Vegetarian Dining Out

by Alden Smith

Many people who decide to try the vegetarian lifestyle get a little anxious when it comes time to dine out for the evening. Restaurants today are going to even larger portions and dinners laden with fat and cholesterol. Every documentary I see on restaurants emphasizes their larger portions of beef and things such as chicken wings and burgers. It really makes it tough for the new vegetarian, especially if they eat out a lot. Dining out vegetarian can be a pleasant experience for anyone. In this article we will discuss eating out and things you can do if you go to your favorite restaurant.

Your Favorite Restaurant

Obviously, people won't give up their favorite hangout just because they don't serve a variety of vegetarian meals. The decision to become vegetarian often comes later in life, and they have already established eating habits. Everyone has their favorite burger joint. Here is what to do. Don't get upset if your restaurant only features a steamed vegetable plate. If you are at a favorite restaurant, and the chef knows you, then ask him to prepare a vegetarian meal for you. Chefs are generally willing to please favorite customers, and many times enjoy the challenge of making something different. It doesn't take much to vegatize a regular meal.

Think Asian and Ethnic Restaurants

Many ethnic restaurants are heavy with legumes and vegetables. Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants feature meals made around tofu, lentils, and chickpeas. Give falafel a try. This dish, common in Lebanon and Israel, is usually made from dried fava beans, with a handful of dried chickpeas thrown in. It is well seasoned and spicy. Give spicy tofu curry, mung bean or scallion pancakes a try. Try aNorth Korean snack made with kimchi. There is also hearty lentil dahl. Seasoned with green chili, salt and turmeric, lentil dahl is a delicious fried dish.

Traveling Vegetarian

What could be more exciting than traveling and enjoying your vegetarian lifestyle? In a search of the internet, you can find many sites that list places around the world that support the vegetarian lifestyle. Bed and Breakfast sites in the US would take an entire article to list. Happy Cow, a vegetarian website, has a listing of 3,907 and growing. I read the documentation on several of these sites local to me. I found that they not only offer a B&B, but also several had yurts for guests. Yurts are the round ancient shelter used by Central Asian nomads. What fun! They also offer vegetarian cooking classes, yoga instruction and some offer teachings in feng shui.

Vegetarian Fast Food

Let's face it. We are a fast food society. So many of us eat on the run that we think it is impossible to find a good vegetarian meal at the drive through. Not so. Let's look at a list of vegetarian offerings from fast food restaurants.

McDonald's

McDonalds is testing a new (of course) McVeggie burger in California and New York. They also have a variety of salads. Overseas, a lot of McDonalds provide vegetarian dishes, with plenty of fruits and raisins.

Burger King

Burger King has always built their business on "having it your own way". Now, BK has a new flame broiled vegetarian burger called the BK Veggie.

Wendy's

Head over to Wendy's and get their plain baked potato. Have this along with their Deluxe Garden Salad, and if a strict vegan, ask for no cheese. Want fries with that? Ask Wendy's for a veggie sandwich, and you get the same thing as the burger without the meat.

Carl's Jr

This fast food restaurant has a lot to offer, like a large salad bar that offers a variety of fresh vegetables and a three-bean salad that can be topped with fat-free Italian dressing. Try Carl's French Fries, or their hash-brown nuggets, breadsticks, English muffins, and CrissCuts.

Roy Roger's

Here, you will find baked potatoes, sides of veggies, and a salad bar. They have great mashed potatoes, and you can forego the gravy.

Backyard Burgers

This chain restaurant in the South and Midwest has a great veggie burger. Check them out.

Chipotle

The folks offer a vegetarian Fajita Burger. Be sure to avoid the pinto beans, which are cooked with bacon. Try their black beans instead.

World Wraps

With restaurants in Washington and California, it offers its patrons Tofu and Mushroom Teriyaki and the Bombay Curry Veggie.

This is a partial list. There are many more fast food and sit down restaurants that are too numerous to list here. Eating out vegetarian is not the hassle that many believe it is. Try one of these places and find out how easy it is to get a vegetarian meal.

Go vegetarian and help save the planet at the same time – check out these handy tips!