So we noticed quite a few things, eventually, and were seated in the lovely interior room, near an arch window against the darkening blue evening. There were candles, and sparkling lights, and various nice, rustic decor. Waters came, then chips and salsa, which included a second bowl of dip: something white and tangy. It was super delicious and we assumed it was some kind of cheese-based item.
Now, Nat and i always buy rennet-free cheese when we buy it (which is rarely, actually), because we do try and steer away from animal products as much as we can. This is dead simple when you're at the grocery store, but when eating out we often have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it comes to things like cheese. Life is just way too short. But when our waiter came, and i asked if i could get the enchiladas without chicken ("we're vegetarian", Nat explained), his eyes got wide and he even backed away a little.
"Oh, gosh- all of our sauces have chicken broth in them. In fact– even that dip has chicken broth in it!" (he points to our yummy bowl of cheesy delight.) After a few more questions, it turned out that every dish, including the "meatless" ones, had a chicken tinge to it. However, he did assure us that "the beans [were] okay".
Great. We'll have two plates of beans, please.
But in all seriousness, we just ended up feeling really bad. The waiter seemed embarrassed (even though we were totally nice about everything!), and rushed off after we decided to leave. Nat felt that we should leave some sort of gratuity, considering that we'd been seated and given water and had munched on a few chips. i only had a one and a five, and while i certainly didn't want to leave five dollars, one seemed almost like a rude gesture. So i left the five. Ugh.
Now, i've always maintained that not all restaurants have to cater to vegetarians (or vegans, or those with gluten allergies, etc. etc.), but this seemed a little crazy. Then it occurred to me: how many times had we unknowingly eaten chicken stock (or some such other) before? i don't remember EVER asking what the ingredients were in the (many) quantities of Spanish rice i've ever eaten. This seemed to be only a problem with Mexican food, and maybe it's because we've always been way more focused on the lard issue.
It can be difficult, because you don't want to simply sit down and announce to the waiter that you're vegetarian. This always feels a bit self-righteous, or high-maintenance, even. So usually we just pick out our dishes, and then ask about those when we order. This time, though, it didn't work out. And we made a solemn promise to ourselves to be more inquisitive about our food in the future. i just hope it doesn't close a whole lot of doors– though if it does, perhaps that would be for the best? The most fattening meals i eat are those when i'm dining out. Guess it's time to get all invested.
Sigh.
i will miss enchiladas, though. That is a FACT.
3 comments:
Chicken stock is in tons of things. That's a problem. I'm working on getting closer to vegetarian this year, possibly cutting out other things like cheese and such (but ouch - I love cheese), but that chicken stock is pretty insidious. Having a chef for a husband (and yes - yay!), I get to hear about all kinds of things that go on in the kitchen. There's a good chance that the Spanish rice and stuff you'd get at a Mexican restaurant has chicken stock in it, sorry to say, and maybe some sauces (even on meatless dishes) at Asian restaurants too. I hear, though, that no one is really put off if you ask about animal products unless you're at a really fancy restaurant, where many chefs seem to have a bizarre disdain for vegetarians/vegans. Wow, this is a long comment! Sorry about that.
Dude, i love long comments! Bring 'em.
And you've confirmed my suspicions about the fancy restaurants; thank goodness i am never, ever, in them. Sometimes i read crazy things like, "Tell your server you are a vegetarian; ask about their recommendations. They will be more than happy to accommodate you." and i think: "yeah, right."
I know - maybe the servers will be more than happy to tell you their vegetarian specials, but the chefs might not put as much care into making a vegetarian dish. It seems like they're pretty snotty at the fancy places - I hear that even if people ask for a piece of meat to be well-done, the chefs give them a shittier cut of meat because they think that only tasteless people want their meat well-done. It's ridiculous. I appreciate knowing all this stuff, but it takes some of the fun out of going to eat.
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