How easy is it for a vegetarian living in the USA?
Posted by space_god_7191@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 324 comments
Posted by space_god_7191@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 324 comments
witchy12@reddit
I was vegetarian for 6 years, yes it's very easy. People often forget being vegetarian doesn't mean eating healthy. 99% of the time there will be meat-free options at restaurants.
Cautious_General_177@reddit
Even Brazilian steakhouses have salads and vegetables, and usually charge less if you're not getting the all you can eat meat.
jazzminarino@reddit
Yup. Back in the day, Fogo was $24 just for their salad bar whereas the meat option was $55.
Perdendosi@reddit
>99% of the time there will be meat-free options at restaurants
I mean sure, if your idea of "meat free" is french fries and a side salad.
My vegetarian wife eats LOTS of side dishes, because no one think of putting non-meat entrees on the menu. (This is especially bad at conferences or catered meals where there's only a buffet or one or two plated options.) She also has to put up with eating sides at a lot of our favorite meat-and-potatoes restaurants because she doesn't want to eat the kids' mac-and-cheese or buttered noodles.
nope-its@reddit
Do you live in an especially rural area without options?
99% of restaurants having vegetarian options (entrees not sides) is also pretty close to what I experience where I live.
DropEdge@reddit
Even here in the rural South, there are plenty of vegetarian options. The catch is that most of it is covered in cheese or battered and deep fried at American restaurants.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
I'm gonna test this. I am going to jump on google maps and drop in on a spot and find the closest restaurant!
BRB
DropEdge@reddit
There are vegetarian options, 100%. But entrees? Not so common. That's why "sides/vegetable plates" are common. (Even if it's not on the menu, ask. In my 52 years, I've found only one place that refused to work with me in the South at large. You may end up with a plate full of carbs, but you'll eat.
All your links show options for vegetarians; they're just not entrees or healthy options... which was my point. You can usually make a vegetarian meal happen really easily in the rural South, but your arteries are probably going to protest.
Curmudgy@reddit
I don’t view putting together a bunch of typical sides to be a meal. At best it’s subsistence.
DropEdge@reddit
What you're missing here is that, very often, that's how vegetarians "make lunch" in the rural South when they dine out. Have you never dined at a cafeteria, feasted at a potluck, or enjoyed dim sum? Because putting together a bunch of "typical sides" as a meal is not unusual among cultures worldwide.
jazzminarino@reddit
I feel like it's common enough for you to "pick 4" and all four are sides, or the same size as a side. My mother was functionally vegetarian- all greens or other vegetables, beans, and/or rice and then bread or cornbread.
JustABicho@reddit
Why skip Mexican restaurants? They have plenty of meat-free fare. Even little "burrito places". Vegetarians can eat like royalty there if they choose.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
The wrote "American restaurants".
JustABicho@reddit
As in "restaurants located in the US". The discussion is about how easy or difficult is it to be vegetarian in a place like rural Arkansas. I've never spent time there, but I would bet that there a few Mexican restaurants in the vicinity and it would be foolish not to include them in the offering (and Asian restaurants, but you didn't mention them specifically).
DropEdge@reddit
To clarify, I did actually mean restaurants serving American cuisine: local cafes/diners/drive-ins/restaurants. In my experience, Mexican and Asian restaurants absolutely have FAR more options for vegetarians.
For me, vegetable-related American cuisine in the rural South usually means beans are somewhere on the menu--but they're probably prepared with meat (usually pork) to enhance the flavor: same with cooked greens.
The pickles, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and okra are usually breaded and fried (though not always deep fried)-- so still vegetarian, but not something you can do on the regular. Mozzarella sticks are damn-near ubiquitous, and they're often the first thing a server will mention if the menu isn't marked for veg options and you have to ask. (And DO ask. They 100% put chicken broth in the dressing, even if you ask to leave off the chicken. There could be meat in almost any dish.)
Curmudgy@reddit
In my experience, the places identified as good Mexican restaurants are worse. Chains like Taco Bell or Moe’s are good, and I’d expect most Tex-mex places to have decent salads, but many of the little authentic Mexican restaurants, at least up here, at best will have rice and beans, maybe with some iceberg lettuce. You probably won’t starve, but you won’t enjoy it either.
mesembryanthemum@reddit
Here in Tucson vegetarian tamales are fairly common; I love green corn tamales and these days they are mostly year round.
Bright_Ices@reddit
That’s a good clarification for you to make, because the rest of us are talking about US restaurants in general.
LikeLexi@reddit
In rural Arkansas can confirm that vegetarian dishes wouldn’t be that hard to find. Within 5 minutes of me you could do cheese pizza, almost any pasta, and vegetarian fajitas, etc. Even the truck stop has fried potatoes, cabbage, and all day breakfasts(pancakes, eggs, waffles).
venturashe@reddit
And most restaurants that serve American fare (burgers, etc), that are made from beyond meat type products, heck even most of the fast food joints serve it as an option now. One of our steakhouses. Serves this, also pasta dishes and sandwiches portobello mushroom based, they even do veggie chili.
Curmudgy@reddit
It varies a lot. You need to check whether the wheat tortillas or refried beans are made with animal fats or the rice has been cooked with chicken stock (or other meat stock).
While Tex-mex places and Mexican fusion restaurants are usually ok, traditional Mexican restaurants are often difficult.
mst3k_42@reddit
Well you gotta be careful. For example, collard greens are often cooked with smoked ham hocks or bacon. Green beans with bacon too.
Bright_Ices@reddit
I mean, the non-veg food down there often is, too. Except barbecue.
shelwood46@reddit
Yeah, being a vegan is still pretty tricky, but if you are "merely" vegetarian it's not that bad.
nakedonmygoat@reddit
Where do you live that this is the case? I've been to a lot of places in the US and there was always at least one vegetarian option, as well as at least one ethnic restaurant, even in small towns.
Or is your wife vegan? That's harder to manage outside large cities.
klimekam@reddit
You’re eating at the wrong places. I’ve never lived anywhere in the U.S. that didn’t have some fantastic Indian places with plenty of vegetarian options. Even “meat and potatoes” places usually have a veggie burger. I’ve spent plenty of time in the states in your flair (my home state is Missouri) and I never had issues since I became a vegetarian in 1995. I had the best vegetarian poutine of my life in Iowa (even better than Canada) and the best veggie burger I’ve ever had was in Minnesota.
MyUsername2459@reddit
I'm reminded of a scene from The Simpsons: "It's rich in bunly goodness"
DharmaCub@reddit
Why are you making your vegetarian wife eat at meat and potatoes restaurants?
jlozier891@reddit
Yeah, exactly we can predict based on op’s comment that he is in fact FORCING his wife to eat there! It’s insane how much we can know about someone’s marriage from one comment on Reddit.
I’m a vegetarian. I go to meat establishments with friends and family if it’s their favorite restaurants, it’s apart of seeing the people you love. You don’t know anything about this guy or his marriage.
PennyG@reddit
People think of it, but typically not cost-effective to put vegetarian dishes on a menu at a regular restaurant.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
I realize, looking at your states, I may have had it pretty easy spending most of my time on the coasts.
I remember in like the 1980s out here in Mass. The ONLY vegetarian entree was (gag) Pasta primavera.
Now even a fish/steak house has a couple veggie entrees and several veggie appetizers.
AnUnexpectedUnicorn@reddit
What kind of vegetarian entrees?
brownstone79@reddit
That’s my wife. Going on 30 years as a vegetarian and doesn’t like anything green. Haha!
life_experienced@reddit
When my teenage daughter went through that phase, we called it "the white diet."
Gorkymalorki@reddit
My ex wife was a vegetarian when I first met her, but honestly she was more of a carbatarian, she basically lived off of pasta, rice, and beans.
redditsuckspokey1@reddit
Is that a real word?
Murderhornet212@reddit
Is it in the dictionary? No Do people recognize what you mean when you say it? Yes Is it a word? Pretty much
Utterlybored@reddit
It is now thanks to heroes like
Reduak@reddit
Hey, I turned "meatandstarchitarian" into a word to describe myself decades ago
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
They had a thought, expressed it using that word, and other people presumably had a corresponding thought upon reading it, so yeah, it's a word alright.
