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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why so many "vegetarians" eat fish?

267 replies

Housewife2010 · 14/04/2015 08:06

I think I may now describe myself as a vegetarian who eats meat! I don't eat any shellfish or much fish so surely it all evens out!

OP posts:
ArcheryAnnie · 14/04/2015 08:28

Words mean things. Vegetarians don't eat fish, and when a fish-eater describes themselves as "vegetarian" then they are both talking nonsense, and making life difficult for actual vegetarians.

Original poster
Housewife2010 · 14/04/2015 08:33

Archery, that's exactly my point.

OP posts:
ArgyMargy · 14/04/2015 08:33

Pollotarian - another daft word. Surely that would mean you only eat chicken? If you said you were a Pollotarian the only thing people would know is that you eat chicken. What if they served you fish?

UnalignedAnt · 14/04/2015 08:33

I have MS and follow advice to take high-strength cod live oil and include oily fish in my diet.
I count myself as Pescetarian because I don't eat other meats, but it's easier to say veggie as people often don't know what Pescetarian is. It's also easier to say veggie if I don't want to go into my health issues when I'm enjoying a meal out - people seem to demand an explanation when you say you're pescetarian.

Trills · 14/04/2015 08:35

If someone says they are vegetarian you should assume that they won't eat gelatin or cheese made with animal rennet until they tell you otherwise.

You should not assume that it is a moral choice rather than simply a dietary choice and look askance at their shoes.

ratspeaker · 14/04/2015 08:36

My Vegetarian DD won't eat anything with gelatine in it and looks closly at which ciders and wines she can drink. Checks what fats are used for frying/cooking.
She avoids leather.
Suprising how many thing do contain gelatine, pop tarts, some yoghurts, sweets, marshmallows, biscuits...
We would'nt eat anything with goose fat on it. Ever. Or chicken fat. Or lard.
So some breads are out
Vegetarian DS isnt as fussy in that he will not scrutinise labels as much.
Personally i dont eat meat as I dislike the taste and texture. I can't stand the smell of chicken or fish cooking.
Recently when I as in hospital I put down I was vegetarian so was offered a tuna sandwich. Bleugh.

ArcheryAnnie · 14/04/2015 08:37

Absolutely, Housewife2010, I agree with you!

100sanemum · 14/04/2015 08:38

You "need to point out that they are not vegetarian"?!!!

Or you could just let people get on with their own lives and eating habits.

sweetkitty · 14/04/2015 08:40

I'm about 95% vegan, but still say I'm vegetarian. I'm vegan at home but if out or at someone else's house I'll accept tea with milk in it or not worry about something having a bit of milk protein in it.

Vegetarian don't eat fish.

AlternativeTentacles · 14/04/2015 08:45

Or you could just let people get on with their own lives and eating habits.

After 31 years of being told that I must eat fish because someone's aunt's daughter's best friend is vegetarian and she eats fish...all this bollocks really does affect other people's lives. If you never correct people in their incorrect assumptions, then they will never learn anything, will they?

SuburbanRhonda · 14/04/2015 08:49

The problem with not challenging misuses of the word vegetarian is that the word becomes misunderstood and it becomes more difficult for vegetarians to be catered for. I find it more difficult now than it was in the 1980s (when I first became vegetarian) to explain to people what that means, partly due to the increase in non-words such as "pescatarian", "semi-vegetarian", "ovo-lacto-vegetarian" and even "flexitarian" Confused.

Of course there are some (and no doubt they'll be along soon) who believe that because being vegetarian is mostly a lifestyle choice, we should put up and shut up and just be grateful we're being fed at all.

ArcheryAnnie · 14/04/2015 08:51

But 100sanemum when people describe themselves thus, and then do eat fish (or chicken or whatever) in public, it confuses food providers and it makes it difficult for people who genuinely are vegan further on down the line, eg in provision at hospitals, schools, restaurants, etc.

Words mean things.

londonrach · 14/04/2015 08:53

Simple answer Because most people know the word vegetarian. Did have a vegan patient to other day who came in wearing plastic shoes etc. we alked about his diet and the affect it had on his life (he talked and i listened as he was very interesting and very committed). Should i have told him about his leather braces holding his trousers up?

