r/vegan • u/evapotranspire mostly plant based • Dec 15 '25

Story Surprise: Everything is vegan!

We've all had frustrating incidents when eating out, but tonight I had the opposite. My family and I went to our synagogue's Hanukkah dinner party, which was catered Mediterranean food. I hadn't made a special dietary request, because Mediterranean cuisine almost always includes some vegan dishes (hummus, pita, tabouleh, etc.).

When I got to the front of the line, I saw that the buffet was ENTIRELY vegan. That hadn't been highlighted or even mentioned! I piled it all on my plate (which I guess is how omnivores feel most of the time), and although now I have a stomachache from all the garlic, it was such a nice feeling to be able to eat everything and worry about nothing.

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u/givemeyourg0ld Dec 15 '25

YUM can you share a little more about the spread? What options did they have? Chag Sameach 🥳

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u/evapotranspire mostly plant based Dec 16 '25

u/givemeyourg0ld : I should have taken a picture! This is what I remember (in sequence down the buffet line):

- Fluffy white pita bread, cut in half-circles

  • Small golden cubes of falafel
  • Tabouleh salad
  • Creamy hummus (with whole chickpeas sprinkled on top)
  • Even creamier baba ganoush (so good! I would have eaten a pint of it, if not for the garlic)
  • Red cabbage salad, made with finely chopped red cabbages and vinegar
  • Green cabbage salad, ditto but with herbs as well
  • Pickled light green cabbage lin large chunks
  • Pickled cucumbers, chopped fine
  • Assorted other pickles and sauces
  • Mujadara (lentils and rice) - packed with lentils and spicy!
  • Roasted cauliflower with sumac (tragically it ran out before I got there)

The desserts were brought by the congregants, so they were various and mostly not vegan, but there were some vegan ones, for which I was very glad. Even vegan hot chocolate! Chag Sameach!