Help! Have to go to a cooked food fest tonight- ugh.

[c'estlaviebelle]

My boyfriend is Scottish- American and we are going to a Robert Burns dinner celebration tonight. (Robert Burns was a famous 19th century Scottish poet- I'm adding this because I didn't know who he was until recently).

The food is all cooked- I looked at the menu and it is all meat too. Between the haggis (don't ask what is in it), and the rib eye and cooked salmon, even the soup has meat... I'm going to be in for a struggle.

I don't want to be a party pooper and not eat anything, but then again I don't really like Scottish food anyway, so breaking the raw rules wouldn't even be worth it for this type of food (plus, everything has meat anyway)...

How do you handle this type of situation when you are raw? I need serious help. I already warned my BF that he will be getting 2 servings of everything. I just hope they have a salad which doesn't already have meat/cheese in it.

[Im2Fruity]

If it were me, I would eat before, bring your own food, and focus on the people not the food. If anyone gives you a hard time, it's really their problem. You're entitled to eat what you want.

[Eva]

They won't have a garden salad?? If they do, it's so tried and true easy for me to stay raw at a restaurant then... Just bring a small container with avocado, salad dressing, mixed nuts and raisins order an "entree-sized garden salad" and boom, you're golden. :)

[c'estlaviebelle]

I'm hoping they *will* have a garden salad, but it is one of those events with a set menu. So, here is the menu:

Cock-a-Leekie Soup
then
Haggis wi' bashed Neeps and Tatties
then choice of
Baked Scottish Salmon over Savoy cabbage
in a lemon-parsley sauce
or
Boeuf à la ficelle, creme de raifort
Filet mignon poached in broth to medium rare, poached leeks & horseradish cream

followed by...
Typsy Laird Scotch Whisky Cake
wi’ a dram o' Drambuie on the side.


I'm hoping that salad is available, because everything else is cooked (and unhealthy to boot)...

*keeping fingers crossed that a salad will be available*

I will eat beforehand, but it seems at those dinners that they force the food on you.

[Bananna]

Um...tell them you're allergic to meat! ...and I guess keep your humour about you

[c'estlaviebelle]

Um...tell them you're allergic to meat! ...and I guess keep your humour about you


LOL! I should tell them I'm allergic to haggis! teehee

Hopefully everyone will be so smashed I can refuse my food without looking rude.

[DavidZaneMason]

EXACTLY as Im2Fruity said. Why make it THEIR issue? Just eat what you want...or don't eat...as you please. If anyone questions you, tell them you are NOT hungry (which is probably true) and that you are there to see THEM and support THEM. If that's not good enough for them, you can always let your feet do the talkin.

-David Z. Mason

[Svadhyaya]

That food really does look terrible.
Funny, that menu would have looked appealing to me many moons ago.

I would assume that there will be some salad fixings available for you, and stash a Lara Bar in your purse "just in case." Concentrate on the fun, not the food. If anyone says anything, quickly explain that you eat only raw foods. Hopefully it won't be an ordeal for you and you'll have a good time.

[c'estlaviebelle]

The food *did* look terrible, but luckily the waitress was so nice and they fashioned me a romaine salad with walnuts and mushrooms. She even got me oil and balsamic vinegar (i know the vinegar was not raw, but I only used a little)

So, everything turned out ok thankfully. My boyfriend did have the haggis, which looked pretty gross (he liked it though).

This raw thing gets easier all the time. I was raised to not ask for special dishes at restaurants, so its been hard for me getting used to ordering special things, but I'm finding as long as you are nice in your request, the wait staff is usually really nice about it and happy to help. :)