Bacon Blues

[WEAVER]

Originally Posted by VoodooJoint

Double check what is in their red sauce. At least one of the red sauces they serve is made with meat yet is not considered a meat sauce because it has no meat "chunks" in it. It's the darker red sauce that is a bit thicker.The thinner, brighter red sauce (last I checked) was still vegetarian.

It does not have the thick tomato sauce on it, but the thin looking one with the onions in it. Thank you VJ for the info!!!!

[cavyinhawaii]

anything that says country vegetable is cook with some sort of pork.
I grew up in the south.
Its better to stick with stuff that says vegetarian on the menu
I have had great luck at mexican resturants.

[cavyinhawaii]

one more thing.
Ask to speak to the manager next time before ordering.
They are more willing to check into it for you.

[Bellebelle]

I'd defintely ask to speak to the manager. We went to a mexican restaurant last night, they have a vegetarian menu which was why we went. On the veggie pizzas each one had anchovies listed as an ingredient. Silly people, I ended up with wedges.

Emma

[PiGgIeCrAzYBaBy]

Ok, on the Olive Garden thing, I'm sorry but I just must say this, it's verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy very very very very very very very very hard, to find italian food that is 100% meat product free. My mom's side of the family is pure Italian and for some odd reason I have an uncle who's vegatarian, and he can't eat at family gatherings, due to the fact that your not going to find any food that doesn't have a form of meat product, and I also don't see the point of not eatting eggs, it's not like your killing anything, the eggs aren't fertillized, there's no chick being killed when you eat it, and if vegetarians don't eat meat or eggs then how do you get the protine nessacary to keep you alive in your diet?

[TheQueen]

I'm sure that's true sometimes PiGgIeCrAzYBaBy, but I'm also pretty sure that a lot of Italian things are veg, like eggplant, sauces, soup (sometimes), and other things. And about the eggs, a lot of people who are vegan or veg don't eat them because they simply come from an animal. And a lot of times, the chickens in the egg industry are in poor living conditions and are simply thought of as little feathered money machines. They aren't treated well at all. As far as protein goes, there are plenty of ways to get it. If you aren't vegan, there's dairy products. And if you are vegan (or veg), there's beans, tofu, soy, nuts, and more. Most veggies take a vitamin to get nutrients as well.

Anyways, yeah, my mother said we had to leave him a tip, but she was going to tip him well, and I was like, "Oh no. No take out that twenty." Yeah, it really stinks how many things have meat in them when they don't need it. I'm definitely asking a manager or chef next time I have a question in a restaurant. And concerning the country veg plate, the only reason I get it is because you simply pick four side dishes from the menu (none have meat, except apparently the beans), so you can choose which veggies you want. I had rice, potatoes, grilled veggies, and the beans, and none of them had meat except for the beans.

[PiggieMom]

Have you ever visited a factory where chickens are kept to produce eggs for the populations consumption? There is such and "Egg Farm" not five miles from my in-laws home. It is a typical "Egg Farm" (and yes I put that in quotes because it is a factory, nothing like a farm). There are millions of chickens kept in small cages just big enough to sit in. They can't stand. They can't run. They can't know the touch of other chikens. They never leave these cages. They live in a small hot space, only able to hear and smell their brethren. It is deplorable and disgusting conditions that no living being should have to suffer through. Just so we can have an egg for breakfast. There is not NEED to eat an egg. We can live happily with out it. So I do not support the industry.

Don't believe me?
PETA Media Center > Factsheets > Chicken and Egg Farming: Abusive Industries
GoVeg.com // Cruelty to Animals // Chickens // The Egg Industry
PETA TV: Select Your Media Preferences: Egg Laying Hens

Where do we get our protein? From protein rich soy, nuts, legumes and some veggies and fruits. There is no reason to eat meat.
PETA Media Center > Factsheets > Veganism and the Issue of Protein

As far as Italian food goes, you can make anything without using meat. You just leave it out or subsitute it with soy burger or something else. I've made spahgheti, tacos, sloppy joes, soy burgers, chili, lasania and countless soups (including Minestrone). When I eat with my family they make sure there are several meatless dishes for me. At friends' houses I offer to cook, or I bring my own dish. Many times though my friends will have a meatless night when I am there.

[PiGgIeCrAzYBaBy]

Well, my family is kinda odd, and my grandmama is the only one who cooks and she says, and I quote "I'm not gonna get rid of the meat just because one person doesn't want it", plus her (my grandmama's) mom and dad were born in Italy and her dad is still alive and he won't eat food unless it has meat in it, and I'm from Texas, so I've been to a chicken farm, my grandparents on my dad's side raise cattle and chickens, so if I were to go vegan or vegitarian I would probably be dissowned, not that I personaly have anything against it, but as for the rest of my family, well........

