You can't expect a restaurant just to whip up a special dish with no warning that is not even on their menuy. I don't think this complaint is reasonable... not at all. Did you call ahead? Did they promise you something they couldn't deliver? Doesn't sound like that.

Nobody likes vegetarians. : P

Adu : Right-o

I don't mind vegetarians, some of best friends are... But they don't expect to be "catered to". They wouldn't think of imposing on their dining partners by making special requests without doing some research or calling ahead. One of them even brings her own entree to dinner parties..Guess what, she gets invited often!

I don't think this has anything to do with being vegan or vegetarian. It's simply not reasonable to expect a chef to whip up something not on their menu with no notice.

Besides the appetizers, salads and side veggies, there are a lot of desserts. I would have made the best of it and had a salad and 3 or 4 desserts.

<<<I would have made the best of it and had a salad and 3 or 4 desserts.>>>

Just one serving of Emeril's banana cream pie is enough for dinner!

Mike - I like the way you think! Excellent work-around.

Hal, I am not a vegetarian but I found, as others have posted, dishes that your friend could have ordered so I don't understand what your friend's problem was.

I have a couple of severe allergies which is corn and dairy. So although I love both food groups I cannot eat them. Thank goodness that we now have the internet and can check out various restaurants menus before going to them.

Anyway, like others here I do not understand but I assume, from reading the menu, your friend was able to order dinner even though he could not get a meatless pasta dish.

Salad, cheese course, and two desserts?

And I'm guessing he probably could have ordered the orchietto pasta dish "hold the escargot".

LoveItaly, you could have asked the chef to whip you up something special, without corn and dairy.
;-)

A lot of hostility here towards vegetarians.

Suze, with reading the menu I believe I could order dishes that would work for me and if I had any questions I would have called the restaurant ahead of time to confirm that was true. I have some food problems but I don't expect a restaurant to cater to my problem. That is why I never go to Asian type restaurants as they all use corn oil and corn starch as a thickener. I love various Asian foods but I can not eat it, sadly.

Kailani,

I don't think the hostility is towards vegetarians in general, but rather the expectation that others should cater to their self imposed needs.

I'll be sure to boycott Emeril's except for their banana cream pie.

No, it isn't hostility toward vegetarians. I have been a non-meat eater at several points in my life, and my nephews won't eat "anything with a face!" (oysters, yes, shrimp, no).

It is hostility toward a group of people, only a few of whom are vegetarians, who have a sense of entitlement such that they make life harder for others in pursuit of satisfaction for themselves. The OP's partner happens also to be a vegetarian.

Exactly Ackislander. One of my closest friends as a zillion food allergies - shellfish, cabbage, beets, cherries... The list goes on. She does fine - she always finds stuff to eat and doesn't expect people to cater to her. Most people who only know her casually don't have any idea that she has these allergies.

They are similiar to the people who say, "You know I'm legally blind but drive any way."

Whether it is true or not you do not want to drive with them.

I have no hostility towards anyone's chosen style of eating. I just don't like prima donnas who think the world should revolve around them.

Saying that vegetarians have a self-inflicted disease and that nobody likes vegetarians is hurtful.