If you have a special diet, does this sound familiar?
You receive an invitation to a wedding, and the RSVP portion asks you to check off one of two things: chicken or fish. Well, obviously vegetarians do not want to be served chicken or fish. And people with allergies or special dietary needs also can’t eat just anything. What do you do?
A. Grumble a bunch, and then check off one or the other
B. Eschew going to the wedding altogether …
Skip the wedding? How sad would that be?
A few months ago, I wrote about how I was once a bit embarrassed about my diet. While this is definitely no longer the case, I still try not to call attention to my veganism when out with friends, family, or other non-vegans. I don’t want anyone to feel awkward, and also, sometimes it’s not all about me! Sometimes, I just don’t feel like getting into the debate, ya know? I want to talk about things other than my culinary inclinations.
In my eight years as a vegan, I’ve learned that the best way to ensure you’ll get some vegan grub, hassle-free, is to call ahead. This is a good strategy for three reasons: One, you don’t have to call attention to yourself or seem “high maintenance” when the waiter is taking orders. Two, if they can’t accommodate your diet, you have time to make different arrangements. Three, it’s courteous to give the chef a heads-up so he/she can be better prepared. Plus, you’ll probably end up with something yummier if the chef knows in advance about your diet and is therefore able to brainstorm a meal for you.
By calling ahead, for the wedding I recently attended, I was rewarded with an amazing, gourmet meal: Perfectly-grilled zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, peppers, tomato, and portabella mushrooms drizzled with a balsamic reduction so sweet I’m still dreaming about it.
I was lucky this time. However, it’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan, just in case. My backup plan for this particular occasion was a bunch of nuts thrown into my purse, if all I was served was an iceberg salad. True, nuts and salad aren’t an ideal dinner. But I believe food isn’t the most important thing in life. What’s more important? Friends, family, and dancing all night! That, and cute party favors like these Love Beyond Measure spoons:
Cute or what?!
Are you always prepared with food in your purse?
And have you ever had a restaurant meal specially made for you?
I always carry some sort of energy bar, fruit, or nuts in my purse or backpack. My friends love me for it; when they get hungry, they know where to turn. Unfortunately, that means I have to routinely remember to restock!
ecogrrl says
girl you’d have loved the GoGreen Conference i was at this past tuesday – their two lunch options were turkey or vegan. not vegetarian but vegan. and the tempeh sandwich was so insanely good 🙂
lisa says
those heart shaped measuring spoons are BEYONDDDD cute! I totally want them! Mine are just plain hahah- although they do work! 🙂
Serena says
I’ve never had a vegan meal made especially for me in a restaurant, but I have had to send back things (ie. at prom, which was dismal). If I know I’m going to be at a very meat-y place, and I’m only going for the company, I’ll usually just eat ahead of time. Most of my friends are ok with that, even if it can be a bit awkward. Other times I eat ahead and order something small to “blend in” a bit more.
ytotheummy says
ahhh i’m so jealous of your measuring spoons!
Kelsey says
okay, those measuring spoons ARE A MUST!! wouldnt they be great for a valentines gift too, for someone who loves baking!!!
i definitely can understand the embarrassment or fear that would associate non-vegan food gatherings like weddings. its very complicated and like you said, it wasent something that u felt comfortable with in the beginning. but now that u know just how important vegan is to you and your life, u dont feel timid about sharing how loving the lifestyle is and that u arent out to ‘change’ other peoples views, just be a glowing example of how much the lifestyle completes you, and allows you the freedom to live guiltless in the world <3 <3 i love that!!
Brittany @ Bee Louises Bites says
Ohhhh love thoes lil measuring spoons!
Amen to the akward eating situations. I’m vegan and also allergic to wheat. Its easy to prepare food for myself, but near impossible to explain what I eat to other non-foodie people…chefs included!
I also agree with you- unless somebody asks and is really interested, I’d rather just skip the discussion of what I do or don’t eat all together! I usually just leave it at “I eat what makes me feel good.” Life is about so much more than food, and while I loveeeee food (LOVE), I’d rather not talk about it all day or make people feel awk.
I do the same-keep lots and lots of snacks in my purse, soccer-mom style. Always nuts, usually a piece of fruit or meal bar too.
I was in the bridal party for my best friend last summer, and totally just munched from a bag of almonds in my purse. She’s my bestie, so she understood, and honestly nobody else even noticed. Too much wine was happenin’!!
Thanks for this post-Happy Sunday!
Quix says
Those spoons rock! How cute. Your family is adorable. 🙂
While we didn’t have a vegan option at our wedding, we did have a veg option and the appetizers included a fruit and veggie tray so at least there was *something* if someone had happened to be. Calling ahead is a great idea. As a bride, I would have been ok getting contacted if there was someone with strict dietary stuff but it worked out pretty well!
Also, Zliten is severly allergic to peanuts/peanut oil (yeah I know…life would SUCK) so we have to be very careful at restaurants (and do a lot of calling ahead), and sometimes it just pops up unexpectedly. We split a square of fudge the other week and bam – he was sick for a day and a half. Who would have expected anything peanut in amaretto fudge?
kris says
A few months ago my boyfriend and I went to crater of diamonds state park in Arkansas. It’s the only diamond mine in the U.S where the public can search for diamonds and keep what they find. You fill a big bucket of dirt and sift parts of it in a mesh frame while dunking it in a bath of water. We didn’t find anything but on our drive home Greg came up with the best proposal idea! To place a diamond ring in the bucket of dirt so when a girl rinses it she finds a diamond! I thought that was so cute but I was also mad that a) he didn’t do this for me!!! and b) he told me so he can’t do it in the future!! lol
Katie, I think we are about the same age and I agree with you that it’s so wierd when friends start getting engaged/married! I feel way too young for this!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aww well I bet if he’s creative enough to come up with that, he has something even BETTER in store for real life :).
Gina says
Thank you! I am never quite sure of the etiquette on this, and you may have given me a great idea for an upcoming wedding I’m to attend.
Audrey Schlegel says
My favourite in France: when booking a dinner for a group (think: 60 people), I asked the restaurant to provide a vegetarian/vegan option for I think about 12 members of the group. The entrée definitly wasn’t vegan, but was ok for vegetarians (quiche using eggs)… and the main course was fish.
When I objected, the waitress first got a bit cheeky. I kindly remembered her that I had let them known about special dieters one month in advance, and that the chef had told us it would be ok- which was the very reason I chose that restaurant. And that if still they weren’t able to provide food for 12 members of the group, when would they please not count these 12 people in the final bill – since they didn’t get a meal?!
The chef then came to talk to me and apologize: he didn’t know that vegetarian meant “no fish also” (he was confused because vegetarians eat eggs, and milk products, so he had figured it would be ok). He managed to provide them with a least a big soup, and some fresh fruit and sorbet for dessert.
I have now learnt that it’s better to explain exactly what you mean when you are specifying vegetarian or vegan!