To wonder why some people claim to be a vegetarian yet still eat meat?

[HamstersAndHockeySticks]

Not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things but I do find it odd.

I knew someone a few years ago who liked to remind people that she was a vegetarian and made a big song and dance about the fact she had to make sure she ate enough nuts and seeds, etc to get protein. Fair enough. Except this person would regulary eat fish, chicken curry and hotdogs . This was the work canteen so I knew it was actual chicken and hot dogs rather than meat substitutes. She also ate McDonald's big macs however she would tell people that McDonald's burgers weren't really made from meat, but simply animal fat . Even if that was true, which it never has been as far as I know, where exactly did she think animal fat comes from?

I've also met a couple of other people who claimed they were a vegetatian but still ate meat in some form but none were as entertaining as she was.

There will always be idiots. Always.

No idea why people do this. They are twats.

AlpacaMyBags I think the chicken thing can be explained with the fact that some people seem to think that vegetarians simply don't eat red meat rather than all meat. It seems crazy to me but I guess it makes sense to them .

My Fil is like this. He is a vegetarian who eats steak

Basically, he doesn't eat chicken and somehow he thinks that counts as labelling himself a vege!

I was a vegetarian for ten years. No meat, no fish. Now I will try most things but am more likely to eat seafood than a farm animal.

People who eat fish are not vegetarians .Anything with a pair of eyes is out.

Because some people are stupid.

I have a friend who is wheat/gluten intolerant, genuinely so, is violently unwell if she consumes either of those things. So she doesn't. She often has people also say they are too and then sits and watches them eat pizza in restaurant which does not offer gluten free bases etc. Some people are just really odd.

A 'Vegetarian' who eats steak? Now I really have heard everything!!

U was at uni with someone who claimed to be highly allergic to tomato seeds. She told people if she fainted they had to get a knife and do an emergency tracheotomy - she didn't have an epi pen.

She also ate pizza, tomato sauce, tomato chutney (that I had made and not removed the seeds)

It annoys me a lot. I'm not a militant vegetarian, I have good friends who eat meat and only ever try to influence people in the way that is beneficial to them (i.e if they WANT to eat less meat, or express an interest).

BUT, I don't like hypocrites, people pretending to be anything they're not-and it also makes me trust them less-why lie about who you are/what you do?

Do you want to make yourself sound 'better' somehow?Or more interesting?

I had a friend who was vegetarian, but she would enjoy a kebab after a good night out.

My friend who only eats chicken, refers to himself as a European Vegetarian, with great solemnity. Makes me and at the same time!

You get twits everywhere, of all diet preferences.
Maybe they think it is 'cool' to claim vegeism? I am a real veggie - no milk or leather either - and it is, indeed, very cool.

DSis does this, she's married to a committed Veggie and never eats meat in front of him - but when he's not looking...

I've never met anyone who claims to be vegetarian but who eats meat. I expect it is a very tiny number of people, hardly worth concerning yourself about.

You know, I was watching Sean Locke stand up and he said something about people with intolerances who made a bigger deal out of it than people with allergies do.

Basically taking something, that has no negative effective on them but can still make you feel a bit crap after a few days and using it for attention because they are effectively boring people.

So people use Vegetarianism to get attention.

I don't really understand the fish thing people who claim they are vegetarian for ethical reasons but eat fish ,I,m not a vegetarian by the way but I would have thought if you were against eating meat because of ethical reasons fish should also count?

I say I'm vegetarian when I'm not. Generally because after being veggie for over 20 years, I forget I'm not anymore and it just slips out. Sometimes I correct myself, sometimes I don't bother.

I don't understand the people who eat fish and say they're vegetarians. They're pescatarians. One explained to me, as though I was stupid, that they said they were vegetarian because it was easier than explaining to people. Right, easier to make yourself look thick, gotcha!

Depends what your ethics are - if you object to farming practices, you wouldn't be ethically opposed to fish but you would be opposed to eating farmed animals

I haven't really come across this, but I have come across an awful lot of people who think vegetarians eat fish, which is incredibly irritating. People do have a lot of misconceptions about vegetarianism, which is odd, because it's quite a simple term. Sometimes I get asked "Are you a strict vegetarian?" and I never know how to answer, because some people mean "do you never eat meat", some people mean, "do you check for things like gelatin or rennet in food" and some people mean "do you avoid all animal products" because they confuse vegetarianism with veganism.

Fish should count more! There are very few regulations about how to slaughter caught fish, whereas at least there are strict guidelines for land animals.

Fish suffocate. You wouldn't let a cow be killed like that.

YANBU. Fucks me right off. I've known people who have let friends go out of their way to provide vegetarian meals, only to learn they do, actually, eat meat.

I don't mind explaining my vegetarianism, but it gets very annoying to so often be offered fish or chicken as a vegetarian meal with, "But Susan is a vegetarian, and she eats fish, and chicken, and beef stock, and gelatin, that's what a vegetarian is!"

No. It isn't. When I still ate fish I called myself pescatarian or went with, "I don't eat most meat, but I eat fish and seafood." It's not that hard. "I don't eat red meat" or "I try to limit my meat intake."

Do people just want a special label to feel cool?

I used to be friends with someone who referred to herself as vegetarian but ate chicken, fish and bacon!.

She seemed to think that not eating beef, lamb and most pork products and chucking quorn mince in lasagne qualified her as veggie. She was a bit of a knob!.

My daughter decided (age 9) that she didn't want to eat animals anymore - that was over a year ago and she's stuck to her guns - she checks ingredients lists, passes sweets to her siblings, refuses marshmallows in hot chocolate in a cafe etc. We've supported her and are now 'vaguely veggie' as family meals etc are easier if veggie for all, but would not describe myself as vegetarian because I still (occasionally) eat meat and do have marshmallows! She's now on school dinners and has (so far) been served fish three times, after refusing the meat option and telling them she is vegetarian! We've now spoken to school and it turns out that the cook and three other children are "vegetarians that eat fish", hence the confusion. Hmmm. I like Cindydog's definition.