Buddhism

When my husband and I first went vegetarian we tried to not make a big deal of it when we were guests. We informed people upon invitation, but eventually we grew so used to eating without meat that it literally made us ill. Unfortunately it was the runs. And one tale from our family is a "vegetable" soup my sister served for lunch. It was in a beef broth. Our drive home from DE to NH saw the inside of every truck stop, gas station, and restaurant bathroom for one of us. Since then, we just eat what we can or drink lots of water. However, now our family and friends are very good at making sure at least one dish is ok.

Often we offer to bring or provide something. When our children were small we would all snack before hand and take snacks for on the way home. My girls still do that if they are going on say a school trip and aren't sure where they will have to stop for lunch. Occasionally they have had to order a deli sandwich and then pick off all the turkey, etc.

But it is manageable. Recently at a conference for work I had selected a cup of tomato soup, bread and built a salad at a buffet. My boss had also selected the soup. She tasted hers, leaned over and said, "I think it might have bacon in it." She was right. She ate my cup of soup. But mostly people are understanding and helpful.