four years ago I was reading a pamphlet from P.E.T.A. You know those crazy animal rights people. Well There I was, reading, and I found out some horrible things about how animals are treated before they are ever slaughtered for food. Long story short. I put down the pamphlet and stopped eating meat. I never thought about it again.
Jump ahead four years later, to today. Eating has been quite challenging for me. First, I can’t really go to fast food anymore. I had to search high and low for places that serve vegetarian friendly meals and the choices were not plentiful. For instance, Arby's is out, Sonic is out, and so is Wendy’s, KFC, Whataburger, In and Out Burger and the list goes on and on. Sure, some of these places have salads, but I don’t go to a fast food joint to get a salad. It just doesn’t taste good with a side of fries and a chocolate milk shake. Ok, that’s another problem for a different blog.
Another thing I learned is that just because it takes less time to make a meat free meal and less money to make it since you don’t pay for meat, doesn’t mean your meal is any cheaper. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. You can plan on paying more for a meal without meat then you would for a meal with meat. Think I'm wrong about that? Every Tuesday, Arribas Mexican Restaurant has .99 cent tacos. They consist of beef, cheese and lettuce. Now I go there often and order bean tacos. It’s the same thing as the beef taco except I have them put their refried beans in the taco shells instead of the ground beef they would normally use. That’s a no brainier right? I mean, beans are dirt cheap. Beef is expensive. Well, on Tuesdays, during 99cent taco day, my friends pay 99cents for each of their tacos and I pay $2.99 for each of mine. I always ask the server why this is the case and they always tell me that the tacos are pre-made before lunch. So of course I always say, well if I order a beef taco and ask you to hold the lettuce, is it still 99cents? They answer is always, yes. Well then I always ask, if you have to hold the lettuce, do you make me a fresh taco or do you scrape the lettuce off one that was made before lunch? The waiter says that we would make you a fresh one. Ok, so now I can get a fresh made taco with no lettuce for 99cents but to make that same fresh made taco with bean instead of ground beef, that’s $2.99? This is the point where the waiter gets frustrated and storms off, plotting my slow death in the kitchen. When it’s all said and done, ill still be paying $2.99 for each of my bean tacos.
Breakfast is usually easier, but don’t bother trying to get a vegetarian breakfast at McDonalds. I went there right before doing an open house last year. I went into the restaurant and looked at the menu items. Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit, Egg McMuffin (has sausage), Chicken Biscuit, bacon and eggs. The list goes on and on. I approached the counter and a very nice, bright eyed young lady greeted me. You know the type I’m talking about. Just out of High School, eager to do a great job, still smiling after 6 hours or working the counter, no house payment, and no responsibilities to worry about... Man I miss my youth. Anyway, I explained to her that I am a vegetarian and I ask her if she served any type of vegetarian friendly breakfasts besides eggs and pancakes. I wanted something in a sandwich type of food so I could get the potato cakes with it. She thought about it for a second and then said, we sure do. Do you like chicken? I said, I love chickens, I just don’t want to kill them. She looked bewildered. I then ordered the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and told her to hold the bacon. She said “do you want it on the side”? I said no honey, you keep it, ok? She smiled and got my order together.
I then went back to the same McDonalds for lunch. This time the manger was there. He was the one that was working the counter and he asked me what I would like to order. Well, I asked him if they had a vegetarian burger, like Burger King does. He said no, we don’t have that. I asked him if he had any type of meatless sandwiches, He said “I can take the meat off any of our value meals or sandwiches”. So, of course I asked “Is there a discounted if I do that”? He said no. So, they are willing to serve me a burger with no burger, or I guess we can call it a grilled cheese sandwich but I still have to pay for the meat. I opted for a large fries and a shake. That’s it!! No more open houses for me!!
