I’m more often stuck with the grilled cheese option when I find nothing vegetarian considering the eateries I frequent, but @Ezraklein is right. These tasteless “entrees” are the most insulting at the finer dining spots where there are only five or six options for the main course. When you ask about what a vegetarian would eat, the server will often say “Oh, the chef has something special for you.”
That something special is inevitably too oily or too damp, often looking like a slow cooker recipe gone wrong. Think yellow squash, zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, etc. — maybe sun-dried tomatoes if you’re lucky — all thrown onto a plate and doused with oil, vinaigrette, salt and pepper for some notions of taste.
Klein calls upon us to stop putting up with it:
Vegetarians of the world need to stop accepting the GVP. It’s an insult, both from the kitchen to the diner, and from the kitchen to itself. It’s not that hard to cook without meat, and choosing to eat less meat shouldn’t result in a form of culinary punishment for diners. We can do better. Change is possible. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. So say it with me: “No. The grilled vegetable plate is not acceptable. Do you have pasta? Or pizza? Or salads? Or an employee trained in the art of putting different kinds of foods together on a plate in order to create a satisfying dining experience for customers? Because if not, my party and I will go elsewhere.”
I steer away from it as much as I can — trying to think up substitutes for the meaty recipes they might be able to manage — but the GVP often seems unavoidable. Now I just need to get myself not to put up with it. The one hitch is when I dine with some send-it-backer who literally cannot be pleased. It’s at that point where I’ll sit, suffer, pay for it and maybe order an extra drink or a nice dessert to make it up to myself. I know I’m a pushover, but I think I have a point. The vegetarian at the table should get first dibs on complaints!
