It’s a fact of life that we all have to eat. But what you eat, when you eat and even how you eat is as individual to each of us as our choice in clothes. If you’ve browsed this blog for more than a micro-second you already know that food is super important to me and my husband.
Food is such and fundamental thing to life. Yet, food has become a topic almost as taboo as politics or religion. Nevermind trying to explain that you are vegetarian or vegan – or in one of my past colleagues case – exclusively a meat eater (a “meatatarian”). Try explaining to your co-workers, your manager, or even (gasp!) a client that you are hosting that you eat only organic, sustainably raised food.
Better yet, try explaining it without sounding like an elitist, extremist a-hole. Believe me, it’s damn near impossible.
But it’s not impossible. The term I finally came up with to explain my food preference is restaurant vegetarian. The term is innocuous enough that many let it breeze right by them. Some more curious folks inquire deeper and I respond by sharing that I eat meat – but only meat from known sources, such as a local farmer.
Then I observe. If the person is genuinely curious I’ll expand my explanation. But if I’m met with an “oh” or something else that indicates any discomfort, I’ll quickly change the subject. It can still lead to some awkward interactions, but for the most part I’ve found it works.
The real trick is to avoid the topic in the first place. I do this by first researching any area I’m visiting to identify restaurant options. This can be really simple in a place like San Francisco and Austin. Or, really challenging – such as in places like Oklahoma. But I usually can find something. Prepared with this short list of dining venues, I can (and do) suggest a restaurant when the inevitable question comes up where to eat? With customers (my day job is a Customer Success Manager) I first ask if they have any preferences and then based on their response, proceed.
Only once did I find myself in a place I normally wouldn’t be caught dead in. To cope, I ducked into the ladies room and ate a home made snack bar I keep with me for emergencies and then kept the table top conversation on other topics rather than the fact that I had swirled my fork in my meal without taking a bite at least 20 times in the last 10 minutes.
On the other side of the coin, I’ve been delightfully surprised. Once I had a client that strongly suggested a restaurant – the very restaurant I was hoping to go to! Over the course of the meal he shared with me a number of food limitations that made eating out a chore for him. While his reasons were more conventionally health-focused (he was gluten and dairy intolerant) it was still comforting to know I’m not the only picky eater out there. It also was a topic we could bond over and it helped strengthen our partnership in business.
Which proves another point. That while food at it’s core, is an elemental part of life, historically it has and continues to be a central component of our social lives. In a world full of superficial interactions in online venues like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, sitting down and having a meal with someone is more meaningful than ever. So why not cook a meal for someone or dine out (at an organic/ sustainable restaurant) today?