Vegetarian dining issues on the table

THE letter by DB Rampurthab headlined “Vegetarians get a raw deal” (Sunday Tribune, March 12) refers.

As a vegetarian for more than 25 years, I fully agree with the sentiments expressed.

The service with regard to the preparation of vegetarian meals is a disgrace in most restaurants. Vegetarians are not considered important enough to cater for – as a result of a combination of insensitivity and ignorance.

On a recent visit to a franchise restaurant, I queried the vegetarian omelettes and was told they were prepared with the other meat items.

This has been an issue most of the times we have risked going out as a family (my husband and children are meat eaters) for a meal.

Again, as the reader mentioned, most people would argue that if it is a problem, why go to a restaurant?

Does this mean that because we are vegetarians, we are forced to eat at home for the rest of our lives?

We are all human – we would also enjoy eating something vegetarian prepared differently once in a while.

There are thousands of vegetarians in South Africa and I assume that many of them face the same predicament and choose not to go out for this very reason.

Maybe if more restaurants catered for vegetarians in a more knowledgeable and sensitive manner (without having to be forced to do so by organisations), more vegetarians would go out (and maybe even the meat eaters would be interested in what was dished up).

This would offer a financially viable prospect for those concerned with the monetary aspect.

Vegetarianism is a growing lifestyle choice and the restaurant/ dining out industry needs to take cognisance of this and alter its mindset in terms of meeting the growing demand. S AMBROSE Pietermaritzburg