I had abit of a shock recently. I eat all meat however pil dont eat lamb or beef so when out ill choose lamb with mint sauce as its the only time i get to eat one of my favourite meats. At a recent meal fil ordered veal! I explained it was baby cow and even i wouldnt eat that. Fil says it wasnt beef and tasted nicer than beef anyway. End of story. Know them for 12 years!

fulltothebrim · 14/04/2015 08:53

It's not our place to teach though is it.

It will always be a hugely jumbled area.
My niece is vegan, and won't eat dairy- unless it is Ben & Jerry's Ice cream. Or gelatin- unless it is anything pudding related.

I have a "principled" vegetarian friend who is happy to eat meat when she is tipsy.

I take it all with a pinch of salt.

It's a first world problem.

reni1 · 14/04/2015 08:55

I know a vegetarian who eats chicken.

lougle · 14/04/2015 08:57

What's the ethical justification of pescetarianism (for those who are non-meat eaters on ethical grounds)?

AlternativeTentacles · 14/04/2015 08:58

It's not our place to teach though is it.

If you consider leaving school as the end of your learning then maybe not. I like to learn new stuff every day.

Your principled friend is not vegetarian, and your niece is neither vegan nor vegetarian. HTH.

It will always be a hugely jumbled area.. No - it really isn't. It is very simple.

It's a first world problem. So are 99% of things in modern life. If it is wrong it is still wrong, first world problem or not.

SuburbanRhonda · 14/04/2015 08:59

Full, your niece is not vegan and your friend is not vegetarian.

Is "It's a first-world problem" code for "It doesn't affect me therefore I'm shutting down the discussion"?

AlternativeTentacles · 14/04/2015 08:59

I know a vegetarian who eats chicken. No you don't. You may know someone who eats chicken. They are not a vegetarian though.

fulltothebrim · 14/04/2015 09:04

alternative- who said learning stops at school? What an odd thing to say.It's not my place to teach any more than it is to pull up people for being "unchristian" of "un conservative".
Let people what they want to be.

fulltothebrim · 14/04/2015 09:05

suburbanrhonda- no, it is a first world problem because that's exactly what it is. Have you lived in a developing country?

goodnessgraciousgouda · 14/04/2015 09:06

pescatarians should not say that they are "vegetarian".

Because it's not true, and it leads to weird situations where you go somewhere for dinner and the only "vegetarian" option is salmon Hmm

Or going to someone's for dinner and them saying "oh it's okay, I've made you fish", and then having to apologise and explain the difference, whilst whipping out the tuppelware container you brought along because it's the fifth time it's happened.

Vegetarians (and pescatarians) don't eat meat gelatine (you can get synthetic gelatine), or goose fat. I know lots of vegetarians who wear leather - they aren't vegans. The focus is on the EATING.

It's basically "no food with a face".

ShadowStone · 14/04/2015 09:06

People who eat fish aren't vegetarians, and I agree it causes confusion and makes things harder for genuine vegetarians when fish eaters describe themselves as vegetarian. Likewise when "vegetarians" eat chicken.

I know that lots of people don't know what pescetarian means (and neither does my spell checker, so sorry if I spelt it wrong) - but I don't see why they can't say "I eat fish but not meat" instead of "I'm a vegetarian".

wigglylines · 14/04/2015 09:06

Vegetarians do not eat gelatine or goose fat.

It's simple. Say you choose not to eat your pet dog whom you are very fond of. You wouldn't want to eat sweets with only a bit of your pet dog's bone in them, or potatoes with your dog's fat on them would you?

Of course it's possible you might eat these hidden bits of dog if you didn't know they were there, but it wouldn't be by choice, especially if you were not eating dog on ethical grounds.

Of course there may be other people who don't eat dog for health or political reasons, but who aren't grossed out by eating it as such, so may turn a blind eye to a little bit of bone in a sweet or whatever while still telling the world they don't eat dog.
HTH :)

SuburbanRhonda · 14/04/2015 09:08

lougle

I think the road to vegetarianism can go through eating fish but not meat for some people. That was definitely the case for me when being vegetarian was very difficult because of poor food labelling and ignorance. I found it easier to give up meat first, then fish.

That was in the dark ages before pescatarians or pescavores had been invented though, so while I was still eating fish, there was no label for me: I just said I didn't eat meat. Most people seemed to get that without a problem.

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