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.

These pages from the Vegetarian society should help anyone who wants food where the caterers have a knowledge of English. www.vegsoc.org/caterers

OP, could you or a friend translate the info for the caterers, well in advance of the next catered for event you go to?

Agnes I'm not sure what the Greeks will make of you being vegan, as nearly all of their veggie dishes contain dairy. I would suggest you find out how to say 'no cheese'

The vegan dishes I can think of are: tomato/cucumber salad, briam, gigantes, gemista and stuffed vine leaves (these sometimes contain meat so you have to check), horta, pasta nepolitana, Greek salad - no cheese!

Tears
Pess ca tarian.

Thank you

Get the Happy Cow app for your phone. It list veggie and vegan friendly places to eat everywhere.

OK well knowing you are in Greece explains things a little.... they aren't known for their understanding of non meat / fish eaters I'm afraid.

Thank you for that I think i will have to learn to say no cheese. I oroginally became vegan to trial for a month to see if helped with my IBS, however I love it. I have lost weight and my IBS has improved greatly and I want to continue. Downside is lack of options when eating out.

I work as a cook and have had one person tell me they are vegetarian. But eat chicken , mince and sausages

I'm a pescatarian but don't really eat out as I don't trust what I'm getting.

You being in Greece probably complicates matters a bit OP! Odd really because they have so many good actually veggie dishes.

That said:

YANBU. Problem is pescatarians just tell everyone they're vegetarian so people start to think vegetarians eat fish.

This.

I don't think fish is veggie at all, but enough fish eating meat refusers seem to call themselves veggie that it's worth checking with them. But in the UK, for a mass catering event, I'd expect the veggie option to play safe and not have any flesh!

yes yanbu at all.

For the supermarkets - check to see if there is the V symbol from the vegetarian society. If that is present and there are fish derivatives in the ingredients list do contact the Vegetarian Society. I dont know how much pressure they can apply but better than just an individual. Do use social media to tweet the error.

I'm a vegetarian - live and work in the UK. My employer is large and has various catering outlets on site.

I once made the mistake of querying with a member of the catering staff whether the egg mayo was made with pasteurized eggs (first pregnancy, anxious about everything). I was told they didn't know so I should have tuna just to be on the safe side.

I explained for the second time about being veggie and they were completely flummoxed, wondering why tuna wasn't ok in the circumstances. I was told I was in fact vegan as vegetarians eat fish but vegans don't eat either.

I made an attempt to explain that vegans don't eat meat, fish, dairy or anything that comes from animals. The response was 'you're wrong because then they'd never eat anything'.

I gave up at that point!

Thanks @OnyK!

Very helpful, those pierogi things look nice!

Sadly I suspect 5 yr old DS will struggle, as like most 5 yr olds he likes his food beige, and definitely wouldn't eat beetroot salad or cabbage!

Ah well, we'll be on airbnb so at least will be able to cook and not reliant on eating out all the time!

In that case look out for a carrefour supermarket as they do quite a large range of foods. A bit like a co-op with own brand plus others. We stayed in Krakow and my very fussy husband was ok.

Vegetarian = no food with a face.

That's carrots out then...

I can understand an ordinary person making a mistake but a caterer?? No way!

I'm vegetarian, and diabetic. Between not trying to eat too many carbs and sugar, it's a bloody nightmare. I will eat fish in absolute desperation if there is no other choice, but it isn't through choice.....just mildly more preferable than eating animal flesh. The amount of times I've eaten out and tasted meat stock in a so called veggie dish is appalling, and it will often make me physically sick as I feel so upset about it. Worse still was an italian restaurant where there were flecks of ham through a sauce...they'd clearly just taken the large bits out and served it as vegetarian . I don't understand why not wanting to eat animal flesh or animal by products is such an issue. Sigh.

YANBU.

Our wedding venue offered to make the three veggies at our wedding any veggie meal they wanted.

They all elected to have the duck starter, beef main & the bacon & sausage baps in the evening.

Apparently they are still veggies though

check to see if there is the V symbol from the vegetarian society.

I find it a bit random - sometimes there's a helpful V or "suitable for vegetarians". Sometimes there isn't, even on a product that is veggie when you check.

Ah thanks @jennielou75!

That's brilliantly helpful!

Travelling with a veggie 5 yr old is not as easy as it first appears!

A vegetarian evening buffet of soft goats cheese and grilled long red pepper things was supplied btw. One of the meat eating guests took it home in her hat as it was untouched.

But you might as well be hung for a sausage as a sirloin of beef.

I will eat fish in absolute desperation if there is no other choice, but it isn't through choice.....just mildly more preferable than eating animal flesh

But a fish is an animal isn't it?

Might be a Greece thing.

We were told in Spain that ham was so important to the culture that some vegetarians would eat it as life without ham was unimaginable.

Would have thought you could do veggie in Poland OK but it would be dull - endless mushroom pierogis and not much else.

MsMoobly - The vegetarian society dont give every vegetarian product their logo. I assume the manufacturers or retailers have to request certification. They have just launched a vegan symbol which is too similar tothe veggie V for my liking!

@SoupDragon

Whenever the fact that I am vegetarian comes up in conversation, I can guarantee that the next question will be "Do you eat fish?". It drives me insane. As does the fact that if there is only one vegetarian option on a menu, it will without fail be a mushroom risotto. I loathe mushrooms.

Yeah, but Soup, they quite ugly aren't they!?