How hard do you find it, being a vegetarian?

nuatha

When I cater about 80% of the food is vegan and vegetarian and I ensure that cross contamination isn't likely to happen. However I'm not a carnivore, I'm an omnivore, expecting me to only eat flesh based foods isn't on.
If caterers can't cater for a normal range of food choices - I class both vegan and vegetarian as normal - as well as special diets if required, then they shouldn't be getting any business.

There shouldn't be a problem if Goldiegirl chooses food she can safely eat or Joe Blogs has some onion bahjis alongside his chicken drumstick, providing that in the process of choosing their food they aren't cross contaminating the various food groups. The alternative is segregating each of the food groups and actually reducing the vegan and vegetarian options to just sufficient for those who've advised their hosts in advance.

meritaten

Anne_Marie wrote: »

I have seen this happening at catered for do's. It's totally ridiculous. What would it have taken to boil up a pot of rice?:mad: Of course it could have been down to the organisers, rather than the caterers.

No - the venue was a hotel!

suki1964

meritaten wrote: »

I am finding this thread very very helpful!
I am usually the one in the family that 'Caters' family party buffets! I always make sure the vegetarians are catered for. it hadn't occurred to me that the carnivores may have left little for the veggies. (though, I have to say that I do prefer to overcater rather than undercater).
I think on the next buffet I will keep a closer eye on the buffet table, some veggie items in reserve, and top up if necessary.
its easy enough to make sure the veggies get their fair share at buffets at home - but when you are catering for 100 or more - its not so easy.

Tbh its very easy

Just make the 'main dishes' veggies and have a side table for the fish and meat

Its only difficult if you are sticking to the 1970's menu of sausages, sausages rolls and cheese and pineapple

Luckily food and home cooking has moved on

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

When I go to a veggies house, I can eat their food without question

The veggie wherein my house,means to question everything. But the wolf down the garlic mushroom done in butter!

Former_MSE_Will

I don't find it hard in the UK, but it can be difficult in other countries.

Someone once commented that I don't 'look' vegetarian, which was bizarre!

Lilyjade

I've only been vegetarian for a year (before which I did eat chicken and fish), but I've been coeliac for over 10 years. I've found the coeliac issue limits the choice of quick vegi meals I can buy, but some quorn products are now gluten free so that's great.

My family are great with the gluten free food, really careful of cross contamination as they know how ill it makes me, but they don't understand why I don't want to eat food covered in animal fat splatters. It doesn't seem that important in their eyes.

Eating out is a lot harder as the gluten free options tend to be meat based, but due to how ill I can get if I eat gluten, I'm very picky about where I eat anyway. It's amazing that so many catering staff lack knowledge of food allergies (I know coeliac isn't an allergy but it's the only way to easily explain it to most people without going into huge detail), or what vegetarian food should be.

I'm usually ok at buffets as I specify gluten free, vegi and no fish, my food tends to get served separately to me. On a few occasions my plate of food has been loads better than the buffet options everyone else ate.

MallyGirl

I had a meal out this week at Cafe Rouge with a vegetarian coeliac friend and the menu was very helpful - very clear labels on what was Gluten free, or could be if you asked.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I find it puzzling that Extra Strong Mints have gelatine in, but Softmints (also by Trebor) which are chewy, don't.

France is hard for vegetarians and it puts me off visiting again, which is a shame.

thisuseridistakenagain

The only thing I struggle with, or more that annoys me is restaurant food options. Work do's are usually at a local steak house or 'the sizzler', I can't stand the smell let alone choose something to eat. It's the same options everywhere:

Bean/Veg burger (usually frozen and re-heated)
Stuffed mushroom
Something asparagus or Aubergine bake.

Wears thin quckly. I could do those at home thanks, I came here for a chef cooked meal!

It does really get on my nerves that work always choose to go to a steak place though. I've stopped going to have some onion soup and chips now. It's not very thoughtful of them. I don't ecpect them to go to a veggie place but a full on steak house...once in a while, fine, but not every time .

Lizling

Mainly the same experiences as everyone else. Cooking for myself is very easy but I do have to cook from scratch. Eating out is usually easy but often with a single, disappointing veggie option, especially away from the cities. In the 90s it was veg lasagne, 2000s was goats cheese, then there was a butternut squash phase and now we seem to be onto boring, gloopy mushroom risotto everywhere, often made with stuff other than risotto rice to be 'different'. Parmesan's still a problem but everywhere except French restaurants will at least have something.

Happily though, it's been a good 15 years since I was last asked at a restaurant if I ate fish, except at a Thai place where the new waitress was lovely but still working on her English. Also, at catered occasions, either most dishes have been vegetarian anyway or people have always made sure the vegetarians and vegans had enough to eat before tucking into the stuffed mushrooms being served instead of the meat, for example.