Hold the Meat – Wait, what do I eat?

I mentioned in my intro post that when people find out that I’m a vegetarian, the question I get the most is, “wait, well what do you eat?” These aren’t even people like my brother-in-law, who would literally die if meat was taken out of his diet, because he would be down to like, 70 calories a day. These are normal people with relatively normal eating habits, yet the thought of not eating meat baffles them.

“Well, uh, I eat everything that … doesn’t have meat in it?” is my general response, because despite the fact that I’ve gotten this question a million times, it never ceases to confuse me. Since I grew up a vegetarian instead of deciding to become one, I didn’t have to go through a meat break-up. I didn’t have to give up Big Macs; I didn’t have to say so long to steak; I didn’t have to tell chicken, “it’s not you; it’s me.” I’ve always eaten around meat, so it’s not that big of a deal.

People aren’t so much worried about what I eat at home; most of them imagine that I have some elaborate tofu-sprout-tree bark concoction waiting for me at home that I can just nibble on while I cry. It’s when I’m out in public that people get really freaked out (mainly because I just shouldn’t be let out in public, but also because of the food thing).

If I’m out with someone for the first time and we go to a restaurant, oftentimes they’ll worriedly ask me, “is there anything you can eat here?” Nine out of ten times, the answer is yes. Even on the tenth time, I can usually make something work.

Are we going to the meatfest that is Rub? They have a portobello mushroom sandwich (granted, it’s overpriced and lame for what it is, but it’s something). Are you in the mood for cajun food at ACME? They have a side dish dinner that actually makes for a delicious if not carbo-loaded meal. Chains are even better for veggie options. I was obsessed with Chipotle‘s burrito bowls when I was pregnant, and while Burger King can probably never be considered a good option, the veggie burger there is good if you’re on a road trip.

Things have certainly changed from the days I had to cobble a dinner together out of a side salad, vegetable of the day and a baked potato/fries. Restaurants are a lot more accommodating. Just this year I’ve found out that even if a restaurant doesn’t have a single vegetarian dish on the menu (not even a vegetarian pasta, which, how is that even possible?) a lot of times they have a secret dish that they’ll make for you.

I don’t really understand it, but even at a fancy steakhouse with like three things on the menu, where I was getting ready to order a baked potato as my entree, they totally had a secret pasta. Luke told the guy that I was a vegetarian (something that I hardly ever do myself) and the waiter leaned over conspiratorially and said, “I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life. How about a pasta primavera?) The restaurant didn’t even have pasta on the menu! It was pretty slick.

All in all, life is pretty good for vegetarians right now. We have mushroom sandwiches, burrito bowls and secret pasta. So if we go out to dinner together, rest assured that I will be okay. Unless we go to a seafood restaurant. Man, seafood restaurants hate me.