AndrasKrigare@reddit
"All words are made up"
Curmudgy@reddit
But I never knew there were people who ate carburetors.
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
Those folks are mostly Boomers and Gen Xers these days.
Steavee@reddit
People forget that language exists first and foremost to communicate thoughts and ideas to other people.
If that’s successful, then much of the time it was a perfectly cromulent word.
altblank@reddit
sure. all words are made up.
redditsuckspokey1@reddit
Technically the truth.
hail_to_the_beef@reddit
Nouns belong to what linguists call “open class” words in English, meaning you can make one up and if people understand you, it’s acceptable.
An example of a word that doesn’t follow this type of rule might be a preposition. They’re a lot harder to just make up and still convey the meaning that you would like.
TheDrake162@reddit
It is now
Plastic_Kangaroo675@reddit
Best feature of the English language
Phyrnosoma@reddit
it should be
mfigroid@reddit
The term it pastafarian. /s
Particular_Bet_5466@reddit
Yeah that’s interesting as a lot of people equate vegetarians to trying to be healthy. But there’s a lot of people who just don’t believe in factory farms (and good for them) but end up becoming carbatarians. Or they just maybe don’t know better. My sister was a vegetarian for years mainly for health reasons, but it was quite difficult for her to keep a proper balanced diet. When she got pregnant she gave it up and started eating chicken.
My cousin is extremely against factory farming and is a strict vegan. He does also manage to keep a fairly balanced diet despite a lot of essential nutrients that are easy to be deficient in with that diet. I commend him because I’m so picky as it as I would whither away if I restricted my diet to his extent.
funklab@reddit
This is the vegetarianism that’s easy in the US. Even in food deserts you can find a vegetarian diet (snickers, Mountain Dew, Doritos, ramen noodles, etc).
A healthy vegetarian diet where you’re eating mostly vegetables, fruits and legumes and not highly processed foods is a bit harder.
Particular_Bet_5466@reddit
Right, if we’re talking about strictly just not eating meat that’s not hard at all in theory. I have vegetarians in my family and there’s always something on the menu without meat. I don’t know if this was a philosophical question or what. For the most part I don’t think anyone is going to force you to consume a hamburger.
Responsible_Ask3976@reddit
I couldn’t give up fish so I stayed pescatarian
quitealargeorangecat@reddit
Same with me. When I was about 7, I realized I couldn’t eat meat anymore because I didn’t want animals to die for my food. The next day, my family went out for sushi.
I’ve been a pescatarian ever since.
RTR7105@reddit
Many more animals die for vegetable and fruit production. You mean cute animals.
Responsible_Ask3976@reddit
It wasn't about saving animals for me. It was because I just didn't like the taste of red meat/chicken. It tastes metallic to me
juliabk@reddit
My daughter has done that. Couldn’t give up sushi.
Responsible_Ask3976@reddit
Sushi is so good! So I’ve been pescatarian for a little over a decade. Works well in that I get my protein still
juliabk@reddit
Whenever I order in, I will often get tofu as my protein in a bowl , or whatever the restaurant calls it. Firm tofu holds up nicely and takes on the flavor of the foods it’s with. Also, Greek yogurt is my go to breakfast. Ratio has a 25g protein version that’s very nice.
Responsible_Ask3976@reddit
Oooo nice. I just had some tofu for dinner and used yogurt to make my dark chocolate banana muffins
juliabk@reddit
I love the tofu at Honeygrow. Think that’s the name. A lovely noodle bowl with veggies and tofu for protein. Soy is magic.
Responsible_Ask3976@reddit
I just get mine at TJ's
Inside-Try-394@reddit
India is the place to be a vegetarian if you like food.
LieutenantStar2@reddit
NYC? Easy. Dallas. Fucking awful.
Justmakethemoney@reddit
Same, and I stopped being veggie in the 2010s.
I will say it was substantially easier when I lived in a major university city on a coast. Rural Midwest was rough when it came to eating out. It’s a lot better now, though.
Thunderplant@reddit
Extremely easy, except maybe in the Deep South. I had a bit of trouble eating at restaurants in Louisiana. But everywhere else I've been I've ate great.
HotTopicMallRat@reddit
Rural or nah?
Limp-Strawberry-5830@reddit
I’m not a vegetarian, but it’s pretty easy
I mean, I did it a girl who was basically a vegan and it wasn’t that hard
But pretty much every restaurant has something that’s gonna work for a vegetarian
Particular_Bet_5466@reddit
I saw a map that said there was only 1 purely vegetarian or vegan restaurant per million ppl in South Dakota. Wyoming was 2… which equates to 1 total. Oregon is 27 per million. So there is a difference in region to an extent, but I’m not sure it makes it that much harder aside from you maybe being the odd vegetarian around many others who aren’t.
I’m sure most restaurants have options that work if you want to go out to eat, and grocery stores around the US are pretty well stocked with ample options. There’s Walmarts everywhere with vegetarian stuff.
But I notice regions definitely cater to it a lot more for those who want to go out to eat or shop at vegetarian focused markets. I have vegetarians (with differing limitations) in my family and they can usually find something on any menu at any place we go to. When we make meals it’s usually a mix of stuff and they will just not eat the meat part or whatever.
ca77ywumpus@reddit
Pretty darn easy. In some rural areas you might not be able to dine out much, but getting ingredients to make vegetarian dishes isn't difficult. Even tiny towns without a major grocery store have rice, beans, potatoes, and peanuts. Plus you can order just about anything you could imagine online.
SubstantialPressure3@reddit
Plenty easy.
Grocery stores are everywhere, there are more vegetarian restaurants near large cities than there are rural areas, but even if you're in a rural area you can cook.
One of my kids was vegetarian, and then vegan for several years. We didn't go to vegetarian/ vegan restaurants. We learned, together, how to cook her food, so she wasn't living on veggie burgers and spinach nuggets.
There were some specialty ingredients she wanted that I had a hard time finding, but that was before Amazon was a big thing and very common. Luckily she loved a lot of cuisines that had a lot of common vegan recipes, so we started there, with her favorites. I was able to make sure she had healthy food as a single mother with no child support.
When I made a family dinner, I started things as usual, and removed a portion for her before any animal products were added, but she cooked with me and learned with me. She was also a very polite kid and didn't go around being obnoxious to people because they ate foods that were different than what she ate.
The economy is pretty terrible right now, but it's easy to be vegetarian, and much cheaper.
WolfThick@reddit
If you're close to a farmers market you probably got a chance but you need to stick to seasonal which is I hear actually healthy for you.
botulizard@reddit
Very easy. Easier than ever. Even Burger King has a meatless burger option now.
Derwin0@reddit
Pretty easy since no one is forcing you to eat anything you don’t want.
Weird-Highway-3958@reddit
Even in the largest cities, it can be shockingly hard to find restaurants that serve vegetarian dishes that are actually vegetable forward and not "fake meat" based, especially since the popularization of Beyond meat.
If you don't like eggplant, mushrooms, TVP, or seitan your options can quickly become very limited. That being said, if you just need food and don't necessarily care about whether its got vegetables, cheese pizza and French fries are vegetarian and available everywhere!
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
Very much depends on the area. Cities will tend to have a decent number of options, and there are a handful of chains that are good for veggie stuff. Rural areas can be a lot harder, and there is more meat-eating culture in certain areas over others.
mmeeplechase@reddit
Yep. I live in a major city, and there’s basically never an issue with finding a great veg option at any restaurant, but I’m consistently a little surprised by how much harder it is when I’m traveling to more rural places.
Suppafly@reddit
I suspect at least part of the issue while traveling is that you aren't actually familiar with the area and what's available. Google maps and such helps, but they often have limited or outdated menus.
BearFluffy@reddit
Weak take.
Rural areas inherently already have fewer businesses.
The businesses that they do have are likely lower quality than more populous areas, due to lack of competition.
A lot of rural towns also only have burger/sports bar type restaurants (and pizza places). My old rural town had about 4 or 5 restaurants that all had roughly the same menu.
