Already A Dilemma ...

We have a quick trip planned this weekend and will be eating out most of the time. So, this already creates a dilemma. How do I handle this?

I figure I have two options, since I'm not really ready to go *public* with my decision to go vegan. (I'm in a place where I'm excited about the changes I'm making, but don't feel confident enough yet to deal with the questions and criticism that I'm certain will come my way. It's much easier to do my own thing when I'm not surrounded by family and friends who may or may not support my decision. It's just a little too soon in the transition to deal with it. Visiting is generally stressful enough without adding this to the mix.)

Option one is to quietly try to choose salads and other vegetarian choices at the restaurants we'll be going to for dinner (3 nights worth. And no, we didn't really have a say in where we'd be eating.) I can easily do this at the first place, and might be able to do a pasta dinner at the second (even though I'm not a big pasta fan) It's really the third place I'm nervous about. It's a steakhouse.

Yeah, they don't really cater to vegetarian (let alone vegan) customers.

So -- looking at their menu, I could perhaps order a baked potato and house salad. They have seasonal vegetables on the menu as well. I could perhaps bring some Earth Balance with me in my purse to make the potato more palatable and maybe my own dressing as well. Still - I guarantee this will raise not only eyebrows, but questions. Which is what I'd really like to avoid ...

The other option is to just set aside my beliefs and plan for that one meal and order as I normally would have. Certainly would be the easier route. But ....

I just don't know. I don't want to beat myself up about this, that's not what this change is all about. I did expect it to be a gradual switch but I am struggling with my personal "all or nothing" ethics. I've always been a "you're either in or you're out" kind of person. I'm not wired to be lukewarm. At least not without internal battles waging and making me miserable.

I honestly don't know what I'll do. It's hard enough that my husband isn't fully on board with me on this (he's OK with my decision to eat this way but doesn't want to be forced to follow my same set of rules if he doesn't want to. Fair enough.) I guess it will probably come down to my stress level at that point in the trip. And whether I feel like I can order without notice by the rest of the crowd.

I know it will work out and even if I don't eat vegan it won't be the end of the world. I just really didn't want to have to deal with this so soon in the game.