Beaten Up By Restaurant Owner Because I'M A Vegetarian

[OxfordWill]

You can't be native if you don't eat meat

nonsense.

[neverdie]

My ex-wife is a vego & she was talking about coming to stay with us & I freaked out and said I didnt know what I was going to feed her when we were out and about.......cooking @ home is always the safe option, I don't envy the OP in this position.

Anyway, whenever I get bad service I simply vote with my feet and spread the word appropriately, both of which he seems to have done.

[Jingthing]

You certainly can get tom yum style soups with pork, usually served with noodles. VERY common street food.

Nam Prik Pow is NOT veggie. It has shrimp paste in it, sometimes dried shrimp.

Depends. You can easily buy vegan Nam Prik Pow. A particularly good one is made by royal project I believe.

Let's get real now about this, shall we? What percentage of regular Thai restaurants that get a call for a veggie tom yum do you think have this special Nam Prik Pow on hand? Seriously? Sure for home cooking when YOU are in control, you can do what you want, but at a restaurant your control is very limited unless you insist on hanging out in the kitchen (careful its hot in there).

[Thakkar]

Well, the one thing this thread has proven to me (no surprise to me), is that this forum really has a large number of unintelligent posters making, what they consider in their own minds, intelligent comments which, to a moderately intelligent person indicates that the supposed intelligent comment is in fact, far from intelligent.

I am not including the OP in my statement above.

If you are keeping a 'smart' and 'stupid' list, do share (by PM, of course). I find the stupid posts far more entertaining and will promptly plug all the smart posters on your list into my TV 'ignore' list so that I can thence go straight to the laughs. No doubt I'll be able to read my own posts, which is good, because they never fail to tickle me, narcissist that I am.

[IanForbes]

Just wish people would leave my food choices alone. I dont tell them what they should and shouldnt eat!

Yep. Whole-heartedly agree with that. I do not eat vegetables. None. At all. While its somewhat socially acceptable to be a vegetarian, not at all for someone who is a "carnivore", for lack of better word. Tons of places offer vegetarian food, it's almost impossible to find a place that advertises anti-vegetarian food. And the minute I attempt to try to order anything without vegetables, I always get the lecture about I'm going to die, I need vitamins from vegetables, so unhealthy, blah blah blah... I'm grown, let me eat what I want!

-Mestizo

Interesting comment. I can't recall having known anyone who didn't eat some sort of vegetable. I know people who can't eat certain vegetables for medical reasons; for example, having Crohns disease, but none that won't eat vegetables by choice.

However, there are so many nice things to eat then why punish yourself by eating something you don't like. We can always supplement our diets with specific pills needed for proper growth. I would never think of inflicting my personal prejudices on others. But, as I mentioned before, if I had some sort of medical condition that didn't allow me to eat certain foods then I wouldn't be dining out as often. I'm fortunate that I can eat anything and everything.

[rich54321]

I really cannot see why a resturtant owner or staff would try to block a doorway - unless you refused to pay!!!

If all this is true - dont go back

[jan1van1hooten]

this is a fairly understandable although not excusable event.

the restaruant is not really vegetarian, vegetarianism means more than just not putting meat in a dish.

but the owner knows nothing about that. He just says its vegetarian to pull in as many customers as possible. By using the same broth, he is actually cheating and possibly endangering someone's health through false advertising.

but many people especially in the third world do not have the education to work these things out.

when you complained about the dish, he began to think you were trying to cheat him, because he does not understand that just taking the meat out of broth does not make it vegetarian.

one option would be to start shouting to cause a scene, and pick up a chair to throw at the door if he blocks your access,

this is why thailand is the land of smiles

Edited September 21, 2010 by jan1van1hooten

[Jingthing]

I really cannot see why a resturtant owner or staff would try to block a doorway - unless you refused to pay!!!

If all this is true - dont go back

Could be he wanted to delay the OP posting the story on Thaivisa?

[OxfordWill]

My ex-wife is a vego & she was talking about coming to stay with us & I freaked out and said I didnt know what I was going to feed her when we were out and about.......cooking @ home is always the safe option, I don't envy the OP in this position.

No need to worry, all thai restaurants can cater to vegetarian customers. Ive never once in 7 years had a problem, from simple plastic seats on the street to posh restaurants in the sky. Even places specifically all about serving meat (barbecues, chinese specialist restaurants, somtam stall) can do tasty vegetarian stuff when asked.

