How About I Just Come In To The Kitchen And Supervise?

[Mystican]

Wanted to let everyone know about an experience I had today while out having lunch with my mom at The Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant chain based out of Southern California and with locations in about 19 other states.

I had ordered the Pad Thai Noodles, which usually comes with, aside from various vegan ingredients, egg and either chicken or shrimp. I asked for no eggs, and extra tofu instead of chicken or shrimp.

It looked delicious when the waiter brought it to the table. I started eating, and... well, I thought that a few of the pieces of tofu seemed a bit too chewy. I decided that maybe they had just overcooked some of the tofu, and so I continued eating. (Ignorance is bliss, right? :rolleyes: ) Then a few minutes later, while rolling noodles around my fork, I unearthed what I could tell, from its shape if nothing else, was clearly *not* a piece of tofu. It was a piece of chicken, and of course I realized that those "too chewy" pieces of tofu had not been tofu at all.

I tried not to react in an extreme manner, but I was still dismayed, and felt a bit sick to my stomach. The waiter apologized for the misunderstanding and took it back. Within minutes, I received another plate of noodles, with no chicken, and lots of extra tofu. Just to make sure there hadn't been another mix-up, I asked if there was any egg, and I was assured there wasn't.

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), although I was disappointed at first, I was glad the restaurant replaced my plate and didn't charge for what I'd eaten. (I had gotten through quite a portion of the first plate of noodles before finding the piece that was obviously chicken.)

What I'm wondering is how often has something like this happened to you, where you order something and specify no such-and-such and they still manage to misunderstand or make the mistake of including it?

How far should we have to go to "make sure" or "double check" that the person taking our order understands that no, we don't want ( insert animal product here )? And at what point do we start becoming "that difficult, demanding customer" who might as well be in the kitchen supervising the cooks, considering all the questions and requests (s)he has?
:confused:

Also, one other thing I wanted to mention: When I was telling the waiter about the piece of chicken I'd found, after I told him I didn't eat chicken he asked if I was allergic. He didn't ask it rudely, and I think he just wanted to know whether I might need medical attention or whether I simply didn't *want* to eat chicken. But it does make me wonder how often people might get a rude reaction from a waiter or waitress wondering "what's the big deal" if we say we're not allergic. ( I think someone posted a while back, or maybe I've just seen this someplace else, that a good response to someone asking "Are you allergic to chicken/meat/fish?" is "No, I'm allergic to stupid questions." ;) )

Sorry for the long post. Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts on this.

Namaste,

Erik
(who is starting to really understand the benefits of making your own meals at home...)

[Robin]

Yeah, I've had similar experiences. It often helps to dictate as they are writing down your order. For example, say, "Please specify, 'Vegan- no meat/egg/dairy/animal byproducts' when you write that down." Or, I've heard some people suggest bringing a card with a list of the foods you don't eat and asking your waiter/waitress to give it to the chef when they prepare your food. I've had many people ask if I'm allergic too, and finally got so suspicious that at out local sub place when I ordered the veggie sub with no cheese or mayo and they asked if I was allergic to dairy, I asked them why they wanted to know!! (Not rudely, I was just wondering!) And they said that they used the same spoon for the mayo and mashed avocado but they wouldn't if I had severe allergies. So I said that I didn't eat dairy for ethical reasons and would appreciate if they would use a clean spoon and they did! I thought it was pretty considerate of them to tell me that! Sometimes, though, I wonder if lying and saying I was allergic would make some people take my diet more seriously (at restaurants, etc.)

P.S. Another think I've found helpful, if I'm eating out with someone who isn't vegan, is to examine my food for non-vegan ingedients (such as meat or egg) and if I see anything questionable, I'll have whoever I'm with taste it and tell me what it is! I've noticed that often in Asian food restaurants they will add egg to rice or pasta dishes even if you explain veganism or even if it isn't listed on the menu/item description.

[sophie]

The other day my friend, who is a vegetarian, was eating at a restaurant with two friends. She ordered the vegetarian spring rolls as an appetizer, and when she bit into them she thought they were a bit chewy, and got her friend (non-vegetarian) to try one. Her friend informed her it was pork! My friend was extremely upset, having not eaten meat for ten years, and having NEVER eaten pork in her life, but when she told the waitress, she simply shrugged and said "we'll get you some vegetarian ones". My friend tried to explain how upset she was, but the waitress didn't seem to care, and acted like my friend was over-reacting. My friend got so disgusted with the way they acted (and not a mention of her not paying for the spring rolls, let alone an apology), that she left the restaurant.
I wonder if they could get away with an attitude like that if the customer didn't eat pork for religious reasons? I doubt it.

[yemenmocha]

Legally that's the way things have to work if you ever object to something in a big way - it has to have a religious basis. You can't claim you object to something because you find it "unethical".

Aside from the issue of whether or not it's wrong to lie, I recommend telling them you're lactose intolerant and will get sick - I've found that I get better results that way because they ARE concerned about someone getting sick at their restaurant more than they are concerned about some picky eater getting his/her way.

In a restaurant my wife worked at they served people miller lite instead of bud light if one draught was out because people who drink that swill can't tell the difference anyway. There *is* condescension towards customers in the way of giving them something contrary to their requests as long as they don't know about it.

Aaron

[Erin Pavlina]

I once asked a guy if the veggie burger contained eggs or cheese (I was pretty sure it did but I wanted to see if he knew).

He assured me it had no eggs or cheese. So then I said, "So, if I eat this burger and it had eggs or cheese in it and I become deathly ill, are you going to pay my medical bills and be legally responsible if I die?"

He back pedaled so fast! He started asking all kinds of people who worked at the restaurant what was in the burger. Sure enough, there was eggs and cheese. He looked so scared. I just said, "Well, next time someone asks you, you'll know, won't you?" Then walked out.

He was relieved to see me go.

[Emily]

I was told the pea soup did not contain animal products and so I ate it. Then another waiter came and took it away from me saying there were animal products. There was bacon and pork I think. I was really upset and my 2 vegetarian friends who were with me hugged me. Luckily I didn't eat very much but I still felt dirty and gross.

I usually tell people I'm allergic now, it's just so much simpler.

Emily

[Erin Pavlina]

I like playing the "allergy card" so people understand how potentially serious it is to misinform someone. But I also like to educate them on the vegan diet before I go, so I'll say something like, "You know, people may have allergies to certain foods or they might be vegan, so next time someone asks you if a food contains meat or dairy products you should endeavor to give them an accurate answer. You never know when someone's life may rest on your answer."

I'm always (ok...usually) polite about the educating part. ;)

[sophie]

Lately I can't be bothered with all the fuss, and try to always go to a vegan-friendly cafe or restaurant. Luckily there are quite a few to choose from. If I have really good service at a "regular" restaurant (eg the other day my sister and I went to an Indian restaurant for takeaways, and they were VERY helpful, they went through the menu and showed us the dishes which could be adapted to vegan), I usually go back. But if I have gone somewhere where I am hard-pressed to get even a salad and bread, then I don't bother. I really like to support the vegetarian and vegan places, and I feel so at home there too.

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah, supporting the vegan restaurants is essential. We go to our local veg restaurant an average of twice a week.

Real Food Daily rolled out their new menu, for anyone interested and living in Los Angeles. check it out at www.realfood.com/menu.htm. I can't wait to try their new stuff!