Vegan vs food allergy

[Guest guest]

My original post was not meant to be political or elitist or to say

that every time you dine out you should carry a Why Vegan pamphlet to

distribute to the kitchen staff. Rather, I think there is a

chicken-and-egg argument against speaking up for veganism in

restaurants (or cruise ships) that goes something like this:

 

Kitchen (and wait) staff just don't understand veganism so it's easier

to not make a fuss about it and piggyback on something they do

understand like a food allergy. However kitchen staff don't

understand veganism because not enough people take the time to inform

them about why it is important to them and why they should listen to

their customers. Because so few understand, so few speak up so that

so few want to speak up because so few understand.

 

The cruise ship didn't have a checkbox for vegan on it's survey

because too few ask for one. You may be but a single patron, but if

you believe in veganism, you can also believe that even your single

voice can bring us closer to a tipping point where we don't have to

check an allergy box because there is a vegan box next to it.

 

I don't always use the v-word myself but I believe that if veganism is

to gain respect and acceptance in its own right, it cannot masquerade

itself as something that it is not.

 

Lastly, I don't believe the onus falls on kitchen staff unless they

are made aware of the issue. Most kitchens aren't paid enough to care

or are just ignorant--not stupid, but they just don't know, e.g. lack

of experience, lack of communication, lack of training, etc. I

believe the responsibility lies with the customer to make sure that

his/her order is understood by the kitchen staff and that sometimes

means impressing its importance upon the wait staff or management. I

think the sense of entitlement vegans express is out of proportion to

the courtesy and understanding they are willing to exchange with those

who are doing them a service. Out of those who say they are unwilling

to eat from a shared grill, how many of you explain to the staff or

better, the management, why it is important to have separate grills?

What is obvious to you is obviously not so obvious to them.

 

That's my two cents.

 

Cheers!

Matthew