Vs on menus

Weyhey

Ouchette wrote: »

Hi,

I was wondering, does anyone else have trouble at restaurants where they have the little v symbol beside something on the menu but it turns out not to be vegetarian? I'm not sure if I'm just unlucky, but it seems to be happening to me every time I eat out now
I was at an Italian in Dublin the other day and a good half of the things marked as vegetarian had parmesan in. Thinking back, I've had the same sort of stuff happen at a couple of pubs I've eaten in recently. Then there was the salad in a cafe that arrived with strips of meat in it, where the waitress shrugged said the V was a mistake (don't worry, at least that one wasn't in Ireland.) Then another restaurant where I asked the waitress if she'd tell me which of the desserts were strictly veggie and helped her out by saying that gelatine was the big problem. She said she wasn't sure about all of them but desert- I've-completely-forgotton-the name-of which always, always contains gelatine was definitely fine. Grrr. An outright lie. If she didn't know, she should have said. Oops, didn't mean to turn that into a rant.

I'm on the verge of going on a one-veggie crusade against lying menus, lol.

ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! It drives me mad. I seem to struggle to eat in just about every non veggie cafe and restaurant. Either most so called veggie dishes have cheese which may or may not be veggie or are deep fried possibly with non veggie food which for me rules out chips, falafel etc in most places.

This is my wish list for eating out -

• The Vegetarian Society of Ireland http://www.vegetarian.ie/ would supply clear definitions of what a vegetarian and a vegan are just like the UK Society http://www.vegsoc.org/info/definitions.html and that Irish food providers use this to decide if their food/dishes are veggie or not and are worthy of a 'V' sign.

• If they can't do that I wish they would:

• • Only use vegetable stock in all veggie named soups.
  • Do not deep fry chips, falafel, tempura etc in oil that is used for deep frying meat.
    
  • Do not use meat stock in veggie dishes (a favourite in Chinese and Thai dishes)
  • When using cheese in dishes try to use veggie cheese and if unknown state the brand of cheese on the menu (i.e. St Tola's goats cheese - makes it easier for veggie customer to check the rennet and shows all customers they are trying to promote buying Irish). Desmond and Gabriel are both very good vegetarian substitutes for parmesan cheese.

• Chefs would use a bit of effort and imagination and stop serving us yesterdays left over slop and charging us at least €15 for it.

• Stop stating 'Vegetarian Option also available' on a menu - this makes me think you can't be bothered to make an effort and you will serve me slop so I ain't going in.

• Realise that by not having a proper decent veggie option you may be turning away whole groups of prospective customers just because the one veggie in the group can't eat there.

Jeez now I've started ranting..... sorrry.....

sweet-rasmus

Get active. Write to the Irish Vegetarian Society. Change won't come unless we do something.

Tar.Aldarion

Thoushaltnot wrote: »

I feel a Tar.A pic post coming on.

Why did my pic look like a fish tree? I'm not that ugly!



I like the wishlist weyhey. heh

Ouchette

Decided to start leaving reviews on menupages.ie mentioning the problem. I'm hoping that the restaurant managers read them now and again. Nice, fair reviews, not rants unless they reeeeally deserve it :P

sweet-rasmus

You never know, it might have an effect.

Thoushaltnot

R.D. aka MR.D wrote: »

The bride is a fish eating vegetarian

The bride is NOT a vegetarian. A pescatarian - yes, a vegetarian - no!

i think she forgot that some veggies don't eat any meat.

er...definition of a vegetarian, anyone....anyone?

Tried to get something else but the server was insistant that salmon was infact vegetarian :rolleyes:

Well, when the person who ordered the meal (thus, paying him *and* supposed to know this stuff) told him that salmon was the veggie option...

This is exactly why there's all sorts of half-arsed 'vegetarian' options out there, on menus, up and down the country, with folks that don't know their arse from their elbow, veggie-wise, muddying the water for us.

flikflak

Most people have no clue what vegetarians eat and restaurants are no different. I think it is always helpful to point out their mistakes and offer to talk to the chef/owner on what is and isnt veggie.

Then again with some "vegetarians" not even knowing what veggies eat it does not fill me with much hope.

-lala-

Moonbaby wrote: »

Geletin in a sorbeto! Say it isnt so!

Most sorbets have no gelatin, in fact Milano's one is the only one I've encountered that does! A lot of sorbets do have egg white in them though. Haagen-dazs and Ben and Jerry's sorbets, however, are both vegan.

Thoushaltnot

Weyhey wrote: »

• The Vegetarian Society of Ireland http://www.vegetarian.ie/ would supply clear definitions of what a vegetarian and a vegan are just like the UK Society http://www.vegsoc.org/info/definitions.html and that Irish food providers use this to decide if their food/dishes are veggie or not and are worthy of a 'V' sign.

Like this?
http://www.vegetarian.ie/content/vegetarian-vegan-terms-explained

Weyhey

Thoushaltnot wrote: »

Like this?
http://www.vegetarian.ie/content/vegetarian-vegan-terms-explained

Great addition thanks! I also like all the other new stuff too including the links to boards topics and cafes. Vegan cafe in Seomra Spraoi on Wednesdays look like a place to try out.

CathyMoran

I fully understand people's fustrations about menus - have seen errors on several over my time, however I do have an issue with the name pescaterian (sp?), I only heard of it on this site and only wonder what most people think of it, most people think that it is a religion! I prefer to call myself a pesci-ovo-lacto-vegetarian (sp?), at least people can gather that I do not eat some food and can ask about the rest.

sweet-rasmus

I'd say you should omit the vegetarian part, for the sake of vegetarians. The world has to learn someday! I know it's tough, but we'll ge there