You do realise that Chicken Caesar Salads also contains bacon, egg, and Parmesan cheese. Not to mention the dressing which usually contains anchovies and eggs. Leaving out the chicken won't make it vegetarian.

you mentioned egg twice.. we get it!

Some people get sick from the smell of chicken, not to mention -there's still 'residue' of chicken on it-. There are people who have allergies to meat/fish/seafood and choose a vegetarian diet because of it, and you could cause serious problems by "just picking it off".

I wonder if you'd say that for someone with a severe peanut allergy eating a dish with a peanut garnish ( like some Thai food ). -shakes head-

Eggs and Parmesan cheese do not affect a vegetarian's diet, 47. You're thinking of a vegan diet.

Who are you talking to?

OP because they can't read the ingredients in the food they're ordering. In America, all menus have listed ingredients. it should be fairly obvious if a dish has any animal products.

Actually, you're the illiterate one. Read the OP again. Then re-read it. Then re-re-read it until you realize what you just did. Also you're wrong. 99% of menus don't list ingredients anyways. I've checked because there's specific foods I can't stomach if they contain certain ingredients.

This! It's really not the waiters job to read for you or find way to accommodate your food preferences. That's why they print all the offered dishes in one convenient place -- and let YOU pick the one that works for you. And be smart, if your A vegetarian or otherwise have a strict diet to maintain, check the menu online before you go. It is your personal responsibility to maintain your preferred diet, not the waiters or the restaurants.

Some menus don't actually list all the ingredients ( like.. most.. ) and the name of the dish itself doesn't necessarily tell you anything about it. For example, "croque monsieur" literally means "to bite Mister". It doesn't tell you that it's a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with Bechamel sauce. Way too many Asian restaurants will leave out the fact that fish sauce is used in a lot of things, anchovy paste is used often, etc. Even kimchi, which is just spicy fermented cabbage, is often made with fish sauce.

actually, croque monsieur means "crunchy mister" ;)

You're right, but gluten-free has only recently become a widely recognized thing and still isn't very common. You'd think even the most unworldly person would know what it means to be vegetarian.

They don't. Way too many people think that vegetarians and vegans can eat fish or seafood, and it's common in a lot of Asian countries to add those things to dishes.. and never tell you they're in it. Doesn't bode well for people who are allergic or can't digest it.

Because bacon, that's why they don't understand

Of course most people won't, most people like eating healthy and properly.