Now, I'm sure we all know what makes something vegetarian, right?
Well, it would seem that not everyone is aware that a vegetarian diet is one that does not include any meat or seafood under any circumstances - no matter how seemingly minuscule the quantity is.
Because of this, one waitress has been left absolutely furious and at her 'wits end' after discovering the allegedly veggie restaurant she works in uses fish products in its food.
The hospitality worker, who goes by the handle @Blaise242 online, took to the 'Tales From Your Server' thread on Reddit to open about the ordeal.
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She titled the post: "I just discovered that the bistro I work in is using meat products in vegetarian dishes."
"Oh boy does this place keep causing me problems," she began. "You can look at my post history and see some of the other problems I've had."
Explaining that she herself is a 'vegetarian' meaning the situation 'hit close to home' for her.
"This may be a controversial post but I would like to start off by saying I don't despise, judge, or hold any ill-will towards people who eat meat, its just not for me," she explained.
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One of the reasons the Reddit user started the job in the first place is because they seemingly 'catered so well to vegetarians and even vegans' with tofu option offerings for 'everything'.
"We serve a large number of vegetarians and vegans," she went on. "That was actually one of the things that helped me stand out as a server because I could help meet dietary restrictions."
So, the waitress took it upon herself to 'improve' her skills and ' learn exactly what goes in every dish' at the eatery which is when she made the bombshell revealtions.
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She penned: "That's when I discovered that many of the dishes I order and suggest are made with oyster sauce."
After double and triple-checking the brand and ingredients, the server confirmed the restaurant 'definitely has both oyster products and fish products'.
"In hindsight it makes sense, these dishes always mess with my stomach," she went on. "However, I assumed it was because they are rich or have a lot of oil.
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"But I'm very upset that I was misled and served meat and I'm even more upset that I served it to other vegetarians."
While she was clearly 'upset' by the situation, the waitress admitted she didn't think it was 'intentional.
She then explained a previous situation where she went over to the owner's house, who's aware she's vegetarian, and they cheffed her up a dip made with imitation crab.
"They thought because it was imitation is was vegetarian, it's not," the waitress carried on. "I assumed they messed up because this was a chill environment.
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"But I had confidence that they knew what they were doing in the kitchen."
The worker resolved that she should 'obviously' talk to the owner about the mix-up before revealing: "I've waited a couple of days since discovering mostly because I had such a visceral emotional reaction and I didn't want to do anything rash.
"But I am not confident that talking with them will do anything."
She claimed the owner 'shoots down every idea, plan, and criticism', adding: "For example they opened a bar for the restaurant and they refused to even order lemon juice because it's 'unnecessary' for drinks."
The waitress disclosed she was now at her 'wits end' and is left confused over 'what to do'.
"I honestly want to quit," she added. "This isn't the main reason it's just the straw that breaks the camels back.
"I mean best case scenario is that they are just grossly incompetent."
The server then asked the platform: "What would you do? Am I overreacting?"
One Reddit users suggested: "Maybe spin it as a possible allergen concern? Oysters/shellfish are top 10 allergens and if you set it up as public health and legal reasons, the owners might be more receptive (aka money)."
A second advised: "Vegetarian oyster sauce is quite common, at least here in the UK.
"Might be worth framing a conversation something like 'Did we get the wrong oyster sauce delivered? This one is not the vegetarian version'. Gives them an out to save face while letting them know you have found out."
A third pointed out: "Vegetarian or not, this is a real problem for somebody with a shellfish allergy."
Topics: Food and Drink, Real Life, News
Rhiannon Ingle