Sometimes, I feel like people avoid inviting me out because they think I “can’t eat” anything at their restaurant of choice, and, rather than make me feel badly about just having salad(see my last post), they just don’t ask me in the first place.
Or, I really am as wildly unpopular as I secretly believe.
But, anyone who really knows me, knows I will find a way to eat no matter where I am! Breakfast, however, while it is my family’s favorite meal to eat out, is also often the most challenging.
If you are vegan but can eat wheat products, you have a MUCH easier time than I do, since bread/toast is often “accidentally” vegan, and jam is your BFF. Life for me is not this simple, so, as is often the case, the more difficult part of eating out is the fact that I need to ALSO be gluten-free, or bad things happen.(Warning gross picture alert!)
Diners:
My family loves diners. Believe me when I tell you, I am not the most ‘finicky’ eater amongst my relatives. Diners seem to be the place where everyone is most happy; my nephew can order dinner for breakfast if he wants, and since most food is made-to-order, it seems to work out best for everyone. At least, until someone puts meat into your vegetarian sister’s omelet…which brings us to the leading danger in any dining out experience: cross-contamination. Yep, they likely have one big grill in the kitchen, and they’re cooking all your food right next to the omnivore’s stuff.
No, you can’t control every little thing in life. It’s silly to think that we can. But it’s not unreasonable to expect for there not to be, say, bacon in my home fries. Or egg bits. Yes, this has really happened. (Imagine, instead, that I was keeping kosher and this happened! Sheesh!) Obviously, we no longer eat at that place.
Now, I love home fries. Passionately. Potatoes are, possibly, the love of my life. But, previous bad experiences mean I can’t trust that they’re not being cooked on/near meat, or with butter and I don’t know it, etc. So, as a result, my dining options for breakfast are even more limited. What’s a vegan to do?
You order the fruit!
Whether you’re…
In Italy…
In Ireland, at a B&B:.
Or, at your favorite local diner, where the waitress already knows what you’re going to order:
The only caveat is that the fruit choices are very seasonally influenced.
Winter is coming.
Unpopular opinion: Melon is not my favorite thing.
Also: Beware the canned fruit in syrup!
Chain restaurants:
Denny’s is probably the last place on Earth you’d expect would be a place a vegan would go on purpose. (‘Moons over My Hammy’ is all I can remember from this place as a kid.) But I was pleasantly surprised after a quick google search to learn they had an option that might work!
Behold, the “Fit Fare Veggie Skillet.” The description says it’s made with egg whites, but my server didn’t even bat an eye when I asked for it without the eggs! Since it’s cooked in its own skillet, there is no worry about cross-contamination, either! Win!
I even ate the mushrooms, though I suppose I could also have asked for them to omit them. I don’t like to feel like I asking TOO much at once, and I’d rather deal with mushrooms (not my favorite, either!) than incidental egg/bacon/cheese/what have you.
But If you get dragged to McDonald’s…just get the coffee. Black. (I don’t even really care for their coffee.)
And always, always, keep a vegan granola/protein bar in your purse.
(Or an apple!)