A vegetarian could order most things off the apps menu: jalapeno poppers, pickle fries, loaded fries/nachos (hold the bacon), and maybe one or two other items.
They could probably order a cobb salad, a house salad, or maybe a Caesar salad. Hold the meat.
Entree wise, they'd be able to get a grilled cheese.
At the one upscale place in town that served fish in addition to burgers, they'd likely be able to combine a couple sides to make a meal (rice, side salad, steamed veggies, potato)
Suppafly@reddit
I dunno, most towns, once they are big enough to move beyond Joe Bob's bar and grill type places, usually have a place that has beyond meat or veggie burgers as an option. Not saying it's a great option compared to dedicated veggie places, but even for meat eaters, small towns often don't have a ton of selection.
BearFluffy@reddit
As someone that goes between veggie and meat eating, the variety while shitty, was still much better as a meat eater.
Texas Roadhouse is kinda the perfect menu for showing it. It's not a bad place to take a veggie, and you can do a couple meals before it gets real boring. Whereas meat diets, I could do 4-8 before getting bored.
Suppafly@reddit
Sure but that's always going to be the case in a country where the primary protein is meat. It's not realistic to assume that veggie options will ever be on par with meat options.
like_shae_buttah@reddit
Lived in rural areas all over the south, in Iowa etc, was easy.
CronosWorks@reddit
Just don’t ask what’s in the beans and you’re fine.
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
Yeah, that was always my issue in rural areas. You can find vegetarian options, but so much is cooked with lard or other animal ingredients. Like I'm a vegetarian in New Mexico, and it's way better than it was 20 years ago, but I can't tell you how often I am looking into a New Mexican restaurant and see a menu that looks super vegetarian-friendly, only to learn that everything is cooked in animal fats, lol.
I have had similar issues in the South and the Midwest, too, but it's been a minute since I've lived there so can't really speak to the current conditions.
nowhereman136@reddit
Even rural areas mostly have decent supermarkets and resteraunts. You can go into any McDonald's and order a salad. Yeah, it's easier in cities but not impossible in rural areas either.
There are "food deserts" that could make being vegetarian impossible, but if you live in one of those areas then even the meat eaters are suffering
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
The McDonalds near me do not serve salads - I just checked.
Subsisting on sides and fries is not "easy to be vegetarian." Will you die of starvation anywhere in the US for lack of vegetarian food? No, but I don't consider that "easy."
nowhereman136@reddit
huh, apparently all McDonalds stopped selling Salads during Covid and never brought them back. I never notices.
Wendy's still does. So does Chik-Fil-A, Subway, and Culvers. But thats just fast food. Expand to casual dining and Olive Garden, Applebees, and Chili's all have salad options. I never said "easy to be vegetarian" in these places, i just said its not impossible. You go the rural parts of any country in the world (besides India) and try to be vegetarian, you will likely have a harder time than you do in the US.
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
"Able to find a salad" is not the same as "easy to be vegetarian." But yes, I agree, there are some countries where it is harder to find vegetarian food than the rural US.
cgund@reddit
Almost no FF restaurants still offer salads. Wendy's and Chik Fil A are the only national places still hanging on. Carl's/Arby's/McD's/BK all jumped ship years ago.
shelwood46@reddit
The much derided "gas station food" places do, though, I know Wawa and Sheetz have salads and a number of veg options.
nowhereman136@reddit
Subway still does, there are more Subways in the US than any other fast food chain with 20,000 locations. Wendys, Pizza Hut, Chik-Fil-A, Chipotle, Dominos, and Taco Bell all have vegetarian menus
moonbunnychan@reddit
McDonald's got rid of salads during Covid. Now there truly isn't any vegetarian options there. I used to get the yogurt parfait if I for whatever reason ended up there and that's gone now too. It sucks because McDonalds is by far the most prevalent restaurant and where people In with often want to stop at if we're in a road trip or something.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
It is? I ask because if you take Interstate 20 across Texas, you might run across 5or 6 in 700 miles. You will run across plenty of other fast food and convenience stores with hot food.
moonbunnychan@reddit
Actually I just double checked and it's actually Subway. McDonald's is number 2 though.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
I can see Subway because they are in several travel stores. (Truck stops).
nowhereman136@reddit
i mentioned in another post that i didnt realize McD got rid of their salads. But there are plenty of other fast food and casual dining places that still have salads. I was just using McD as a catch-all for fast food in general
InannasPocket@reddit
Agree, but even in the rural Midwest you can usually find something vegetarian ... if you're at a rural bar and grill your options might be pretty limited, but they exist.
Eating out at places like the and trying to get vegan food is very hard though!
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
I don't think managing to barely find something is the same as "easy"
machagogo@reddit
Only if you are dependent on eating out.
If you make your own food it is easy everywhere.
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
I guess I kinda assumed OP meant in regards to eating out, but it's true they didn't really say that. I would say it's still different in different regions.
I have gone to grocery stores in the middle of nowhere that have very few options for tofu, or meat substitutes (I like them, I know some people don't).
Yeah, if you're happy with literal rice and beans it's "easy" everywhere. Eating a good variety of foods? Anywhere from "possible" to "easy."
machagogo@reddit
OPs question is rooted in the Euro's idea that it is not possible to purchase produce at US grocery stores
shelwood46@reddit
Also I know in the UK, the go-to vegetarian "meat" substitute is haloumi, which yo can find certain places here but is not universal and is not the go-to for US restaurants, who use a variety of things (tofu, jackfruit, seitan, various "impossible" meats, mushrooms, beans, potatoes, you name it).
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
Yeah, not a fan of the UK's use of halloumi for everything
Crayshack@reddit
If you do a lot of work travel (like I do), cooking at home isn't always an option.
DogsBikesAndMovies@reddit
I'm an omnivore, but in my experience. u/Ok-Shift4105 has nailed it. It really depends on the size of the city. I live in Seattle. From grocery stores to restaurants, there are PLENTY of options here fore vegetarians and vegans. Smaller cities, it's limited.
Ok-Shift4105@reddit
Seattle is an excellent place for veggie food. Certainly above average.
hayleybeth7@reddit
Depends on the area/circumstance. I was pescatarian in high school because I lived near the water and couldn’t give up seafood, it was all around me. Then I started eating meat when I went off to college. I chose a small school with not a lot of options, period. It was either gonna be cook most of my own food while being forced to pay for a meal plan I wasn’t using or eating less than the best.
giraflor@reddit
It’s a big country and the ease varies between communities. Living in a diverse, urban area helps. I can order vegan soul food carry out from a place 10 min away or sit down at a very nice Strictly vegetarian Indian restaurant about 20 min away. There are life long vegetarians in my family and I personally have been an on again/off again vegetarian for forty years. Our experience is that living in the DC Metro area, it is very easy, but 90 min away in rural PA, VA, or WV is harder.
GSilky@reddit
Easier than anywhere else, most likely. Some places are more culturally supportive, but then everything else usually makes it a wash. My sister in law lives in London and she is a vegetarian. She has no issues wherever she visits in Europe, but still thinks it's better here.
Thereelgerg@reddit
What is the "it" you're asking about?
Melenduwir@reddit
The same 'it' as when we say "it's raining".
Lilylake_55@reddit
Vegetarian, easy. Vegan, not so much.
SueNYC1966@reddit
My daughter’s boyfriend is a third generation vegetarian. Hasn’t been hard for his family. It might be hard for him to marry into a Greek-American family. He already jokes about having to eat lamb.
ArkansasTravelier@reddit
I’ve got to imagine it depends on where you live and how you like to live, any town or city with more than 50k people probably has several restaurants with vegan/ vegetarian options and several who cater specifically to vegans and vegetarians as well, but if you like to just eat at home every chain grocery store in the US is going to have obviously regular food that is vegetarian and vegan but also all of the fake “chicken nuggets” and impossible burger patties and all that mess. Walmart carries that stuff now and you’d be hard pressed to find a town without a Walmart close to it.
CosyBeluga@reddit
Vegetarian is easy. Vegan is harder. I been to diners in bumfuck nowhere that still had vegetarian options
sean8877@reddit
Yeah there are plenty of veggie options most everywhere
Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit
I know quite a few vegetarians. It's not hard, except for at people's homes are assholes.
