Pad Thai, Hold the Fish Sauce!

At Big Bowl in Chicago

Dining out can be a total blast.  But if you’re vegan, I’d like to share a recommendation: always check for fish sauce at Thai or other ethnic dining establishments.  I’m still a little salty from what happened about a month ago…

Rob and I went out with some friends for dinner at a Thai place by my house.  I wasn’t thrilled by the waiter from square one, because he seemed unfriendly, but I don’t know if he was lying or misinformed, or not sure what.  He told us that the Pad Thai we wanted to order contained fish sauce, was premade and could not be made without the fish sauce.  Hmmm, the last time we went in there, our server brought us the Pad Thai (minus the egg) without fish sauce after we requested it that way….something seemed a little fishy here. 

Well, Rob proceeded to order a spicy dish that could be made without the fish sauce, and according to the waiter was the only thing, while I ended up with a cucumber salad which was delicious but small and had no protein element to it.  So I was still hungry.  After that I asked the rude, absent-minded waiter if I could place a “To-go” order for the spicy basil tofu thing with a minimum level of spicy.  He said sure, and we waited almost another 30 minutes for one order.  I was pretty steamed about the long wait, but the food was great and made me feel full.

Over all this dinner experience was not good, and I was left feeling confused about the actual contents of the Pad Thai.  I have not had fish or seafood since I was 4, but I find it unappealing and it’s not vegan.   Rob and I love going to Big Bowl because they have lovely vegan options and a fresh, clean selection of veggies.

If you have to, or feel more comfortable, I recommend telling the waitstaff that you have a seafood allergy if you want to make absolutely sure that there is no fish sauce in your order…otherwise, you never know what you’ll get.  One thing’s for sure: I’m not going back to the Thai place by my house anytime soon, maybe not at all.   I still had a good time because we were with our friends, and the bowling afterwards was a kick too…even though my bowling skills are lacking–LOL!  And of course, I was with Rob…so everything was wonderful just like him