The Vegan's Dilemma

Tonight my parents and I were invited to a catered dinner party for a group of volunteers from our Church and their families. I was safe (and correct) to assume that the cuisine would be Italian, so I figured there MUST be some vegan-friendly dishes, right? Spaghetti with red sauce, maybe a garden salad? Or at the very least, grilled fish (which I still indulge in from time to time)? Well, I was wrong. And I faced the ultimate Vegan's Dilemma: a carnivorous dinner party. When you're in a social situation and there are no vegan food options, and you don't want be rude or draw attention to your eating preferences, what do you do?

The menu:
Appetizers: cheese and crackers; little buttered toasts with bruscetta topping on the side
Dinner: cheese tortellini mixed with grilled chicken in a creamy alfredo sauce; pre-mixed Caesar salad (incl. grated parmesan and creamy Caesar dressing); sausage and peppers in a red sauce; bread rolls and slices
Desserts: chocolate cake with buttercream frosting; brownies; cookies; mixed fruit; coffee with milk; green tea

My strategy:
I grabbed a large slice of bread, took a small helping of tortellini, a small helping of Caesar salad, a few peppers from the sausage tray, and snuck back to the appetizer table for a large spoonful of bruscetta tomatoes.

I assembled the bruscetta tomatoes on the bread and ate it slooowly with a fork and knife. I moved the tortellini and salad around on my plate. I picked at the peppers (I know it wasn't very vegan of me to take the peppers that had been cooked with the sausage, but whatevs). The result? No one noticed! Since I ate super slowly, no one noticed that I was only eating three of the five things on my plate. I debated not serving myself the foods that I definitely wouldn't be eating (tortellini and Caesar salad), but I didn't feel like being bombarded with questions. (Hey, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em.) Since I had the tortellini and salad on my plate (and strategically moved them around), no one blinked an eye. And I made it a point to comment on how delicious the tortellini was (what can I say - sometimes I feel no guilt about lying). As for dessert, as tempted as I was by the cake and brownies (non-vegan desserts still have a way of luring me in), I exhibited great willpower and opted for a handful of grapes with my green tea. People DID comment on my dessert choice, but I simply said "I'm attending a wedding next week and as of now, I can barely fit in my dress" - which is not untrue!

I know I'm not really "advancing the cause" by dishing non-vegan food items onto my plate in an effort to blend in and avoid annoying questions. But hey, sometimes I'd rather be polite and not make waves - namely when I'm around people I don't know very well (Church acquaintances and boyfriend's family members being at the top of that list). Besides, I feel like I do my part to advance the cause with people I know very well and am comfortable with. I know for a fact that countless friends have become more open to vegetarian recipes and vegan desserts as a direct result of my food choices.

Moral of the story: nine times out of ten, there will be some sort of vegan option. You just have to seek it out.

But just in case, eat a snack before you leave the house ;)