Restaurant Mishaps
Posted by strangebrew on Apr 25, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 28 posts
The other day I was ina restaurant and I ordered steamed broccoli with my salade and I asked for no butter on it to make it vegan and when it came and I tok a bite I could tell there was butter on it. What makes it worse is I told the server it had butter on it and completely denied it. I talked to the manager and she said there was nothing she could do about it. I could pay extra and order a new side of broccoli. I will never dine there again!
Anyone else have any more vegan restaurant nightmares???
mm I went to a restaurant around here (NH) and ordered a veggie burger that normally comes with cheese and garlic mayo, without those two things and then when it came there was butter spread on both halves of the bun. I just didn't eat the bun but it still was a little frustrating because it had still been ON the burger. And I thought I had made it fairly clear that I didn't eat dairy. But waitresses have a million things to worry about. I'm not a fan of eating out in general just because you never know what someone else is going to put in your food ::)
I think in resturants, or dealing with certain people, you need to suddenly be DEATHLY allergic to dairy/eggs. Or don't lie, just say you must have NO dairy or eggs, and have a serious look in your eyes. I know it's stupid that people can't just take an vegan seriously, but I've found it helpful.
I think in resturants, or dealing with certain people, you need to suddenly be DEATHLY allergic to dairy/eggs. Or don't lie, just say you must have NO dairy or eggs, and have a serious look in your eyes. I know it's stupid that people can't just take an vegan seriously, but I've found it helpful.
Stars suggestion works. When I'm served something suspect and ask about it and they say, "nooo, that's not dairy you're looking at," I educate the server about all of the symptoms and potential fatalities associated with food allergies and liability issues if it is dairy and then ask if they're sure that's not dairy. They usually take the plate away to ask to "just make sure" and bring me out a new plate (without the suspect item) "just in case." I've never had strangebrew's experience. That's just crazy!
I hardly ever even have to do that. If I ask all of the right questions and make all of the right requests and they bring me something wrong anyway, only very rarely does anyone not just take it back and bring another one. Of course I play up my dismay at the food and my gratitude to the server for making it right - because I didn't order spit, either.
Being from L.A. where crazy quirky food accommodations (you know people who don't want their lettuce to touch anything purple for religious reasons... ;)) are met all the time is great!
But when I lived in Kansas (briefly) waitresses used to ask me twice when I'd ask for the dressing on the side, "You want it... on the side??"
"Yes."
Slowly, they'd repeat,"The siiide?"
Just as slowly (so they could catch it) I'd say, "Yeeeeeah... "
I'm surprised they don't get that request many times a day! There must be some people in Kansas who prefer to dress their own salad or have the option of not doing so at all. More people than I thought must just be shoveling it in, totally unaware of what they eat.
Or maybe where evolution is taboo, having salad dressing on the side is also not allowed. ;)
Strangebrew,
I would have told the manager, "Look I didn't order this. I ordered it without butter. I won't pay for it. If I had ordered a steak and you brought me fish instead, you wouldn't expect me to pay for it, because that's not what I ordered."
Okay... maybe I wouldn't have been that brave but that'd be nice, huh? ;)
This reminds me of the time I went out for lunch with the college department, as the office go-fer (work study) they took me too. My bowl of soup had shards of glass in the bottom! I sent it back, they apologised profusely and brought another....and charged me for both! The department head was there (a large, imposing gentleman from Germany) and he rumbled like a volcano...but I still had to pay! Their logic was "the moment it leaves the kitchen it's considered consumed". If I had been as I am now they would have got a stinging letter of complaint but I don't think it would have made any difference. There's not much you can do when faced with sheer wrongheaded obtuseness. >:(
I have never liked butter, but my dislike has grown substantially lately.
I went out for dinner with friends - as their guest - so I was trying extra hard to be polite. I ordered the Pasta Primavera, and stressed that I was a strict vegetarian (I was fairly certain "vegan" wasn't in our server's vocabulary) - and asked for no cheese. I had never thought that butter might be added - because I've never heard of butter in Primavera.
The noodles came, swimming in garlic butter. I ate them, because I thought returning them would be rude to my hosts - and when I finished the dish, there was still a centimeter of butter in the bottom of the plate. I felt sick for two days. :P
I guess it was really my own fault for not being more specific.
I can't even stand the thought of butter now!
This has happened to us a few times. I have spotted pieces of meat in 'veggie' burritos before and luckily I've noticed it before I've eaten into it...it's always gross and I always ask to get a new dish as it's not enough to just pick out the bits of meat etc
My boyfriend and I went out to a restaurant once and ordered a salad with no cheese. We didn't know it was going to come out with egg. So we asked out waitress for another one. She actually tried to talk us OUT of being vegan by telling us that cows have to get rid of milk or they will die. UGH I was so mad.
While definitely less offensive than most of the stories, this one really repulsed me. At a pizzaria, I ordered a slice of cheese pizza. Of course, it came out with a hunk of sausage (uhh, I've never liked sausage) hanging on to one side. Instead of just picking it off, I cut a small portion out of my slice. When the server saw what I did, she laughed at me. I could have punched her!
salad with no cheese
ECK!!! Why do people ruin perfectly good veggies that way! I have always hated salad with cheese... i don't get it at all! The egg is even worse.
salad with no cheese
ECK!!! Why do people ruin perfectly good veggies that way! I have always hated salad with cheese... i don't get it at all! The egg is even worse.
I'm not even vegan and I have to agree. I like cheese as cheese, not mucking up a salad. And there's something about a plain, cold hardboiled egg that just makes me want to hurl. Sorry, tms... :D A salad is a salad and should be veg-only. Ok, veg and fruit, since tomatoes, olives and avocados are all fruits!
