Oopsies: Vegan Eating Mistakes
May 7, 2008 by mmg
We all mistakes. Since switching to a vegan diet, I’ve made a few food mistakes. The other day I got take-out food from an Indian restaurant. I asked the chef beforehand which dishes were vegan and loaded my take-out container with them. Then I added a couple pieces of naan because you can’t eat Indian food without naan, right? Turns out I’ll have to learn how because it isn’t vegan! Stupid naan!
I also learned that the onion rings I ate the other day weren’t vegan, nor were the lime tortilla chips. Seriously, why do tortilla chips need milk product in them? Really?? It doesn’t even make sense. Anyway, I can’t let myself feel too badly about these mistakes because obviously they were honest mistakes. It just goes to show you that you can’t assume that something is vegan just because you think it should be, or because it would be stupid to coat tortilla chips in dairy products. So, I’ll have to be a little more careful going forward….but my guess is these won’t be the last mistakes I make - hopefully they’ll just get to be fewer and farther between. And don’t even get me started on product purchases. It seems like I learn of of some new, obscure animal byproduct every day and have to look over all of the products in my house to check for it. It is incredibly frustrating, let me tell you.
For a really, really lengthy list of animal-derived products, check out the PETA website here. I’ve read this a few times, but there is almost no way I will be able to remember every single item on this list. Still, it’s a good resource if you want to research something. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if products were required to disclose whether or not they a) did animal testing or b) used animal-derived products? Hey, Government, let’s get busy on that, okay? Thanks.
It does take some getting used to, but after a while reading labels on EVERYTHING becomes second nature. I live in Manassas, Virginia and there isn’t a vegan anything near this town. So I shop about 15 miles away at the big, new Whole Foods and at the Manassas farmer’s market. At least I know stuff at Whole Paycheck isn’t tested on animals, so there’s half the battle.
When I’m not home I have to do advance work to find out which stores are boycotting Canadian seafood, then find one that has a “natural foods” section ’cause that’s where the “weird vegan stuff” will be located, etc. I’m leaving for a trip to my hometown in Florida next with - with Mina - and I already know that Publix supports the boycott but they don’t carry tofu or tempeh (and the look I got when I asked for seitan last time is something I won’t forget) or much organic produce. So, I’m taking a ton of stuff with me in a cooler and canvas shopping bags.
Honestly, I don’t eat out much at non-vegan restaurants (we have some good ones in the District) because I simply don’t trust the average kitchen cook to understand that butter isn’t vegan or chicken broth in the soup isn’t vegan.
Just read everything. I agree with you, though - what the hell is dairy doing on a tortilla chip? I mean, really.
s.
Nothoney: Did they think you were looking for “Satan” at your grocery store?
I can only imagine what people would think if I asked for seitan at my hometown grocer. They would probably schedule an exorcism. At any rate, yes, I will need to be more careful. Part of the problem with the chips at least was that I was at a party, and I just thought “well, they’re tortilla chips! They MUST be vegan.” Lesson learned!
Apparently so, judging by the clerk’s wide eyes. I laughed and said it’s a wheat gluten meat substitute. Didn’t make it any better.
Everyone makes a few mistakes in their early vegan days. I made one at an Indian restaurant that caused me to have lactose intolerance symptoms for about 48 hours. It was not a pleasant drive home!
s.
Yes I can’t believe there are so many foods that *look* ok, but then you find milk protein or some such listed there. Goodbye Doritos!
No, HELLO Doritos! At least, the new Spicy Chili Doritos are vegan.
I found a brand of naan in grocery stores that was vegan. They used to sell it at Super Target, but don’t anymore. And I think some restaurants’ naan might be vegan.
Also, I think some restaurants do have vegan naan. It’s worth asking at least once at every restaurant. At the very least, you’ll be letting them know that there’s a market out there for milk-free naan (which I’m sure could be made with little to no added effort).
Anyway, the whole naan situation is fortuitous if you think about it. If you’re already having white rice with your meal you probably don’t need the added empty calories of bread.
I think the government has bigger fish to fry then listing whether stuff is vegan or not. Just saying.
Did you like my pun? It was pretty good huh? Fish - in a vegan blog! Hilarious!!!
nothoney - Ohhh. that is not ideal.
katesafleet - Tell me about it!!
Al - I find that with a lot of non-vegan foods - that they’re not that great for me anyway, so it’s actually kind of a good thing they’re not vegan. I mean, a good thing for my ass anyway.
apollocreed - Hey smartass, I said it would be NICE. Clearly they have to work on completely bankrupting our country first. Duh.
It’s great to see that you’re getting all edumacated on this, but don’t sweat the details! It’s basically impossible to avoid the smallest amounts of animal products, unless you’re a hermit (which you’re kind of aspiring to be, aren’t you? :).
We make the biggest difference by eliminating most animal products from our diets, and then by educating others about what’s going on–and it sounds like you’re doing a great job of both. Great blog!