Battle for the Veg Option: Vegetarians vs. Vegans

by Elyse Moore

When selecting catering for your party or wedding reception, you won’t typically have the option to let your guests choose from a vast menu. However you will generally want to offer a couple options for guests, including a meat or fish option that will appeal to the majority of your guests and a vegetarian option for your guests who do not eat meat. Vegetarians are a small (but growing) contingent; according to the Vegetarian Times, in 2008 less than 3% of Americans reportedly follow a vegetarian diet, and only a fraction of these follow a stricter, vegan diet. What’s the difference? And how can you talk to your caterer and choose foods to please all of your guests?

Vegetarians do not eat fish, seafood, or meat, including chicken, turkey, duck, pork, beef, lamb or products made with the animal (eg. gelatin). Vegetarians do eat animal by-products, including eggs and dairy. Speaking from experience (I’m a vegaquarian and my husband is a vegetarian), most vegetarians love eggs and dairy! This is our “meat.” Vegans disagree; they not only eschew animal flesh, but animal by-products, including honey. Very strict vegans even avoid products like refined sugar and most wine because the processes used to make these products often involved fining or filtering them with charcoal, egg shells, or other animal by-products.

So, if you have a small contingent of vegetarians and vegans coming to your event, how do you solve this dilemma? Unfortunately, we’re finding that more and more people will just opt for a vegan option and say “that’s good for the vegetarians too.” From a cheese-loving vegetarian standpoint, this sucks. True story: A very dear, vegaquarian friend of mine had a secret cheese plate in her bridal suite at her wedding. She and her groom selected a variety of fish/seafood, meat, and vegan hors d’oeuvres for her cocktail-style reception with buffet hors d’oeuvres stations. There were three vegans attending and over a dozen vegetarians, and no cheese or eggs for anyone (unless you snuck into the bridal suite early)!

Your party is a special meal for you and your guests and the food you choose will reflect your personality and taste, along with being appealing to the guests. Most menus will have a balance of vegetables, grains, legumes, eggs, dairy and meats or seafood. “Meat-eaters” are, in fact, omnivores, and do eat more than steaks (unless they’re Paleo). Eggs and dairy usually complement vegetable and starch options to create especially decadent hors d’oeuvres and side dishes for your menu. If you find you have a vegan (or a few) in the mix, you do not have to bereave your vegetarians of their “meat” – cheese, butter, eggs! Vegans, because they are statistically so few in numbers, can be approached as a food allergy, and accommodated as such. Consider how many vegan guests you have (1 or 2?) and ask your caterer if they can modify foods on your menu to create a special meal for vegan guests. If you’re having a buffet, your vegan guests may need to be identified to the staff at dinner, but they’ll be sincerely happy that you thought of them. Your vegetarians and omnivores will thank you too. After all, everyone loves eggs and dairy—except vegans.

Sample Buffet Menu

Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, and Honeyed Pistachios
Sautéed Snap Peas
Wild Rice “Risotto”
Seasonal Vegetable Gratin
Honey Mustard Grilled Trout
FIG-Glazed Pork Loin

Vegan Option

Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Raspberries, and Toasted Pistachios
Wild Rice and Lentil Pilaf with Sautéed Snap Peas