[uptheos]

My ex-wife is a vego & she was talking about coming to stay with us & I freaked out and said I didnt know what I was going to feed her when we were out and about.......cooking @ home is always the safe option, I don't envy the OP in this position.

No need to worry, all thai restaurants can cater to vegetarian customers. Ive never once in 7 years had a problem, from simple plastic seats on the street to posh restaurants in the sky. Even places specifically all about serving meat (barbecues, chinese specialist restaurants, somtam stall) can do tasty vegetarian stuff when asked.

Agreed, I think Thailand is a vegetarians paradise whether you eat in, out or have it delivered.

[MartinBKK]

You are not alone OP.

I'm not a vegetarian however i have frequently received pork in my fried vegetables when my Thai girlfriend has specifically asked for "no meat only vegetables".

Only last week i received "Seafood" in my soup when i specifically asked for "no sea food at all". This was in a Korean restaurant at Rimping Ruam Chok. As in almost all restaurants in Thailand, staff were unhelpful and unwilling to change the dish so i won't be eating there again.

[uptheos]

You are not alone OP.

I'm not a vegetarian however i have frequently received pork in my fried vegetables when my Thai girlfriend has specifically asked for "no meat only vegetables".

Only last week i received "Seafood" in my soup when i specifically asked for "no sea food at all". This was in a Korean restaurant at Rimping Ruam Chok. As in almost all restaurants in Thailand, staff were unhelpful and unwilling to change the dish so i won't be eating there again.

I can understand that if a farang orders 'ahaan jeh' they might get it wrong, but from a native speaker there's no excuse for putting pork in the dish and it should be returned. This has happened to me and they when I ordered just vegetables, they took it back and brought it out within 15 seconds, just whipping the pork off. For me this wasn't a big deal, but I can understand that for a strict vegetarian or for religious reasons it would be unacceptable. If ordering vegetarian be sure to add as well "no pork and no chicken" just to be clear. It's the way it is here and there's often an issue with seafood, peanuts and msg, you can't assume they will leave these things out and it needs to be made crystal clear....and then it may not happen. I think you have the right attitude, the staff were unhelpful so you won't go back and I'm sure you will find lots of very helpful restaurants. I usually only eat vegetables for lunch and there's 2 or 3 little Thai places that I've gone to for years. They are cheap, they buy fresh every morning and she always washes the wok before cooking my food. The people that run the places are pleasant and grateful to have regular customers, so they don't give you what you don't want.

[elektrified]

You are not alone OP.

I'm not a vegetarian however i have frequently received pork in my fried vegetables when my Thai girlfriend has specifically asked for "no meat only vegetables".

Only last week i received "Seafood" in my soup when i specifically asked for "no sea food at all". This was in a Korean restaurant at Rimping Ruam Chok. As in almost all restaurants in Thailand, staff were unhelpful and unwilling to change the dish so i won't be eating there again.

You should have asked for the owner who would have made things right. She is a very nice woman who goes out of her way to be sure the customers are satisfied. She usually comes to every table to see if everything is O.K.

[Ta22]

allow me to share my 2 cent worth of , what would be if we think about it before do , not siding any side .

You know you got a condition . and that place sis not a vegetarian outlet , what you should have done is go find a place that serve you the right type of food for your condition .

imagine if you go into a Muslim shop asking for roast pork .. as much as you may not know ,

"is like going into a texas rib house asking for korean kimchi . and when the chef trying to be nice made some kimchi lookalke for you , you reject it in way that their trying to con you out to eat their texas version of kimchi - hope you got your bullet proof vest ready "

.

you may see it as a must for them to service you cos youa re a paying customer , but would you do that in any outlet in your country ?

.

there is many vegetarian place in chiangmai and i know some really good one .

drop me a PM and i would be happy to draw you a map or bring you there if i got the time .

.

in my personal view , you are at wrong in the first place , while not alot people like to be the wrong party . we are what we do and what we planted .

if you had made effort to go to real vegetarian food outlet , you would had not been in this trouble that scare the holy shiiitt out of you and so much time wasted as well as . having to be posting here .

then again . i am not there so is hard to judge anyone .

.

if you do not want clear shit out of your shoe , learn to watch where you step when you walk .

good luck .

don't let this little problem spoil your fun in thailand .

[Gonzo the Face]

Differently put, but sincere, heartfelt advice by our own TaTa.

CM's answer to Mark Twain

Welcome back Ta22

[LivinLOS]

allow me to share my 2 cent worth of , what would be if we think about it before do , not siding any side .

