This is when it REALLY sucks to be vegan! Arg!
This is kind of a spin-off of the other thread, but this is on one subject.
Anyways, here's what's going on. My DH's karate school had a big demo thing last night for visiting big-wigs in the TaeKwonDo circles from Korea. They all went out to dinner last night, BUT me and my best friend (both vegans). They went to a restaurant that I KNOW that doesn't have vegan options. I was tired from work, grumpy (hungry), and so I just told my DH to go. I went home and made a Vegan Korean soup in thier honor for dinner.
Tonight, they are going out to dinner again. This time to some Italian place. I couldn't find it online or in the phone book to look up the menu (must be a new place). So do I pig out on vegan food before I go, or attemp some food there? I don't want to draw attention by not eating anything either. I'm scared ... Help!
They don't have a salad there? I say eat a salad if they have it.
It seems you are having issues with veganism more than anything. Don't let it get in the way of you doing things you want to do! If you can't find the menu before hand, eat something before you go and try to order a salad with oil and vinegar, or Italian restaurants usually have an antipasto with olive oil and veggies, just ask for them to hold any cheese and ask if they use egg noodles, both easy requests. If all else fails, just don't order anything, or get a nice drink, and don't stress! Just claim your stomach is upset if people ask :}
It's really hard, i know...which is why I don't go out for dinner with my relatives.
If you can't find the menu before hand, eat something before you go and try to order a salad with oil and vinegar, or Italian restaurants usually have an antipasto with olive oil and veggies, just ask for them to hold any cheese and ask if they use egg noodles, both easy requests. If all else fails, just don't order anything, or get a nice drink, and don't stress! Just claim your stomach is upset if people ask :}
Yes, I agree! I have found that Italian restaurants are usually some of the easiest places to find vegan food--even if they're not on the menu. True, the dishes often contain tons of cheese, but Italian cooking is usually done with olive oil as opposed to butter... So even if you just wanted to get a fresh pasta dish with noodles, olive oil, tomatoes, and sauteed veggies, I am willing to bet they could accommodate you! :) Good luck!
Any Italian restaurant worth its salt will do you a dish of pasta all'olio without a murmur. Just say loudly NO CHEESE. Play the allergy card if you have to.
A cheese-free, meat-free green salad and you're good to go.
Kylissa, thanks for the help. It's not that I am having an issue with veganism. I'm not, I swear. It's the fact that the big-wigs from Korea are here. It's a respect and martial arts thing. I don't want to disrepect anybody in any way, shape, or form. I know some things about the Korean culture, but not all. So I don't want to not eat or say something to disrespect them (Respect is HUGE in the Korean culture and the tradtional martial arts).
Anyways, thanks for the help all. I'm not so stressed out now (now knowing that Italian places can have vegan stuff :) ).
It's difficult being vegan in Korea? I found it very easy, though limited in main dishes. With the "Wellbeing" program the Korean government is promoting, I found it much easier to be veg / vegan than ever before (I was gone from Korea for 3 years -- I first went for work in 1996).
Now, every restaurant I went to very much understands being veg and since most Korean food does not use dairy -- great.
Soontubu and tenjang are very easy to have made veg -- chogae upsoyo (no clams please) and kaeran upsoyo (no egg please). I found that after saying "chaesik juwee imneeda" ("I'm vegetarian", people were very accomodating).
The side dishes might be a problem, but it's obvious what has egg, mayonnaise, etc., and even kimchee might not have any fish things in it -- I'd ask and people would tell me. My girlfriend said that kimchee away from the coast does not (I would think "may not") use any seafood ingredient.
There's always bibimbap, which I tired of when I first went to Korea.
Even in a meat restaurant, they should have tofu -- ask for it steamed or boiled, served with a sauce of soy sauce, green onions, sesame seed, etc., or the soy sauce type salad dressing, and side dishes.
If worse comes to worse -- a bowl of rice and side dishes.
Korean food is healthy and delicious -- there's absolutely no reason to go hungry being vegan now.
Tell the "bigwigs" you're vegan for your health -- and just go around them -- some can be real jerks. You don't have to be rude and if they take offense, that's their problem. Use the Korean government program "Wellbeing." That should be understood.
I never "played the card" in Korea. I feel that's dishonest. Koreans are in the world and some (like anywhere else) need to know there is diversity -- do you want to tell a Korean how to eat? I have NEVER told anyone to be veg or vegan. Food preferences are very personal.
