So you’ve decided to switch your eating habits to aplant based diet. Congratulations! Good for you!You’re making a big difference both for your own health and forthe health of the planet.
By eating a plant based diet, you’re creating 50 %less CO2than someone who eats meat, dairy, and eggs. You’re also steering clear ofcarcinogenic sources of food. The World Health Organisation recentlyreported that 50g of meat a day (that’s less than 2 slices of bacon) increases the risk of colorectalcancer by 18%.
You’ve made a greatdecision! But now you’ve been invited to dinner with your friends at your standard hangout, and they have nothing vegan on the menu.No problem,here’s How To Order Vegan at Non-Vegan Restaurants – and why it’s so important that you do!
Scrutinize the menu
When you get to the restaurant, give the menua quick one-over. Note any vegetarian options, or any dishes that have vegetables, beans, or other vegan ingredients in them. If they’ve got it on the menu, you know they’ve got it in stock in their kitchen.
Hold the dairyand eggs, please
If there’s a vegetarian option on the menu, but it’stopped with cheese or eggs, kindly ask your waiter if you can have the dish but without the dairy or eggs.
If they ask if you’d like something else as a substitution to the dairy and eggs, suggest something you’ve seen in one of the dishes on the menu, for examplehalf an avocado or some additional veggies.
Compose your own
In some cases, you’ll find yourself in a particularly non-veggie friendly restaurant without even a vegetarian option on the menu.It’s ok, youcan stillget something vegan!
Say there’s a meat dish that hasaside of grilled vegetables,another dish has aside of rice or potatoes, and in the list of extras you see there’s a small garden salad, and bread rolls. Fantastic!
Ask your waiter if the chef could put together a dish of grilled vegetables with rice for you. If you’re extra hungry, addthe small garden salad as a side (and maybethe bread rolltoo).
Give your waiter or chef some suggestions
A lot of people are unfamiliar with what being veganactually means, so sometimes people’s reaction to someone who is mentioning the wordvegancanbe completelyblown out of proportion. Vegan!? Butthen you can’t eatanything!Help your waiter or chef out by giving suggestions of what youdoeat.
I was in a brunch restaurant once with very few vegetarian (and no vegan) options on the menu. I asked ourwaitress if she could havethe chef make me one of their brunch sandwiches wit avocado and a side salad. I ended up getting a fantastic and very filling plate of food.
Be Polite
It’sso important that you’re polite when you visit a restaurant and ask for something that’s not on their menu.The restaurant wants to please you as a customer but (and this is common sense) that doesn’t mean youshould be rude or put up a fuss about the food you get.
Be polite when asking for something special.A passionateand well experienced chef hasthe ability to adapt to different diets and come up with a dishonthefly, based on the ingredients he or she has got on hand. Soif they do, show your appreciation to your waiter and (if you get the chance) to the chef.
Get a salad and then tuck into your emergency snacks
Let’s face it, there’s likely going to come a time when youend up at a restaurant that simply isn’t able or willing to give you more than a simple garden salad.Butdon’t let that ruin your evening!Keep someemergency snack bars or dried fruits and nutsstashed inyour bag that you can tuck intoto top up your unfulfilling meal.
Givetherestauranta heads up
If yourrestaurant date is booked ahead of time (as opposed to a spur of the momentlet’s go grab dinner-situation), consider calling the restaurant in advance and giving them a heads up that you’re vegan.
The chefs will appreciate the extra time they get to order any extra ingredients they might need, and to come up with a dish for you. And you’re spared the effort of sorting it out when you’re seated with your friends, date, or family at the restaurant.
Why should you bother ordering vegan at non-vegan restaurants?
If you’re thinking that you’re better off just ordering whatever they’ve got on the menu (chalking it up as an exception to your usual plant based diet), consider this: by asking the restaurant forsomething vegan,you’re contributing to them potentially putting something vegan on their menu permanently.
You’re enlightening the restauranttoa demand they’re currently not catering to. And in doing so, you’re inspiring them to add something new to their menu that’ll potentially generate new customers.
I have seen this type of change occur in so many restaurants and cafés around the city of Stockholm, where I live. You can goalmost anywhere in Stockholm and find something vegan on the menu, or easily substitute an ingredient or two in a dish to make it vegan. It all started with one person after another enlightening chefs and restaurant ownersthat there is ademand forvegan food.
Byinspiring change in restaurants and cafés, you’re doing good for your own and other people’s health, andacting in favour of the planet.