[Percy's Mom]

PCB, please use proper punctuation in your posts. In your last 2 posts, there were only 3 sentences, and they were huge difficult to read and understand run ons.

As far as Italian food not being vegetarian, it's not difficult at all to make vegetarian Italian. It's merely the decision of whoever is doing the cooking.

[PiGgIeCrAzYBaBy]

Well, like I said my grandmama cooks, and she refuses to make food without meat. Sorry about the punctuation, but I'm really bad at that kind of stuff. I made a D in my English class, and it's not that I'm dumb, I had A's in all my other classes, I'm just bad with punctuation and stuff like that. *mutters under breath* stupid grammar. Hehe

[Fluffball]

Alot of people who choose to become vegetarian do not have any support in their decision, neither by their family or friends but that doesnt stop them from standing up for what they believe in.

If your family loves you and respects who you are they will come to accept it, and accept the choice that you have made. There comes a time in everyones life when you have to be an individual and have different opinions and this is what makes us unique. Being a vegetarian isnt something to cause your family to disown you, they may not like it but if you educate them and tell them ''if you loved and respected me you would accept this, and this is what I believe in''.

Dont be persuaded by the veiws around you when you know they are wrong. Dont be pressured into eating meat when you know its cruel and inhumane. Stand up for what you beleive in, because if you keep just agreeing with those around you, you wont have a voice, your wont be an individual or unique, you'll just be like everyone else who turns a blind eye to the murder of innocent animals who dont have a voice. You have a voice. Speak up for them because if you dont no one else will.

[Weatherlight]

I agree. It sure sounds like your family is either ignorant about the plight of the animals, or just doesn't care, and if they would actually disown you for not participating in their torture and murder, they don't care much about you either.

If I were you, I'd just take ingredients from the kitchen before they use them, and cook meals yourself leaving out the animal ingredients. If you can get them to buy some food for you, or get your own income and buy extra food, all the better, but I'm pretty sure they buy enough foods for you to get some variety from.

[Faunn]

Ok, on the Olive Garden thing, I'm sorry but I just must say this, it's verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy very very very very very very very very hard, to find italian food that is 100% meat product free. My mom's side of the family is pure Italian and for some odd reason I have an uncle who's vegatarian, and he can't eat at family gatherings, due to the fact that your not going to find any food that doesn't have a form of meat product

Well, my family is kinda odd, and my grandmama is the only one who cooks and she says, and I quote "I'm not gonna get rid of the meat just because one person doesn't want it", plus her (my grandmama's) mom and dad were born in Italy and her dad is still alive and he won't eat food unless it has meat in it

My moms parents, and my moms bros/sister were also born in italy, I even visited there brother+sisters when I went, and my nonnie is very understanding about my veggie-ness. She makes me seperate soups and I usually have sweet potatoes and other veggie foods during christmas/t-giving. If your grnadma is really that uncaring, I would go with your uncle on not even eating.

[ScottandDebbie]

At times it is *very* frustrating, to say the least, in going out to eat and asking a waiter if the food you are requesting has any meat base products in it.

Most of the time the waiters really don't know if there was lard, or butter that might have been used as one of the base ingredients.

Here is how Scott and I get around this situation.
(First.... I don't condone lying, but this is an important issue for us.)

I will tell the waiter that I am extremely allergic to animal products.
(Well I am *Mentally* allergic, so maybe it isn't that big of a lie.)

I request that the waiter ask the cook if there is *any* animal product in the food that I will be ordering.

Surprisingly, I get a honest answers to my question almost all the time, as I am almost always told YES.

We don't eat out much. Except for the places that we know "for certain" or cooks vegan only. We often eat at the restaurants were the Buddhist Monks eat.

You gotta smile.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I've come to use the "allergy" fib as my means of getting information too. Quite frankly saying "I don't eat meat, is there chicken broth in that soup?" doesn't make the server care very much and he/she will give you their best "guess". However, when I say "Is there any chicken broth in this soup? I'm very allergic and I would hate to fall down on the floor and have a seizure right here", that usually prompts the server to go double check on things since they don't want to be 'on the hook' for causing a customer to be violently ill. Until people in general stop seeing vegetarians as "kooks", lying is really the best way to get honest information.

[ScottandDebbie]

Ah Ha ... See there *are* others out there like me.... LOL

Nothing like the threat of a pending seizure to get truth out of people...