SassyGirl0202@reddit
Easy
Ghee-Starr@reddit
It’s super easy in Richmond, VA. My wife is vegan. Which is even stricter. And, there are plenty of restaurants to visit!
Utterlybored@reddit
Pretty easy in any place other than really rural areas.
old-town-guy@reddit
Vegetarian? Not at all difficult. Vegan? Much harder.
albertnormandy@reddit
They don’t sell lettuce and apples where you are?
old-town-guy@reddit
Silly me, presuming that OP didn’t want to just always eat at home, or just always order a salad with vinaigrette.
like_shae_buttah@reddit
Definitely not. Vegan almost 10 years now, travel for work never had an issue. Even in literal deserts, rural South and Midwest - it’s easy.
goodbye_rubytuesday@reddit
I've been a vegetarian since I was a child in the 90s - have always lived in cities or inner-ring suburbs and have never had any real issues, except for when traveling through/to rural areas. Even then, I can usually find something bean-based in a grocery store for protein - rural restaurants can be trickier.
AlarmedWillow4515@reddit
I've been a vegetarian since 1991, and it's gotten much easier. There will be at least 1 decent vegetarian option at every restaurant in a city, with barbecue places being most difficult. In rural areas, you have to look out for the Chinese or Mexican restaurant that is in practically every rural town.
biggcb@reddit
Very easy
YoshiandAims@reddit
Depends where you live, but, very easy, generally.
farmerthrowaway1923@reddit
Very easy. Even in my small ass east Texas town it’s very easy.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
Now? In the majority of the country, very easy.
It was WAY different 30-40 years ago.
Realtrain@reddit
Which is interesting because the % of vegetarians in the US has remained pretty steady at about 5%.
CinemaSideBySides@reddit
If I had to venture a guess, I'd say part of it is due to trends of healthier eating. A lot more people are doing meatless days as a health thing even if they're not vegetarians.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
Maybe - I doubt it's well documented but I didn't know one for about 10 years. (I think I started 1981-1982.) You really had to keep it on the down low or get an earful.
"According to The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), vegetarianism grew from roughly 0.3%–1% in 1994 to 2.3% in 2006."
Realtrain@reddit
Interesting, Gallup shows a pretty steady 5-6% since the late 1990s
https://news.gallup.com/poll/510038/identify-vegetarian-vegan.aspx
Stephmarlowe11@reddit
I became a vegetarian in 1997 and it is wild to me how much easier it is to eat out (fast food or sit down) than when I started. And I lived in a suburb of Chicago, so not somewhere tiny. Not to mention the way meat substitutes have exploded onto the scene.
dew2459@reddit
Absolutely. My oldest sister went vegetarian some time in the 1980s. For many years eating out for her was either one of the small handful of Indian restaurants or accepting a side salad as a main dish. Now most places have multiple vegetarian options, plus many, many more Indian restaurants around here.
LABELyourPHOTOS@reddit
Yeah, I started in 1982. There was a single veggie burger in the store in like 1984.
zeptillian@reddit
Absolutely.
Tomahawk513@reddit
Yeah it's considerably easy. The only time it might be difficult is at a party at somebody's house, especially during the summer when grilling is common.
TheSauceOx@reddit
I’m vegan and it’s easy in Chicago at least, you will need to learn how to cook though and bring your own food to occasions
Bluemonogi@reddit
I live in a small town in rural Kansas. You can buy vegetarian or vegan friendly products even here. We don’t have a lot of restaurants so that might be harder but if you want premade stuff from the grocery store then it is available.
Mustang46L@reddit
Very easy as long as you make food at home. Going out to eat requires eating the one item on the menu that is vegetarian.. or going to a specialty restaurant.
Honestly, it saves you a lot of money because you won't go out to eat as much. 😂
BaffledBubbles@reddit
Easier than being vegan, but even being vegan is pretty easy. In my small town, there are some convenience items I can't find, but I don't struggle to eat a balanced and satisfying diet. There's a Taco Bell nearby if I want a quick bite, they're basically the holy grail for vegan fast food. I do miss living in a bigger city, because there's usually an Asian or Mexican grocery that will have very cheap spices, grains, and produce which make any diet, even an omnivorous one, more interesting and varied.
kerisugi@reddit
It's very easy to be a vegetarian. There are veggie options at most restaurants and large grocery stores with lots of variety. You may get some snarky comments from carnivores but there's tons of vegetarian options
BakedBrie1993@reddit
Extremely easy. To be vegan too. I started when I was 13, 25 years ago and it was easy then. American grocery stores tend to be full of produce, beans, and grains.
It's only easier now because now you can get more processed food, microwave meals, and other prepackaged junk food. Not complaining lol
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Very
Saltwater_Heart@reddit
Almost every restaurant has vegetarian and vegan options besides salads
Amockdfw89@reddit
Very very easy. If you live out in the boonies you might have to cook for yourself most meals (especially in the south or rural Texas with lots of Mexicans where pork lard or bacon grease sneak into everything). But pretty much every grocery store will have what you need
Curmudgy@reddit
For home cooking, it should be easy nearly anywhere. Eggs, dairy, beans, and grains are readily available, along with a wide selection of vegetables.
For restaurants, it’s easy for me in the northeast (though I’m pescatarian). Most restaurants will have vegetarian options, and we have a good number of vegetarian restaurants.
But I’ve traveled places in the US. where it can be difficult. No one wants to live on potatoes and broccoli every day.
SteveCastGames@reddit
I’m not a vegetarian so take my pub with a grain of salt, but here goes. I live in a relatively rural part of the south, and there’s no shortage of options here. All the grocery stores have sections for vegan/vegetarian stuff. The restaurants also usually have a few options. It’s very doable.
ReactionAble7945@reddit
As easy as you want to make it.
If you go to a steak place, they have steak, baked potatoes, salad... and that is it. So options, be happy with a baked potato and salad, or go some place else.
What you are really asking is do restaurants make vegetarian meals that are MEALS. The answer it it depends. Check out all the fast food places, I can not think of anyone selling a vegi burger.
Why? They dont sell.
Ok-Walk-8040@reddit
It’s easy to find vegetarian options at restaurants. It’s even easier to buy vegetarian food at a supermarket.
catslady123@reddit
I’ve been a vegetarian for about 15 years. It’s gotten a lot easier to eat out and have a variety of options, that’s for sure! I often ask for substitutions in restaurants (omissions, really… “can x be made without the meat”) and if they can’t be accommodated I can almost always order something else. I love a meal made from sides!
I travel a lot and ease of access to vegetarian options varies pretty significantly. But generally speaking, it’s not hard to make it work.
And of course I could always just cook at home, that’s the simpler solution. And I do, but I love going out to eat!
VinegarMyBeloved@reddit
Very. Most restaurants have at least one thing that’s vegetarian or can be easily modified to be vegetarian. Lots of menus are labeled nowadays too. Vegetarian proteins like tofu are easily accessible
VentusHermetis@reddit
if you mean lacto-ovo, extremely easy. If you're vegan, it depends how rurally you live. The more rural, the more you will want to learn to cook.
cHaNgEuSeRnAmE102@reddit
Extremely easy. There’s so many vegan/veggie options now compared to back in the day.
moonbunnychan@reddit
Ya. I've been a vegetarian for the majority of my life, since the mid 90s, and I can remember how hard it was even 20 years ago. There's still a handful of places that don't have anything, and I always check the menu before I go somewhere, but for the most part everywhere will have something. Although I admit it does kind of suck how often places will have one token veggie option so that's the only thing I ever order at a place.
imateasnob@reddit
I'm kind of the opposite. I get overwhelmed when a menu has more than 2 or 3 choices for me lol.
cHaNgEuSeRnAmE102@reddit
Eating out sucks. It’s always impossible burgers lol and it’s fried to death because the cook aren’t skilled in that area to cook vegan/vegetarian foods. Although I can’t really complain about it, since it’s the diet I choose.
