I would like to share some thoughts on my own experiences with vegetarian living. First, I am not a vegetarian. I don't declare this to offend anyone, only to inform. My wife is a vegetarian from birth and has never purposely eaten meat or eggs of any kind.
I seldom prepare meat when she is not home and am careful to wash any meat-contaminated dishes before she even sees them. I sometimes order meat dishes in restaurants when we eat out. Most often, however, I eat what she does.
My meat consumption is considerably less than it was before I met her.
A few things that bother me now that didn't before:
Vegetarian menu options -
I believe most vegetarian choices you find in a restaurant were created by meat-eaters. Most common choices are spinach, mushrooms, and grilled vegetables. It's boring and I'm tired of it. Think of something new, please.
Rice. It's rare to see rice in a restaurant that ISN'T made with chicken broth. Hello?? Have you people heard of vegetable broth? Or water? It's like they forgot that you can season the rice with herbs and spices and figured that if "it tastes like chicken" everyone will like it.
Hidden animal ingredients that shouldn't be there -even if you are not a vegetarian. My wife likes french fries, but when I suggested Mc Donalds fries she informed me they are coated with beef tallow. Beef tallow?! Good grief. Why? Are they afraid I won't be getting my daily allowance of beef tallow in the quarter pound burger they sell?
gelatin - it's freaking everywhere and I recently discovered what it's made of.
Eggs - I know, some vegetarians eat eggs. Some don't. I still think it's weird to see it as ingredient in mustard.
Cross contamination. Be careful when you order that cheese pizza. They just cut it with the same cutter they used on the double pepperoni. We order pizza uncut.
Thoughts on transitioning.
As I said, I still eat meat, albeit with far less frequency than before I met my wife.
We have tried meat substitutes and neither of us really like them. Some even have eggs. Truth be told, It is my opinion a dish or recipe designed to be vegetarian is superior to a dish or recipe designed for meat and substituted.
Over the years I have had less and less craving for meat. It's not really a conscious choice, but a lifestyle I find myself drifting toward more and more. It tastes better. It's cheaper. -And my wife kisses me more often!
I'm so glad you noticed about restaurant selections! I swear it;s a conspiracy to keep people from giving up meat.
Vegetarian meals are cleaner, cheaper, easier, and even more creative than anything they do with meat! It just makes sense, even if you're not ethical.
I loathe cilantro and avocado and find them everywhere!
Hm. So I am not the only one who noticed this. It's pretty strange since there are more and more veggies these days so the logical thing would be that there are more options for us.
This summer I was on a bit fancy restaurant with some people, they ordered meat and I asked for a vegetarian option (which wasn't even listed on the menu by the way), they told me it would take time. My 'mates' got their plates with their meat which had various things on the side and different dishes in big portions. And when my plate arrived, it was a small cheese which had been grilled and some beans and tomatoes. That was a big disappointment.
But I think, vegan and vegetarian restaurants who are specialized on veggie food are great. I've been to one and they knew what they was doing! So an idea if you want good veggie food on restaurant is to visit a veggie restaurant!
I know the feeling. I've been vegan for a few weeks now and the struggle is real. At home I can repare anything I would like luckily. I live in an area that has a few vegan restaurants, but I like to dine with my friends who choose more mainstream eateries. The options are limited and quite boring. I hate that every salad is smothered in chicken and cheese. I hate the tofu is almost always deep fried. And last but not least, I hate going out to eat canned veggies. It really is a conspiracy to ush BIG AGRA. Schol is back is session and theres nothing but milk commercials yet more and more people are becoming lactose intolerant because milk is in tablets and everything one would not expect. We have to do better as a country.
I guess I am really fortunate. Though I live in a medium sized city, and only eat out maybe a half dozen times per year, there are at least a handful of vegan friendly restaurants in my city and all of them serve far more interesting options than your standard tofu and vegetable fare. For instance, about two months ago when my Dad was here from out of state visiting, we went to The Duluth Grill and I had the raw living taco dish. Not only was it completely vegan, it was all raw vegan!!! And incredibly delicious! I have also eaten at Pizza Luce which offers all vegan pizza (you have a choice of Daiya cheese or a nut based homemade cheese made there) and vegan hoagie subs. Another great restaurant in my area is Sarah's Table which really caters to vegans and vegetarians. And Noodles and Company is around my corner also.