I do the whole 'I'm allergic to dairy and eggs and if you give them to me my lungs will close up and I'll die but first I'll make sure my friends and family sue you" card when I'm out. It works like a charm! I know it's mean, but usually I'm not harsh at all about it. I have a friend who really is lactose intolerant, so I've picked up a few things from him. Regularly, I just say "And make sure there is no dairy - allergies," and they get the idea.
If it's eggs, I'll say that I'm on Lent (this works great in religious areas - no offense to anyone who takes lying about Lent as mean).
Once I even said that my pet chicken of 7 years had just died and that I was in official mourning by eating no chicken or eggs. The server even looked genuinely sad about the chicken!
I'm going to start having to lie about having an allergy. I know it's mean, but it is easier than trying to go into details with them and have them look at you like you are insane. It seems like people just don't respect what vegans are about.
I do the whole 'I'm allergic to dairy and eggs and if you give them to me my lungs will close up and I'll die but first I'll make sure my friends and family sue you" card when I'm out. It works like a charm! I know it's mean, but usually I'm not harsh at all about it. I have a friend who really is lactose intolerant, so I've picked up a few things from him. Regularly, I just say "And make sure there is no dairy - allergies," and they get the idea.
If it's eggs, I'll say that I'm on Lent (this works great in religious areas - no offense to anyone who takes lying about Lent as mean).
Once I even said that my pet chicken of 7 years had just died and that I was in official mourning by eating no chicken or eggs. The server even looked genuinely sad about the chicken!
I'm going to start having to lie about having an allergy. I know it's mean, but it is easier than trying to go into details with them and have them look at you like you are insane. It seems like people just don't respect what vegans are about.
When you're out saying you have allergies works, but what to do with family that knows you don't have allergies and don't agree with your veganism?! Maybe we could recently contract dairy allergies lol! It's really annoying being judged by them, but you know what, most of them are severely overweight so they really should go vegan..... They're just always trying to push stuff on us (every time) even know they know we're vegan... grrr
When you're out saying you have allergies works, but what to do with family that knows you don't have allergies and don't agree with your veganism?! Maybe we could recently contract dairy allergies lol! It's really annoying being judged by them, but you know what, most of them are severely overweight so they really should go vegan..... They're just always trying to push stuff on us (every time) even know they know we're vegan... grrr
It sounds like you've worked up a head of steam about restaurants. Maybe you're carrying that anger with you and the servers respond to a perceived attitude and not your order itself. I've never had to lie and very rarely do I have to send anything back.
When you're out saying you have allergies works, but what to do with family that knows you don't have allergies and don't agree with your veganism?! Maybe we could recently contract dairy allergies lol! It's really annoying being judged by them, but you know what, most of them are severely overweight so they really should go vegan..... They're just always trying to push stuff on us (every time) even know they know we're vegan... grrr
It sounds like you've worked up a head of steam about restaurants. Maybe you're carrying that anger with you and the servers respond to a perceived attitude and not your order itself. I've never had to lie and very rarely do I have to send anything back.
Lol Humboldt_Honey, I wasn't referring to restaurants but when we're at family's houses -- they're not very understanding of veganism and are always trying to 'get' us to eat a piece of fish or meat even though they know we're vegan! And they always say : 'I thought vegetarians eat fish and chicken?' etc..... it's gotten to the point that it's more amusing than annoying because someone always says it at each family dinner! They eat A LOT of meat and dairy and fattening foods, I feel bad for them, but I never try and press veganism on them! I guess I secretly hope that they'll see me as an example of eating healthily and maybe make some modifications to their diet, but I also think that's highly unlikely ;)
Oh... then I guess I kind of lie, also. I had high cholesterol, so I told my family I was vegan because of my cholesterol which is partially true (I didn't tell them I don't like animal products - they can accept it as a medical decision but not as an ethical one). On a vegan diet without watching what I ate, my cholesterol dropped 73 points. So now no one tries to sneak anything in. Instead they want me to bring some vegan recipes with me. :)
I've been at restaurants and ordered pasta with veggies or a veggie quesedilla and I always get asked if I want to add steak or chicken...and when I say no, I get a stare and a "are you SURE?" Why have the veggie only option if you're going to encourage people to get it with meat? It reminds me of a line from the Simpsons when Lisa orders plain rice at a Chinese restaurant..."Is there any way we can enhance your dining experience by harming an animal?"
It reminds me of a line from the Simpsons when Lisa orders plain rice at a Chinese restaurant..."Is there any way we can enhance your dining experience by harming an animal?"
;D That pretty well sums it up, doesn't it! Great quote!
I'm only lactose intolerant, but when I go out to eat I tend to say that I am ALLERGIC to milk if I suspect the dish has any milk in it.
I recently went out to breakfast and got some scrambled eggs (not completely veg), and they were coated, completely coated, in butter. I don't cook scrambled eggs with butter. Eww. I sent them back and they didn't charge me, thankfully.
Another time I went to the mexican restaurant down the road and I ordered the tofu plate, and the waitress brought it and it was coated in cheese. I told her I was sorry, but that I forgot to order it without cheese and I am allergic to milk. She brought it back, no cheese (or so it looked like), I ate it and went home. As soon as I walked in the door I got sick. I wonder if she just picked the giant cheese mess off the top of it and left remnants behind.
Its a pretty scary thought if a restaurant will only pick off the offending bits and pieces from the top and send the same dish back AFTER you've said the word "ALLERGY"!! Thats crazy!
I've found that after being vegan for over a year now, I HAVE TRULY developed some type of intolerence to milk & other dairy. I had a mishap at a restaurant myself, and I sure felt it for the next 2 days. Your family knows that you dont have allergies - but do they know that you can develop intolerance to things that have been out of your system so long? It really can make you sick if you accidentally consume something tainted with dairy.
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