To think fish is not a vegetarian option?

[plaintomatopasta]

At a wedding yesterday and at the wedding lunch today I was given fish as my vegetarian option. Am I wrong in thinking this is not right? I don't eat fish and I know they can't be expected to know this but I thought vegetarians didn't eat fish anyway and that's pescatarian.

OMG this drives me mad. I'm not fully veggie, but DS is and I often check products in the supermarket for gelatine etc.

One vegetable curry I looked at had anchovies in it. I mentioned it to a member of staff to say it would be great to have an actual veggie vegetable curry.

"But fish is vegetarian!" says he In Waitrose as well! You'd think they'd know what a fecking fish is.

The clue's in the name surely, VEGetarian?

Also in lists of ingredients they will highlight things like milk and nuts because of allergies, but not think to highlight gelatine and fish products which vegetarians and vegans routinely have to look for.

It's not as if it's a niche thing is it? Grrr.

Fl0ella - prawns are vegetables because they don't have ears

Elphame France really is bad. Although even in the UK I have to explain that I don't eat roast potatoes cooked with the meat. To me this seems pretty basic.

Yanbu. As a vegetarian this drives me crazy.

I can't believe people are still so ignorant!

I remember when I was little going to a museum type place with my mum and brother. In the cafe my mum explained we were vegetarians so the server offered us...chicken soup.

Yanbu, fish is not fecking vegetarian. My sister eats fish and claims to be a veggie I've been told that fish is the vegetarian option a few times, especially in foreign countries.

I also have had to explain to a chef, his kitchen staff and my colleagues/managers in a restaurant when I was a waitress why cheese sometimes isn't veggie (in reference to a new item on the menu that didn't have a "v" next to it despite being fine without the cheese) and argued why something made with fish stock wasn't veggie either.

I'm not looking forward to dinners or now that my DD is now dairy free and as I'm breastfeeding I'm also having to go dairy free, I don't live in an area that is too familiar with vegetarianism let alone veganism!

My brother who used to be a chef always comments on my lack of choice as a vegetarian when we're out for family meal she says that when he was doing his training 40 years ago they did a whole term on cooking for vegetarians. His theory is that restaurants just be arsed, I agree

Greece?
I have a whole book of greek vegetarian recipes, and very nice they are too

I wasn't the only one vegetarian there. The one other had requested ahead and got a feta salad and cheese kebabs because he's gluten free and they didn't know what had flour in

I am vegetarian and think it should be pretty obvious in the UK that means no fish. Most people then go on to check if I eat eggs/cheese etc

In france/spain etc I always specifically say no fish, no chicken. I once ordered a vegetarian paella which the chef thought was fine because it didn't contain pork

Greece - ha! When we went there as pescatarisns in the mid-90s we literally lived off Greek salad for 2 weeks. Barely any decent fish either.

My mother claims she's a vegetarian. She eats fish and the odd bit of chicken. Pisses me right off.

I recently read in a group that in Greece it may be easier to say you are fasting, as they don't eat meat then and it's understood better than vegetarian. Not sure how true that it though?

I'm vegan and last time I was out for a meal, offered creamy sauces as the vegan option despite saying no dairy.

I was at a conference last week and had informed them weeks in advance that I needed a vegan meal. Even got an email from the organiser telling me to make myself known to staff and they'd get my food. Of course when I did this, the staff had no idea what vegan meant and pointed me to a bowl of lettuce leaves, so of course I said 'I requested a vegan meal', so then they told me to have the samosas that actually had the ingredients written on a card next to them saying 'allergens, egg, milk'. I pointed this out and then I was offered a bowl of dry rice...

Their final offering was a cereal bowl of roasted peppers - because that's enough for someone who's been exhibiting at a conference since 8am.

I used to live with a Spanish fella who claimed that prawns are vegetables because they don't have ears
I wonder what he thinks seals are then?!

I can't believe people are still so ignorant!
Nor can I, especially considering we've never had better access to information as we do these days. "Vegetarian" means doesn't eat animals. Fish, shellfish, cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, insects, etc. Vegans are vegetarians who also avoid non-flesh animal products such as milk (and milk products such as cheese, obviously), eggs and honey, and also don't make use of anything derived from animals eg leather. It really isn't hard...but then apparently there are people out there who don't realise pork is from pigs or beef is from cattle!

i went to Cafe Rouge with a veggie friend and we asked if there was anything vegetarian on the menu and the waitress pointed to all the chicken and fish dishes. When we said they weren't vegetarian she was incredibly rude as if my friend was being purposely difficult. In Spain every vegetarian cheese toastie comes with ham.

Yanbu, but as you're in Greece, that's not uncommon.
I always say 'I'm vegetarian, no meat or fish' in Greece and have eaten loads of great veggie food there.

I've been served a vegetarian pasta dish containing chicken, in Portugal. It was specifically on the vegetarian section of the menu!

I'm worrying about Poland now!

The last time anyone veggie I know was there, it was the 80's and they lived off bread, and even that was playing roulette as some of the bread had ham in it!

We are going in August and now I'm worrying we'll be living on bread for a week!
It's not a city either, it's a small town on the coast, so I'm thinking it's gonna be a bit crap food wise!

Has anyone veggie here been to Poland?

What

No idea where the extra "what" came from!

This worries me greatly as am due to go on holiday to Greece in October. I've been vegan for three months and it's hard enough eating out in the UK as the majority of veggie dishes have cheese. I'm sick of the only options being chips or a side salad.

I don't eat meat but I do eat fish. I don't describe myself as a pescatarian because I think it sounds pretentious and a lot of people don't know what it means.

I never describe myself as a vegetarian - I just say I don't eat meat!

How hard can it be?

Am appalled to think anyone would think a vegetarian would eat fish

Lana, this may help (I haven't been).
charlieontravel.com/how-to-eat-vegetarian-in-poland/

It doesn't help when people call themselves vegetarian, but eat fish when it's served to them, because there's no other option. Stop.doing.that! You are also the reason vegetarians get served fish, so don't be so bloody surprised when people think vegetarians eat fish.

The same goes for vegans that eat eggs, cheese, dairy, because they're somewhere that doesn't have much selection, while on holiday. Two weeks of bland foods won't bloody kill you. And no it doesn't bloody matter I feel the eggs are free range. They're still coming out of a chicken's rear!

Get so fucking tired of the 'part time' vegetarians/vegans. 😡 And there's no such fucking thing as a fucking 'flexitarian' !

Oh I feel so much better after that. 😬

In Poland ask for perogis not sure of spelling. They are little dumplings and you get Ines with cabbage and cheese in. Also potato cakes with sour cream are amazing!

How do you pronounce pescatarian? I know that's a bit of silly question? We get it at the school I'm at and the child grows up thinking they are a vegetarian when the happily eat the fish served on a Friday.