Thursday, May 15, 2008

why's it so damn hard?

Before I begin my rant, let me let you know-that I know, I'm the underlying factor here.

Ok. It is fucking impossible to eat a satisfying, low fat vegetarian meal OUT at a RESTAURANT, let alone vegan (god forbid!)

If your one of the gross people out there who is in the bubble of grilled chicken or fish and vegetables and light (or no) carbs for sides as your eating out staple, well lucky you. (yes, while I respect your decision to eat the dead decaying flesh of a tortured corpse, I do find it gross. Don't get preachy or defensive-that's exactly what your eating). Meanwhile, for all of us who abstain from meat and furthermore, from eggs and dairy are at a devastating loss. For you see, every vegetarian option that I have come across is laden with cheese and oil and FAT. It's gross. And for those of you who say "oh just eat a salad"; I, a vegetarian transitioning into veganism, finds  an iceberg lettuce salad as much of a meal as anyone else would. And the rub is, I can't go and order a cup of beans or grilled tofu to go with that salad. I don't understand why there aren't ever vegetarian options on the "Weight Management" sections of restaurant menus. Just because I don't eat flesh doesn't mean that I can eat all the cheese I want and still be healthy and slim. There are people out there who are trying to eat healthy and low fat that aren't part of the grilled chicken = light healthy fare train of thought. And when there are veggie burgers or grilled protobello sandwiches, why are they smothered in cheese, oil and mayo? Grrrrrr! A light, appetizing, vegan option should be just as much of a restaurant menu staple as the grilled chicken salad. I honestly believe if the option was there for people they would go for it. If more people had the opportunity to eat veg when they went out, more and more people would see it as a normal healthy way of eating. 

Now, that's off my chest, time for rational thought. First, the obvious: order the food with out the goddamn cheese. Just suck it up. Be a picky bitch and order what it is you want. Second, don't go to restaurants that don't support your food choices. So, for someone who travels a lot don't just go to the first big commercial place you can think of because you know its there, try something like Thai or Indian. Even though, you still have to be careful because some places will make you a stir fry with tofu and veggies but the sauce has chicken or fish stock in it. Once again, it comes down to being a picky bitch and asking. It may be a pain in the ass that the world is a few steps behind in catering to all the options of [truly] healthy eating, but it'll feel better at the end of the night when you don't have a tummy ache or go back to work with out an after lunch bloated tummy.

Never the  less, we should have more options. There should also be more veg restaurants out there. It should be a staple, like your neighborhood chinese, thai or pizza place. 


1 comment:

I.M. said...

i second that.

i've noticed that i've become more picky at restaurants, and you know what? i couldn't care less. i'm paying them for something.. and tipping too.