Forums: April 2011 Kickstart Forum: the thought that counts, I guess
Created on: 05/05/11 02:53 PM Views: 2408 Replies: 12
marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 217	the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 2:53 PM recently it was my birthday (yeah!) a very dear friend gave me a $50.00 gift card (generous) to a restaurant where none of the items are vegan and they can't make them vegan. (it's a chain in the USA) why would she do that? what would you do?
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mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 2:57 PM She probably just wasn't thinking... many people don't. Sorry to say. They can't make ANYthing vegan? That's just sad. In that case, REGIFT! Molly Horn
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:16 PM Since you asked.... First i would say thank you very much. second i would see if the resturant would give me the cash or sometimes chains own different resturants.. then you can exchange it for one in the same company.. like red lobster & olive garden are the same. if all else fails, give it as a gift to someone else for either birthday or Christmas. Then sometime later take that special friend out or have them over to dinner so they understand your eating style. When your friend asks, whatever you did smile and say how wonderful the gift was, how gifts are always a wonderful surprise, and tell her the truth about what you did with it.
	Edited 05/05/11 3:17 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 217	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:38 PM well of course I thanked her. She knows how I eat because we've been out together before, and she knows I'm a vegan. It's from the Olive Garden and per their webpage nothing in the restaurant is vegan, not even they salad(?)
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 217	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:47 PM regifting isn't a bad idea. My bicycle club has an annual auction, so maybe I'll donate it.
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1001	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:56 PM oh i did find Capellini Pomedoro.. tomatoes, garlic, basil evvo.. and a nice glass of wine.. shared with a friend and one more who doesn't drink... designated driver.
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 217	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 3:57 PM but if you look at their web, they say nothing is vegan. wonder if there is eggs in the pasta
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mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 11:48 PM I've been to Olive Garden recently and treated it as I do all eating out occassions - I'm as vegan as I can be. I ordered whole wheat pasta with pomodoro sauce, and had salad with no Parmesan, and breadsticks. Sure, it wasn't the best meal ever, but it certainly wasn't bad. Perhaps you could take that friend as your lunch date, and in a slightly snarky move, she'd see that it is difficult to find a good vegan meal at a place like that. Molly Horn
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2087	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 9:04 AM marge wrote: but if you look at their web, they say nothing is vegan. wonder if there is eggs in the pasta They'd have to know if you asked them since some people have egg allergies. Odds are good that their pasta is NOT made with eggs - most dry Italian pastas are simply semolina flour and water. But, in the interest of checking carefully, I just went to their website and sent a "Contact Us" email to see if they use dairy or eggs in their pastas. --Deb R
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greenish Joined: 03/31/11 Posts: 53	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 11:46 AM I wouldn't assume that your friend really knows much about your diet beyond the fact that you don't eat meat, eggs, or dairy. She probably did give some thought to the gift. She probably thought... well, she can eat pasta without any meat or cheese, and she can eat salads, so Olive Garden is probably a good option. I doubt that the thinking went much further than that. Before opting for a vegan diet myself, that's about as deeply as I would have thought about it! Most people have no idea what's vegan/non-vegan beyond the truly obvious. You have to really do your research to know what's hidden in foods. I think the ideas about asking to exchange for cash or a gift certificate somewhere else are good ones. I also think it's a good idea to email the head office and ask about what on the menu can safely be ordered vegan. And if you don't feel comfortable eating there, just regift it and let it go.
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greenish Joined: 03/31/11 Posts: 53	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 11:46 AM I wouldn't assume that your friend really knows much about your diet beyond the fact that you don't eat meat, eggs, or dairy. She probably did give some thought to the gift. She probably thought... well, she can eat pasta without any meat or cheese, and she can eat salads, so Olive Garden is probably a good option. I doubt that the thinking went much further than that. Before opting for a vegan diet myself, that's about as deeply as I would have thought about it! Most people have no idea what's vegan/non-vegan beyond the truly obvious. You have to really do your research to know what's hidden in foods. I think the ideas about asking to exchange for cash or a gift certificate somewhere else are good ones. I also think it's a good idea to email the head office and ask about what on the menu can safely be ordered vegan. And if you don't feel comfortable eating there, just regift it and let it go.
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marge Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 217	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 1:11 PM greenish you're right, she probably thinks exactly that way. hey thanks everyone for their feedback
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2087	RE: the thought that counts, I guess Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 4:05 PM From Olive Garden: - Our Garden Salad with oil and vinegar, including our breadsticks, is a great way to start off your experience with us. - One of the following pastas that do not contain egg can be paired with our Marinara or Meat Sauce: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, angel hair, capellini, or our shells. - We also have our Zeppoli, Italian doughnuts served with chocolate sauce. Please note, the pastas are prepared in the same area as other menu items, such as ravioli, that do contain eggs and there is always the possibility of cross introduction of other egg-containing products. We must ask that you use your own discretion when ordering these items. Also, we appreciate your desire to know which items on our menu are dairy-free. Like you, we are concerned about your health and safety. Olive Garden uses butter and/or cream in almost all sauce recipes. Because of possible cross introduction of dairy components or items such as butter and margarine inadvertently being mixed up, we are unable to safely recommend any of our menu items. As your safety is our first concern, we are sorry we are unable to assist you at this time. So, the pastas in general are egg free and the basic tomato sauces may be (they have some that are basically tomato-basil and nothing else) --Deb R
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