Loud_Inspector_9782@reddit
Very easy
bytheriver123@reddit
Very
happyhummus007@reddit
Pretty easy. I've eaten vegan for almost 10 years and more and more restaurants offer vegan options
ZimaGotchi@reddit
Easy - as long as you consider high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and enriched white flour to be vegetarian.
MarkNutt25@reddit
Why wouldn't someone consider all of those things to be vegetarian?
ZimaGotchi@reddit
Because they want to be healthy.
GenericAccount13579@reddit
That has nothing to do with vegetarianism? Those are all extracted from plants with no animal products involved
ZimaGotchi@reddit
So's styrofoam.
GenericAccount13579@reddit
What’s your point
ZimaGotchi@reddit
You really want to know? Often my comments on Reddit are designed to remind me how gross the people I'm interacting with actually are.
ChocolatePain@reddit
Lmao, bizarre person
quitealargeorangecat@reddit
Vegetarians don’t have to eat healthy.
ZimaGotchi@reddit
Then what the hell's the point?
quitealargeorangecat@reddit
Not wanting to kill animals, not liking meat, environmental concerns, there’s lots of reasons.
ZimaGotchi@reddit
If you don't want to kill animals don't kill yourself by eating poison
sparrow_42@reddit
All the things you listed are literally vegetables.
ZimaGotchi@reddit
Well, they were at once time anyway - but no animals were directly killed to produce them which I guess is the important thing to Reddit vegetarians.
Arleare13@reddit
But the question wasn’t about eating healthy, it was about eating vegetarian.
Fun_Background_8113@reddit
Vegetarian ≠ healthy
Sh0ckValu3@reddit
I think what they mean is "just as long as you don't equate "vegetarian" with healthy+fresh"
pinniped90@reddit
??? Those are unambiguously vegetarian...
msabeln@reddit
Conflating “vegetarian” with “healthy eating”.
Delicious-Ad5856@reddit
I'm vegan in the Philadelphia suburbs. I do not have any problems whatsoever. Rice, beans, fruits, and vegetables are cheap. It only gets expensive if you buy meat and dairy substitutes and eat out.
klimekam@reddit
I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 5 years old (I’m 35 now). It’s not terrible depending on where you live. I live in the mid-Atlantic and there’s plenty of good food options.
Now if I lived in Maine that would be an entirely different story. By far the worst place I’ve ever visited for vegetarian options in the United States. EVERYTHING has seafood in it, even the salads.
Best place is Pittsburgh. I lived there for two years. I’m not sure why, but their vegetarian options are plentiful and delicious.
LookingForWhimsy@reddit
It depends on where you live. I’ve found that the west coast is overall more vegetarian (and differing diets in general) friendly than other areas. I can eat at most restaurants without any issues here, but in other areas I might only get to have a salad and side of carbs as a meal (and even then the salad will sometimes be covered in bacon). Some restaurants will only have one fryer for everything, and sometimes they won’t have a separate space on the grill for vegetarian or vegan foods either, so none of the food offered then (beyond a salad), will safe for me to eat. Some places use dead animal product in their sauces, or frijoles as well (pork bones in marinara, lard in frijoles), and they’ll claim it’s vegetarian safe. There’s a pretty famous Gordan Ramsey episode where the restaurant is serving pork contaminated marinara to vegetarians, and rotten shellfish to guests too. I’m not vegetarian for “moral reasons”, I’m for respectful hunting and against factory farms, but I’m also ✨very allergic to dead animal products✨. When I travel I have to be much more inquisitive about the food offered in restaurants than when I’m on the west coast.
markuus99@reddit
I've been a vegetarian for about 20 years. It's pretty easy in most places, but I do sometimes have difficulties when traveling outside bigger cities. But generally incredibly easy.
ThePurityPixel@reddit
Depending on one's friend group, one can expect anything from light teasing to total support.
You'll find most restaurants quite accommodating; except perhaps in small towns, catering to such requests isn't uncommon.
cottoncandymandy@reddit
Very.
makinbankbitches@reddit
If you live in a city or suburban area, pretty easy. If you live in a rural area it would be harder and you won't have a ton of options when eating out. But even fast food nowadays usually has some sort of vegetarian option. Plus rural people generally eat at home mostly where you can cook whatever you want.
shelwood46@reddit
I'd add that most tourist areas are really good about being sure there are vegetarian options on menus and at the grocery store (I'm in the Poconos), they are trying to accommodate a lot of people.
Maurice_Foot@reddit
Depends on their job and their rent or mortgage.
IthurielSpear@reddit
Yes
TokyoDrifblim@reddit
Extremely easy, i've been doing it my whole life.
MissFabulina@reddit
If you live in New York, or any other big city, super easy. If you live in a rural town, in the middle of nowhere, not as easy. Unless you plan to eat every meal at home.
Suspicious-Sorbet-32@reddit
At least where I live it would be extremely easy to cook vegetarian at home and go out to eat. There's tons of vegetarian Indian spots and most restaurants have vegetarian options
Consistent_Damage885@reddit
I eat vegetarian and I find it easy. Almost every restaurant or gathering has at least one thing I can eat.. But you can't be too picky.
MarkNutt25@reddit
That really depends where in the US you live. In urban California? Super easy. In rural Texas? Not so much.
lolomo119@reddit
When I moved to rural Texas and told people I was vegetarian they said they thought that was only something people did on TV.
They very kindly handed me the bun, lettuce, and tomato at the BBQs.
Phyrnosoma@reddit
how long ago?
I knew vegetarians in the rural panahndle that did OK cooking. Eating out in Fritch or Booker would be a stretch but they only have one or two restaurants each
holytriplem@reddit
New Orleans sadly inherited their lack of vegetarian options from their French forefathers
SnooCheesecakes2723@reddit
They friends in whether you’re going to eat out or cook at home. Which is always easy. Lots of veggie and vegan recipes.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
If you shop in grocery stores or eat in regular restaurants, no issues. If you want fast food, you will have potatoes and onions.
maccrogenoff@reddit
It depends on where in the US.
I live in Los Angeles, CA. Here and in other large cities it’s easy to eat a vegetarian diet.
In more rural areas, I’ve heard that it can be challenging to follow a vegetarian diet.
cans-of-swine@reddit
In rural areas we have plenty of vegetarian options like fish and chicken...
mfigroid@reddit
I don't think you understand what vegetarian means.
maccrogenoff@reddit
I’m hoping they were being sarcastic.
I had a friend from Memphis, Tennessee who told me that for vegetarians they removed the ham hock from the greens before they served them.
MadHats3@reddit
Mighty tough. American vegetables are mighty fast and highly elusive.
mr-singularity@reddit
Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants are guaranteed to exist in every major city. But many towns have an option or two as well. The only real pain point would be super rural places that don't have many options to begin with. I've traveled with people who eat plant based and finding somewhere to go pretty much anywhere hasn't be an issue.
Some cities like Portland or Seattle have more of culture around it. But really any major city will have options.
Super markets especially corporate owned ones all stock plant based alternatives on top of produce.
CantCreateUsernames@reddit
For just regular grocery shopping, it should not be too difficult. However, some places definitely have better fresh food options than others. For example, we have "food deserts" where it is very difficult for people to access fresh, whole foods at affordable prices.
When it comes to eating out, it really depends on the location. If you are in any of the major coastal cities, especially on the West Coast, you will have plenty of vegetarian and vegan dining options. If you are in a small town in rural Oklahoma, then good luck finding quality vegetarian or vegan dining options.
SunnyCynic@reddit
Stupid easy. One of the few reasons I miss the U.S.
Arizhela@reddit
for me it's pretty difficult. I think the biggest issue for me is that I'm on the go a lot, and while it is relatively easy to find vegetarian dishes on restaurants, the variety is very lacking so I get tired of the same stuff. stuff. I'm a sucker for variety so whenever my friends want to go to a restaurant and I know that I'm stuck getting the same thing. instead of getting to try something new, it gets very difficult.
I'm always out late or traveling somewhere, and a lot of times. the only thing that can really get is like McDonald's or fast food or something.