Ok, so how in the world can you go out to eat when you are a vegetarian? Well I have learned that it’s a challenge, but not impossible. For instance, did you know that Burger King has a veggie burger and a Veggie Burger Value Meal? Yep, you can go up to the counter and say you want the Veggie Burger Value Meal and they will ask you if you want it supper sized. They won’t even blink. It’s not even on their menu. Look at their value meals on the menu. Nowhere does it say anything about a Veggie Burger Value Meal. But, every Burger King has it. I did this in Fargo, ND, Orlando FL, and here in Phoenix, AZ.
Did you know that Subway has a Veggie Max sandwich? No, not a bunch of vegetables on bread with mayo. I hate vegetables. I know, a vegetarian who hates vegetables, funny right? Don’t get me started. Anyway, it’s an actual patty made of …well..Im not sure, but it’s not made of meat. It’s really good. I have learned to appreciate their veggie max meal. But, the down side is that it’s never on sale. So, again, you can walk into Subway on any day of the week and get a meat sandwich for $2.50 during the sub of the day, but if you want a Veggie Max sub, it will always be full price. Still, it is nice that they even offer it.
There is always Taco Bell too. When you have Mexican food, you have to ask if the beans are made of lard. If they are, then you can’t eat them as a vegetarian. Taco Bell does not use lard for their beans so they are vegetarian friendly. I simply get bean tacos, bean burritos and bean nachos instead of the beef. Are they cheaper than the beef? Of course not, but I didn’t have to give up going to Taco Bell when I stopped eating meat.
The list goes on and on, but the reality is, more and more restaurants and fast food are offering vegetarian friendly choices for people who have stopped eating meat all together. Why did I go through all this and was it worth it? I’m still not sure. I stopped eating meat because I did not want to be a part of the inhumane treatment of animals that were bred for food. I don’t try and change other peoples minds with what I’m doing, I just don’t want to be part of it myself. Was it all worth it? Well it depends on how you look at it. I am making a difference in my own little world, but I usually eat with others when I go out to dinner. If I say “ill take the Chicken Caesar salad but I don’t want the chicken, my dining companions will usually say “waiter, you can put his chicken on my salad so it doesn’t go to waste. So, just as much animal was consumed as would have been had I not had a meatless meal. The only difference is, now I’m hungry again an hour later.
Jump ahead four years later, to today. Eating has been quite challenging for me. First, I can’t really go to fast food anymore. I had to search high and low for places that serve vegetarian friendly meals and the choices were not plentiful. For instance, Arby's is out, Sonic is out, and so is Wendy’s, KFC, Whataburger, In and Out Burger and the list goes on and on. Sure, some of these places have salads, but I don’t go to a fast food joint to get a salad. It just doesn’t taste good with a side of fries and a chocolate milk shake. Ok, that’s another problem for a different blog.
Another thing I learned is that just because it takes less time to make a meat free meal and less money to make it since you don’t pay for meat, doesn’t mean your meal is any cheaper. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. You can plan on paying more for a meal without meat then you would for a meal with meat. Think I'm wrong about that? Every Tuesday, Arribas Mexican Restaurant has .99 cent tacos. They consist of beef, cheese and lettuce. Now I go there often and order bean tacos. It’s the same thing as the beef taco except I have them put their refried beans in the taco shells instead of the ground beef they would normally use. That’s a no brainier right? I mean, beans are dirt cheap. Beef is expensive. Well, on Tuesdays, during 99cent taco day, my friends pay 99cents for each of their tacos and I pay $2.99 for each of mine. I always ask the server why this is the case and they always tell me that the tacos are pre-made before lunch. So of course I always say, well if I order a beef taco and ask you to hold the lettuce, is it still 99cents? They answer is always, yes. Well then I always ask, if you have to hold the lettuce, do you make me a fresh taco or do you scrape the lettuce off one that was made before lunch? The waiter says that we would make you a fresh one. Ok, so now I can get a fresh made taco with no lettuce for 99cents but to make that same fresh made taco with bean instead of ground beef, that’s $2.99? This is the point where the waiter gets frustrated and storms off, plotting my slow death in the kitchen. When it’s all said and done, ill still be paying $2.99 for each of my bean tacos.
