Work parties...

TofuRobot

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How do you handle those? How do you handle those, not only as a vegan, but as a new-ish employee? Do you mention it ahead of time to the person who is coordinating the food, or do you keep quiet and hope for the best? What if you're 1 of about 250 and you doubt there is more than one other person who is vegan in the entire office (which I actually think is a miracle, itself, and I'm not entirely positive that person still works there, lol). I honestly don't think anyone there has any clue that I'm vegan. It just doesn't come up. ...Our dept. is a little different than the other departments - we're somewhat 'together in isolation,' so we don't tend to sit around chatting about stuff like food like it seems like other people do *a lot* of everywhere else.

?? The party is a week from tomorrow during lunch hour. I don't work normally on Fridays, but I was going to make the 35 min. drive anyway just because...
 
I had one bad experience as a brand new vegan when telling people. And then for a long time, I only mentioned it when I had to. But my feelings have completely turned around over the last 5 or 6 years. I wouldn't say I bring it up all the time, but I am not shy about bringing it up*. And it has been pretty much a positive feedback loop. Very often when I do bring it up I get some sort of positive feedback or curiosity. In fact, come to think of it, I don't think I have had any negative experiences since that first one.

If there is someone who is in charge of food, you should at least ask them the question, "will there be any vegan food options?" But of course, there will be. it's 2018. There is always something. (unless the event is being held at a raw seafood bar).

Also, there is going to be other vegans and vegetarians there. Recent polling shows that vegans make up between 1 and 7 per cent of the population, depending on geography and age range. So statistically speaking there will be at least one other. and maybe more. Plus a few vegetarians.

At a party I went to last Christmas there was just finger food/apps. Very few vegan options. but there was hummus and there were veggies. There were about 100 people there and I met 2 other vegans over by the veggies and the hummus. I probably wouldn't have known they were vegan but they were a couple and I overheard them discussing the pros and cons of hummus compared to guacamole and salsa.

* Not only don't I shy away from bringing up my veganism any longer. I now believe that its important for us vegans to let people know we are vegan. As far as advocacy goes this might the easiest and most effective form.
 
I have yet to have any good luck at work.

the usual outcomes are:

1. nothing gets ordered for me at all. maybe there's a veggi platter
2. they try to order something for me but it still has cheese or egg in it because they dont understand

I always always always eat beforehand so im not hungry and if im lucky there is something for me to snack on at least so I dont look like an outsider
 
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Not only don't I shy away from bringing up my veganism any longer. I now believe that its important for us vegans to let people know we are vegan. As far as advocacy goes this might the easiest and most effective form.
I went to sleep having decided I'm over-thinking it and that I'm going to bring it up with our HR person. I'm just going to politely ask, and suggest there be a fresh fruit platter. TBH I don't need a lot of food and I'd be totally happy with that and it's super easy for anyone to do. (Also I got sucked into reading the comments on a blog post about this very topic and literally everyone was saying bring it up beforehand. I'll grab the link to that later and share it here )

Edit: Here's the link. Read the comments section:
https://corporette.com/business-lunches-vegetarian/
 
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Update: My conclusion on work parties is SPEAK UP! If you don't say anything, you get nothing. As it turns out, out of 150 people, I was the only one who requested vegan food, though there were several who requested vegetarian. Although statistically-speaking, and especially where I live, there must have been at least one other vegan in the crowd, apparently I was the only one who had ever mentioned it. In the end, I ended up getting a specially made vegan cauliflower pita sandwich that was really good! They made at least a couple of them, b/c I sat next to one of the other people who got one (she's pescatarian). And just as expected, the pasta marinara was the most eaten out of all the trays of food -- and quite frankly, it wasn't very good so I'm really glad to have got the sandwich. I did manage to be sitting around several peeps who were talking about their meals at home which was rather disturbing (and sad, to tell the truth, talking about loads of butter, eggs, rotten milk in the fridge 'n' such)... But the point is, we don't get anywhere by staying quiet and invisible.

