How to Order Vegan Food in Restaurants

I've found one of the hardest parts of adapting a new diet is how to order vegan food in restaurants. There is a simple, polite way to handle any awkward situation, whether it be a first date, meeting the boy/girlfriend's family, a business lunch, or even just out to eat with family.

If you do have a say in the choice of restaurant, I find the easiest thing to do is politely request that it be a place with some vegetarian options.

• People tend to forget that others are vegetarians, so a quick reminder is plenty
• "Vegetarian" is easier for people to understand
• Almost all vegetarian dishes can be made vegan
• Ask the waiter to hold the cheese or milk

If you don't have any choice about the restaurant, the best thing to do is look for the dish that is easiest to adapt to vegan.

• Many entrees with seafood or meat have good sides
• Salads might be good except for some meat on tip
• Some restaurants have tofu on hand and can replace the meat

I like to preface my order with something like, "Okay, I am going to be the difficult one here... I'd like the grilled chicken salad without the chicken! I don't eat meat, but the rest of the salad looks great. Could I maybe have extra veggies or beans instead of chicken?" I laugh, they laugh, and no one is uncomfortable.

If you are at a restaurant where the menu says something like, "For special dietary requirements, please ask your waiter," you are in luck!

• Let them know that you are vegan and would like something without meat or dairy products
• Most upscale restaurants pride themselves on being able to make a vegan dish
• They can prepare something just for you, and it's fun to have a surprise!

When ordering vegan food in restaurants, one thing to take note of is that you can't just say, "does this dish have cream?"

• The waiter might say no, and that dish might have milk
• Say, "Does this dish have any cream or milk or anything with dairy in it?"
• "What type of stock is used to make this soup? Is it chicken stock or vegetable stock?"
• "Do you know if the french fries are fried in vegetable oil?"
• "Is this sorbet made with any dairy products?"
• If you feel like it might be easier, say that you are allergic to an item. It will not show up on your plate, and at once your body adapts to not eating meat and dairy, you will have bad results if you accidentally eat it, so you are not really lying.
• It's always better to be more expressive about your needs than not enough

On that note, don't sacrifice your needs just to please other people too often. If you've been trying to eat a certain way for awhile, you have probably said, "Don't worry about me, I will find something at any restaurant," on more than one occasion.

It's fine not to want to put people out, and to not be annoying, but if you tell people that often enough, you will end up at a barbecue joint where absolutely everything is cooked in meat. And you will go home hungry. So, if given an option, just chime in and ask for a place with at least one vegetarian option. No one has to feel uncomfortable about you ordering vegan food in restaurants, as long as you do it the right way.

When going to a business lunch, you might not have much of a choice about the location, and you certainly don't want to make people uncomfortable about what they or you are eating. On a business meal, when you order vegan food in restaurants:

• Follow rules above
• If your business is unrelated to food, make a general rule not to discuss your food choices in a business setting
• If someone sincerely wants to know why you are, simplify your answer
• My answer becomes, "Good question. I have many reasons, ethical, environmental, economical, and health related. I would love to talk to you more later on."
• Be polite, but don't sacrifice your needs

When you are going over to dinner at someone's house:

• Ask if you can bring a vegan dish
• Sometimes they will decline and ask what they can make for you
• Bring something that everyone can try

Ordering vegan food in restaurants doesn't have to be as much of a stressor as it easily can be. Be confident, stick up for what you believe in, but be low-key and friendly, and you will have no problem!

Need help finding a vegan restaurant near you? Check out yahoo yellow pages for help.

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