When I go to a new to me restaurant, I usually don’t read the entire menu – I scan it, looking for dishes that can be made vegan. I became vegetarian about 10 years ago, and this is something I have been doing since then.
It’s kind of a bad habit, because when I do go to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, like the Eden Alley Cafe in Kansas City, I feel extremely OVERWHELMED by being able to choose more than one thing on the menu. I get kind of anxious, and don’t know what to choose. I want to try everything, since I can.
When you go to a new restaurant, how do you decide what to order? Do you read the entire menu? Do you pick the first thing that sounds good? Do you typically order the same types of dishes at certain kinds of restaurants?
Do other vegetarians/vegans menu scan?
Cleavage alert! (This photo is from Cascone’s, 9/11/10 in Kansas City)
Last week I went out for a coworker’s birthday during lunch. I called the restaurant to see if they had any vegan food and they said the chef could come up with a vegan dish for me. So I told the waitress that when she took our drink order, and when she came back to get our food order, I asked what the chef was going to make me… and she just told me to pick something off the menu and he would make it vegan. Well, because of my menu scanning habits I had NO IDEA what to ask to have the chef veganize. I hadn’t really “read” the menu since it appeared that NONE of it could be made vegan and it was mostly meat and other fancy food that I was honestly unfamiliar with. The waitress was really nice, but the whole situation made me uncomfortable, and I had to quickly look at the menu and try to find something that could be made vegan. I ended up with pasta. Pasta that probably had egg in it, but, whatever.
I need to make sure that does not happen again. I felt dumb. Of course, I was under the impression the chef would just pick something for me*, but I shouldn’t rely on that.
*If he did, it would probably be something mushroom based anyway. I know I am supposed to like mushrooms, but I don’t really care for them. I’ll tolerate them on pizza, and in stew and even mushroom-based gravy… but I don’t like to straight-out eat them.
Oh the dreaded menu stress! I know what you mean. I kind of try not to worry about it too much but sometimes it does get to me. My solution has been to become a lot more flexible about eggs and dairy when eating out. Vegan if I can, vegetarian if I can’t. This helped a LOT when we were on vacation in France.
My boyfriend would tell you that I am not good at choosing food that I like. It’s easier (or more challenging because I have more options?) since I’m not vegan/vegetarian. Sometimes I think I’ll like something and it will end up being nothing like what I envisioned in my head and I end up being disappointed.
I love your photo caption! haha
I’m like you — I enjoy seeing menus before I go so I can meal plan a little in my head. Plus if I see something that I really want that might not be the healthiest choice (sometimes, you just really want the veggie burger and fries), I’ll modify my diet a little earlier in the day so I can eat the fries without guilt.
THere is usually something that stands out to me and i’ll stop reading the menu right then and there and order it, even though there may be plenty of other viable options down the line 🙂 i’m a sucker for gnocchi of any kind or mac and cheese of some kind. goat cheese does it for me too.
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My problem is usually more that I like and want everything on the menu and I can’t decide. It has to be rough to eat out with dietary restrictions – it would go against my fear of confrontation to have to order anything special (even when they screw my order up, I have a terrible time asking them to fix it – makes my husband crazy).
I’ve gotten more used to asking them to fix things now, but it still makes me feel bad too 🙁
I’m a fairly new vegetarian, and I’m still struggling with menus. This is bad since I travel 4-5 days EVERY week and thus eat out A LOT! 🙂 I get by, but I do tend to scan menus and end up eating the same types of things over and over. It’s not exciting, but it works.
My big thing with menus is making sure I pick something no one else is eating … that way, I get to try mine and then try different dishes of those I’m with … yes, I’m one of THOSE people who loves to share food! =)
Ha, the same thing happens to me; I’m so used to only having one or two possible options on a menu that when I go somewhere with a menu full of things I would eat, it’s vastly overwhelming.
<3 <3
Seattle is a great place to eat vegetarian or vegan (just sayin’). 🙂 I spent many years as a pescaterian and that was likely easier since fish is easy to find. My vegan friends struggle and I feel for them.
I like to try new things and new restaurants. Mr. D on the other hand will always order a burger or some sort of meat sandwich. Heh. MEAT SANDWICH.
I just love food. Ha! Woe the day that I ever acquire any food allergies…
I’m far from vegetarian, but I always read the whole menu (unless I already have a dish in mind, let’s say at a Thai place, or a Tex-Mex location), taking mental notes of what I like. Then try to decide what I want to eat. I’m horrible with decisions…
Holy crap, you ticker says is 12 days until Chicago. AAAAACK!
