Guest guest Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi All, I've recently become vegan after 15 years of being vegetarian and I'm new to the Bay area as well. Making the switch to veganism has been the best decision I have ever made and I owe a lot of making this life-style change to the support I have been receiving from some awesome people that I have met through the various veggie dinners and events {you know who you are :-)} I was wondering if anyone else would be willing to chat with me to give me more guidance as to how not to alienate my non veg*n friends and family, some of whom have not been so supportive of my veganism. And though I prefer to support only veg*n restaurants, I know I will be dragged to non-veggie restaurants by friends and family. So, I'm assuming some of you might know what foods are vegan safe at non- veggie restaurants. For example, is the humous and pita at California Pizza Kitchen vegan or can I get a tortilla at Baja Fresh, etc? And I thought I had heard that Noah's bagels are vegan, but today I went into a Noah's and asked if they were, and after going through 3 people (2 of whom didn't even know what vegan meant), I was told that none of their bagels are vegan. Can anyone clarify? Your input and guidance is so appreciated and will save me time that I can invest in helping animals in other ways, instead of emailing and calling so many restaurants and companies. Thank you and I look forward to meeting more of you soon. Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi Melissa! First of all, I'd like to recommend a book to you that has help me and countless other veg*ns - " Living Among Meat Eaters " by Carol Adams. It's a fantastic resource for figuring out how to interact with folks (not just with strangers but also your friends, family, coworkers, roommates, etc.) I turn to this book whenever I need some guidance for how to handle a situation. As far as non-veggie restaurants, there are a few options that I have taken. First, I usually try to scope out the place ahead of time if I know where we're going - that way you can quiz the staff during a quiet time without your friends around, rather than asking the waitress during the 9pm rush when your friends are making fun of you! Also, asking to see an ingredients list is usually better than just asking " is this vegan? " because as you noted many folks don't know the word. Places like Noah's, California Pizza Kitchen, Baja Fresh, etc. will all have an ingredients list *somewhere* on premesis; regular restaurants might not but you can get your waitress to speak to the actual folks making the food. The Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org) also has a " guide to fast food " that probably covers many of the chains you'd be eating in. And of course, you can do a Google search - usually I just type in the name of the company and " vegan " and see plenty of postings about vegan options from folks who have already contacted the companies. Or you can ask people somewhere like this list or Vegsource.com, for example. For Noah's, I found this site: http://www.dietfacts.com/list.asp?brand=noah_s_bagels which seems to verify that the bagels (except for the obvious ones like egg) are vegan (if not very healthy!) Finally, what I do (and of course everyone makes their own choices) is not to sweat things too terribly much when I'm out. I choose what I can that looks vegan from the description, ask the waitstaff when I can, find out ingredients on the spot or ahead of time when I can, and then I enjoy my meal and don't worry about it anymore. Carol Adams addresses this also in her book, and it has helped me be a more pleasant vegan to be around. Take care, good luck, and let us know how things are working out for you! -Kim On Thu, 17 Feb 2005, soshalworker wrote: > Hi All, > > I've recently become vegan after 15 years of being vegetarian and > I'm > new to the Bay area as well. Making the switch to veganism has been > the best decision I have ever made and I owe a lot of making this > life-style change to the support I have been receiving from some > awesome people that I have met through the various veggie dinners and > events {you know who you are :-)} > > I was wondering if anyone else would be willing to chat with me to > give me more guidance as to how not to alienate my non veg*n friends > and family, some of whom have not been so supportive of my veganism. > > And though I prefer to support only veg*n restaurants, I know I will > be dragged to non-veggie restaurants by friends and family. So, > I'm > assuming some of you might know what foods are vegan safe at non- > veggie restaurants. For example, is the humous and pita at California > Pizza Kitchen vegan or can I get a tortilla at Baja Fresh, etc? And I > thought I had heard that Noah's bagels are vegan, but today I > went > into a Noah's and asked if they were, and after going through 3 > people (2 of whom didn't even know what vegan meant), I was told > that > none of their bagels are vegan. Can anyone clarify? > > Your input and guidance is so appreciated and will save me time that > I can invest in helping animals in other ways, instead of emailing > and calling so many restaurants and companies. > > Thank you and I look forward to meeting more of you soon. > > Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Kim, Melissa, everyone... I agree Living Among Meat Eaters is great! (Carol Adams is great!) Does anyone know if this new book is any good or not, especially when it comes to vegetarianism? Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your Love Life by Cynthia Sass, Denise Maher http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156924474X/102-4938879-4063358?v=g\ lance becomes: http://tinyurl.com/3mak6 if tinyurl.com is your friend! NB --- Kim Flournoy <kim wrote: > > Hi Melissa! > > First of all, I'd like to recommend a book to you that has help me and > countless other veg*ns - " Living Among Meat Eaters " by Carol Adams. It's a > fantastic resource for figuring out how to interact with folks (not just > with strangers but also your friends, family, coworkers, roommates, etc.) > I turn to this book whenever I need some guidance for how to handle a > situation. > > As far as non-veggie restaurants, there are a few options that I have > taken. First, I usually try to scope out the place ahead of time if I know > where we're going - that way you can quiz the staff during a quiet time > without your friends around, rather than asking the waitress during the > 9pm rush when your friends are making fun of you! Also, asking to see > an ingredients list is usually better than just asking " is this vegan? " > because as you noted many folks don't know the word. Places like Noah's, > California Pizza Kitchen, Baja Fresh, etc. will all have an ingredients > list *somewhere* on premesis; regular restaurants might not but you can > get your waitress to speak to the actual folks making the food. > > The Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org) also has a " guide to fast > food " that probably covers many of the chains you'd be eating in. > > And of course, you can do a Google search - usually I just type in the > name of the company and " vegan " and see plenty of postings about vegan > options from folks who have already contacted the companies. Or you can > ask people somewhere like this list or Vegsource.com, for example. For > Noah's, I found this site: > http://www.dietfacts.com/list.asp?brand=noah_s_bagels > which seems to verify that the bagels (except for the obvious ones like > egg) are vegan (if not very healthy!) > > Finally, what I do (and of course everyone makes their own choices) is not > to sweat things too terribly much when I'm out. I choose what I can that > looks vegan from the description, ask the waitstaff when I can, find out > ingredients on the spot or ahead of time when I can, and then I enjoy my > meal and don't worry about it anymore. Carol Adams addresses this also in > her book, and it has helped me be a more pleasant vegan to be around. > > Take care, good luck, and let us know how things are working out for you! > -Kim > > > > On Thu, 17 Feb 2005, soshalworker wrote: > > > Hi All, > > > > I've recently become vegan after 15 years of being vegetarian and > > I'm > > new to the Bay area as well. Making the switch to veganism has been > > the best decision I have ever made and I owe a lot of making this > > life-style change to the support I have been receiving from some > > awesome people that I have met through the various veggie dinners and > > events {you know who you are :-)} > > > > I was wondering if anyone else would be willing to chat with me to > > give me more guidance as to how not to alienate my non veg*n friends > > and family, some of whom have not been so supportive of my veganism. > > > > And though I prefer to support only veg*n restaurants, I know I will > > be dragged to non-veggie restaurants by friends and family. So, > > I'm > > assuming some of you might know what foods are vegan safe at non- > > veggie restaurants. For example, is the humous and pita at California > > Pizza Kitchen vegan or can I get a tortilla at Baja Fresh, etc? And I > > thought I had heard that Noah's bagels are vegan, but today I > > went > > into a Noah's and asked if they were, and after going through 3 > > people (2 of whom didn't even know what vegan meant), I was told > > that > > none of their bagels are vegan. Can anyone clarify? > > > > Your input and guidance is so appreciated and will save me time that > > I can invest in helping animals in other ways, instead of emailing > > and calling so many restaurants and companies. > > > > Thank you and I look forward to meeting more of you soon. > > > > Melissa > > > > > > BAY AREA VEGETARIANS (BAV) is a community group for veggies to > network, find support and promote veganism. > > Event Calendar, Charter, FAQ, Ultimate Guide > http://www.bayareaveg.org > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi Melissa Don't forget, our Ultimate Guide lists many veg friendly restaurants throughout the Bay Area, and not just vegan or vegetarian listings. www.bayareaveg.org/ug If you or anyone else find other veg friendly places please help the community by adding them to the database. BAV also hosts many events each month and you may find that meeting other vegans in person may help to get your questions answered. Vegan Food Parties (VFPs) are not only a lot of fun, but can be educational too :-) You can also use our Mentor Program to connect with people who are more than happy to answer your veggie questions. http://www.bayareaveg.org/mentor.htm As far as I'm aware many of the Noah's bagels are vegan (or as vegan as you can get), but things change, so it's always best check by calling a companies HQ. Take care Chris Bay Area Vegetarians www.bayareaveg.org On Thu, 17 Feb 2005, soshalworker wrote:> Hi All,> > I've recently become vegan after 15 years of being vegetarian and> I'm > new to the Bay area as well. Making the switch to veganism has been > the best decision I have ever made and I owe a lot of making this > life-style change to the support I have been receiving from some > awesome people that I have met through the various veggie dinners and > events {you know who you are :-)} > > I was wondering if anyone else would be willing to chat with me to > give me more guidance as to how not to alienate my non veg*n friends > and family, some of whom have not been so supportive of my veganism. > > And though I prefer to support only veg*n restaurants, I know I will > be dragged to non-veggie restaurants by friends and family. So,> I'm > assuming some of you might know what foods are vegan safe at non-> veggie restaurants. For example, is the humous and pita at California > Pizza Kitchen vegan or can I get a tortilla at Baja Fresh, etc? And I > thought I had heard that Noah's bagels are vegan, but today I> went > into a Noah's and asked if they were, and after going through 3 > people (2 of whom didn't even know what vegan meant), I was told> that > none of their bagels are vegan. Can anyone clarify?> > Your input and guidance is so appreciated and will save me time that > I can invest in helping animals in other ways, instead of emailing > and calling so many restaurants and companies.> > Thank you and I look forward to meeting more of you soon.> > MelissaBAY AREA VEGETARIANS (BAV) is a community group for veggies to network, find support and promote veganism.Event Calendar, Charter, FAQ, Ultimate Guide http://www.bayareaveg.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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