Cruelty-Free: When Dining Out

Dining out in restaurants is one of the great joys of life. I love soaking up the new atmosphere, getting out with family and friends, and of course trying out new dishes — especially ones that present some of my favorites in exciting combinations that are new to me. However, when you have any kind of restrictions about food, dining out can be a source of anxiety. But, with just a few tricks up your sleeve, you can rid yourself of the unnecessary awkwardness.

First, if the restaurant is new to you, try looking online at the menu so that you’re prepared for what’s coming. If you don’t want to seem too fussy when you’re out with friends (or on a date!), you can even call ahead of time and speak with one of the staff. Let the person you’re speaking with know you’ll be in, and about your desire for a cruelty-free meal. Usually, he or she will offer suggestions, and the two of you can plan ahead about what you’ll be ordering.

Once I’m at a restaurant, if there’s nothing on the menu that works for me, I have a few techniques:

• I often ask the food server for suggestions: “What do you usually suggest for vegetarians here?” If need be, I can take it to the next level with a “please hold the cheese” or “please ask the chef to grill the veggies without butter.”
• If there’s something on the menu that sounds very appealing, minus one or two ingredients, I go menu-shopping. If I want to replace the goat cheese on a salad, I simply look around for something else to include that I know the restaurant has available because it’s listed as part of another dish. “Instead of the goat cheese, could you have the chef throw in some of those sautéed mushrooms that usually come with the (other dish on the menu)?”
• Look at the sides available. There’s a great restaurant in Tucson, Wildflower, where I always ask for a combination of sides. Usually, my husband and I will split a side of forbidden rice; then, I order two sides. I ask what the vegetable of the day is, which is usually one of my two choices. The last time we went to Wildflower for dinner, the side of the day was a wonderful medley of root vegetables. To complement that, I needed some greens — so I ordered a side of grilled asparagus.

Exploring new ethic cuisines that emphasize vegetarian and vegan dishes — Indian, Ethiopian, Malaysian, etc. — may open up whole new worlds for you, too. Italian food is always a safe bet, because there’s always a pasta marinara (meat-free tomato sauce) on the menu. If, by some chance, you find the one Italian place on the planet that doesn’t have marinara in the kitchen, just ask for some pasta tossed with a little olive oil and garlic… and some grilled vegetables if they are elsewhere on the menu. If you do an internet search for restaurants in your area (i.e., citysearch), you often can look up places by the “vegetarian” category. More often than not, the search results will include not only all-vegetarian establishments, but also those that have at least some vegetarian options available.

Finally, don’t be bashful about letting your family and friends know of your cruelty-free criterion, and suggest some places that would appeal to them and you. But even if your crowd insists on a steakhouse, with a little creativity and the willingness to ask for something off the menu, you’ll be able to have a dish that stays true to the cruelty-free you!

Bonus Tip!
If you’re living in Washington DC, Portland, Austin, or Baltimore, Compassion Over Killing has FREE vegetarian guides available for lucky you!