veg*ns , what is a really awkward experience you've had when eating out?

Question

First off, I'd like to apologize for my ignorance and lack of consideration in the previous question I posted (which I deleted as soon as I turned on the javascript-enabled browser).
Anyways, just so you know where I am coming from, I only eat veg, but I accept that others vary anywhere between vegan and non-veg. My friends (veg or nonveg) eat what they want, I eat what I want, and we get along. Still I've had a few awkward experiences:
* once when vacationing in Hawaii, my mother and I were hungry in a mall and only found a seafood restaurant open. They had a veggie pasta dish we could eat but I felt out of place
* at an Indian fast food place, two friends and I caught a bite to eat. My friend, on his own accord, apologized to me for eating chicken in front of me, but I told him I'm used to it and that I appreciated his consideration. But I felt bad for him.
* I've read about some veg*ns saying they refuse to eat with non-veg*ns even if they're family...does this occur?

Answer 1

let me try this one you:

I was living with an aunt in her 70's and her cousin in 90's would come and stay with us periodically. So one morning they were arguing about breakfast so the 90 year old cousin was chosen to fix breakfast. Mind you I'm in bed hear her complaining about the grits and how they clabbered in the water. She beat that pan to loosen up the clumps. I was thinking dang she gonna beat those grits to a pulp. When I got to the table the grits were like sand. Dang she did beat them to a pulp.
As the breakfast continued another discussion came up What's gonna be for lunch. Well my aunt (70) decided on fish. So she went to the back freezer to get the fish out and let it thaw. Since she was up she decided to get the corn meal. Cousin (90 y/o) asked how come she was getting the "grits" out when she should be using corn meal. Come to our knowledge that was what the cousin has picked up and fixed for breakfast the corn meal instead of the grits. The cousin had fixed the corn meal so well as a cereal I continued to eat and clean my plate.

Answer 2

It is a bit odd sometimes, especially when the other people dont get vegetarianism. I went to a bbq yesterday, and the well intentioned host had fixed me a chicken breast. I know she meant well, and I felt bad because there was no way I could eat it (I have food allergies to it and was able to get away with thanking her profusely and explaining that it looked and smelled delicious (it looked and smelled gross) But, that allergies wouldnt let me have it. She understood, and was happy to let me heat up the veggie kabab I had brought, and I enjoyed the rest of the veggie side dishes she offered. The kitchen counter looked like an animal morgue! They had venison, hamburgers, hotdogs, steak, and ribs! I didnt say a word, and even helped clean up the meat pans. It was hard to do, but I did it like its what I always do (it was hard not to gag) I kept a smile, and conversation, and that way no one felt strange about it. I have been invited back next week, so obviously I covered well. I am going to have a vegetarian dinner for them here, but wont mention that its vegetarian, and they likely wont notice because there will be variety and options, and none of my other friends ever notice there is no meat.

Answer 3

The most awkward experience was when eating at a restaurant with my parents. I ordered fried broccoli balls. They assured me that there was no meat in them and they were fried in peanut oil, so i said, "ok i'll take those!" I'm partially vegan. I do eat cheese, but dont wear leather or eat jello. anyway, I get the broccoli balls and I took a bite and i immediately tasted pork!! I had this big hunk of broccoli and pork in my mouth, there is just no way to politely spit out food in a restaurant, but I wasn't about to swallow it!! I spit it into my napkin and was complaining to my parents about the ability of the waitress to read ingredients and she was standing right behind me...I felt bad because she only asked the chef, she didn't read it herself...but I was young and I didn't care I was just mad!!!!!!! Well, that's it!

Answer 4

I eat with all types of people. Alienating others and yourself from them does not help you to accomplish what are trying to do by being vegetarian. A little flexibility is healthy.

As for my most awkward experience I'd say it would have to be ordering a veggie burger and getting a beef burger. Without knowing it I bit into it. I knew if I sent it back it would go in the garbage and would dishonor the animals life even more. So I compromised and ate it and tried to be thankful for its sacrifice.

Usually I'll only compromise with dairy but every once and a while something comes up in which being a food snob would only create more suffering not less, which hopefully is the goal of all vegetarian and vegans.

Answer 5

I think I'm the only one on here that refuses to eat with people consuming corpses. This includes family, friends, and business associates. If they aren't willing to forgo eating meat for even one meal, I'm not willing to eat with them.

I don't even like going to restaurants that aren't exclusively vegetarian.

I do what I can to promote exclusively vegetarian establishments, and I host exclusively vegetarian events. On Thanksgiving I organized a dinner for the homeless. 103 people had a vegan meal that day.

As for awkward experiences, I went to a Thai restaurant locally which supposedly had a really good vegetarian menu (with lots of good reviews.) I asked if any of the vegetarian items contained animal products and was told no. I then said I was vegan and the waiter said "Oh, then you can only have this one dish." I asked about the other ones, and the waiter/manager said that they had fish stock. I said fish stock wasn't vegetarian. The response "It isn't vegan but it is vegetarian." I walked out.

I've seen another restaurant put chicken stock in the vegan soup because they ran out of vegetable stock.

Another restaurant lied about shrimp paste in a curry.

Answer 6

Who are these people that can't be satisfied with simply modeling what they believe in and don't want to let others be who they wish to be. How will people ever get the idea that it's possible to live without eating animals if they don't see a few people doing it? How will restaurants ever change there menus unless they have a few non-meat-eating customers? Be proud to be who you are so the world will be drawn a bit in your direction.

Answer 7

I'm a vegetarian and I prefer to eat with vegetarians. Where I work there is some vegetarians and some meat eaters I sit with the vegetarian. There is a few vegetarians that do sit with the meat eaters which makes it look like there's more meat eaters but actually there's just as many vegetarians as there is meat eaters where I work! However the main cook Lee she cooks mostly meat dishes.. She is a near vegetarian or semi vegetarian.. someone that does eat meat!

Answer 8

My friend is a veg*n and she just complains the entire time anyone eats something she won't. She even told an 11 year old what was really in hot dogs because she was teasing her about meat.

Answer 9

nicely i become on the action picture theaters working auditing each and all of the displays for a toddler action picture. This woman and her 2 young little ones have been coming in my row to take a seat. Her little woman become trailing at the back of and become suitable in front of me. She become there for like below a minuet and had pop corn. i did no longer want to purchase any and the pop corn she become conserving become suitable in my face and that i attempted to take slightly. It become greater durable then i presumed and the mum observed me. I took my palms out and patted her on the top and pronounced pass alongside. Her mom asked me if i become attempting to take a splash bit her pop corn and that i did say sure. She merely become like oh o.ok.and went on along with her organisation. i become so embarrassed that I have been given caught..I wager she informed her buddies that some one tried to take pop corn from her a 2-twelve months previous! lol

Answer 10

well,i am not a vegan but a vegie(no eggs),recently i went to paris with my hubby's friend who was a vegan and i can safely blame him for somewhat spoiling my paris trip.that fellow nearly drove me mad.he wouldnt breakfast in the hotel
because mostly it contained dairy products.as soon as we arrive at a tourist attraction,he wud suggest getting milkless tea (several times a day) or lunch for himself and waste presious time in locating restraunts,waiting in ques and then finally being told he couldnt have it and then surviving on mcdonald
salads after multiple enquiries as to its contents.i confess i dont eat eggs so often i hav difficulty getting meatless eggless foods, but this was certainly too much