Aggravating-Key-8867@reddit
Vegetarian is pretty easy. Vegan can be hard.
makestuff24-7@reddit
I have celiac and I'm vegetarian and I eat every day. Most supermarkets have bean, peas, lentils, tofu, eggs, yogurt and plant or dairy milk, and the good ones also have gf pasta.
Drew707@reddit
I had a roommate in college who had celiac. For the most part he was really on top of it. Pretty strict keto-esque diet and stuck to distilled spirits. But every once in a while, when we would go out drinking, he would get to the point where he would get the inclination to switch to beer because he loved beer, but he would be fucked up for like the next 18 hours.
I remember one time I didn't see him until like 6 PM and he comes out of his room looking like absolute death...
"Drew, why do I do this to myself?"
"I don't know Marty, why?"
"Because I fucking love the Coronas and I always am drunk enough to think it will be different this time."
...he retired back to his bedroom, and I didn't see him again until the next day, a full 24 hours after his last beer at least.
Seems like a terrible condition to have to live with.
He did say that the gluten-free fad was the best thing to happen for him, but he did have some self-consciousness issues about asking for gluten-free options since he didn't want to be judged as a fad diet douche.
makestuff24-7@reddit
Before I ever knew I had it, I stopped drinking because I just couldn't seem to recover. Five-day "hangovers" from two beers is ... well, it's not normal. Anyway, it is a lot easier than it used to be but the fear of being judged is real! I always worry my gf bun is going to be dragged over the breadcrumb bin just because I asked for it. (This has never happened, but food sensitivities can make us paranoid, especially when only loud dudebros and other obnoxious people share our diet.)
Drew707@reddit
I've never worked in food service, but many of my friends and family have, and they assure me the movie Waiting type shit would only happen in the worst of establishments and allergies and cross contamination are taken very seriously at most places.
Last year I was at a conference in Vegas and the person next to me was accidentally served I think sesame after explicitly being asked about allergies, but the kitchen fucked up, and the server called the hotel medical staff to check her out. Thankfully she only had a minor reaction since she noticed quickly. I can't remember the details, but I believe the casino took very good care of her after that.
makestuff24-7@reddit
I have worked in food service and my assessment is the same as yours. And I have invariably been taken seriously and have never had a takeout or restaurant meal that hurt me (possibly, because I have worked in food service, so I am kind in my approach). But man, that fear doesn't leave. I don't even have digestive symptoms--"just" migraine, insomnia, body aches, fatigue, and brain fog. I can't imagine how harrowing it is for those who feel it in their gut.
Drew707@reddit
My old college roommate definitely had the gut issues among some of the others you experience. Thankfully we were living in 3x3 place where we each had en suites.
I'm grateful the only allergy I have is a severe reaction to poison oak. I'm so diligent about it, though, that thankfully I haven't gotten it in many years despite it being everywhere around here. You also don't need to think about when doing something as basic and common as just eating.
I feel for you.
Bubbaxx1@reddit
Pretty easy if you choose... no real obstacles
Imbrex@reddit
Depends on where. Usually very easy. Other times you have to order the salad without bacon to have anything. It is much easier than it used to be.
ItsAlkron@reddit
I literally know someone who became a vegetarian out of spite to prove to another vegetarian in college that they were just being a baby complaining that being a vegetarian at the college dining hall was difficult and to get them to shut up.
Years later she's still a vegetarian out of spite for that person.
So, evidently totally doable and easy if you actually are motivated.
BookLuvr7@reddit
Yes. We have a lot of vegetarians and most restaurants have vegetarian options. I've made vegetarian and vegan dishes for friends several times. My husband and I prefer meat light ourselves.
drunkemoji11@reddit
If you live near a city, it’s easy af. Out in the boonies you’ll have less options
Top-Web3806@reddit
I’ve been a vegetarian for over a decade. On a day to day basis it’s super easy. My friends and family are all aware so it’s easy to choose restaurants that I can easily eat at. The only time it becomes really challenging is when I’m forced to go out to dinner for like a work function and I don’t have any say in the place. There are many restaurants that have zero vegetarian options especially if they’ve chosen a seafood place or a steakhouse which are pretty common for those types of events.
No_Atmosphere_6348@reddit
Generally easy, much more so now than when I was a kid but there were always (since I can remember, specifically) fake meats available at the grocery store, for example.
bcuket@reddit
if you live in the city, probably easy. if you live in small town, probably hard.
Unusual_Form3267@reddit
Extremely easy.
The Health Department regulates dietary restrictions pretty intensely. They mainly focus on allergies, but they are pretty hardcore about wanting restaurants to properly label what is and isn't gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. They put out new guidelines yearly on ingredient labeling and such.
Most restaurants have vegetarian options.
PlinyCapybara@reddit
It depends on the area, I'd say.
No-Contact6664@reddit
Probably the easiest and most variety.
Ellavemia@reddit
It’s extremely easy to be vegetarian. Vegan is a little more challenging but definitely doable.
stillpacing@reddit
So long as you can find a Chinese or Mexican restaurant, you're eating fine.
Given that those exist basically everywhere, it's pretty easy.
ReferenceCreative510@reddit
We have plenty of edible plants and restaurants that serve various combinations of them in North America. Why would it be difficult?
wvc6969@reddit
In general a lot easier than other countries
Adorable-East-2276@reddit
The only places I’ve seen where it’s easier are India, Thailand, and Britain.
ketingmiladengfodo@reddit
Really depends on the country you're comparing it to
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
Brilliant insight, thank you for you're contribution.
SabresBills69@reddit
today most restaurants have vegitarian/ vegan/ gluten free menu options
SisterShiningRailGun@reddit
In most big cities you're not going to have a hard time at all finding restaurant food you can eat as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. It might be harder for vegans, but not impossible.
Sugah-mama21@reddit
Extremely easy
Vachic09@reddit
It depends on where you are. Some places are more difficult to eat at restaurants. Some have a decent variety for vegetarians.
like_shae_buttah@reddit
I’m a vegan and it’s trivially easy. Even when living in a literal desert it was easy. Traveled the US for work and never had a a problem.
Informal_Persimmon7@reddit
My experience is with East Coast cities and yeah, it's really easy. Restaurants have vegetarian options. Vegan would be more difficult because then you've got to watch out for eggs and cheese.
OneSignature7178@reddit
A lot of poor people are accidental vegetarians. As in they can't afford meat so they don't eat it. So it's very easy. There's been a few times in my life where I was very happily sustaining on beans and noodles.
Crayshack@reddit
It really depends on where you live.
My sister is vegan and was vegetarian for around 10 years before she made that switch, so I'm in the habit of looking for vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Sometimes, I just find myself not in the mood to eat meat, and I'll grab a vegetarian meal.
What I've found is that, if you are in a major urban area, you'll probably be fine. There might be some individual places that aren't great, but there will be enough restaurant options to keep you fed. My sister was in California for a while, and she had a favorite sushi place because they had enough vegan options on the menu that she could have fun eating there.
However, I've found that once you get into more rural areas, option varieties disappear. You'll see less and less in the way of vegetarian options, and you'll start to run into people who act like you insulted their mother if you say you don't feel like eating meat. I've met a lot of people who think of "a meal" as "a big slab of meat and maybe some stuff on the side." The restaurant options reflect this, and very rural areas might be impossible to eat out in as a vegetarian. At best, you'll be eating a lot of very samey salads without much variety.
Since I'm not a firm vegetarian and I just like eating vegetarian meals regularly, I find this mildly annoying (and will occasionally give me an upset stomach if I go someplace where it's hard to find a fresh vegetable). But I've heard my sister complain about the difficulties she's had enough to know how hard it can be for someone who is more firmly vegetarian.
Luckily, when I got to conferences for work, my coworker who plans team dinners and such is a pescatarian who will frequently not be in the mood for fish, so she's in the habit of making sure there's always options for all dietary restrictions. The next conference I'm attending, she's in charge of planning the entire conference (like, she's running the show), so there's always a nice vegetarian option at all meals for the entire conference there. That said, I've heard people complain about the vegetarian options even while they ate their meat option because of that whole "people who act like you insulted their mother if you say you don't feel like eating meat" problem. It's very annoying that such people exist.
