They shared experiences of having limited options when going out to eat

Picture went viral with 1,800 likes, despite being a joke between friends

One diner posted picture of plate of crisps as vegetarian option on Reddit

There are thought to be 375 million vegetarians around the world - but not everyone caters for them.

When one diner was presented with a plate of crisps at a friend's dinner party as the 'vegetarian option' and uploaded a picture to Reddit, the photo went viral, attracting 1,800 likes.

But clearly the guest's experience was far from unique and vegetarians have flooded social media with their own mealtime struggles.

Reducedelk posted a photo of some crisps on a white china plate to Reddit this week, with the caption: 'Dinner party at a friend's. This was the vegetarian option.' It went viral, despite turning out to be a joke

Reducedelk posted the snap of the crisps on a white china plate to Reddit this week, with the caption: 'Dinner party at a friend's. This was the vegetarian option.'

The picture went viral on the microblogging website, even though it transpired that the post was a joke.

But it prompted several to muse that this wasn't the worst vegetarian option they had seen.

Ucantalas commented: 'This is far from the worst vegetarian option I've seen. This is downright tasty in comparison to some of the **** I've seen.'

Elsewhere on social media, vegetarians had shared their horror stories of trying to avoid meat when going out to dinner.

Miss D13, Duncan Geddes and James Hobson took to Twitter to share their vegetarian meal time frustrations. Miss D13 was asked by a chef if it was acceptable to serve her chicken, while Duncan reminisced about a vegetarian meal of a hard boiled egg in beetroot water on a school trip to Poland

Miss D13 wrote on Twitter: 'I was asked once by a CHEF whether chicken was acceptable to me as a vegetarian option,' followed by the monkey facepalm emoji.

Duncan Geddes remembered a school trip to Poland where he was presented with a very peculiar vegetarian meal.

He wrote: 'Year 9, trip to Poland. After much negotiation with hotel waiters, vegetarian option was a hard boiled egg in beetroot water.'

James Hobson replied: 'My veggie option in Germany 2004 was one large plate of broccoli. Nothing else.'

Despite the popularity of vegetarianism worldwide, many vegetarians are still faced with incredulity when they go out to eat. Shaun asked: 'Do some people think fish is a vegetable or something?' while Wanheda mused on Twitter if their family hated them as they were only given a handful of chips at a family gathering

Despite the popularity of vegetarianism worldwide, many vegetarians are still faced with incredulity when they go out to eat.

Shaun shared a common exchange on Twitter: '"So you don't eat any meat?"

'"No."

'"What about fish?"

'Do some people think fish is a vegetable or something? #ifihadapound...'

Wanheda wrote on Twitter: 'The only vegetarian option yesterday was a handful of chips and that's when I came to the realization that my family hates me.'

TastyJams wrote: 'That feeling when the vegetarian option still might contain anchovies...' above a photo of a menu from an unidentified restaurant, while another shared concerns on Reddit their the vegetarian option at a wedding may not be vegetarian at all

Vegetarians also shared their frustrations on Reddit.

TastyJams wrote: 'That feeling when the vegetarian option still might contain anchovies...' above a photo of a menu from an unidentified restaurant that read: 'Vegetarian item = w/o meat (dressings may contain cheese, eggs and/or anchovies.'

Another vegetarian, recovering_spaz, asked fellow Reddit users: ' When the take-out order is wrong and comes with meat. To pick off or not to pick off?

'Darnit all. I don't want to waste, I don't want to pick it off and not one else in my household wants it. Any ideas?'

Bunny Mummy shared her concerns that the vegetation option at a wedding she was attending might not be vegetarian at all.

She wrote: 'I'm going to a wedding and dont want to be the awkward veggie but the only vegetarian main that is being offered is a risotto and I'm assuming that it will contain not only non-vegetarian wine but also parmesan...

'Don't really know how to deal with this as it's my first time going to a function since becoming veggie. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!'

See if you can spot the difference between the meaty Hot & Spicy and the Vegetarian pizza on one unidentified restaurant's menu in a photo posted to Reddit by JoLOLokia

See if you can spot the difference between the meaty Hot & Spicy and the Vegetarian pizza on one unidentified restaurant's menu in a photo posted to Reddit.

The meat pizza contains spicy chicken, but the ingredient is also listed for the vegetarian option.

Meanwhile the menu's vegetarian hot pizza has the same ingredients as the chicken special, containing pieces of chicken tikka.

JoLOLokia posted the picture with the caption: ' The vegetarian fast food options where I live are something special...'

Dizneedave said he's been served meat or fish meals after telling restaurants that he's a vegetarian more than once.

He wrote: 'Restaurant get one chance with me, honestly.'

iSunMonkey was left disappointed when they ordered the vegetarian option at a Mexican restaurant

Mattholomus wrote on Reddit that restaurants always relied on serving the same one or two meals.

He said: 'Over the last few years I have noticed that most restaurants have one or two 'cliche' vegetarian meals.

'Sadly there just isn't enough imagination out there. I seem to always be eating spinach & ricotta tortellini or ravioli, or roasted vegetable stacks or paninis (usually dripping with too much olive oil).

