Vegetarianism - Eating out, restaurants, etc?

I'm lacto-ovo so I can eat some things, at your mainstream restaurant. We used to have a vegan restaurant but it went out of business. I've heard that Burger king has veggie burgers now, but have never asked. I'm just wondering what everyones experiences have been with eathing out.

2008-04-12T18:34:34Z

I ate out tonight at a small restaurant, where I know the owners. I had pasta, they use the pizza toping tomato paste for me since it has no meat in it and add onions, peppers and mushrooms. Pluse a nice salad and glass of wine. :o)

2008-04-12T18:49:53Z

They did thin the pizza sauce. They make a killer veggie pizza too. A sandwich shop near where I work carries veggie burgers, since a number of people requested them.

Anonymous2008-04-13T07:12:29Z

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I love the large buffet restaurants. Veggie pizza always works too.

caroline !(:2008-04-13T04:14:40Z

I find that eating out is harder the farther south you get. :) When you get to more southern countries, less vegetarian options are available (if any at all) and when you get to the coast, it's all fish.

Burger King does have a veggie burger, and though it's not great, it's better than nothing.

I've found that if you ask, people will usually get you something. Even if there is not a hint of anything, if you just ask your waiter what their vegetarian options are, they will usually have something. Or easier, just modify what's on the menu. One of my favorite moments was asking for the "Shrimp-Boiled Pasta" without the shrimp. :)

Eating in restaurants is by far the most difficult part of being a vegetarian, but it can be done. It just sucks sometimes.

stmml022008-04-13T03:07:34Z

Even if there is no vegetarian fare on the menu, you can always ask them to modify something so you can eat it, or even create a new dish out of ingredients you know they have. i.e. taking meat off of a salad, making a quesadilla without meat, topping pasta with grilled or steamed veggies, etc. I know someone who used to go into restaurants, not look at the menu, and say, "I'm a vegetarian, what can you make me?" He would get delicious, creative dishes that weren't on the menu! Most restaurants will gladly do that for you, if they want their customers to have a positive experience, and many chefs love to experiment. If you are eating somewhere fancy where you have to make a reservation, call ahead to make sure they'll have something available for you.

Anonymous2008-04-14T00:46:32Z

Um...I'm vegan and eat out like three times a week, so I've never really understood what problem vegetarians could possibly have. Seriously, how hard is it to say "beans instead of meat" or "hold the cheese"? We get fries, veggie plates, onion rings, veggie burgers, stir fry, pasta, pizza, rice, wraps, and salads.

The only place we won't go is McDonald's (I've never eaten there, cause I don't like band-aids in my food). Even their fries are sprayed with beef fat. Yuck! ~_~

YSIC2008-04-13T13:01:59Z

I rarely eat out. It's SO hard to find a meal without meat (and for me - dairy products).
If I order a big salad and ask them to hold the chicken, they look at me like I'm form another planet. I live in Ohio and they're ALL about meat here. There really aren't any vegetarian restaurants, so I have to scope out the menu before going to the average establishment to see if they have anything I can eat.
TGI Friday's has a cold pasta dish with fried eggplant. If asked to hold the mozzarella, it's okay...but that's all I've found at a large chain.

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