"Vegetarian" in restaurants...?!
"Vegetarian" in restaurants...?
Does it mean vegetarian cheese is used in that dish, that it's gelatin-free, etc. or simply that it does not contain meat or fish (i.e. flesh)? Is there any regulation on this (UK), or is it just up to the business to decide what they consider vegetarian and what not? I hate being too picky when I'm eating out with other people but I am more and more concerned...
Answers:
No, it doesn't.
The regulation woudl be trades discription or food hygeine ( enforced by the local council Environmental Health department )
We need a test case to force the issue...it i had the time, i'd do it, maybe after our summer season.
Many veggies miss this point and its good you raise it.
Resturants offer a veggie item on the menu because its a pre-requsite to get star rated. Most, nearly all, have no interest or understanding of the veggie morals.
So no, the cheese in a standard pub veggie option will not be veggie. I know this because we run a veggie B&B and often go to the food wholesalers. There is NO trade cheese packs marked as veggie, we have to buy all ours retail.
I also know this is true becasue our local resturant now offers some "veggie" options because of the business they get from out guests. They said one guest asked them if the cheese was veggie. The landlord told me " we don't mind serving vegetarian dishes but having the cheese vegetarian so just going too far"....and they have 2 michelin stars !!!!
needless to say, we don't recommend our local to our guests anymore.
So no, veggies need to keep away from resturants.
And lets not start on the cross-contamination issues. You just have to look at kitchens on TV programs like "F word" or "ramsays kitchen nightmare " to see the mess they are in.
You want to be veggie ? Keep away !!!
some of the answers here are scarely nieve about resturants !
it just means that in contains no meat
I'm not sure of the regulations, but the easiest way to ensure vegetarian food is to tell the restaurant that you're allergic to something in meat (like meat hormones or something else creative!) and then, when they bring your food, pull a face, cough a little, and if the food isn't vegetarian they will run over, stop you eating it and get you another!
It works for my vegan friend who pretends to be dairy intolerant all the time!
It means no meat, but it may contain egg etc. It's suitable for vegetarians but not vegans.
If someone is going to advertise vegetarian then im sure it is 100% vegetarian. But then again some people would say certain things are good for you and some will be straight forward.
If the restaurant know what they are doing..it means no meat, only cheese made with vegetarian rennet, no fish products. But will include dairy products and egg. Trouble is, some places think fish is vegetarian, and they are unaware of vegetarian cheese. If you are a strict vegetarian you will want to check.
At the restaurant I work at, it simply means there is no meat. I work at your average business-people-for-lunch, families-at-night style restaurant. Unless you go to a high profile restaurant or one that says it caters to vegetarians/vegans, it just means "meatless".
Trading Standards might have something to say about it if they found out they were falsely advertising their food as vegetarian.
Then again, I walked past a restaurant who's vegetarian menu consisted of Tarmosalata (fish eggs!!!) and salad, or hummus and salad.
If it is not a strictly vegetarian restaurant, then it probably doesn't contain meat or fish. In other words, it's most likely not vegan. Most restauranteurs don't really understand the nuances. Best to just stay away from anything with cheese or a cream sauce. Say you're allergice to dairy and animal fat, including butter, and need your food to be prepared with a vegetable oil or olive oil if fats are involved.
No it means it's suitable for vegetarians, they will check that all the ingredients are vegetarian, because these people probably will have had training in food technology and will know about different diets.
You're right to be picky ! It's up to the restaurant - there's no regulation. If you see the Vegetarian Society's official symbol, then you can believe that the food meets their very stringent standards - otherwise question the manager as much as you can ! Lots of people still don't know about rennet or gelatine (although the recent publicity for Masterfoods proved that probably more people are aware of gelatine nowadays and forced them to make a huge u-turn !)
It's always best to check - if in doubt go for the vegan option which is probably safer.
There is no law regarding vegetarian food believe it or not, if in doubt ask but remember most places will probably lie just to make a sale.
Be careful some places put meat broth in the rice and potatoes. And the cheese is the real thing too.
it means it does not contain Rennet.
nasty stuff & if you're feeling brave enough, look into finding out exactly what it is
& if half the people knew, would they still eat it?
it's about as yuk as it gets.
Wow Claire S. You and your mates must be a hoot to go out for a meal with. Its surprising you get a hot meal, by the time you have finished pushing your food around and deciding if it has any animal bits in it it will be stone cold.