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Cheese is the least of your worries.
May. 4th, 2011 08:51 amI get emails from Girly Girl Army, which often has interesting articles, and the "On Our Radar" section is links to cool clothes, movies, whatever.
It's a vegan site, and although I'm not remotely vegan, I have gotten some good recipes from it, and I like the information about clothes and goods that are sustainably and fairly-made. Every once in a while they have an article that I skim and move on--yes, I do understand the plight of animals raised for food, and yes, there are a lot of things about the food industry that are horrible, but I'm just not vegan. It is, however, a great resource if you are.
There was an article today, though, that bothered me. If you follow this guide on how to eat vegan in a non-vegan restaurant, your friends not only will never go to dinner with you again, you will wind up eating something far worse than cheese.
I don't go to vegan restaurants and demand chicken. Don't go to a non-vegan restaurant and expect that they will thoroughly clean the grill in order to cook your vegetables without butter, or whip up a special batch of something for you without bacon fat, if that's how they usually cook it.
What's the point of this, exactly? If it's to normalize veganism, I don't think it's effective because it just makes vegans look like a pain in the ass. Wouldn't it make more sense to peruse a restaurant's offerings prior to going to the restaurant, now that many have theirs available on the web? Call the restaurant and ask these questions before holding up a waitstaff?
Am I being unsympathetic? When Monster had her 7-month milk allergy, it WAS a massive pain in the ass. If we went to restaurants, I would order her a chicken breast and say, "She is allergic to milk, so butter could kill her. Would you please ask that it is cooked with just olive oil and whatever spices the chef feels are appropriate?" Butter wouldn't really have killed her, but I wanted to make sure it was clear. That kid actually had some really good chicken during that period, as most of the chefs or line cooks or whoever were extremely accommodating. I did not, however, issue a page-long set of instructions. It would have been easier to stay home, or eat at a vegan restaurant.
Also, I am aware that I live in a city where there are ample vegan offerings, so perhaps that also gives me the notion that vegan food is more readily available than it is. Any rural vegans want to chime in?
If you were a chef, or a server, and someone sat at your restaurant and did this, would you roll with it, or start to get really frustrated and hand over directions to Cafe Sunflower?
It's a vegan site, and although I'm not remotely vegan, I have gotten some good recipes from it, and I like the information about clothes and goods that are sustainably and fairly-made. Every once in a while they have an article that I skim and move on--yes, I do understand the plight of animals raised for food, and yes, there are a lot of things about the food industry that are horrible, but I'm just not vegan. It is, however, a great resource if you are.
There was an article today, though, that bothered me. If you follow this guide on how to eat vegan in a non-vegan restaurant, your friends not only will never go to dinner with you again, you will wind up eating something far worse than cheese.
I don't go to vegan restaurants and demand chicken. Don't go to a non-vegan restaurant and expect that they will thoroughly clean the grill in order to cook your vegetables without butter, or whip up a special batch of something for you without bacon fat, if that's how they usually cook it.
What's the point of this, exactly? If it's to normalize veganism, I don't think it's effective because it just makes vegans look like a pain in the ass. Wouldn't it make more sense to peruse a restaurant's offerings prior to going to the restaurant, now that many have theirs available on the web? Call the restaurant and ask these questions before holding up a waitstaff?
Am I being unsympathetic? When Monster had her 7-month milk allergy, it WAS a massive pain in the ass. If we went to restaurants, I would order her a chicken breast and say, "She is allergic to milk, so butter could kill her. Would you please ask that it is cooked with just olive oil and whatever spices the chef feels are appropriate?" Butter wouldn't really have killed her, but I wanted to make sure it was clear. That kid actually had some really good chicken during that period, as most of the chefs or line cooks or whoever were extremely accommodating. I did not, however, issue a page-long set of instructions. It would have been easier to stay home, or eat at a vegan restaurant.
Also, I am aware that I live in a city where there are ample vegan offerings, so perhaps that also gives me the notion that vegan food is more readily available than it is. Any rural vegans want to chime in?
If you were a chef, or a server, and someone sat at your restaurant and did this, would you roll with it, or start to get really frustrated and hand over directions to Cafe Sunflower?