You know you got a condition . and that place sis not a vegetarian outlet , what you should have done is go find a place that serve you the right type of food for your condition .

imagine if you go into a Muslim shop asking for roast pork .. as much as you may not know ,

"is like going into a texas rib house asking for korean kimchi . and when the chef trying to be nice made some kimchi lookalke for you , you reject it in way that their trying to con you out to eat their texas version of kimchi - hope you got your bullet proof vest ready "

.

you may see it as a must for them to service you cos youa re a paying customer , but would you do that in any outlet in your country ?

.

there is many vegetarian place in chiangmai and i know some really good one .

drop me a PM and i would be happy to draw you a map or bring you there if i got the time .

.

in my personal view , you are at wrong in the first place , while not alot people like to be the wrong party . we are what we do and what we planted .

if you had made effort to go to real vegetarian food outlet , you would had not been in this trouble that scare the holy shiiitt out of you and so much time wasted as well as . having to be posting here .

then again . i am not there so is hard to judge anyone .

.

if you do not want clear shit out of your shoe , learn to watch where you step when you walk .

good luck .

don't let this little problem spoil your fun in thailand .

You dont seem to understand the needs of people with food allergies. And you should be entirely within you right to order the food you want, if they cannot supply it they should say so when you order. A simple no is fine.

My wife has developed food allergies, to lots of things, beans including soy beans and sauce, egg yolks, wheat, and more have to be avoided. Time and time again, she is super polite (shes kinda shy and almost ashamed at the whole thing) and explains all this on ordering and then its served with exactly what she made clear she cannot eat right in it. it seems to me, from the outside watching the exchanges, that cooks simply wont be told what to cook, its their way only. Time and again the dish comes back from the kitchen with one or multiple of the cannot have items in it.

And thats nothing to the explosion she got when she politely asked if there was egg yolk or wheat in a batter before she ordered it.. the response was you want it buy it, you dont want it fuc_k off.. That in response to having a legit medical condition, its not about being picky it about her health.

[Gonzo the Face]

While I respect yours and your wifes circumstance and conditions, what you say may be true in a what may be considered a finer restaurant in the outside world. But this is Thailand and the little mom and pop type of street stalls or even shop house restaurant would probably not have a trained cook or chef. They are someone usually that cooks something their way and most people like it and compliment them on their preparation, and continue to come back.

Then along comes someone with specific dietary needs, and justly so, this cook just may not be prepared to do things in that manner, and of course this being Thailand, this person would not say they could NOT do something.

I would say it would be on the hands of the person with those specific needs to seek out what may look like a more likely establishment that may have a trained cook/chef that would understand their specific needs.

These are not usually the noodle shops/shop house places and do not usually provide street stall/shop house restaurant prices.

Not just in food or diet, but in many other aspects of life, there are people with special needs. They should understand that all there needs cannot or may not be able to be met in all places.

Offered with all due respect to those with specific conditions.

Gonzo

[Ta22]

i do understand cos i myself have my limit of food . but let spare everyone the info .

First i give you some serious advice .

--

When you got a condition is YOUR DUTY to take care of your Diet . Target special restaurant for your Meal or COOK it yourself . that what i do .

As much as you are still making noise here is a sign that you had not suffer enough which is good in a waye meaning you or your wife had not die from the food condition problem .

Why take the risk . the Asian way is much different from your way of life and knowing your problem or sharing it here do not really solve your problem . it would happen again and again . till one day one party suffer from it or rather many party suffer for you .

is all due to one simple reason .. you are not responsible enough to look for the right type of Food . all you prefer is by random walk into some food outlet and hope there bend their back for you .

,

my offer for you .

1. cook it yourself . BEST CHOICE ( if you want to learn cooking there is alot of cook school in Cm also i can point you to some )

2. look for me i bring you to some real Vegetrain food outlet . in fact i been eating it for 2 days now cos i miss the good food there since i reply your post .

3. keep your meal . bring your own food that you can buy from many of the super market .

4. maybe is time you convert into a fuitratian ( bascially you only eat fruit )

5. Hire me to be your cook . i can cook some really nice food my price start with $250 usd per hour ( seriously ) i get you the best fresh food and 100% no meat no fish . and still taste as good

location if you want to eat on the street ,

Chiangmai Gate have 2 outlet look out for this logo .