RemnantSith@reddit
I went to a Renaissance fair with my vegetarian friend and I accidently only ate vegetarian food without noticing. I had a tomato,cheese, oregano empanada. An arepa (basically a corn cake with cheese in the middle). Curly ribbon fries. And a bunch of mead. I was full and didnt even notice I didnt eat meat
Listen2theyetti@reddit
The usa is a big place. If you are in a more concentrated more liberal area it will be easier
Theguyoutthere@reddit
It has to be easier here than anywhere else I’d think. So much food available versus other places where things are limited.
sessamekesh@reddit
Portland? Trivial. You probably don't even have to think about vegetarian diets when finding somewhere to eat. I've been to restaurants that specialize in meat-y cuisine (ramen, sushi, pho) and there's still veggie options.
Kansas City or Dallas? Easy enough but you do have to think about it a bit more. I worked at a wing bar out Dallas-ways (Pluckers, miss them) that took a weird amount of pride in the only vegetarian menu item being a kid's grilled cheese sandwich.
elisabethofaustria@reddit
One restaurant doesn’t exactly speak for a city as a whole. I live in Dallas and there are over a dozen fully vegan restaurants, plus neither or my vegan friend have ever had much trouble finding options.
sessamekesh@reddit
Totally. "Easy enough". I haven't been anywhere in America where it's hard to be vegetarian.
If you're in Dallas you'll have to think about where you're going to eat, but it won't be hard.
I'll get a bit nit-picky, the dishes I listed are meat based in the countries they come from. You can make Americanized veggie versions that are fantastic, but ramen is almost by definition served with a pork broth, traditional sushi always features fish, pho is either beef or chicken.
krendyB@reddit
Depends on where you live. I lived in a hippie mountain town & there were multiple thriving vegetarian restaurants. Then I moved to New Orleans & had to start eating meat again.
IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit
I went on several roadtrips with a vegetarian friend. She always found food. It wasn’t always gourmet everywhere, but honestly neither were the non-vegetarian options. Even small town hole-in-the-wall places have things like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, all-day breakfasts (eggs, pancakes, potatoes), spaghetti with marinara, or a loaded baked potato, hold the bacon. But even small towns can have good options. Get the Happy Cow app on your phone.
And any place you’d call a city, there are tons of options.
breaststroker42@reddit
The USA is big and it depends on where you are.
Mammoth_Ad_4806@reddit
It depends on where you are and what type of vegetarian diet you follow.
Vegetarian foods (like produce, grains, legumes) are easy to find as long as long as one isn’t in a food dessert).
Vegetarian products (like mock meats and premade meals) the selection, quality, and prices vary wildly, even within a narrow radius.
Vegetarian options at restaurant options also vary wildly and can be a rip-off. I understand charging the same a Beyond Burger and a hamburger, but like, why is my rigatoni and marinara just as expensive as my spouse’s giant plate chicken parmigiana?
_Smedette_@reddit
Going to depend on where you live. It was extremely easy in hometown (Portland, Oregon). I’ve also lived in Boston and have been frequenting Philly for 20+ years where my husband’s family are from - all good cities for vegetarians.
I lived in Charlotte for five years and it was tricky, as even vegetable dishes could be made with lard or chicken broth.
mamaMoonlight21@reddit
Very easy in my experience. Been doing it my whole life
offdutypaul@reddit
Better than it used to be! I've been a vegetarian for 25 years, and when I first started I lived in a medium sized town in Kansas and it was rough at times. Going to cook outs and eating condiment sandwiches. At restaurants the only options were to ask for the quesadilla or the fettuccine Alfredo without chicken, or a side salad. Got made fun of constantly in high school and college (got called a vagatarian, constant jokes of 'hey there's meat in that Har har) People didn't understand at all, or would be confrontational (but do you eat chicken? But why? But you haven't tried my steak, etc) It's a lot different now that I live in a larger Metropolitan area where almost every restaurant has a few options, and at events there is always a veggie option but when I go back home to visit family it is still hit and miss.
SnowOverRain@reddit
More difficult than in Europe but easier than in Latin America.
donuttrackme@reddit
America and Europe and Latin America are way too big to be making this broad sweeping statement.
elisabethofaustria@reddit
Agreed — for example, there are several countries in Latin America with a higher percentage of vegetarians than the U.S.
aleister94@reddit
Easy if you have a lot of money in most places
Agreeable-Sun368@reddit
Super duper easy. Vegan is harder, but not really unless you want to eat out somewhere very rural.
zoopest@reddit
The closer you live to a big college, the easier it is
473713@reddit
I find a vegetarian or vegan diet very easy to maintain in the US. I've been doing it for 45 years now.
CroweBird5@reddit
In the city at least, very easy.
the-quibbler@reddit
Extremely easy. Nearly every public food source has vegetarian options of some kind.
Tim-oBedlam@reddit
Generally easy unless you're someplace really rural, like eastern Montana.
My wife's vegetarian (not vegan); no problem finding good food. Occasionally some restaurants will be a little difficult, with few meat-free options.
Motor_Inspector_1085@reddit
It’s way easier nowadays. Some areas are more vegetarian friendly than others and you’ll have to get a bit more creative, but unless you’re in a small town with one diner, you shouldn’t have a problem.
ayebrade69@reddit
I imagine so yeah
SheShelley@reddit
It wasn’t a yes/no question?
zeptillian@reddit
Is that a statement or a question?
madqueen100@reddit
Depends on where you are. Cities, especially college towns, will have a decent choice of restaurants. Vegan food, though, may be a bit harder to find than vegetarian, but is still possible. I know quite a few lifelong vegetarians and they seem to find appropriate things on most menus.
Traditional_Trust418@reddit
Ive been vegan for nearly five years and I was vegetarian for a couple of years before that. I've lived in either Wyoming, Idaho, or Montana for the entire time I've been plant based. The largest area I lived had a population of about 25,000. Other three places were much smaller.
It isn't hard being vegan or vegetarian in a small town if you cook for yourself. It's sometimes hard to find food at restaurants, but there are plenty of places where you can at least modify something to be vegan. But I've always been able to at least eat a side of fries or something.
But even in small towns you can find beans, rice, bread, and frozen fruits and vegetables. And even in the small towns a lot of stores sell tofu and other plant based proteins
circket512@reddit
For a vegetarian it’s easy. For a vegan, a bit more difficult when eating out.
SorbetUnfair2589@reddit
Easy unless you’re lactose intolerant and gluten free
zeptillian@reddit
Way easier than ever.
Pretty much every grocery store has a frozen vegetarian section now and there are way more options than salad or grilled cheese even at normal restaurants.
DJPaige01@reddit
It is pretty easy. Every grocery store has a produce department.
TheBimpo@reddit
Vegetarian, pretty easy. Vegan, pretty challenging outside of major cities/college towns.
L8dTigress@reddit
It depends on where you go.
Regular_Efficiency61@reddit
Extremely easy.
It was fairly easy 20 years ago, now it’s like a fucking vegan wonderland. I don’t even have to shop at health food stores anymore for specialty items. Just regular supermarkets.
ChilindriPizza@reddit
It is very easy to be an ovo-lacto vegetarian in the USA. I always find food options and substitutions without issue.
Heykurat@reddit
In major cities, extremely easy. Especially areas with a high Indian population.
The_Motherlord@reddit
Very easy.
I was a vegetarian from the mid 80's to the late 2000's. Never had any issues at all. I think once I received green beans that had bacon in a small roadside diner in the early 90's. Being a vegetarian is such a non-issue that I remember the one shocking time a vegetable dish came with meat.
A_plus_USA@reddit
My mom is a vegetarian and I have a vegan friend.
It's incredibly easy.
AfternoonPossible@reddit
Rice and produce and tofu is available basically everywhere. Extremely easy.
jessek@reddit
They sell vegetarian food at Walmart now. It’s pretty easy, where I live most restaurants have some dishes.
machagogo@reddit
Very easy in any recently urbanized area.
Very easy if you are cooking for yourself no matter where you live
TeacherOfFew@reddit
Insanely easy. You just might only have one or two options.