Breakfast is usually easier, but don’t bother trying to get a vegetarian breakfast at McDonalds. I went there right before doing an open house last year. I went into the restaurant and looked at the menu items. Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit, Egg McMuffin (has sausage), Chicken Biscuit, bacon and eggs. The list goes on and on. I approached the counter and a very nice, bright eyed young lady greeted me. You know the type I’m talking about. Just out of High School, eager to do a great job, still smiling after 6 hours or working the counter, no house payment, and no responsibilities to worry about... Man I miss my youth. Anyway, I explained to her that I am a vegetarian and I ask her if she served any type of vegetarian friendly breakfasts besides eggs and pancakes. I wanted something in a sandwich type of food so I could get the potato cakes with it. She thought about it for a second and then said, we sure do. Do you like chicken? I said, I love chickens, I just don’t want to kill them. She looked bewildered. I then ordered the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and told her to hold the bacon. She said “do you want it on the side”? I said no honey, you keep it, ok? She smiled and got my order together.
I then went back to the same McDonalds for lunch. This time the manger was there. He was the one that was working the counter and he asked me what I would like to order. Well, I asked him if they had a vegetarian burger, like Burger King does. He said no, we don’t have that. I asked him if he had any type of meatless sandwiches, He said “I can take the meat off any of our value meals or sandwiches”. So, of course I asked “Is there a discounted if I do that”? He said no. So, they are willing to serve me a burger with no burger, or I guess we can call it a grilled cheese sandwich but I still have to pay for the meat. I opted for a large fries and a shake. That’s it!! No more open houses for me!!
Ok, so how in the world can you go out to eat when you are a vegetarian? Well I have learned that it’s a challenge, but not impossible. For instance, did you know that Burger King has a veggie burger and a Veggie Burger Value Meal? Yep, you can go up to the counter and say you want the Veggie Burger Value Meal and they will ask you if you want it supper sized. They won’t even blink. It’s not even on their menu. Look at their value meals on the menu. Nowhere does it say anything about a Veggie Burger Value Meal. But, every Burger King has it. I did this in Fargo, ND, Orlando FL, and here in Phoenix, AZ.
Did you know that Subway has a Veggie Max sandwich? No, not a bunch of vegetables on bread with mayo. I hate vegetables. I know, a vegetarian who hates vegetables, funny right? Don’t get me started. Anyway, it’s an actual patty made of …well..Im not sure, but it’s not made of meat. It’s really good. I have learned to appreciate their veggie max meal. But, the down side is that it’s never on sale. So, again, you can walk into Subway on any day of the week and get a meat sandwich for $2.50 during the sub of the day, but if you want a Veggie Max sub, it will always be full price. Still, it is nice that they even offer it.
There is always Taco Bell too. When you have Mexican food, you have to ask if the beans are made of lard. If they are, then you can’t eat them as a vegetarian. Taco Bell does not use lard for their beans so they are vegetarian friendly. I simply get bean tacos, bean burritos and bean nachos instead of the beef. Are they cheaper than the beef? Of course not, but I didn’t have to give up going to Taco Bell when I stopped eating meat.
The list goes on and on, but the reality is, more and more restaurants and fast food are offering vegetarian friendly choices for people who have stopped eating meat all together. Why did I go through all this and was it worth it? I’m still not sure. I stopped eating meat because I did not want to be a part of the inhumane treatment of animals that were bred for food. I don’t try and change other peoples minds with what I’m doing, I just don’t want to be part of it myself. Was it all worth it? Well it depends on how you look at it. I am making a difference in my own little world, but I usually eat with others when I go out to dinner. If I say “ill take the Chicken Caesar salad but I don’t want the chicken, my dining companions will usually say “waiter, you can put his chicken on my salad so it doesn’t go to waste. So, just as much animal was consumed as would have been had I not had a meatless meal. The only difference is, now I’m hungry again an hour later.
Don't blame the rest of your dining companions because Timmy eats your discarded chicken and an extra entree for that matter.
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