'Don't get me wrong, these are tasty when done well, but it does get a little tiring when you go to lots of restaurants and get offered the same thing.'

Donocat also vented on Reddit, remembering an incident on an airline where they were given a chicken meal instead of a vegetarian option - but only realised too late.

It may just be a joke but it's all too familiar a message for vegetarians. US chicken restaurant Pluckers's menu reads: 'For vegetarians, PLUCKERS proudly serves animals that once ate vegetables'. Donocat also vented on Reddit, remembering an incident on an airline where they were given a chicken meal instead of a vegetarian option - but only realised too late

They wrote: 'I was on a flight from Fiji to Australia with Fiji airways. I was served a hot breakfast and I asked the stewardess what it was. to which they replied a simple "vegetarian". I asked what was actually in it and I was told vegetables and egg.

'A few bites in and it was clear I wasn't eating vegetables, I had eaten chicken. I was furious. They offered to go and get me another meal, I accepted, but they just gave me another CHICKEN meal. I was not happy.'

Even when there are vegetarian options, some herbivores find the quality isn't up to scratch.

iSunMonkey was left disappointed when they ordered the vegetarian option at a Mexican restaurant.

They wrote on Reddit: 'This doesn't happen too often, and it's not the end of the world when it does, but DAMN is it disgusting to order a vegetarian plate at a lot of places.

'I just went to a Mexican restaurant with my family. I'm a passive vegetarian, meaning I am vegetarian when I can be, but I don't sweat it when it's not an option. My vegetarianism is for moral reasons. I enjoy the taste of meat, but I eat it as sparingly as possible.

'So, when I order a VEGETARIAN enchilada, and you don't have that, just tell me... Don't bring me a corn tortilla filled with chunks of undercooked carrots and old broccoli...

'Just tell me you don't have vegetarian food. I'm fine with eating chips/salsa until I get home.'



Another herbivore shared frustrations that many UK curry houses don't have quality vegetarian options - despite 20 to 40 per cent of India's population being vegetarian

When Dennis8963 visited US chicken restaurant Pluckers, he saw a note on the menu that summed up many vegetarian experiences.

He posted a picture with the caption, 'Vegetarian options,' as the menu reads: 'For vegetarians, PLUCKERS proudly serves animals that once ate vegetables'.

Ria spoke for many vegetarians on Twitter when they said: When the only vegetarian option at a party is alcohol,' above a photograph of alcoholic drinks at a supermarket under the aisle banner of 'Vegetarian'.

Reddit user Edfunt was frustrated at the lack of vegetarian options at many UK curry houses - despite 20 to 40 per cent of India's population being vegetarian.

He wrote: 'I love curry, and given enough time I can make a pretty good one! But I noticed that despite being a cuisine with a huge vegetarian heritage, many Indian takeaways/restaurants are pretty slack when it comes to veggie options.

'Most that I've tried offered a veggie option but this was just replacing meat with disappointing frozen veg!

'I guess this is because meat eaters are their main customer base. Finally I've found a place that will do chickpea as a meat replacement, and has a lot of interesting veggie dishes on top of that!

'I guess the point of this post is, I was surprised by how tricky it was to find somewhere who could be bothered to cater well for non meat eaters.'

Vegetarians also shared their frustrations on Twitter. US TV host and model Daisy Fuentes, who has more than 95,600 followers, shared a recent exchange she'd had at one restaurant where they only served meat and fish, and another, Grace, had a similar experience. She was given a plate with meat in. When she complained, the restaurant just took the meat off without replacing her dish

Vegetarians also shared their frustrations on Twitter.

US TV host and model Daisy Fuentes, who has more than 95,600 followers, shared a recent exchange she'd had at one restaurant.

She wrote: 'Me: can you do a vegan or vegetarian option for anything on your menu? Waiter: yes! We have lots fish, pesquetarian options :) Me: :/'

Grace had a similar experience, writing on Twitter: 'This restaurant served me meat after I ordered the vegetarian option and then pulled it out and gave the rest of he [sic] meal back to me' followed by a series of the upside-down smiley emoji.

Meanwhile KaurBlimey is fed up with egg and cress sandwiches as the only vegetarian option, and wants you to know it.

He wrote on Twitter: 'I missed my train so I went to buy lunch but I had to have an egg and cress sandwich because it was the only vegetarian option.'

Welsh-Iraqi writer Nadia Kamil, who has more than 13,500 followers, offered vegetarians a 'hack' for how to improve the number of meat-free options at Subway. And Em wrote on Twitter: 'Did I tell yall about the wedding I went to last week where the 'vegetarian' option was fish lmfao'

Paulina was similarly sick of egg and cress sandwiches, writing on Twitter: 'I'm so so sick of egg and cress sandwiches, why does no shop have any other vegetarian option.'

Welsh-Iraqi writer Nadia Kamil, who has more than 13,500 followers, offered vegetarians a 'hack' for how to improve the number of meat-free options at Subway.

Despite the popularity of vegetarianism, some people still just don't understand the concept of meat and fish free food.

Em wrote on Twitter: 'Did I tell yall about the wedding I went to last week where the 'vegetarian' option was fish lmfao.'