AIBU to be irritated by people who describe themselves as Vegetarian yet who happily eat fish!

[Housewife2010]

I know several friends & work colleagues who describe themselves as Vegetarian, but they eat fish. Why not just say that they don't eat meat? I didn't think that a fish was a plant!

I wear leather shoes. Because my mother is the daughter of a shoemaker and was VERY strict about properly fitting shoes when I was a kid and there's nothing else that is as good as leather for your feet. I salve my conscience by thinking of it as a by-product of the meat industry - if enough people gave up eating meat, I'd have to find an alternative.

MiladyDeMoreOrLessAVirgin has a good ring to it..

Personally, I don't care if people call themsleves a vegitarian and eat fish, that's still one less person eating meat. Who knows maybe they will stop eating fish next

Live and let live and all that.

And I say that as a super strict vegetarian not vegitarian.

See your point Gibbon, like on the other thread about the vegan teen who sigh got drunk and went to Nandos.. at least he is generally doing a good thing. And I hope he doesnt get pressured in to now always having to eat meat

But for ease in my life I would prefer they explain themselves... so i dont have to! Also I thought most people knew what pescatarian meant anyway?

It depends - I find it's other people who want to put a label on what I eat, rather than me. For example I don't call myself a vegetarian because I eat fish, yet I find other people say I'm a vegetarian

Sometimes it's easier to tick the vegetarian box when going somewhere, to make sure I can eat something.

Why does it matter to you anyway?

Not read all the thread but thought I would stick my oar in. I turned vegetarian at the age of 22 although I had rarely eaten meat prior to that. I lasted about 12 years and then started eating fish, largely because very few restaurants offered vegetarian alternatives (I am going back quite a few years) and it was difficult taking clients out and eating yet another green salad whilst they tucked into shin beef or ox tail. It would always lead to big debates about my rationale and as a PR Exec I was not meant to be antogonising clients or making them question their own eating habits!

I then lapsed into eating free range chicken/turkey. I think we are naturally omnivores but I try to work on the principle that anything I eat has had a happy life and a dignified death. I know the latter is pretty impossible to dictate but it is an ideal we could try and work towards? By the same principle I should be able to eat free range beef, pork and lamb, but somehow have never been able to bring myself to do it.

I do wear leather shoes, as I believe that if something is going to be killed, it is better that all of the animal is utilised.

I have never eaten a hamburger of any description. My DD (10) likes to think she is vegetarian but happily tucks into sausage sandwiches, pork belly and anything else that comes her way when we are out.

Not sure what word I would use to describe my eating habits. Bloody Awkward perhaps

carnavours eat meat
vegetarians eat plants and some animal products (milk , yogurt , no-rennet ,glycereen ect)
vegans eat only plant based foods and pulses.no animal products at all.
piscatarians (i thought it was pisca like pisceas , not pesca , appologies if im wrong)eat fish and seafood ,but not meat.

Eat what you like , just dont give yourself a label if you dont know what it means !.

Same as allnew. I call myself someone who doesn't eat meat (i eat fish), its my family and friends who call me a vegetarian.

In the grand scheme of things does it really matter?

lol at quibbling over "pisca" vs "pesca" having typed "carnavours"

why can't people just eat whatever the hell they want without others getting all uptight about what box to put them in? I find it very odd that other people's dietary choices should be a source of anger

I only find it annoying when people try to give me fish... or chicken stock... or ham(in France)...

I don't really mind what other people eat but it does annoy me when they proudly announce that they are vegetarian then order fish... or chicken... or veal.

greensleeves , i cant spell ,i do try very hard but im dyslexic.
but i get your point pmsl !

veal

I have to bite my hands when my MIL orders that.

Ooh I love veal

bacon sandwiches

My mum cooked bacon every day for 2 weeks when I turned veggie - EVIL!!

Good for you Minxie.

The fake bacon is nice but does go very very crispy if you overcook it. White bread, butter... yum.

What really annoys me though, is buffets where the meat eaters scoff all the veggie option leaving me with nothing. Several times I've felt like bellowing "oy you, step away from the quiche" from half way down the queue .

Now I've just taken to getting my elbows out and making a dash for the front of the queue as soon as it opens and looking like a complete glutton by loading my plate with enough food to fill me up in one sitting in case there are no second chances!!!

Buffet people never do enough cheese sandwiches do they! Was on a course once & had to go & buy lunch as all the cheese had gone by half way down the line. There was three of us that missed out

Or airlines who forget to order your veggie meal. I once had crachers and mustard offered to me on an Aeroflot after some git nabbed my veggie meal further up the plane after he sniffed the meat option and decided he didn't like it.

agree wahwah, the veggie meal on flight thing is really annoying

OP - the airline meals scenario is another occasion on which a fish but non red-meat eater may have to use to vegetarian label in order to actually be able to eat something when travelling. Presumably you are ok with this, or do you think we should all bring packed lunches so as not to contravene your label rulings

Best to bring a pack lunch on airlines anyway! I used to fly abroad one day every month for work. Every time they didn't have my meal.

It was the red-eye flight and I needed my breakfast - and they did a good one too (bacon, scrambled eggs, black pudding, tomaro, mushrooms.....mmmmm a real Ulster Fry). But of course, they never had my request for veggie. Every month when I booked I requested a veggie meal and every month I never had my breakfast.