One of the games they played was a Hershey's kiss -eating contest. The "contestants" had to don socks to open them and the one who ate all of them (I'm guessing there were 10-ish) first, won. ...My boss tried to get me to join in. I refused, obviously. Aside from the fact that I have never understood eating contests and would never eat Hershey's chocolate, I thought it was a weird waste of socks. :/

And, there was a raffle. Among the handful of items to win - a large bottle of vodka, and a 1/2 case of kettle corn. Blech. I'm glad I didn't "win" anything, cuz that would've been awkward.
 
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Update: My conclusion on work parties is SPEAK UP! If you don't say anything, you get nothing. As it turns out, out of 150 people, I was the only one who requested vegan food, though there were several who requested vegetarian. Although statistically-speaking, and especially where I live, there must have been at least one other vegan in the crowd, apparently I was the only one who had ever mentioned it. In the end, I ended up getting a specially made vegan cauliflower pita sandwich that was really good! They made at least a couple of them, b/c I sat next to one of the other people who got one (she's pescatarian). And just as expected, the pasta marinara was the most eaten out of all the trays of food -- and quite frankly, it wasn't very good so I'm really glad to have got the sandwich. I did manage to be sitting around several peeps who were talking about their meals at home which was rather disturbing (and sad, to tell the truth, talking about loads of butter, eggs, rotten milk in the fridge 'n' such)... But the point is, we don't get anywhere by staying quiet and invisible.

One of the games they played was a Hershey's kiss -eating contest. The "contestants" had to don socks to open them and the one who ate all of them (I'm guessing there were 10-ish) first, won. ...My boss tried to get me to join in. I refused, obviously. Aside from the fact that I have never understood eating contests and would never eat Hershey's chocolate, I thought it was a weird waste of socks. :confused:

And, there was a raffle. Among the handful of items to win - a large bottle of vodka, and a 1/2 case of kettle corn. Blech. I'm glad I didn't "win" anything, cuz that would've been awkward.

I skipped my work holiday party (I only work part-time) because I'm feeling lazy from all the stress at school and because I didn't think there would be any thing to eat there, plus I don't know I don't want personal drama at work from some drunken party incident. But then today one of my co-workers was like "oh! you missed my vegan cupcakes!"

Oh well. I'm glad you got a nice sandwich. The games you describe though are the same thoughtless things people seem to do everywhere: non-vegan candy and alcohol. I still drink but if people don't it's just like...okay? And what if someone's an alcoholic and shouldn't be having a huge bottle of vodka? Nice thing for a work party. Lol.
 
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@Forest Nymph Since I don't drink, it was just fine with me that they weren't actually serving alcohol - just giving some away for the raffle. And there were several items to choose from if you did win the raffle, but I couldn't see all of it and so I was just afraid I was going to win and be forced to stand up there with nothing to choose from looking like an alien trying to decide between food or drink I wouldn't consume, taking it just to look appreciate but feeling wrong about that, and rejecting all of it and looking like an ungrateful ***. The raffle alcohol went quickly, of course ....Apparently a couple of people "ruined it" for everyone last year by drinking too much so they opted not to serve any at all (it was, after all, a lunch party at the office... Just outside in the courtyard area - a bit early to start drinking, especially when people probably drove to work). The whole thing was rather anticlimactic. It wasn't even my day to be working but I drove all the way there just for the party. Felt it was important cuz I'm a new employee 'n' all. In reality, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal if I hadn't gone. *shrug*

I think I need a t-shirt with an alien on it. If you want to feel like an alien, go vegan and quit drinking in the same year, lol.
 
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Update: This is the cauliflower pita I had:
https://stonefiregrill.com/menu/sandwiches/roasted-cauliflower-pita/

I'm going to write to them and ask them what the ingredients are for the spicy cilantro-serrano sauce. I'm guessing that sauce is what made the whole thing

UPDATE: Well - they wouldn't give me the ingredients, so now I have to figure it out myself... :/
 
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