Hey, all, I'm new here and just moving toward raw foods. Unfortunately, as part of significant required travel for work, I'm very frequently required to attend dinners at restaurants that don't really cater to vegetarians, let alone vegan raw foodists (i.e. steak houses, Italian restaurants, etc.) Do any of you have suggestions for finding something (anything!) to eat in this type of situation?

Thanks in advance!

I have had to eat in various a la carte restaurants recently for business etc. I simply have been emailing them ahead of time to let them know of my requirements, that way there is no fuss worrying etc. They have all been very good and prepared me something suitable.

If you are able to ring them ahead of time this may be a help,

request what you like- salad, and a fruit bowl, if necessary listing the ingredients or seeing what they have on their meat menu and then taking elements- asparagus, broccoli, greens etc.

The last one I went to didnt even have a vegetarian option, but they made the effort to prepare me something raw, which made the evening much easier for me, and it was all ready for me when I arrived.

Italian should be easy- basil and tomato salad , followed by a large main salad- without the dairy/meat.

Hope that helps

Raw_dancer

Opinion:

-I go to 100's of restaurants, weddings, family functions, business seminars/functions/dinners.....every year.

-You are dealing with a social issue / ritual more than a dietary one.

-The fact is you CAN eat before you leave your home.....then just bring a small snack.....or eat nothing at all while at the restaurant. You can pull out your small snack or salad while at the restaurant and eat it. You simply say, "I'm on a special diet." Don't answer any more questions. I've never had a problem in over 6 years. Don't rely on restaurants to feed you.

-You let your friends, family and business associates know that you are there to support THEM. It'll all be cool!

-What do you think?

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Thanks, Raw_dancer and David,

I'll try to get information about where we're eating this week before I leave tomorrow morning (I'm seldom informed before I get there, but I seldom ask, so that may be why), then call ahead.

David, unfortunately, I will be several hundred miles away from home all week. I MAY be able to get to a grocery store before/between meetings, but I can't 100% bank on it. I'm a little bit hesitant to eat nothing at all at these restaurants -- I think my colleagues would think it bad form.

just do what i and millions of other raw foodists do
pick at their pathetic iceberg lettuce tomato salad

and enjoy the company

or just pay attention to what the business thing is about

just forget about having a decent raw meal at restaurants
it ain't gonna happen

accept it and move on

like dave says, you can eat ahead of time

since when were restaurants temples of nourishment?

wait a coupla decades for that to happen

in the meanwhile, don' think of restaurants as places to eat
just as places to MEET

that's it

karabiner is a good name
with a name like that
u could go far


cha chiiiinnnggggGGG!!

In my experience, most restaurants, even franchise restaurants, have a "yuppy" salad on the menu w/ baby lettuces and whathaveyou. Usually, you'll have to ask that they leave something off though.

Some Mexican restaurants do table side quacamole, a good pico de gallo and some shredded iceberg and etc. You can also ask for whole leaves of green leaf lettuce to wrap your quacamole in, most restaurants can accomodate this.

As someone else suggested, scan the entire menu....usually you can find suitable food stuffs tucked among the unsuitable.

Most restaurants have raw veggies for steaming. Ask if they will serve them to you raw, or in a pinch, VERY lightly steamed.

Call ahead. Eat something before you go. Try to keep the focus off food, especially your food.

good luck,

khale

I've never had a problem eating in restaurants. Usually I'll just bring an avocado with me, maybe a piece of fruit, and just ask for a large salad of whatever different veggies they have on hand with some olive oil or salsa for the dressing. A lot of places now have avo somewhere on the menu anyway, so you don't even need to worry about that! Some of the best salads I've had have been in unexpected places. Steakhouses are actually especially good; they're usually slightly more "high-end" (read: slightly!) than, say, Applebees and such, therefore they are more willing and able to create something for you that isn't on the menu. With more and more people requesting special meals for allergies, vegetarians, diabetes, etc., restaurants are now almost required to cater to specific peoples' needs. But, as has been said, try to focus more on the purpose of the meeting rather than the food. Good luck!

i dont have problems with restaurants eitehr .. i call ahead and tell them the whats up and have had some really amazing things made up for me on the fly by the chefs (they love trying something new)

i find most places really appreciate the call ahead if you can

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist