Vegan for One, Dinner for Two

Choosing to live a vegan lifestyle should never mean compromising your social life. Here are some methods I’ve found for making eating out more comfortable and delicious for everyone involved.

1) Lookup the restaurant menu beforehand. Most restaurants now have their menus up online. If you can’t find an entrée that seems feasible, try looking at the sides menu. A baked potato with balsamic vinaigrette is an option in most every restaurant.

2) Suggest a restaurant that you are familiar with. If you have been there before, you are familiar with how to adjust their menu to fit your needs.

3) Go somewhere ethnic. A select few Indian, Greek, and Chinese foods are either vegan or an adaptable vegetarian. Also, most Italian restaurants have simple pasta dishes that can be paired with vegetables and a marinara sauce. Vegetable Sushi and Seaweed salads are available at nearly every Sushi restaurant.

4) Always keep snacks in your car or purse. You never want to be in a situation where you are starving.

5) Never be afraid to ask. It can feel incredibly uncomfortable the first time you do it, but more often than not, if you inform your waiter that you are a vegan, they will go the extra mile to talk the chef into finding you something delicious. Just make sure to leave a nice tip! Or better yet, a simple thank you handwritten on the check.

6) If all else fails, order a salad. I spent an entire weekend once where all I had was oatmeal and salad. Apparently in Georgia, they prepare their vegetables one of two ways: with butter or with pork.