I have said I'm Buddhist, hoping in the past that would work -- seems like mostly it didn't, but did sometimes, and I did consider myself Buddhist at the time.
An Italian restaurant? -- easy for vegan food.
I also used to carry a "condiment" bag with containers of sesame seed, ground chili, soy sauce, olive oil (good for putting on a baguette from Paris Baguette), chili sauce, dried garlic and onion granules, etc., for the times when I needed food and would go to a supermarket and get a container of tofu, drain it, and start adding condiments -- tasty when you can't find a restaurant or had do make do with just rice and a few side dishes.
I've had to come back to the US and I REALLY miss Korean restaurants and supermarkets. I was last in Daejeon and thought the people were just wonderful; helpful (including understanding I am vegan), and very kind.
My best, Stallion.
You would think that an Italian restaurant would be easy. Just order a pasta dish with marinara sauce.
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I have found that there are still many restaurants that use spaghetti, or other pasta noodles, that have dairy in them.
The last two times I went to an Italian restaurant I was stuck with an unimaginative green salad. My tummy was doing the rumba while everyone else was scarfing down their hearty pasta dishes.
i know how you feel sweetie.
i have to eat at home before all the band events.
cuz they have a lot of bar b ques or pizza.
so... people look at me strange while i sip on my water and make up rumors that i'm anorexic.
teenagers are pure cruel.
so... people look at me strange while i sip on my water and make up rumors that i'm anorexic.
el oh el
that is just so funny to me... people understand that you're anorexic more than they understand you're vegan! seriously, lol.
It's difficult being vegan in Korea? I found it very easy, though limited in main dishes. With the "Wellbeing" program the Korean government is promoting, I found it much easier to be veg / vegan than ever before (I was gone from Korea for 3 years -- I first went for work in 1996).
Now, every restaurant I went to very much understands being veg and since most Korean food does not use dairy -- great.
Soontubu and tenjang are very easy to have made veg -- chogae upsoyo (no clams please) and kaeran upsoyo (no egg please). I found that after saying "chaesik juwee imneeda" ("I'm vegetarian", people were very accomodating).
The side dishes might be a problem, but it's obvious what has egg, mayonnaise, etc., and even kimchee might not have any fish things in it -- I'd ask and people would tell me. My girlfriend said that kimchee away from the coast does not (I would think "may not") use any seafood ingredient.
There's always bibimbap, which I tired of when I first went to Korea.
Even in a meat restaurant, they should have tofu -- ask for it steamed or boiled, served with a sauce of soy sauce, green onions, sesame seed, etc., or the soy sauce type salad dressing, and side dishes.
If worse comes to worse -- a bowl of rice and side dishes.
Korean food is healthy and delicious -- there's absolutely no reason to go hungry being vegan now.
Tell the "bigwigs" you're vegan for your health -- and just go around them -- some can be real jerks. You don't have to be rude and if they take offense, that's their problem. Use the Korean government program "Wellbeing." That should be understood.
I never "played the card" in Korea. I feel that's dishonest. Koreans are in the world and some (like anywhere else) need to know there is diversity -- do you want to tell a Korean how to eat? I have NEVER told anyone to be veg or vegan. Food preferences are very personal.
I have said I'm Buddhist, hoping in the past that would work -- seems like mostly it didn't, but did sometimes, and I did consider myself Buddhist at the time.
An Italian restaurant? -- easy for vegan food.
I also used to carry a "condiment" bag with containers of sesame seed, ground chili, soy sauce, olive oil (good for putting on a baguette from Paris Baguette), chili sauce, dried garlic and onion granules, etc., for the times when I needed food and would go to a supermarket and get a container of tofu, drain it, and start adding condiments -- tasty when you can't find a restaurant or had do make do with just rice and a few side dishes.
I've had to come back to the US and I REALLY miss Korean restaurants and supermarkets. I was last in Daejeon and thought the people were just wonderful; helpful (including understanding I am vegan), and very kind.
My best, Stallion.
OMG!!! You are so helpful with the Korean food (I LOVE Korean food)! Thank you! But I did have Italian. It was a buffet. And they did have fresh salad, pasta salad without mayo, fruit salad, and baked potato. I don't know if the sauces they used were vegan, but it was good. I didn't detect any animal from my taste buds. My best friend is the more experienced vegan, and I grabbed what she did (kinda cheated hehehehehe). But I went away full. And I met one of the big-wigs of Korean Martial arts! I had a good night. I was paranoid for nothing ;)
awesome. i'm glad you were able to find something.
i had a potato tonight too.