I did have to do a lot of research in the beginning when I went vegan for hidden food ingredients at restaurants (and products in grocery stores). A lot of Asian restaurants use fish sauce in their rice and other dishes. But they are also happy to leave it out if you tell them to. I once went to an eastern Indian restaurant and asked that they leave the ghee off of the rice and vegetables as otherwise they tend to coat everything with that stuff. I don't do fast food restaurants and haven't since 2008, but I do know that the Vegetarian Resource group researches and calls/contacts various fast food and chain restaurants to find out which of their foods are vegan and posts this information on their site. http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php It might be a helpful resource for someone. HappyCow.net and Vegdining are also helpful resources for finding vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants.
I love being vegan and I always celebrate when I see more and more vegan options available in grocery stores and restaurants. The more we speak up and ask that certain items be left out of our food, I believe the more progress we will see. Of course it can be difficult to be vegan or vegetarian in a largely omnivore world, but the positives of what we are doing far outweigh those negatives in my humble opinion!
Yes, definitely try ethnic restaurants! Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, even Ethiopian restaurants often have a plethora of interesting vegetarian dishes. You could also go for veg sushi!
"Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs. Gelatin is used in shampoos, face masks, and other cosmetics; as a thickener for fruit gelatins and puddings (such as Jell-O); in candies, marshmallows, cakes, ice cream, and yogurts; on photographic film; and in vitamins as a coating and as capsules, and it is sometimes used to assist in "clearing" wines. Gelatin is not vegan. However, there is a product called "agar agar" that is sometimes marketed as "gelatin," but it is vegan. It is derived from a type of seaweed."
Figured this was as good a place as any to repost this.... while we're on the topic of gelatin.... **cough-HOOVES!-cough**
Common animal-derived ingredients Animal-Derived Ingredients Used in Commercial Foods
Watch out for these ingredients. The ones listed here in bold are always animal derived. The others may or may not be. When in doubt, feel free to call or write the manufacturer. These ingredients commonly occur in bread, cheese, peanut butter, cookies, and various other packaged food items.
Enzymes
Gelatin
Rennet
Glycerin
Diglycerides
Monoglycerides
*glycer* (anything with this root)
Lecithin
Emulsifiers
Stearic Acid
*stear* (anything with this root)
stearoyl lactates
Dough Conditioners
Shortening
Stabilizers
Calcium Phosphate
Lactic Acid
Pepsin
Vitamin A Palmitate (fish gel.)
Whey
A good rule of thumb is: if it doesn't sound like anything you've ever heard of, watch out!
Beware of bone char in your sugar. :stinkeye: And if you see enzymes listed in your cheese ingredients, it means rennet (unless specified as microbial, non-animal, or vegetarian).
I've used agar to make homemade vegan nut cheese, and I used it once to make a homemade lemon pie. It really does work!
There are more natural ways to make stuff without gelatin or agar though. I LOVE this recipe for homemade jam using chia seeds (which gel up when combined with wet ingredients):
Me, too! Cilantro tastes like soap to me. Rocket/arugula, cress and other "peppery" greens are the same for me. They burn like hell, just like getting soap in the mouth. Avocado is just something I don't like at all. ::blech::
PETA makes handy dandy lists of vegan friendly chain restaurant food, and Happy Cow app exists to help you find vegetarian or veg friendly restaurants in your vicinity. Happy Cow is great because they only include veg friendly if there's more options rather than what you describe (spinach, mushrooms, or vegetable plates would not make the list if they were the only options, nor does "cheese less pizza" the joint actually has to carry substitutes or mock meats).
But you can easily even Google things like vegan french fries if you are just looking for a convenient snack, it will say which restaurants can provide that near you.
Taco Bell recently has actually been approved by the American Vegetarian Association for their variety of options.
Yummm... Indian food. As my mother-in-law is Indian by born, My husband had learned some of the dishes. We usually In fact, I must say once in a week to cook Indian food in my home. Dal Makhani,Dhokla, Alu Matar,.... Are my favorites.
I am another cilantro = soap person. But I find that if it is used sparingly, and it doesn't overpower foods like salsa and guacamole, I don't mind it at all. It's when all I can taste is the cilantro, which is often the case, that I go, yuck.
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