Are meals/food items marked as vegetarian?

[Li-sa]

Hi,

I was wondering whether buffet food items and menus are marked with a v if they are suitable for vegetarians?
If not, and we need to ask, will the waiting staff understand that we mean vegetarian as in no lard/meat stock/fish sauce etc, or do we need to be specific?

TIA

 

[Trixieplus2]

Hi,

I was wondering whether buffet food items and menus are marked with a v if they are suitable for vegetarians?
If not, and we need to ask, will the waiting staff understand that we mean vegetarian as in no lard/meat stock/fish sauce etc, or do we need to be specific?

TIA

I don't know about Disney but as a waitress I know a little bit about food service and I would definitely specify my definition of Vegetarian so many people are really pescatarians, lacto-ovo-vegetarians or straight Vegan if your not careful and your servers/cooks definition is different than yours you could wind up eating something you'd rather not.

 

[TDC Nala]

No, they're not marked. But you can ask to have a chef indicate to you which items are vegetarian or vegan and yes, the chefs do understand the difference. Best if you indicate to them exactly what you wish to avoid though. If you want no animal products at all, or no products that require killing the animal to get them, then make sure you say so.

 

[ancestry]

I don't recall any of the buffet style restaurants having vegetarian selections marked. Honestly I don't think you are going to find a large selection of items that you are certain are fully vegetarian by your definition at buffets. As a former vegetarian, I think you might do better to choose table service meals, (in my opinion).

 

[*ThinkTink*]

Best to be specific about your definition of vegitarian. That way there will be no misunderstandings. I have asked before and everyone was very nice about it. If they didn't know they went and asked the chef right away. Several times, the chefs themselves came out of the kitchen and answered my questions.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have a friend who is a vegan and she says Boma is one of the best places to go. Apparently they have a number of vegan items, and probably more that are vegetarian.

 

[Mommb]

Over the years I have occasionally seen menus indicating vegetarian options (California Grill is one I recall) but I usually ask about items I'm interested in -- e.g., "Does this soup have a meat base, or is it vegetarian?" I agree that Boma is an excellent choice for vegetarians; each time I'm there and ask about which items are vegetarian, a chef has walked me down the buffet and I've been pleased that most items that "look" vegetarian are.

 

[everythingALICE]

I usually call the restaurant a few days before I will be dining to let them know that I am vegetarian. I believe that you can also note it when you make the ADR. Most chefs are very friendly, accomodating, and willing to show you around the buffet.

When I went to Tusker House, I basically asked the chef if there was anything that *appeared* to be vegetarian that might have chicken/beef broth, fat, etc. Tusker House has lots of great options, as well as Boma and Crystal Palace. I would definitely ask to talk to a chef though, as not all waitstaff will be certain of the ingredients.

 

[Li-sa]

Thanks guys...have already checked out the Boma and Tusker menus and thought they looked pretty veggie-friendly!
We're lacto-ovo veggies, so hopefully there will be plenty of options for us.

 

[bicker]

Best to be specific about your definition of vegitarian.

Absolutely. We're having a holiday party at work next week. It was a last-minute thing so I didn't really think much about it, until my wife asked me if I asked about vegetarian options. Of course, my wife was right - they hadn't many any accommodations for vegetarians, figuring everyone would want turkey.

The organizer contacted me about what I do eat, suggesting she could get me a fish entree.

It should be noted that this is a very kind and intelligent woman. Vegetarianism is simply not well-understood generally. It is remarkable how many people do confuse vegetarianism with pescatarianism. Perhaps it is because many people in our country have never been exposed to cultures where the main protein in the diet was from beans and nuts. I suppose they figure that there must be a steak-analog in every diet.

 

[LilyWDW]

Absolutely. We're having a holiday party at work next week. It was a last-minute thing so I didn't really think much about it, until my wife asked me if I asked about vegetarian options. Of course, my wife was right - they hadn't many any accommodations for vegetarians, figuring everyone would want turkey.

The organizer contacted me about what I do eat, suggesting she could get me a fish entree.

It should be noted that this is a very kind and intelligent woman. Vegetarianism is simply not well-understood generally. It is remarkable how many people do confuse vegetarianism with pescatarianism. Perhaps it is because many people in our country have never been exposed to cultures where the main protein in the diet was from beans and nuts. I suppose they figure that there must be a steak-analog in every diet.

I think some of the confusion comes from the fact that so many people will say "I am vegetarian" and then will eat fish. So people think this is normal for the term vegetarian. They don't realize that not all people's definitions of vegetarian are the same.

If someone were to say to me they were vegetarian, then I figure no meat products. I WILL ask about dairy and eggs though. Some people eat one, but not the other.

If they say vegan, then they want no animal products at all.

 

[bicker]

I think some of the confusion comes from the fact that so many people will say "I am vegetarian" and then will eat fish.

Yes, very likely... and then "true" vegetarians get slammed for asserting that there is a difference between what those people do and "true" vegetarianism. It's a lose-lose situation for "true" vegetarians.