Good Day,
We belong to a great theatre group. A few years ago, I would listen to a good friend of mine talk about how she and some of her good friends had a yearly play subscription to Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal. Six times a year, on a Friday nite, they would all meet for dinner and a play.
Motherhouse is currently playing at Centaur.
Sounded like fun I thought. So, I asked my dear friend if my husband and I could join. Fast forward to today and we are also a part of this fantastic, fun group. I have met two new couples who are friends of my friend and hopefully, friends of ours now.
The ladies and I take turns reserving for dinner. If you are familiar with Old Montreal, you will know that there is a cornucopia of wonderful restaurants from which to choose.
Apart from the fact that the food is usually very tasty, the choice in cuisine is varied. There are French, Indian, Seafood, Steak, Italian and Mexican cuisines, to mention just a few.
I would choose something like this:
Vegan dish #1Vegan dish #2
Now, we try to restrict ourselves to the area near the theatre, so that we can easily walk to Centaur without fear of being late for the play. If one is late for the rise of the curtain, one must wait outside until there is a suitable break in the play. And we don’t want that.
When we first joined this group, I was not vegan, so no worries about where to eat. But things have changed a bit. We used to go to a place that served mostly mussels and was not vegan friendly, so I have noticed that even when it is not my turn to reserve, this place does not seem to be on the list anymore.
I have not specifically asked my friends to book at a restaurant that is vegan friendly, but it seems that they do anyway. I have told them that I can call ahead to speak to the chef, so not to worry. But, they seem to have my best interest at heart, so we don’t eat at the mussel place or any Steakhouses for that matter.
And, I do notice this! I am very appreciative of their understanding of and compassion for, my beliefs. So, thanks gals!-kudos to you!
Here are some of the restaurants at which we eat..
You may recognize from the name that this restaurant serves Indian Cuisine, so by definition has a number of Vegetarian and Vegan Options. The dishes are served in small brass dishes and, if you wish can be served with bowl of Fragrant Jasmine Rice and/or Naan bread, for instance. Naan bread traditionally has ghee(dairy butter) as one of its ingredients, but they will prepare it with oil if one asks.
Along with this rice, which I always order, I also enjoy theChanna Masala, and the Aloo Gobhi (Cauliflower and Potato). These come to mind because it is what I ordered last nite, but if you check out their website, you will see that there are many other tasty options for vegans.
Their desserts are not vegan, but I am usually too full for dessert, anyway.
This French restaurant is a group favourite. The ambience, the service and the food, make it so. There is nothing vegan on the menu (only French food), but all I have to do is call the restaurant and let them know that I would like to have a vegan meal. They note it in the reservation and ask me to speak to the server when we get to the restaurant.
They usually serve me a plate of lovely vegetables, with a mushroom timbale and some flavoured rice. They have a fresh fruit cup that is to die for-tiny(and I mean tiny) pieces of fresh fruit served in martini glass.
The owners of this fine establishment serve French-Alsatian food. They serve mainly nonhuman animal based meals, but do have a couple of vegan options in the Vegetarian section of the Menu. I am always so excited to see vegan options on the menu. This means that retailers are listening.
One option is a Beet Salad, which is really not substantial enough for a main meal and the other is a Couscous, Squash Apricot and Almond dish called Vegetarian Couscous with Butternut Squash. They are both very tasty. The soups, or Les Potages as we like to call them here, are vegan and delicious.
A sushi place is a Mecca for a vegan like me. Most places have made to order Vegan Sushi. I just ask them to leave out the mayonnaise. Miso soup is also always vegan.
This particular place will also make a delicious stir fry with tons of crisp veggies and tofu served over rice.
We have visited this Italian place a couple of times. It is a little bit off the beaten path in terms of walking distance, but is doable in good weather. Both times that we have frequented this establishment, the staff has been very accommodating. they usually offer me a Pasta Primavera with lots of fresh veggies and tomato sauce and, of course, a salad to start.
GRAMMIE ANNIE’S VEGAN VIEW:
Sometimes I am unsure of whether or not to tell people that I am vegan. It is not a popular subject and rarely comes up in conversation. I believe that, for a myriad of reasons, people often feel threatened by this issue.
Our culture of eating and drinking the flesh and secretions of nonhuman animals is steeped in tradition and people, me included, find tradition comforting. It is easier to turn away, than to look, because looking would mean changing. And change can be difficult.
So, when I sometimes feel most alone, but still determined, in my quest for nonhuman animal liberation, I am reminded that some of my girl friends out there respect my position, even though they may not subscribe to it. Many thanks!!
Until next time,
May all beings be happy and free!
Anne
CENTAUR AND EATING VEGAN IN OLD MONTREAL
I think people understand a little bit better about veganism and are more incline to accept the fact. They would not necessarily convert right away but when they taste some of the dish that are vegan, they realize that there could be an alternative to eating so much meat and fish.
The restaurants are definitely more accommodating about vegan food.
Yes, restaurants are much more accommodating and this does shine a light on veganism and for that I am very happy. It is my hope that once people understand the huge cost in suffering to nonhuman animals because of our cruel dietary choices, they will adopt veganism for this reason. From there I believe, will benefits flow to us-not the other way around. Many thanks for continuing this dialogue.
Hi Anne!
It is now September 2016 as I am reading this. I have noticed even in East Yorkshire in the U.K that veganism is on the rise and because of demand vegan options are popping up all over the place and not just vegan options but full vegan menu’s. I am really excited and encouraged by this.
Rachel Weightman
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for diving into some of my older posts. i can see that this one has not been updated to the format of my new-ish website and is a bit of a wild read.. I will have to get on that. But yes, i am very glad to see more and more plant based options being offered in restaurants and grocery stores and the like.
Take care.
Anne