I can almost always find a vegan dish. I can find a vegan dish in Cracker Barrel! No matter what restaurant it is - from fast food to five star - there is always a salad avialable. There is also, usually, a grain dish with veggies available.
Now, sometimes, I don't want to pay $10.00 plus for a salad. But, it's a trade off. I'd rather pay that money for the salad, than sit around not eating anything while everyone chows down. I've always been fairly lean/slender my whole life. So, the few times I have sat around eating nothing, because I filled up before going out, people asked me if I had an eating disorder. ::)
So, to avoid such situations, I get a salad, grain dish, or pasta dish. Another good thing to order, I have found, is a veggie pizza - no cheese. Now, are those pasta noodles made with egg? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't ask, I don't know. I go out so rarely to a restaurant that isn't vegan friendly that an infintesimal amount of dairy in my pasta isn't going to bother me. Especially, since, I think dinner is always a good time to inform people, casually, about veganism. I'm always asked why I chose that dish, etc. It's a great intro. If I'm chowing down on a piece of lettuce ... veganism is not going to look appealing, lol.
I'm glad it worked out. I was just very pleasantly surprised to find that it's not very difficult now in Korea to be vegan (or veg), but some people still may have dificulties. It used to be a real hassle -- that's why I started carrying the condiment bag.
One thing I've found about Korea is that being the size it is, information gets around quickly -- like the Wellbeing program, and Koreans do want to be healthy (except for the soju and cigarettes).
I'm wondering if you are a military family? I'm asking because if not, there are stores where you can buy Western food items, though they can be expensive. I'd go to one or two in Seoul, though I primarily eat Asian (or Indian or Mexican) at home.
There is also San Chon restaurant (two locations) in Seoul that's run by a former monk and it's all veg except for maybe the kimchee. It's expensive but very good. I've also been told that temples in the mountains may have veg mountain food available, but I've never gone to one -- I think monks have to be veg in the temples, but not when they are outside the temple.
There are also 3 or 4 Indian / Pakistani restaurants in Itaewon (sorry if you know the area near the US Army base). I've eaten at Ashoka and really like it but it is also expensive -- half the buffett is veg and they'll tell you what is vegan.
There is also a small Indian / Pakistani store in Itaewon for spices (if a Korean doesn't speak English around there -- "Indo maket ("market without the "r") odio? (where). It's behind and to the left behind the Hamilton Hotel. Fresh Supermarket in Itaewon is also pretty good for having some western things -- I think I even bought cilantro there in the past.
There is also a shopping area in Seoul that mostly Koreans go to (I think) and is supposed to have a "Buddhist Street" that has veg restaurants, but I'm not sure what district it's in (Chongno maybe?). I believe it's the shopping area that has a lot of Korean
crafts / ceramics, etc. I've been there but at the time didn't know there were veg restaurants.
I had lists on my computer but the computer fried. All I have now are the names of some veg restaurants and food stores (some with organic items) in Seoul. Not all are veg, but those that aren't are veg / vegan friendly. I guess it would be too long to post the names with directions (it's a two page list).
Veg places in Seoul: Chaegeundam, Country Life Health Restaurant (7th Day Adventist), Dimibang, Hoonja Food, Idame Café, Odaesan Sanche, SM Vegetarian Restaurant(supposed to be excellent, and that's from a non-veg -- it is run by a rather cultish international group that seem harmless), Sticky Fingers Bakery, Vegetarian Restaurant.
You should be able to find those on the internet and doing a search of "Korean vegetarian" should get you a lot of information. This is a good website to start: http://www.vegetariankorea.org/
My best. Stallion.
If anyone questions you why you aren't eating, make up some outlandish excuse and try not to laugh... works for me! "Oh you noticed? Well, it's because I am Anadoraphobic, you know, afraid of eating with knives, forks, and spoons. My therapist and I are working on it though."
If anyone questions you why you aren't eating, make up some outlandish excuse and try not to laugh... works for me! "Oh you noticed? Well, it's because I am Anadoraphobic, you know, afraid of eating with knives, forks, and spoons. My therapist and I are working on it though."
haha. great idea!!
Stallion,
I don't think she's in Korea. It was that Koreans were coming to visit and she didn't want to offend them by going out to eat in a Korean restaurant and not ordering anything. That's how I understood it.
Yep, you're right, Caitlyn. They came to visit NY. But we ate at an Italian restaurant, not Korean (I wish). But Stallion is full of good info ;)