A Vegetarian in a Steakhouse

I have not officially announced on my blog that I am a vegetarian, but I hope some of you have realized that I do not eat meat or fish by some of my recent posts (Vegetarian Thanksgiving, 21 Day Vegan Kickstart, and When Was the Last Time You Ate Meat). Most of the time, I do not experience roadblocks to eating vegetarian. There are vegetarian options available at most restaurants, even if you sometimes have to get a little creative. On a recent trip with my husband, we were in the land of good food and gourmet steakhouses on every corner. Although I do not eat meat or fish, I still prepare it for my husband and we still go to steakhouses (my reasons for becoming vegetarian will be coming in a different post).

After doing some research, my husband selected a steakhouse and we made a reservation. Of course, I reviewed the menu before we made the reservation to make sure there was something I could eat there. We arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated. Our waters were poured. The bread basket arrived. We were deciding on our order. The waiter came over to take our order, starting with me.

Me: I would like the baked sweet potato and the broccolini.
Waiter: And what would you like for your dinner?
Me: That is all that I am having, I am a vegetarian.

I had no hesitations about telling him that I do not eat meat or fish, but his reaction really hurt my feelings. The waiter shook his head in disbelief that I was not ordering meat. I started to say that I was at the restaurant for my husband, but the waiter already turned to my husband to take his order. He had no interest in talking to me.

This is the life of a vegetarian in a steakhouse...