Eating Out in Philly - Vegan Style

I am a fairly new vegan (about a year) married to a devout omnivore. When I decided to skip right through vegetarian and go straight to vegan (for ethical reasons), I thought the most difficult part would be eating at other people's homes. In that situation, there is generally no choice of entree and you risk being considered rude to family members if you don't eat when everyone else around the table is eating and staring at the "picky" vegan. In contrast, I thought that restaurants had so many choices, it would generally be easy to find something vegan or several things that could easily be made vegan (as in "hold the cheese"). I was wrong. As I had progressed through "no pork" then "no pork, no beef" then "no pork, no beef, no poultry", I had always had plenty of options remaining. As a vegan trying to find something to eat without making a spectacle of myself in mid to high end restaurants, I have felt routinely thwarted and frustrated. I know what you're syaing now: "then make a spectacle of yourself, dammit!" I don't like to do this for several reasons, the best of which is that I think it is important to be a "joyful vegan." Making veganism appear as difficult and extreme as most people believe it to be just guarantees that that view will continue to dominate the public consciousness. Making it appear easy and joyful is the one of the best ways to convince fence-sitters who claim it is impossible that, not only should they become vegan, they CAN do it.

Eating out has always been a highlight of nearly every weekend for us. I have spent a lot of the past year navigating my way through restaurants in the Philadelphia area attempting, with mixed success, to eat delicious food while maintaining my vegan values. I started this blog to share my experiences in order to help those of you who may be lonely vegans trying to do the same thing amidst a sea of omnivorous family and friends.

First up, two tips which are fairly obvious but the importance of which cannot be overstated:
(1) take a more active role in choosing the restaurant you are going to, regardless of whether you are pickin up the check or doing the inviting; many people are happy to be relieved of this responsibility and it gives you chance to exercise more control over the situation (ever tried to be vegan in an upscale steakhouse -- iceberg lettuce, anyone?); and
(2) check out menus on the restaurant's website. Sometimes they are outdated (I've had that painful experience), but frequently they help you with the choice and also give you the all important opportunity to call in advance to ask about dishes you may have questions about without being viewed as a royal pain to your dinner companions.

Bon Appetit!