Suggestions for Vegetarian Dining at DLR

[Plantlady]

Be wary of the fried foods though- some vegans will not eat anything that was fried in the same oil as meat, and at disneyland the fries and cheese sticks are fried in the same oil as the chicken tenders, fried chicken, etc.

argh, that's not great news.

 

[EMAW]

Be wary of the fried foods though- some vegans will not eat anything that was fried in the same oil as meat, and at disneyland the fries and cheese sticks are fried in the same oil as the chicken tenders, fried chicken, etc.

Definitely, I can't eat french fries from anywhere because McD's and all of them use beef fat at the plant before they even reach the stores. And restaurants definitely use the same fryer most of the time. I won't eat veggie burgers for the same reason, because sometimes they share the grill or griddle a little too much for my liking. I would stay away from all soups too unless the restaurant specifically notates that they are vegetarian.

 

[bumbershoot]

Definitely, I can't eat french fries from anywhere because McD's and all of them use beef fat at the plant before they even reach the stores. And restaurants definitely use the same fryer most of the time. I won't eat veggie burgers for the same reason, because sometimes they share the grill or griddle a little too much for my liking. I would stay away from all soups too unless the restaurant specifically notates that they are vegetarian.

I'm pretty sure it's only McD's that has the lard as part of their processing. If it were other places, the Hindu group that got McDs and Pizza Hut would have gotten them in trouble, too. (not that McD's feels they are in trouble since they are still using it...it's what makes their fries taste so different, I suppose...but I think Pizza Hut changed their ways)

I believe the places that sell the veggie burgers at Disneyland use microwaves for them. Hence the over-waved, dry "goodness" I've received at Hungry Bear, bleah.

I can only speak for Jack in the Box back in the mid 80s, but even back then, the french fries were made in a totally separate fryer unit than anything else, so I actually do NOT think that most restaurants share. Over time everything would start tasting wrong, and they'd get complaints. But that's just my way of thinking.

 

[saffy]

The friend I go to DL with the most is a vegetarian, too. We usually will eat at DCA at the Pacific Wharf. They have a vegetarian chili, their corn chowder is vegetarian base, with the ham just added at the end, so you can ask for it without ham and have it be veggie as well. Or, she usually will get their chicken salad, minus the chicken. She doesn't like getting salads without meat too often, because she feels she ends up paying a lot for just lettuce when the meat is removed. But, she likes this one because it still has apples and nuts in it, so it's more than just a pile of greens for $9.

If we don't eat there, we'll eat at the TRattoria - the caprese sandwich or veggie lasagna are both good options, too.

We used to also do Pizza at the Village Haus restaurant in Fantasyland at DL -they had a combo that came with a good green salad, but now it just comes with this weird veggie salad that isn't as good, so we don't do that anymore.

She doesn't like Pizza Port, but you could do a cheese pizza or veggie pasta there, too. And, we do sometimes get veggie burgers from Tomorrowland Terrace, too.

The kids meal bean burrito at the mexican place in DCA is good, too. A good value for your $$$, too, if you're looking for a lighter meal.

I should add that she isn't veggie by choice - she is lacking an enzyme that breaks down meat, so it's like she's allergic to it, for lack of a better way to describe it. If she eats anything "contaminated" she knows it! And, she's not had any problems with these items being cooked with meat.

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

I'm pretty sure it's only McD's that has the lard as part of their processing. If it were other places, the Hindu group that got McDs and Pizza Hut would have gotten them in trouble, too. (not that McD's feels they are in trouble since they are still using it...it's what makes their fries taste so different, I suppose...but I think Pizza Hut changed their ways)

I don't believe they used lard. The problem was they were using beef fat. NONE of my people would have been eating there if they used lard. (That is, assuming we're using the real definition of lard, which is pork fat.)

But, the good news is, they don't use any animal fat now.

from there web site:

Q: What is the status of the trans fatty acid reduction at McDonald's?

A: McDonald’s French fries are now 0 grams trans fat – and America is still lovin’ the taste!

With our conversion to a Canola Oil Blend cooking oil, all fried menu items in McDonald’s U.S. restaurants are now 0 grams trans fat per labeled serving – that includes French fries, hash browns, all chicken choices, and Filet-O-Fish.

McDonald’s has also successfully reformulated the baked goods on our national core menu to be 0 grams trans fat per serving. This includes McGriddles, McDonaldland cookies, and biscuits. Apple pies and baked cookies will be reformulated by the end of 2008.
Fried pies, which are served in a small number of restaurants, will have 0 grams trans fat in June 2008. Contact the McDonald’s Customer Satisfaction team for specific nutrition information on this product.

 

[bumbershoot]

OK, lard isn't the right word. Shoulda known better.


But animal fat isn't necessarily trans fat, so their not using trans fat does NOT mean they have stopped using the beef fat in the processing.

"Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids formed when vegetable oils are processed and made more solid or into a more stable liquid."

The only reason an animal fat wil have trans fat is if it's hydrogenated. They would hydrogenate it to give it a longer shelf-life, but if they aren't hydrogenating it, they could use the animal fat still as the "flavoring" and still be trans fat free.


From the FDA's site about the legal meaning of "trans fat free":

Q: Is it possible for a food product to list the amount of trans fat as 0 g on the Nutrition Facts panel if the ingredient list indicates that it contains "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil?"

A: Yes. Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts panel. As a result, consumers may see a few products that list 0 gram trans fat on the label, while the ingredient list will have "shortening" or "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on it. This means the food contains very small amounts (less than 0.5 g) of trans fat per serving.


And from McDonald's website:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).


Zoiks, they have dextrose...so someone extremely corn-sensitive couldn't have fries there. Oh, and the possible corn oil.

Anti-foaming agent? What are they anticipating to foam?
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Oh man I want the veggie gumbo!!!! Despite my various food aversions, I loooooove okra, and that gumbo is the only place I get it.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Wait, so McDonald's fries aren't vegetarian safe? Vegatable oil WITH natural beef flavoring, that doesn't sound right. I always thought they were vegatarian safe since a Hindu group got upset with them? I swear I learned that in school.

 

[EMAW]

Many of the fast food chains are not vegetarian friendly. All they did to please the various groups was disclose that they use meat products- they didn't stop using them. They pre-cook them at the plants with beef fat, then cook them in the store in veggie oil.

The Burger King website says outright that the fries are cooked by themselves, but things like hashbrowns, onion rings, etc. are cooked with meat. Wendy's website says their fries are cooked with everything else, including chicken nuggets.

Guess it all depends on how picky you are. I am a really anal vegetarian and drive my family crazy.

 

[audrabolster]

Last my wife heard (a pretty strict vegetarian) is that Wendy's is one of the only fast food restaurants that have no meat additives in their fries, and they fry them in a seperate fryer

 

[MirandaPen]

but I was omnivorous when I lived in CA so it's sometimes hard for me to visit (I want to run into Foster's Freeze and grab a big ol' burger for instance)...man I loved the Boardwalk!

Hey Foster's Freeze has a garden burger that they do a pretty good job with. Kids always gets the Grilled cheese there.

 

[Shakthi]

Don't worry. Finding vegetarian options in DL isn't a problem.