Protein and vegans

[watervole]

 It is truly scary how many people do not know what protein is.

We're going to stay at a hotel for a gaming convention this weekend and my son's girl friend is vegan.

I just phoned the hotel to ask what vegan options they have.  Mixed roast veg with spices and beans. That's the only one.  We're staying there for five days...  At least the beans are protein. Many so-called vegetarian and vegan options are totally lacking in protein.   They removed the meat and assume that vegetarians only need vegetables to thrive.

I've found this problem in past years with many hotels (though they have improved a bit over the years).  I'm not vegetarian myself, but I've been hotel rep for many conventions in the past, and my first move was always to check the vegetarian options as fans have a high percentage of vegetarians.  I also eat about 70% vegetarian, mostly for environmental reasons.

Cooking for vegans isn't that hard, we do it whenever C comes to visit.

It's just knowing what to add.  Nuts, quinoa, buckwheat, tofu, Rice and beans/lentils/chick peas (the combination of rice and beans gives a complete protein), hummus and pita bread (again, the combination is important), peanut butter sandwich.

Also, peas, spinach, kale, sprouts, artichoke, mushrooms are good incomplete proteins that can combine with other stuff.

That's it really.  Just remove meat and dairy and add something else instead.

I'm not sure that chefs have any actual training in food nutrition.

Which is scary.

Comments

[espresso_addict]

I've been to a (work) Christmas dinner where the sole vegetarian option was the trad meal minus all the meat components.

[watervole]

Ridiculous! Especially given the % of the population who are vegetarian or vegan. The person organising the meal should be shot.

My husband does a wonderful mushroom and nut Wellington. We've had that twice for Xmas.

[espresso_addict]

Sounds delicious! I'm not vegetarian but I don't like meat all that much, so I often prefer vegetarian options.

[watervole]

I think a lot of restaurants underestimate how many people eat vegetarian because they like the flavour and variety.

Given the options, many people will experiment, but so often the imagination and basic knowledge are lacking.

[kotturinn]

Some places do better than others certainly. A friend who has been vegan for over 30 years has a nice line in on-the-spot negotiation in restaurants as to what they can serve him.

My bugbear is that so many places still default, with vegetarian, to goat cheese. While I like goat cheese it really, really, does not like me!

[watervole]

I think they feel it's offering an exotic option...

Even that is useless for vegans, of course.

[history_monk]

My mother used to teach biology at a technical college, and part of that was a basic nutrition course for catering students. Most of them didn't take much notice of it.

[watervole]

Sad. I went to a school that taught cookery (albeit only to the girls), but part of that course was a sound understanding of protein, carbohydrate, etc.

[sallymn]

We eat vegetarian 2-3 times a week (not vegan, I can't give up cheese for anything) and a lot of the time it is bean or rice dishes...

[watervole]

There is vegan cheese. I'm not a fan of it myself (though I gather some varieties are better than other).

Beans and rice are a very good combination from a nutrition angle. I guess that's why so many traditional cuisines use them together.

[vilakins]

That pisses me off too. I eat mainly vegetarian (some fish, plus eggs and dairy) but too many vegetarian meals sold at cafes and restaurants - if they even have them - lack any form of protein. I carry a protein bar in case I'm stuck.

[suenicorn]

I’ve been to so many cons where you pay the same amount as everyone else for the banquet and just get the vegetables or a salad. Once, I booked six months ahead with a group of friends for a theatre restaurant. They were told, six months ahead, that there would be vegetarians and asked to please make sure it wasn’t veggies or salad. They assured us it would be fine. Guess what the vegetarians got when we turned up?

On the other hand, I went to a restaurant for a birthday. Two of us were wanting to eat veggie. All the menu options were meat. We explained our problem to the waitress who said, “Leave it with me.” And the chef made us beautiful vegetable crepes. We had the best meal of anyone!

[watervole]

I remember when Eastercon moved to the Radisson Edwardian. The first day's vegan option was terrible. I then had a conversation with the chef and the rest of the con the vegans had several options, all of which looked delicious!

[suenicorn]

I’m sure your conversation was polite and you made some suggestions. I think chefs do like a challenge.

[watervole]

The chef at the current hotel has now risen to challenge and come up very well. To the delight of another veggie member we didn't know about and several other people who like the increased variety including one member who can't eat dairy.

[suenicorn]

Good to hear! A good chef likes to try something new.

[igenlode]

I don't suppose the hotel worries about the protein balance in its non-vegan meals either -- myself, I don't see that it's their business to ensure that their clients don't suffer from long-term malnutrition, especially in the case of people who have chosen to eat extremely restricted diets. Most customers will only be eating one or maybe two meals at the establishment anyway, and I'm pretty sure fast food shops don't worry about whether their non-vegetarian clients would get a sufficient supply of green vegetables if they ate nowhere else, for instance...

[watervole]

I would agree with you in most cases, but this is a 5-day residential event

Most people staying at this event will be eating exclusively in the hotel as it is in a rural location.