As a Vegan/Vegetarian have you have ever had a ‘nightmare’ experience when dining at a restaurant?
I am sure I would receive a resounding cry of “YES” to that question as, at one point or another, we have ALL got a “RAW” deal by our choice not to eat meat!
My husband’s family are Luxembourgish and we recently went to a well known Luxembourgish restaurant to celebrate a birthday. There was a cornucopia of dishes available on the menu for the meat eaters but unfortunately not one that would accommodate a Vegan like myself. My family very kindly explained my predicament to the waitress and after checking with the chef, she said they could make me something with vegetables (no dairy/no eggs.)
I was excited, as my recent jaunts in the U.K had led to amazing discoveries in a variety of ‘Non Vegetarian restaurants.’ But Heck was I disappointed when my meal arrived! It was, and this is no joke, a plate of cooked frozen veggies – no sauce, no spices, no imagination – nada! Now don’t get me wrong I am not blaming the restaurant or the chef; perhaps they are not well informed about plant based diets or just never get any requests for such a meal…..But €19.00 for a plate of frozen veggies is a bit of a joke…No?
Now I know I am not alone in my experience (and feel free to share your ‘horror stories’ in the comments section); but I couldn’t help thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice when dining out in a non- vegetarian restaurant, if you knew there might be at least one edible meal on the menu?”
The Vegan Society of Luxembourg had also reached the same conclusion and I was more than just a bit excited to learn that they had launched a petition asking for restaurants in Luxembourg to offer at least one choice for Vegetarians/Vegans!
In order for the petition to be debated in government it requires 4,500 signatures. That might not seem a lot, but in a tiny country like Luxembourg that’s incredibly difficult to achieve. A recent study by, The Economist, showed that Grand Duchy residents were ranked the biggest consumers of meat in the world and the second for beef. Indeed , according to the survey, the demand for meat products has “sky rocketed” over the last 50 years!
So, what chance do us non- meat eaters have of our dreams being realised here in Luxembourg?! To quote my beloved Dr Seuss;
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
So if you do care, and I really hope you do, take the time to sign the petition…
It is available online NOW at the Chambre des députés and closes on 27th March 2015. You can also contact the Vegan Society in Luxembourg on their Facebook page for further information.
Gutten appetit!
Credits: Photos by MyNewRoots, lettering by Linda Dieschbourg.