Eating Out As a Vegan
It’s relatively easy to maintain a vegan diet at home. After all, your home is your castle, and you can control the kitchen and the types of food available to cook there. When you’re trying to eat out as a vegan, however, it can become much more difficult. Your friends might have a different idea about what sounds good for dinner than you, and you might get to a restaurant only to find that there’s not a single vegan option on the menu. Here are some tips for enjoying eating out when animal welfare is on your mind.
Avoid Fast-Food
Fast food is the land of no-options for vegans. Many places even use animal grease in their friers, so the French fries aren’t even animal-free. Putting yourself in a situation where you have to eat fast food is disheartening at best, or a terrible temptation, if you’re just beginning a vegan diet. The one exception might be Mexican fast food, where the plain burrito of rice, beans, and guacamole is usually a safe bet. Here is a list of vegan items at popular fast food chains, to keep in mind if you’re stuck without options.
Try Vegan-Friendly Cuisines
There are some types of food that are just more vegan friendly than others. Many Asian cuisines, like Thai and Chinese, can substitute tofu for meat in stir-fries and curries. Italian restaurants often have meat-free pasta dishes. French cuisine is notoriously difficult for vegans, because of its focus on meat and cheese.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
Check out the menu, and look for items that are nearly vegan. Don’t be too shy to ask if they can be modified to be free of cheese, milk, or whatever the offending ingredient is. Most restaurants are happy to comply with your request.
Patronize Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants
Your best bet for eating out is to hit up restaurants that are catering to those who want to avoid animal products. You can find a wide range in atmosphere and fare when it comes to veggie restaurants, from upscale joints serving gourmet dishes, to hole-in-the-wall dives serving delicious imitation meat dishes. Especially if you’re in a metropolitan area, there’s likely a surprisingly large number of vegan or vegetarian restaurants near you. Veg Guide and Happy Cow are two great online guides for locating compassionate eateries. Yelp reviews are also useful for determining the vegan-friendliness of any restaurant.