ThoughtSenior7152@reddit
I think it would be but best bet is to go to Cali honestly, it’s like a garden center over there
Rays-R-Us@reddit
You run the risk of being detained by the government and deported back to Vegetaria
BanjoBaedling@reddit
I'm a vegan, so vegetarian but more restrictive than the lacto-ovo vegetarians. It's not too bad, but it depends a lot on where you live. If you have access to a reasonable well stocked grocery store you'll be fine. Obviously vegetables and grains and all that, but also most grocery stores I've been to have several vegetarian options like Impossible Meat or jackfruit meatballs or whatever else. Plant milk is also extremely common now. And most will have at least some vegan cheese options, including things like vegan cream cheese. If you live in a city there are probably some restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options. Vegan cheese on pizza, Impossible Burgers, etc. The quality does vary. Columbus, Ohio has incredible vegan food, Charleston, South Carolina less so, and if you're in a small town you may just have fewer options to choose from. It's fairly common for restaurants to mark their menus with what options are vegetarian, sometimes also having a marking vegan or gluten free markings. Culturally it's fine, most people don't care all that much about someone being vegetarian. Some people like to mock or harass vegans but it hasn't been that common in my experience. I just avoid weirdos and it's fine.
AndyVZ@reddit
Grocery stores everywhere will have produce, supplements, and pre-packaged food that support being vegetarian. Most restaurants will have a salad and 2 or 3 dishes that are specifically vegetarian, some restaurants will have a full section of options on their menu, and some restaurants will not have any (steakhouses and bbq places are the most common sort of place where even the vegetable sides might have some bacon in them). Most burger places offer some sort of veggie patty.
So - fairly easy. Vegan would be much less convenient, though in any reasonable sized city you should still have several options for dining out.
Maybeitsmeraving@reddit
Vegetarian is only hard to accomplish if you can't cook at all or lack access to basic cooking equipment, AND you can't afford to eat somewhat more expensive convenience foods. Cooking vegetarian is cheaper than cooking non-vegetarian if you're actually cooking. Tofu and lentils are cheap, quick to cook, and take any kind of flavor. If you don't or can't cook at all, then there are some food desert areas where finding vegetarian convenience food is a little harder, but it's doable unless you have pretty tight financial constraints.
If your family is assholes it can be tough for holiday meals. But it's typical to see at least one option in restaurants, even quick and casual places, even places with meat forward menus. Grocery stores usually have some vegetarian prepared food options. The options might not always be vast, but there are almost always options.
Icy-Whale-2253@reddit
You land at the San Francisco airport and it’s like the Garden of Eden for them
Quirky-Bad857@reddit
Very easy if you live in a city, esp. with Southern Indian neighbors. I live in Northern VA, and it is really easy to be a vegetarian here. All of the restaurants have vegetarian options and many vegan ones as well.
aloofLogic@reddit
I don’t see how it would be difficult anywhere. Vegan, on the other hand, can be challenging depending on the city and state.
SheShelley@reddit
These days it’s pretty easy. I mean, don’t go to a steakhouse expecting to find many options, but a lot of restaurants offer meatless entrees and/or meat substitutes now. (And obviously if you’re cooking at home it’s not a problem.)
anonymouse278@reddit
Pretty easy, especially if you're not vegan. I've lived my adult life in a conservative part of the country where vegetarianism isn't hugely popular and was still a vegetarian for years without much difficulty.
It's significantly easier now than it was thirty years ago, and it wasn't that hard then.
If there's a demand for products here, somebody is going to try to meet it. You can get vegetarian options at most restaurants, and a variety of meat-substitute products like veggie burgers and seitan at regular grocery stores.
NatasEvoli@reddit
Depends. The more rural you are, the tougher it'll be.
stillwatersrunfast@reddit
Beyond easy. Probably easier than in Europe.
donuttrackme@reddit
Much easier than most other counties (other than places like India that have a lot of vegetarian or vegan people because of religion/culture.)
GreenLost5304@reddit
Vegan is where it really starts to get difficult in some areas.
If you live in an urban area, it can be difficult to find restaurants which have vegan options. If you’re vegetarian theres probably some option you can get and just sub out the meat, pasta and salads come to mind, but you probably can’t sub the cream out of a pasta sauce or the anchovies out of a salad dressing.
Sinaz20@reddit
This isn't a serious question right?
Like, we have the second largest agricultural land use in the world.
If you are near civilization, you will be near numerous supermarkets in which a third of the store is devoted to fresh produce. Likely every restaurant will have vegetarian/vegan options so long as you focusing on places other than like, a BBQ joint. Likely to find an Indian restaurant in town. Lots of small towns have great hipster cafes and restaurants devoted to vegetarian menus.
So... easy. Super easy. My wife eats vegetarian at In n Out of all places!
lavasca@reddit
Come to the west coast and it will be easier. However, live on the coast not 2 hours inland.
This is very dependent on the specific city. On the west coast you’re likely to find a lot more cities that embrace vegetarians.
samosamancer@reddit
Very easy. Not as easy in rural areas but still possible. Being vegan, though, is a real challenge outside of big cities, and not always easy in them either.
MuhBack@reddit
It’s very easy
Happy_Michigan@reddit
Depends on which town you are talking about. Usually, pretty easy.
daveescaped@reddit
My wife and son are vegetarian. Doesn’t seem o be an issue.
Maybe if you expect an endless menu of vegetarian options you’ll be disappointed. But every restaurant has a salad.
I let her pick the restaurant. That probably helps..
southstrandsiren@reddit
I was a vegetarian for about 20 years. It wasn't as easy as not being a vegetarian, but it wasn't hard, even in podunk SC. When I lived in bigger cities (Savannah, Durham, Myrtle Beach), it was easier, but since I like cooking, it was totally doable in more rural areas too.
pinniped90@reddit
Kansas... There are multiple farmer's markets near my house plus grocery stores all have pretty good produce. Except for maybe some exotic ingredients it seems like it would be pretty easy here.
Ok_Orchid1004@reddit
Really hard. Don’t come here if you’re a vegetarian.
SockSock81219@reddit
Very easy these days, even if you live out in the sticks. Grocery stores are typically huge and have an enormous variety of options. Every restaurant at least has salads, but will often have large vegetarian or even vegan entrees along with meat options.
Perplexio76@reddit
It's easier in urban and suburban areas as there are vegetarian/vegan restaurants and/or restaurants that include a substantial amount of vegetarian options on their menus.
As far as buying in a grocery store to make yourself at home-- most grocery stores carry enough vegetarian items that it is absolutely do-able just about anywhere. It's just that in many less developed areas, the vegetarian/vegan menu options may be a little more limited.
annazabeth@reddit
very, as a 90% vegan (ovo vegetarian), extremely. US as a country has the most vegan restaurants than other countries according to VegNews.
RatonhnhaketonK@reddit
I am vegetarian and do alright. Stuff can get expensive as hell tho
MaximumOk569@reddit
Doable everywhere, easy in major cities.
the_real_JFK_killer@reddit
In a big city, extremely easy. In a more rural or small town area, it gets more difficult.
GlitteringLocality@reddit
Very easy. I have celiac and I can’t eat gluten and I am surprised how many restaurants have options for me. Most will have options for you!
Littleboypurple@reddit
Very region dependent. Some places might be a bit harder than others but for the most part, it is extremely easy. Plenty of restaurants offer Vegetarian/Vegan Options and your average supermarket will have alot to pick from. It is way easier to do it nowadays compared to before the 2000s since there is a bigger market for such things.
Crafty_Ish1973@reddit
Very. Every major grocery store chain has plant-based options on the shelves and restaurants offer options.
kmoonster@reddit
These days, it's pretty easy in most parts of the country. There are plenty of options available, the only question is which store in your area carries what items.
If you live in an area where the only practical option is a single big store it gets a bit trickier but still doable if you're knowledgeable about general nutrition and a half-way capable cook.
There are even companies who specialize in vegetarian and vegan options, you just have to do the legwork to find their distributors in your area.
ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit
It's harder than not being one, but most restaurants, etc. will have some kind of vegetarian option.