My first day of the challenge started with a dream about not being able to stick to the challenge by accidentally eating some dairy products.
My breakfast was a bowl of muesli and some soya milk which tasted fine. I had a long day, much more time away from my home than usual and was concerned that I’d feel hungry.
For lunch I treated myself to a spicy ready meal, an Innocent pot of Indian daal, suitable for vegans which I heated up in the microwave at work and it was delicious.
I had some time to wait in town before meeting my mother after work, and it was very cold, so I went to the Pizza Hut near Cineworld. I’d read on the web site that several of their meals are suitable for vegans. The web site shows a detailed table of which food is suitable for people with various allergies and on different diets, including a vegan one. In the afternoon they have a special offer on a pizza or pasta dish, with a salad, garlic bread or potato wedges, a drink and an ice cream for £6. I explained to the waitress that I was trying to be a vegan for a week and at first she said that the happy hour meal couldn’t be altered, I’d have to pay much more to eat from the main menu and could order a pizza without cheese. I pointed out that this would be much more expensive and was then allowed to order from the happy hour cheaper menu and the waitress said she’d ask the cook to leave the cheese off the pizza. I realised that there was no way I’d find a vegan ice cream on their menu so sadly skipped the pudding.
When the pizza arrived it was covered in bright red tomato puree with red onions and mushrooms on top, but was very nice. I had a spicy sauce with the potato wedges, and chose a salad from the salad bar, sticking to raw vegetables which seemed much safer than if I’d chosen coleslaw or some of the mixed salads. Unfortunately they don’t sell herbal tea so I had diet coke, but water would have been a better option! After the meal I asked if I could speak to the manager. I suggested that Pizza Hut writes on the menu which meals are suitable for vegans and he said he’d pass this comment on to his head office. He also showed me a booklet which had a lot of details about which foods were suitable for people with various allergies and diets. He checked through all the items I’d eaten, all were suitable for vegans, apart from the pizza base I’d just eaten! I said that I’d told the waitress I was trying to just eat vegan food for a week and it was a shame that I’d not be shown the booklet before I’d ordered the meal! The manager said he’d speak to the waitress about this. It would have been much easier to have a wonderful meal at the Rainbow cafe but I wanted to try out Pizza Hut.
Posted by Heather