I went down to the outlet this morning at about 7am and i recall your post so here some photo not sure what time their close but about 3-4 pm i assume please check

Here is the logo you should be looking out - usually is a large yellow banner or flag .

The outlet is located at Chiangmai Gate . if needed please print it out and ask around chaingmai gate their food is CHEAP and good .100%

Since your Wife is Thai . i assume she like Somtum . here is a Vege version i ate this morning . and it tase SUper . with SEAWEED .

NOTE - some vege food in thailand EGG is added .depend on who do it .

- i am confuse cos i am lazy to read all am i talking abot the same person whahhahahahhahahhahahahhaha

protect yourself by being responsible to your choice .

blaming others is not going to make your life better .

so one fine day you and your wife might want to try the vege version of the puffy fish .and the chef give you some real stuff ..

so being responsible . maybe you should start writing and hire a good lawyer for your Will . so someone can sue for you after you die .

--- P.S

Seriously on the side note are you trying to Kill your wife ?

your wife seem to be having alot of food condition and seem like you care less to go extra out to make sure she is protected ..

from your last post . i think is time you custom your wife diet . there is no shy what so ever if you are suffering . but is there shy on your part to protect who you love ?

Edited September 30, 2010 by Ta22

[CMX]

I am mystified at the length of this thread.

In Thailand, food allergies are not generally understood, or at least not with the fear of a Western restaurant owner facing a lawsuit. This makes it risky to eat here for those with serious medical conditions or religious convictions, no matter what promises are given. The pan itself can be a culprit.

Therefore, I should eat exclusively at vegetarian places. There are a number of them and they are pretty easy to identify. Or I should cook at home, which is easier than changing a nation's ways - which can be sort of difficult. So we're forced to change ourselves to stay healthy and happy. Frustrations gone, worries flown for good.

It may help, if one is careful and the concern is not dire, to be or have along someone fluent in Thai.

'Nuff said or QED if you like.

Edited September 30, 2010 by CMX

[Blinky Bill]

i do understand cos i myself have my limit of food . but let spare everyone the info .

First i give you some serious advice .

--

When you got a condition is YOUR DUTY to take care of your Diet . Target special restaurant for your Meal or COOK it yourself . that what i do .

As much as you are still making noise here is a sign that you had not suffer enough which is good in a waye meaning you or your wife had not die from the food condition problem .

Why take the risk . the Asian way is much different from your way of life and knowing your problem or sharing it here do not really solve your problem . it would happen again and again . till one day one party suffer from it or rather many party suffer for you .

is all due to one simple reason .. you are not responsible enough to look for the right type of Food . all you prefer is by random walk into some food outlet and hope there bend their back for you .

,

my offer for you .

1. cook it yourself . BEST CHOICE ( if you want to learn cooking there is alot of cook school in Cm also i can point you to some )

2. look for me i bring you to some real Vegetrain food outlet . in fact i been eating it for 2 days now cos i miss the good food there since i reply your post .

3. keep your meal . bring your own food that you can buy from many of the super market .

4. maybe is time you convert into a fuitratian ( bascially you only eat fruit )

5. Hire me to be your cook . i can cook some really nice food my price start with $250 usd per hour ( seriously ) i get you the best fresh food and 100% no meat no fish . and still taste as good

location if you want to eat on the street ,

Chiangmai Gate have 2 outlet look out for this logo .

I went down to the outlet this morning at about 7am and i recall your post so here some photo not sure what time their close but about 3-4 pm i assume please check

Here is the logo you should be looking out - usually is a large yellow banner or flag .

The outlet is located at Chiangmai Gate . if needed please print it out and ask around chaingmai gate their food is CHEAP and good .100%

Since your Wife is Thai . i assume she like Somtum . here is a Vege version i ate this morning . and it tase SUper . with SEAWEED .

NOTE - some vege food in thailand EGG is added .depend on who do it .

- i am confuse cos i am lazy to read all am i talking abot the same person whahhahahahhahahhahahahhaha

protect yourself by being responsible to your choice .

blaming others is not going to make your life better .

so one fine day you and your wife might want to try the vege version of the puffy fish .and the chef give you some real stuff ..

so being responsible . maybe you should start writing and hire a good lawyer for your Will . so someone can sue for you after you die .

--- P.S

Seriously on the side note are you trying to Kill your wife ?

your wife seem to be having alot of food condition and seem like you care less to go extra out to make sure she is protected ..

from your last post . i think is time you custom your wife diet . there is no shy what so ever if you are suffering . but is there shy on your part to protect who you love ?

