butting heads with culture

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Twizelby
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butting heads with culture

Post by Twizelby »

So I spent the week with my family. I love my family! very open minded siblings, highly religious parents. Anyway, If I go out to dinner usually if I am taking a girl out, I check to see what options a restaurant has, or cook myself. I was faced with a situation that I am unfamiliar with that was really awkward. Despite my big US mouth, typically I am being hyperbolas (is that a word) or making a joke. I felt guilty for making other people pity my shitty meal. Let me explain.
my family wanted to visit 2 things, a specialty ice cream shop and an upscale restaurant. At the ice cream parlor I got fries, and at the restaurant I ordered something made by the chef in which he proceeded to make quinoa with steamed veg...WTF! My meal was just this shi*y pile of un-seasoned veg and everyone knew it. I can cook better food with my hands in a pair of boxing gloves! Anyway I graciously accepted the meal amongst the chorus of
"mmm my dead animal is delicious, are you sure you don't want to try this twiz?"

Anyway, I wanted to hear from more exp vegans how they deal with this. I didn't want to send it back but it was a totally uncreative meal, and I felt dismissed. I have read from chef's about how annoying vegans are, and I honestly hate to feel like a bother. In life I am very non-combative. Seriously I didn't want to go to your restaurant, I was there for my family. I know I shouldn't feel guilty but I do. I feel life what I am doing is right ethically but I was forced to see myself through an uncaring culture of meat culture.
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TheVeganAtheist
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by TheVeganAtheist »

I generally dont eat at places that have bad food. If the people I'm with want to eat non-vegan, I try in advance to have a few options that will appeal to them and me. There have been a few occasions when Ive eat something bland because i was in another city with non-vegans and didnt plan ahead, but critiquing the food to the chef is not going to get you anywhere. I have mentioned to servers that they should expand their vegan menu, but I'm not sure if that ever even gets to the ears of the manger/owner.
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by brimstoneSalad »

You pretty much learn to be more picky about where to eat, and check happy cow, so you can divert your family to eating somewhere better.
Otherwise you will often be stuck with a pile of something only vaguely resembling food that the "chef" threw in the microwave.

At a 'fancy' restaurant, sometimes you can ask for a bunch of ingredients, and then prepare something at the table that the chef wouldn't know how to make.
HarvesterofSorrow
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by HarvesterofSorrow »

With my short time of being a vegan this incident has happened to me twice already and I hate it. However, I've learned to cope with this situation by joining others with a glass of juice or just water and not eat if there are honestly no dishes available that would be satisfying. So I always carry a couple of fruit bars or energy bars in case I do get hungry. But do follow the advice of The Vegan Atheist and plan ahead so you're not stuck eating broccoli with crackers... I'm serious about that one by the way! Happened last week at my aunt's birthday BBQ. Amazing how few vegetables some Americans consume.
PrincessPeach
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by PrincessPeach »

Sometimes it works better if you order a meat meal with out the meat, you'll get the side dish the bread and veggies, just leave the meat and dairy/ eggs off! That makes it easier on the chef (they don't have to whip up something special) & you have a better idea of what it is you'll get... You can tell them you are just watching your weight or cholesterol or blood pressure, yeah your care about your heart and over all physical well being!
Also your family calls you twizelby, or twiz is it?
Don't be a waste of molecules
Twizelby
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by Twizelby »

PrincessPeach wrote:Sometimes it works better if you order a meat meal with out the meat, you'll get the side dish the bread and veggies, just leave the meat and dairy/ eggs off! That makes it easier on the chef (they don't have to whip up something special) & you have a better idea of what it is you'll get... You can tell them you are just watching your weight or cholesterol or blood pressure, yeah your care about your heart and over all physical well being!
Also your family calls you twizelby, or twiz is it?
Thats a good idea. I just hate that so many veg dishes seem to rely on cheeses. Every salad, soup, and bread is slathered in animal secretions. I think that's one of the 2 things that I have taken notice of, How much food is unnecessarily based on some animal product, and how much oil we use. It blows my mind.
PrincessPeach
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Re: butting heads with culture

Post by PrincessPeach »

Twizelby wrote: Thats a good idea. I just hate that so many veg dishes seem to rely on cheeses. Every salad, soup, and bread is slathered in animal secretions. I think that's one of the 2 things that I have taken notice of, How much food is unnecessarily based on some animal product, and how much oil we use. It blows my mind.
Let's see

Olive Garden's Italian dressing has milk in it
McDonalds fries contain beef natural beef flavors wheat and dairy in the fries (source)
Arby's fries are coated with dairy
Burger King veg burger contains dairy
Subway's veg burger contains dairy
Just to name a few...

The human race kills annually over approx. 380 billion animals a year, they have to do something with their bodies when they die (bones, blood,skin,organs) and why not put it into foods they are already making preparing it saves them money and the people they are offering their products to usually eat the meat, so why would it gross them out?

Be happy that you are doing everything you can to avoid animal products. I know it blows your mind but sit back and take comfort in knowing you do not eat / use animal products & that makes a big difference. You are only in control of your own actions, and you realize the impact your actions makes & that is A LOT!! :)
Don't be a waste of molecules
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