Many people these days are trying to do their own small part to decrease the impact of factory farming. An easy way to do this is simply by eliminating meat from the diet. But how easy is it to be vegetarian when you live in the South or other places with restaurants that still fail to cater (pun actually not intended) to this dietarily peaceful population? I'll give you some tips on how to be vegetarian at the toughest place of all: the steakhouse.
1. The Appetizer
Every steakhouse has a different menu. Some will have caesar salads, some will not. Caesar salad is one of the biggest staples of being vegetarian. If you can handle eating one again, then it can be a great way to open up your stomach in preparation for all the wonder and deliciousness of a vegetarian entree.
Load up on chips & salsa! A vegetarian doesn't get iodine from fish, so salt is basically the only other way. Don't be afraid to let the chip act as a vehicle for the salt. And if you're feeling particularly non-vegan, the queso at steakhouses is usually top-notch.
Some steakhouses will have mushrooms on the appetizer portion of the menu, and though they're not my favorite, a little fungus is good for everybody.
Onion string stacks are always a spectacle. Try it out!
2. The Entree
Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!
It's exhausting to comb through a menu and see meat, meat, and more meat. (Why is the American diet so dependent on meat? I don't get it!) Many steakhouses will have one tiny fine-print section at the bottom of the menu that says "Also if you're weird and can't eat meat then I guess we have some pasta." It's the worst when you have to go to the kids menu and get a mac & cheese.
Don't be afraid to order a meat dish and specify to take out the meat. That's pretty much what has to happen. "Yeah I'll have the meat lovers, but can you take out the beef, chicken, shrimp, and hot dog please?"
3. The Side Dish
The Sides menu: this is where you live. Many times your entree will not be enough nutrients to sustain you. In that case, you cannot order too many sides. Applesauce is a favorite of mine, partly because it's childish and fun to spoon in some baby food next to your steak-devouring friends. French fries and sweet potato fries are your best friends if you want to shovel in calories without having to kill animals (just don't forget to go to the gym after). Mashed potatoes are also particularly yummy at steakhouses. There's usually a bit of rice there too.
You're allowed to laugh at the tan-yellow-white color of your plates and the obscene amount of carbs too.
4. The Dessert
The hardest part about being vegetarian at a steakhouse is avoiding those meaty desserts.
