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.

thereallochnessmonster It boggles my mind why these dishes are considered 'traditional'. I've been on trips in the UK where all I could find to eat for a whole week was either risotto or something with goat's cheese. I don't think I'm being fussy for wanting a little bit of variety. I think it's a UK or Northern European thing. Other cultures have so many good vegetarian options.

I also don't think I'm being "fussy" for wanting some variety. Meat eaters take it for granted that they will have dozens of choices. I'm lucky usually if I get any choice at all...... And I am truly sick of mushroom risotto as it seems are the rest of the veggies here.

Yesterday though we went to a vegetarian cafe - it was bliss to be able for once to choose from a full menu.

But fish are sea vegetables?

Don't forget about ovo-vegetarians!
I'm a meat eater and we learned all the distinctions in primary school ....

But "meat" is really any flesh. So I've said more than once "I don't eat mammal meat, I don't eat fish meat and I don't eat bird meat."

Once when I said that, the person replied "But do you eat chicken?"
The level of ignorance is incredible sometimes.

Just for information (I found this out through my job).
Beef Bisto is suitable for vegetarians.

Not helpful for those who don't like the taste of meat I know , just amazed me so I thought I'd share !

I think there is often a difference in peoples definition of meat . Of course we know that 'meat' means flesh of animals. But not that long ago in a lot of working class parlance 'meat' meant a joint of meat you have on a Sunday. Then you had left over, mincey, fishy, meals in the week rather than a slab of 'meat'. To my dad in his 70s meat means a steak or roast red meat. He doesn't consider mince or chicken 'meat' altho he obviously understands that mince and chicken comes from animals. What my grandparents considered 'non - meat' is not the literal definition of what we consider non meat. Hence the 'wafer thin ham' type jokes. People genuinely feel totally confused by it. I think mainly because they can't understand it from an ethical point of view rather a texture/preference angle. The idea of animal welfare to my parents/pils/my grandparents boggled their minds.

MrsKoala, I really don't think age has anything to do with it. It's actually quite patronising to say that.

There is a kind of flip side to this, which I only found out from MN, and the "Is one sausage enough?" threads.

I eat meat... but I don't eat big portions.
So just because I don't mind eating meat doesn't mean I want a shedload of it.
Means being careful if I'm not self-catering. Safest bet can be to call myself veggie b/c I don't mind eating veggie. But I will be :( (& probably choose to go hungry instead) if I'm served a stupidly large portion of meat.

YADNBU, that's absolutely ridiculous. Fish isn't veggie, it's not rocket science!
MIL drives me batty like this. She's vegetarian, but east chicken, and occasionally sausage.

Err okay. I'll just lie and say my grandparents didn't think like that then . Even Nigella says in one of her cookery books/programmes (how to eat i think) that when she grew up 'meat' meant the joint you have on a Sunday and mince and chicken wasn't considered 'meat' by her grand/parents. It's just a social observation. I said they of course knew they came from an animal, it was more the semantics of the word meat i was talking about.

I was offered tuna salad today as a veggie option...

It's not just the obvious bits of meat in dishes or meat stocks.

The amount of times I've had to pull restaurants up on the Parmesan/wobbly puddings/cheeses/Wostershire sauce/lard pastry/dumplings...

I wouldn't mind so much, but on the rare occasion DH takes me out for a fancy schmancy meal we always call ahead to check.

I wish Michelin/AA etc... would also grade them on these things.

Drives me potty as a vegetarian of 26 years, even my own sister had a strop because I wouldn't eat prawn salad and her friend who is a vegetarian does

We like to complicate it further as a family, 4 veggies, 3 coeliac, 1 nut allergy, 1 shellfish allergy and 1 oat sensitive too

We still manage to eat out but my favourite phrase in Spain is 'non hammon' as they slip it into everything

I'm vegan and yesterday a friend asked me if I eat fish (bangs head against a wall)

The "vegetarian" option at ds's school is often fish. While this doesn't affect us, I just think it must be a right pain for those it does affect as the child will have to take a packed lunch.
YANBU op.

The problem, as people have said, is that the various terms have been abused (so claiming to be vegetarian and eating fish or even white meat) thus rendering them highly problematic.

Furthermore, there are those who only eat ethically sourced food so you can see them at home eating meat but then being vegetarian or vegan outside the home which just adds to the confusion some people have.

And those wanting variety - is this from the same menu at the same place? If you find you are getting the same thing from different places that is not the place you are going to being the problem. After all, there is no centralised "what do make vegetarians eat" conference that all restaurants, wedding caterers etc meet and decide on what to serve.

Yes it's so irritating. I've definitely unintentionally eaten meat despite trying to avoid it.

I once ordered a veggie lasagne at an airport, cut it open and it looked like mince. Thinking oh it must be quorn mince I took a mouthful.

It wasn't Quorn.

They were very apologetic and gave me a free meal but their system put either type of lasagne as lasagne on the screen the chef saw so he just assumed meat...

I try and avoid Quorn when eating out. Just can't trust that their isn't a mix up :/

After a few years of food service, arguments with chefs and customers trying to make me look like a twat, I err on the side of caution, and when asked offer the veggie, vegan and fish options. For every 'true' vegetarian that asks for the veggie option, I've also had another who will describe themselves as vegetarian and yet eat the fish dishes.
I do however know the difference between vegetarian, pestecarian and vegan, but with experience that people will describe themselves/ask for a vegetarian option when any of the above can apply, I offer it all. Still doesn't stop some ppl being incredibly condescending about that though either.
YANBU - a venue that has a trained chef cooking should know the difference and supply accordingly.

scottishdiem If every restaurant you went to only served (say) gammon and chips with no other choice wouldn't you feel aggrieved?

I've never really had a problem with this. I sometimes find they go too far so they have one combined vegi/vegan/gluten free option. At a conference I went to recently I had courgette on a bed of ratatouille.
I was googling chip shops before I'd even started it.

Stealth, I've seen that too. I really do think it's worse than twenty years ago and if schools are serving fish as a veggie option, something's gone wrong.

I also ate out more and had more work events in my 20s and it was less of an issue. I think some venues also think everyone is on low carb except when they give you a million muffins at 4pm. All very confusing.

Elphame

No but I wouldnt be going out as much to be honest....

However, if there were restaurants whose ambition to extend beyond the basic I would also go there. I am a meat eater but one of the best meals I ever had was at David Banns, a vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh. The dim sum remains the best starter I have ever had. I do not expect meat on that places menu. I dont not expect to the chef there to compromise their menu choices and nor do I expect others to cater for what is still a minority of the population.

A restaurant is not just a place for customers to eat. Its is a place for the owner and/or chef to craft the meals they want to make and sell. Some might look at doing that with vegetarian options, others (most) prefer a broader range of ingredients. They dont share menus to plan a limited choice, its just that they arent into making that compromise of mental and menu space to offer the range that vegetarians want. It is a choice they are making.

Fair enough but your argument is undermined by the lack of imagination of most chefs. Even meat based recipes are repeated ad nauseum across countless restaurant menus. You just get a broader range of the same old stuff on the menu.

Malfoyy
I'm surprised about that because in Romania ( Easter/Christmass) lent is taken seriously and there are many dishes that would suit vegetarians, and this includes not food cooked without animal products. Too bad you had such a bad experience.