Originally published on May 02, 2019

It’s definitely not pleasant, but occasionally something that’s not vegan, uh, slips by.

And it can definitely be unpleasant.

A few years ago I was in Philadelphia to see Adam Ant play live. I hadn’t seen him in a few years and to say I was excited was probably an understatement. I didn’t have much of an appetite that day and didn’t eat very much. I took the bus to Philly, checked into my hotel, and hightailed it over to the venue. The show was amazing and after, I stuck around to have a drink and talk to people I’d met or run into. My hotel was close by, but I was on such a high after the show that when I left the theater I decided to wander around the city a bit.

I wasn’t walking very long when a sign in the window of an Asian café caught my eye. “VEGAN MENU,” it said, and the first choice was, “Soy chicken and broccoli.” That sounded really good and they were still open. I’d left a bunch of raw vegan snacks in my hotel room, but at that moment soy chicken and broccoli was exactly what I wanted. I went in, sat down, and ordered. And this is where things go downhill…

I was going over the photos on my phone, texting, and posting to Facebook and basically not paying attention. When my food arrived, I unwrapped my chopsticks and started to eat. I took a bite and then I took another bite. And then I felt a little funny. And then a little nauseated. This food wasn’t very good. In fact, it was kind of gross. I was disappointed and thought to myself, “This is the worst soy chicken I’ve ever had…” and then...

<Oh, no>

I don’t need to tell you, do I?

I called over my server who sheepishly confirmed that what was on my plate was pieces of a dead bird. (My words, not his.) Soon after that I ran to the loo and got sick. Sorry for TMI.

After, I gave the staff a piece of my mind. I’m sure NYC could hear me yelling from there.

The restaurant did not charge me nor did they offer me anything else. I think they were relieved when I stormed out the door.

The only good part of this is now when someone tells me, “You don’t know what you’re missing” by not eating meat, I can say, “Oh, but yes, I do. I definitely know what I’m missing.”

And I still don’t miss it!

I was annoyed (obviously) at the café for messing up my order, but mostly I was annoyed at myself for not checking what I was eating. Lesson learned!

Anyway, the point of this story is just that, it happens. Sometimes it happens when you’re careful and sometimes it happens anyway. It doesn’t mean you’re not vegan anymore or anything like that. This was an awful experience and I still wince when I think of it.

 The dish in question