Day 20: Fasting with Fast Food Options: What the chains have to offer

Without meat for one day seems so easy.  But, without meat for a week?  How about no meat, no dairy products for seven weeks?  For some, avoiding certain foods through Great Lent -- fasting -- is such a challenge.  But, it does not have to be!  There are so many food groups that are acceptable, and, there are many restaurants, kiosks, and fast food joints that offer vegetarian options.

So, with that, we have ventured off to a few restuarants trying to figure out what on the menu is appropriate for a diet containing no-animal products or by-products.  Remember, it is not just a matter of choosing fish over steak, we have to inquire and watch out for beef stock or chicken stock in rice or bean dishes, gravy on items, or even what type of oil is used for frying or cooking.  Beef tallow is lard --not something we eat (nor do we want to eat it).  We also have to watch out for eggs in food.  Egg whites hide in many breaded goods.  But, mostly, we know we can find eggs in baked goods, so we avoid them all together.

Source of image: http://blog.bullfishgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Fast-food-logos.png

There are the obvious choices to avoid, but what is left?  Well, we chose to play safe and not order the fried foods at all.  Many times, servers do not know what type of oil is being used for a fryer.  Also, nobody can tell if chicken fingers and french fries are made in the same fryer, so why take a chance?  We know if we go to Red Lobster, for example, the fish, the hush puppies, the clams, and the shrimp are all fried in the same oil.  Therefore, we believe there are traces of the fish and the egg from hush puppies in the oil contaminating our clams or shrimp.  There is no distinction for them between fish and seafood.  But, for us, we need to be aware of these things.

Lick's (a successful and charming, Ontario, Canada-based family oriented fast food chain), we know they have one grill for the meat burgers, and a separate grill for the nature burgers.  They use separate pairs of tongs, different grills, and different refrigerators for holding the raw product.  We feel confident, when going there, that we are getting an actual vegan burger (no cheese).  Or, we have the choice of vegan chili as an alternative (see GRUB).  Some locations even offer a veggie wrap.  And, as with most food chains, there are salads on the menu.  Of course, we would not choose a creamy dressing, but there is usually an oil and vinegar option.  Lick's offers a variety of toppings to add to a veggie burger or a wrap that can make a very filling meal.

Subway and/or Quizno's sandwiches are another good choice.  That is, they have  options without cheese, without meat; and where there are so many vegetable toppings to choose, you could have a delicious, tasty and healthy vegetable sandwich, and would not even notice that there is no meat.  And, if you wanted to try, Subway (some locations) offers a veggie pattie sandwich (although we do like it, it does have a bit of a processed food appearance and texture to it).  The Subway Veggie Delite, basically, is the safest choice.  Quizno's offers a Veggie sandwich as well as a Lobster and Seafood Salad Sub.  We are unclear about what ingredients are in the seafood salad, but it is a good question to ask.  Just a reminder, mayonnaise is made with eggs, as are some of the other sauces used at sandwich shops.  Both chains, though, offer a variety of salads that you can have in a bowl or in a wrap.

And, please be careful when choosing Asian foods.  Egg noodles, fried chopped eggs in fried rice, and Singapore noodles all contain eggs.  You may not see them, but they are a key ingredient to making these dishes.  Sushi sounds like a good option, but that is fish.  And, remember, if you chose the imitation crab sticks, those, too, are made up of variety fish, mostly pollock.  Also, you have to watch for some of the soups offered in Oriental cuisine; they are often made with chicken broth.  You need to make sure the soup is miso based (miso is soy product with barley).  There are several restaurants that will mark the menu with symbols to show vegetarian or spicy; however, vegetarian does not necessarily mean vegan.  And, vegetarian may not meet all of the guidelines that we are working on.

The difference is that vegetarian is a more general category for those who do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or seafood, and the word vegan means the avoidance of all animal products  and by-products (meat, fish, poultry, seafood, dairy or any food that is derived from animals.)

Since we are eating shellfish and crustaceans, we may not really be vegans.  Perhaps there is a different term that we don't know yet, or that we need to create.  Either way, we know that those of us following the Orthodox Fast for Great and Holy Lent are following a predominantly vegan diet with the addition of shellfish and crustaceans.

Some well stated guidelines are written here: How to Eat Vegetarian At Fast Food Restaurants: 9 steps
If you want to read another blog about vegan fast foods, take a look at: Vegan Food + Restaurants + Toronto - Search - CHOW; or Vegetarian fast food options - Chains - Chowhound  And, lastly, a rather complete list of chain restaurants (mostly in the U.S., but many have crossed to Canada), PETA provides us some answers of where to go and what to order (we are merely providing PETA's information; it is not the intention of our humble blog to promote their animal rights philosophy.)

It's nice to know that there are options for us.  Not every day needs to be so challenging that we cannot fulfill our calling to be closer to God through fasting and avoidance, and, overall, to be better Orthodox Christians.

Fasting is seen as purification and the regaining of innocence. Through obedience to the Church and its ascetic practices the Orthodox Christian seeks to rid himself or herself of the passions (The desires of our fallen carnal nature). All Orthodox Christians are expected to fast following a prescribed set of guidelines. They do not view fasting as a hardship, but rather as a privilege and joy. 
Wikipedia Eastern Orthodox Church Fasting