A Vegetarian’s Plea

Dear Menu Creators, Chefs, and Catering Managers,

As vegetarians, we greatly appreciate being accommodated at parties and events. We realize it’s a hassle for you to have to create a separate meal when you are already busy cooking for a large crowd. The extra effort does not go unnoticed.

We have one request, however, and it is that you create the vegetarian dish using the same process that you create the meat entrée. That is: protein, carbohydrate, and vegetable. Most plates consist of a piece of chicken, beef, or fish along side rice or potatoes and a side of vegetables. However when the vegetarian plate is presented the protein is almost always missing. Yes we vegetarians enjoy our vegetables, but we need protein for satiety just like carnivores do.

Some great options for vegetarian protein include beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, and eggs. A black bean and rice combo, grilled tofu, chickpeas in marinara sauce, or even a veggie burger would be an absolute delight to be served. And trust me, if we are given a complete vegetarian meal we will let you know how happy we are. We’ll probably shout in public and annoy the waitress with thank you after thank you.

If you want to take it even a step further, we’ll share the insight that many vegetarians are health conscious eaters. Not all, of course, but a good amount of us like to make smart choices about our meals. Avoiding excess oil and butter, creamy sauces, and copious amounts of cheese would make our meals that much more enjoyable.

We hope this provides greater insight into how to best serve all of your customers, and we look forward to eating healthy, protein-packed vegetarian meals in the future.

Sincerely,

Vegetarians Everywhere