I know… and now 11! Yikes!
Ever since I became vegetarian, the first thing I do is scan for the vegetarian items, then pick what sounds best out of those. It’s kind of nice to have a limited selections sometimes, as menus can be totally overwhelming for me! I never really considered making another dish on the menu vegetarian… I hate asking for alterations because they always seem to come out weird or wrong. If it’s a restaurant I’ve been to before, I usually get the same thing. Occasionally, I’m adventurous.
I’ll admit, at times I do enjoy not having to read the whole menu. Ha!
I’m a fairly adventurous eater but there are a few things I know I don’t like. I typically scan the menu for those things and then rule them out. Otherwise I focus on one “topic” as it were. Narrow it down to either type of food (sandwich, pasta, salad) or type of main ingredient (chicken, fish, etc). Sometimes, though, one ingredient will stand out and I’ll order a dish just because I know I like that and don’t have it very often. Although last night I just chose based on price!
I’m phenomenally bad at choosing items from a menu. Particularly if it’s a new place and they have a wide selection. I’m always the last to order. Always.
For me, it really depends. I’m a big fan of meal-planning and knowing exactly what I want to eat before I get to a restaurant since it helps me to make a better decision. It’s hard for me to find the healthy things, and I’m not even trying to be a vegetarian/vegan. I imagine it’s much harder with that!
I’m with you on mushrooms. I like sauces made with them, and an occasional stuffed mushroom, but mostly I’m not a big fan. I am, however, a fan of food and trying new restaurants. I read the entire menu and two or three things usually pop out at me. Then I hem and haw (though not nearly as much as Brian) until I figure out what I want. Once I find something I love at a restaurant, I almost always order it every time I go.
I do the same thing – find a dish I love and order it over and over and over… 🙂
I hate that vegetarians are basically forced to choose pasta in situations like that. I wish more dishes were either mushroom, bean, or veggie based :/
Just yesterday, my Facebook post was, “I am not enjoying vegetarianism. I’m just sayin’.” You can imagine the comments I received…
I recently started (again, it’s been years) eating vegetarian. It’s hard and I dislike it! And now that I’ve realized that dairy hurts my stomach, I’ve stopped eating cheese and other dairies that made vegetarianism tolerable. I have a rough time finding food when I go out to eat, too. And I’ve been grouchier and grouchier about going out to dine because of it (I ripped on a new Seattle restaurant on Yelp because they had NOTHING but a tomato soup starter as a veggie option). There is one place in Seattle that’s not only veg, but has vegan options and is sustainable/local – Cafe Flora, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE! Though, for the most part now, we cook vegan (he adds meat as he wants, which is rarely ever) and buy new vegan cookbooks often!
My boyfriend can’t eat dairy, because he doesn’t tolerate it. So, when we go out, I just tell waiters that he has a cheese allergy (rather than intolerance) so that they absolutely do NOT put cheese on anything.
I try to eat mushroom dishes (portabella, etc.), lentils, and lots and lots of nuts as sauce bases. (I’m working on a vegan post right now, too – hopefully I can get that out soon.) (Sorry this was so long!)
We actually quit eating out very often to save money and now when we go we always have to make sure we can find something vegan. It’s crazy that some restaurants will only have something like soup without meat in it.
Can’t wait to read your post!
I remember for the half year I was vegan Chris LOVED going out to eat with me because I would know what I want within a minute or two of opening the menu. Normally it takes me… oh, probably 5-10 minutes, and I still end up choosing between 3 different things last second. 😛
I wonder if it is a girl thing AND a vegan thing? My wife is the same way. ANY new place that we ever go to she has to look at the menu first. She always asks if I want to see it too and I always decline. I always figure that I’ll just figure it out when I am there. I’m not horribly picky as long as it doesn’t have onions. Now, if I had to watch out for ALL animal stuffs, that would be an entirely different issue, I suppose.
I’m definitely a menu scanner but when I DO go to a vegetarian/vegan place the options don’t really overwhelm me. Tons of options just make me want to keep visiting until I try everything!
If I’m going out to a new place, I always like to look online and take a peek at the menu. That way I get to the restaurant and already know what I’m going to get. A lot of times, I have kids with me and have to figure out what I’m getting them, too…so it’s easier if one of us is prepared!