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If you eat fish then you aren't a vegetarian - it's as simple as that! I'm a vegetarian and it pisses me off when I say so, and the next question is "do you eat fish?" Er, no, because I already said that I'm VEGETARIAN. It's just lazy and it causes confusion for actual vegetarians.

Now I appreciate that the term pescetarian is a bit of a clunky term that is unlikely to be used. But it IS the correct name for the fish eating brigade.

I agree. I am not a vegetarian but find it hard to understand the "i am vegetarian but I eat fish" way of thinking!

<predicts bun fight>

Agreed. Call yourself what you are - a pescatarian - dammit. I mean, eat what you like, obviously, but it makes life a lot harder for the rest of us, who end up in awkward situations where someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make some complex fish dish for a dinner party 'because my friend told me vegetarians always love this mackerel surprise' or whatever.

Pescatarian is no more clunky a term than vegetarian.

YANBU! I hate when people claim to be vegetarian yet they still eat fish. You can't eat fish and still be a vegetarian! Eating a fish is the same as eating meat.

YANBU - I'm a fishocrite myself, but always used to say 'vegetarian' when asked about catering (eg. weddings) because a) the rest of the family are proper veggies & b) people either don't know what a pescetarian is, or assume chicken is pretty much the same thing as fish...

After numerous bunfights, sorry, polite discussions lurked on on here, I no longer use the term vegetarian to refer to myself for the reasons in the OP. Tis a fair point.

Do people actually think that way though or do they just say vegetarian for ease?

In pescatarian (sp) and say so, but often just say vegetarian because i know a lot of people don't know what the other one means so its easier than explaining. I also find that some people are too embarrassed to say they don't know what it means so make a guess which doesn't always end well. I can't say "Im a pescatarian, do you know what that means?" because that would be patronizing.

My sister is a veggie who eats chicken- but only at restaurants.

Im still unsure on why she thinks resturant chicken is fine

There's something about the term 'pescatarian' that makes my teeth itch I have no idea why, I know it is the right phrase to use, it just... irritates me. I fully appreciate I am being U about that!

YANBU. I eat fish - therefore I'm not a vegetarian.

There was a long-running letters thread in the Guardian (before the website and CiF days), asking what name should be given to vegetarians who eat fish. The killer blow was landed by the correspondent who wrote one word: 'hypocrite'.

Hmm, Raven, from a veggie viewpoint chicken IS the same as fish, iyswim!

If people used the word pescetarian more then people would understand it. I don't think it's a huge deal to say "I'm pescetarian, so I don't eat red meat or chicken" if you're asked about dietary requirements.

I used to have a vegatarian aunty that ate chicken

Claps ravenAK on the back.

Fuckadoodle, I think you can explain without it seeming patronising. I'm veggie but often end up having to make things quite clear, because some restaurants/hosts don't think about things like meat or chicken stock in a soup etc. And some people ask whether eat cheese made with animal rennet etc.

I think you could say 'I'm a pescatarian - that is, a veggie who also eats fish but no other meat or poultry' without coming across as awful.

I used to be vegetarian and am now pescatarian but i just can't bring myself to give a shit about the labels. I don't really understand how people how the time and energy to worry about this sort of stuff.

My MIL is vegetarian and eats fish. I have never understood it but its each to their own and all that.

Argh, don't get me started on idiots people who say they are veggie but then list all the meat that they will eat.

When working in my university refectory as a summer job, I once served a very stroppy "vegan" who had a tantrum about there not being a special vegan dessert provided. After much huffing and puffing she eventually said "oh, I'll just have a yoghurt" - wtf?

You are not a vegetarian if you eat fish. Fact.

YANBU

I've also met vegatarian who eat chicken.

A vegan eating a yoghurt! Now, thats's a hypocrite!

My pal used to be a vegetarian but she ate prawns as "they have no central nervous system". So, either they're actually vegetables or she just really liked prawns.

I'm inclined to agree with you on that one too, exBB, but my 13 year old brain nearly 30 years ago (when I stopped eating meat) was more bothered about battery chooks & veal calves than it was about cod quotas or salmon farms.

I'd probably eat (organic, free range) meat with a relatively clear conscience too now tbh, but force of long habit makes me boak at the thought.

It only ever seems to come up if I'm in a restaurant with workmates & order fish - someone will say 'oh but I thought you were vegetarian?' - having invariably seen me with a vegetarian packed lunch - & I'll say 'no, pescatarian actually, but I very seldom eat fish because dh & one of the dcs are veggie, so I just always eat vegetarian food at home.'

You're right OP, they're not vegetarian... They're pescetarians...

I've also met vegatarian who eat chicken.

Me too, a friend of dp's smugly claimed he was a vegetarian who only ate fish and chicken.

I'm happily a carnivore but I too get annoyed with veggies that eat fish. Either their veggie or pescetarian - can't be both.

I used to successfully shut quite a few up by declaring that if they were fish-eating veggies then that made me a meat-eating veggie as I didn't eat fish. When they stopped laughing and started to tell me that I was being ridiculous I would point out that I was exactly the same as them, and that if they could call themselves veggie for not eating one broad group of animals, then so could I - I don't eat fish (albeit because I can't stand the taste/smell rather than for any worth reasons).

It was great - used to hack them off because they couldn't disagree without making their own use of fish-eating veggie invalid

(disclaimer - just ought to make it clear that I don't normally call mysel a meat eating veggie or believe that such a thing exists - other than when arguing with fish eating veggies!!)