AuburnChick's Adventures

Saturday night, the Mr. and I were trying to decide where to eat for dinner.

He’d seen a commercial for some tasty dish at Applebee’s, so we decided to go there.

The menu was colorful and thick.

As I thumbed through it, I grew nervous.

I always do when I eat at a “new” restaurant.  It’s been years since I ate at an Applebee’s, and I wasn’t a vegan the last time.

To my dismay, I could not find a single dish that didn’t have meat or cheese on it.

Not.

One.

The Mr. asked the dreaded question, “Is there anything you can eat?”

That’s when my face grew red, and I started getting upset and angry.

Now, I realize that I can special-order dishes, requesting that an ingredient or two be left off, but my question is WHY?

Why do I have to draw attention to myself?

One thing I loathe is making a spectacle of myself.

I do that accidentally all the time.

I hate feeling singled out.

Sure, being vegan is a choice I made; however, being lactose intolerant is not by choice.

My choice to be vegan has led to my better health, and I feel better about myself mentally because I look better.  I shaved off fifteen pounds the first three weeks I started eating this way.

That is saying something.

I vented to the Mr., but I felt bad because I knew I was ruining his dinner experience.

What I wound up deciding to do was to order a house salad.

It looked like a safe choice.

I asked if cheese came on it, and after being told yes, I requested that it be left off.

So, all was well.

Meanwhile, I continued to vent.

Grrr.

Then.

Dinner came.

The Mr. had ordered a steak, and he looked pleased.

Until.

He saw my salad.

He saw it before I did and tried to warn me that I was about to get mad again.

Guess what was on my salad?

BACON BITS!!

Even before I stopped eating meat, I’d stopped eating anything that came from a pig.

Go read about it sometime.  Pig meat is incredibly unhealthy for you.

I was beyond mad.

Nowhere on the menu were the ingredients for that salad listed.

Now, I know that maybe I should have asked, specifically, but it was a HOUSE SALAD!

The server came back, and I asked her to take the salad back and to take it off of my bill.

I was nice, I promise, but I know my face showed my fury.

I told her that I didn’t blame her.

It really wasn’t her fault.

By then, I’d completely lost my appetite.

The Mr. was visibly upset, and he wasn’t going to finish dinner until I insisted that he do so.

Let me tell you that the server did not come to our table again until it was time for our check.

She didn’t come to refill our water.

Nothing.

I was, at that point, not very impressed with her.  She was not very professional.

We paid and left.

I am on the rampage.

I am declaring myself a voice for vegans everywhere!

Listen, Food Industry.

You MUST stop ignoring people with special dietary needs!

Why should we have to draw attention to ourselves by special ordering things because there’s NOTHING FOR US on your menus?

Yes, I am very aware of how it’s probably not cost effective to plan vegan meals.

I realize that we’re in the minority.

Does that mean that you should blow off my needs?

How hard would it be to include a meat-free salad and a pasta dish that has marinara sauce?

I.

Am.

A.

Human.

Who.

Needs.

To.

Eat.

Take a page from Chili’s, a favorite restaurant of mine.

A few months ago, I noticed, in very small print (hey, Chili’s, make that print larger!), that this restaurant establishment offers a black bean burger as a substitute for any of its regular burgers.

Betcha most of you didn’t know that, eh?

And you know what?

It’s DELICIOUS!

I eat it often.

It makes me feel like I’m eating a real meal.

Chili’s also has a delicious salad…Caribbean, I think.

And you know the funny thing?

There’s a note underneath it that you can ADD meat.

While I’m at it, let me throw out kudos to Burger King, which has a veggie burger on its menu.

Sure, I have to order it without mayo, but hey, that’s okay with me.

Sure, it’s fast food and probably not the healthiest, but at least I have an option when I’m on the road visiting my baby girl at college.

Sunday night, the Mr. and I were trying to decide what to do for dinner (please note that sad as it is, I rarely cook any more.  Don’t judge me please.).

The Mr. looked at me and pointedly said, “I’m not choosing after the epic fail of last night.”

I went with a local Chinese restaurant, which has VEGAN FRIENDLY food.

This place even has vegetable rolls.

I was in happy land.

I also had a full belly.

I have a list of restaurants that I can/will eat at.

After Saturday night’s experience, I can promise you that my list will probably NEVER include Applebee’s again.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: Applebee's, Burger King, Chili's, food, vegan | 7 Comments »