meat eaters do that. I've often gone to the buffet to find nothing I can eat because the meat eaters have scoffed all the vegetarian options.

I totally agree with you OP. I've been a vegetarian for most of my life, so 50 years, and in the 70s there was practically no vegetarian options when eating out. Then it gradually improved, until recently when vegetarian options are now replaced with vegan 'meals' which seem to include fake cheese, or pretend meat uurghhh. Bring back veggie food!!! Its like vegetarians are being erased- like womens rights.

I agree op, it's an annoying catering issue, and I'm not even a veggie! That said, I often order veggie things in restaurants because I like it, and am mindful to keep my meat consumption down. Sometimes a vegan option if it fits the bill. But there's no damn way I'm choking down fake meat or veggie cheese, I'd rather just have a steak!

True, but equally, you could just stay at home and eat a slice of dry toast instead.

Most people see going to a restaurant as a treat, so they want something they'll really enjoy - and for a very high proportion of omnivores, that means something with meat and dairy in it.

Many won't see any point in artificially restricting their choices, just because a minority of other people choose not to eat all of the food options that they do. They'll happily enjoy vegetables, but will usually want meat as well, to make up the (to them) full meal.

Just like coffee drinkers can obviously drink just black coffee, but the majority don't consider it a 'proper' drink without milk and/or sugar as well.

I recently ranted on a thread about how trying to persuade people to switch to something by offering a shit replacement is unlikely to work.

I was vegetarian for 30 years before going that step further and becoming vegan about 10 years ago.

It seemed a natural progression. I thought more about food production, animal welfare etc + my own health (not that eggs + dairy are particularly unhealthy) + world land use.

Yes - vegan cheese is crap. Better than it was but not that nice.

What annoys me is...

1. Lumping veganism and gluten free together when baking cakes.
2. Little choice in puddings when eating out. Sorbet isn't pudding.
3. Lack of understanding of veganism/vegetarianism of ingredients when eating out - do staff have the same lack of understanding when it comes to life changing allergies.

Do what I do, order the vegan meal but ask for real cheese instead. It's no different to meat eaters asking for items to be excluded or replaced.

Maybe you should go Vegan then. If you’re vegetarian for the animals then unless you go vegan you’re still causing suffering.
I can’t muster any sympathy for people who still choose to eat products that perpetuate that. Not getting a vegetarian option seems a small inconvenience compared to a cow losing her baby over and over and over again.

I agree, there is lots of great vegan food out there. Sadly most commercial food sellers, pubs and chain restaurants, don’t offer it, preferring to put a fake meat burger on the menu and using that to tick both vegetarian and vegan boxes, That is what this thread is about.

DH and I are both vegetarian and have been saying the same thing for several years now. A few weeks ago we were in a high street chain restautant where there was nothing vegetarian on the menu, only vegan. DH asked for some cheese on the vegan burger and was told this would be fine, but it arrived without the cheese so he asked the waitress about it. She said that because the dish is vegan, the kitchen had refused to add cheese as this would ‘contaminate’ it. We explained again that DH is vegetarian, knows the cheese is a dairy product and was happy to eat it - kitchen still said no.

Saving money by not having options and their not having to store as much.

Of course it is possible to make vegan sandwiches, cakes and scones. Jam is vegan, dairy free spread exists. You would have to be creative with sandwich fillings, but it isn't difficult.

I made two vegan cakes for a wedding and cater for various dietary preferences and intolerances at charity afternoon teas, and I'm not even vegetarian, but I understand and am interested in food and diet.

Itisbetter · Today 10:06
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We have the same gripe with having to have the vegetarian option endlessly because we don’t eat pork. It’s annoying but it is what it is.

Interesting. Don’t most restaurants offer chicken, beef, fish options?

What I can’t stand is how upf city and fake it all is. There’s nothing wrong with a lovely veggie dish, mushrooms, pulses (whether you are veggie or vegan) but insist on adding some weird pink sponge pretending to be chicken full of additives and some strange bouncy flavoured emulsifier pretending to be cheese

I don't think vegan options are necessarily cheaper to produce.

I hear you OP! A frequent frustration of mine too, I don't want cheeze!

Another is this obsession with fake meat (and the meatier tasting and meatier texture the better). I am veggie partly for ethical reasons and partly because I never liked most of it to begin with. Loads of restaurants only offer fake meat options for veggie and vegan now, always disappointing to realise I can't go there anymore 😅

Bring back the bean burger!

This, I have been pescetarian for 35 years, initially because I disliked the texture of a lot of meat and the taste of all of it. Over time I was eating less and less fish and dairy for animal welfare reasons and because it was getting far easier to get good veggie food when out but all the fake meat burgers have basically tipped me back towards eating fish because after veggie meals getting really good and including quite a lot of 'accidentally' vegan options which tasted great for a while, the whole restaurant industry seems to have decided in the past couple of years to slap a beyond burger in a bun and say that's the veggie option.

It always amazes me that in general the veggies bring the colour and crunch and a lot of the taste to a meal, but immediately the meat is taken off the plate for some reason the veg gets turned into a brown sludge of despair in most places.

I understand your annoyance. I guess there's just a limit to how many options they can stock or offer, but I'd definitely choose butter or cream or proper cheese over some UPF fake 'dairy' thing.

If the food is important, you call and check. Not sure how it’s sanctimonious to say that, it’s common sense.

Most vegans don’t like fake processed meat either - they’re mostly for meat eaters doing Veganuary. Same goes for vegan ‘cheese’ - I’d rather have my burger or pizza without it.

Ridiculous.for a time I was a meat eater but dairy free, again I would get refused them to put the vegan cheese on the meat burger!

Try being coeliac! Places actually don’t want to cater anymore and give you the vegan options which are loaded with gluten and unsuitable.

i eat meat but this is why I rarely choose a vegan option whereas previously often chose a veggie one. All processed crap.

Unfortunately yes, being told my child allergic to milk can’t have x cuz it contains egg (when was the last time you saw a cow lay an egg is my stock response) or yes tahts dairy free it’s only got butter in it…

I’d happily eat vegetarian most of the time, but agree that it’s difficult now that vegan has superseded vegetarian in supermarkets. They look so plastic and processed and faked to look like something they aren’t. I can’t see how anything of that nature can be good for people or the planet.