What do vegetarians eat in a country where refusing meat is regarded as a sign of madness?

If you're a vegetarian, you might be able to relate to some of these anecdotes in a BBC article subtitled, "What do vegetarians eat in a country where refusing meat is regarded as a sign of madness?". They include such doozies as:

In South Africa, requesting vegetables is like swearing at the wait-staff. One bewildered waiter told me haughtily, "But, vegetables is what food eats."

Reminds me of a story that my sister recounts of visiting a restaurant in northern Italy and asking "I am a vegetarian, is that a problem?" to which the waiter replied "Only for you madam, only for you."

The anecdotes were collected from replies to this article.