Another classic Tatootoo post.

How did we survive so long in your absence?

[Ulysses G.]

Since your Wife is Thai . i assume she like Somtum . here is a Vege version i ate this morning . and it tase SUper . with SEAWEED .

Where do you get the veggie Somtam - or is it home made?

Edited September 30, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[Ta22]

This is one of the better somtum i ate - is located at Chiangmai Gate - same as the above photo i show you .

There will ask if you want to ADD " BLA LA " and you got to say Yes . and there will add the Seaweed in it .

it taste very special and very nice MUST TRY !!!

Edited September 30, 2010 by Ta22

[Ta22]

Here a rough map -- if you still don't get it .. just let me know i will be happy to bring you there . i usually go in the morning at about 6- 7 am

[Ulysses G.]

Thanks Ta22! I eat there all the time, but I usually choose something that is on display. I will ask them about Somtam next time I go.

[Gonzo the Face]

This is one of the better somtum i ate - is located at Chiangmai Gate - same as the above photo i show you .

There will ask if you want to ADD " BLA LA " and you got to say Yes . and there will add the Seaweed in it .

it taste very special and very nice MUST TRY !!!

Now come on Tatutu..... is that really seaweed????

I do notice that there is very little of the green floating stuff in the river these days.

sorry....wahahahaha

Edited October 1, 2010 by Gonzo the Face

[jsflynn603]

I'm seriously intolerant to butter. It's an odd allergy but real.

Perhaps if someone was actually mean to me, I'd sit back down and eat it all, and then wait about 15 minutes. Then after about another ten minutes, nobody would enter that restaurant for several days. Really, it can be that bad.

If a person has a truly terrible allergy such as peanut or shellfish, which causes anaphalyctic shock and respiratory problems, they simply can never eat out--it's too dangerous. Even having an epi-pen (epinephrine injector) might not help as it's a one-shot deal, and in bad cases can wear out (another dose is needed) in about 6 minutes.

But it's true, people simply cannot understand or choose not to. Better stick to speciality restaurants or cook at home if it's a bad intolerance and absolutely if it's a true serious allergy.

[Ta22]

Thanks Ta22! I eat there all the time, but I usually choose something that is on display. I will ask them about Somtam next time I go.

Tell them you want it with " BLA la " i think instead of teh real raw fish paste there add seedweed to replace it , cos the first time i order somtum without bla la , there did not add seaweed to it .

GonZO .

whahhahahahah - it taste like seaweed , look like seaweed , hm.... i leave it to you , don't wait for me go find it out yourself .

life is an adventure

[OxfordWill]

Where do you get the veggie Somtam - or is it home made?

You can get veggie somtam anywhere they sell regular somtam. Depending on how picky you are you can ask them to clean the bowl out first (scrape it out- also helpful if you can't handle the spicier variety). And not to use fish water. Personally as I am not vegetarian for any moral or religious or health reasons I do not mind if a bit of fish or sauce mixes in- and in reality very difficult to avoid sea products like oyster sauce in for example fried rice dishes, not that you can usually taste it. I suppose you could argue trace elements of fish make the dish necessarily un-vegetarian but then you have to decide at what quantity of such products does a dish become non-vegetarian which I think is a dangerous path to go down unless you cook your food in a vacuum alone at home using products you grew yourself in soil you created yourself etc etc.

[Thakkar]

I used to be a vegetarian, grew up as one, and threw up the first time I ate meat. I also traveled a lot for work. In places like Guam, when I asked for vegetarian food, I'd often get asked if my restriction included fish. Or I'd say I was a vegetarian and would just like a grilled cheese sandwich. It would arrive as a grilled ham 'n cheese sandwich. I explain I'm a vegetarian and will just have a salad. I get salad with bacon bits. The variations were endless, but I eventually learned to order properly, anticipating all the possible misunderstandings.

Thirty years later, I'm guessing that one doesn't see this kind of ignorance in America anymore when it comes to vegetarianism. Thailand will eventually get there too.

[Ta22]

There is different between veggie Somtum and vegetarian SOmtum

The one i am showing is VEGEtarain SOM TUM -

Meaning . when there cook it ( more or less hammer it ) whhahahahhahha

there made the dish the recipe is Vegetarain base .. the fish sauce is replace with Soy Sauce . and the Fish paste is replace with Seaweed . and so on . the hardest part is to make it taste as good .

and amazingly the dish came out really really nice .

------------