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.

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.

You've got to be a pretty crap chef if you are unable to cook an interesting meal that uses something other than meat. Stock etc aside, it's one ingredient.

I perhaps wouldn't expect Franks All You Can Eat Steak House to have an innovative vegetarian selection but other restaurants, yes. And I'm not even a vegetarian!

DH has PKU, which is treated with a low protein (essentially vegan) diet.

He's vegetarian, or he'll get brain damage.

Fortunately we haven't ever come up against someone trying to pass off ham/chicken/fish as vegetarian (which is odd as we're not exactly in a cosmopolitan hub!). We do have a good appreciation of risottos though!

Point is, sometimes a vegetarian diet/option is more than just the choice a person has made (which is just as valid), sometimes it is medically important. (The supermarket labelling issue is a common problem)

Oh, in the interests of balance, we have come across some legendary chefs who have stepped up and created beautifully low protein dishes for us, sometimes even at short notice when we'd have been happy to combine some starters.

But sadly, there is as much variation in the profession as any other.

This is all very educational now. I feel chefs and restaurants are getting a roast (if you excuse the pun) but at least no one has argued yet.

My mother has just told me that I was very very inappropriate by being so awkward and I should have just accepted it all. There's children starving in the world and I have the luxury of being awkward! Yes mother. The starving third world would happily have my BBQ swordfish I'm sure!

Yanbu

I put vegetarian (no meat/fish) or forms as so many people don't understand what vegetarian means.

It's fine if people wish to be pescetarian, I just wish they would use the correct term, and not 'vegetarian ' to avoid confusion.

Sometimes it's easiest to ask for the vegan option.

fish are searching vegetables

How many vegetables have a brain and eyes that see.

Given how few types of meat there actually are I don't get that chefs go for meat recipes because they are so abundant.
There is only so much you can do with a bird, mammal or fish.

Reading some of this thread, I'm beginning to wonder what words are actually used for "vegetarian" in some countries and whether poor translations are contributing to the problems.

I've been to David Banns in Edinburgh too. It's wonderful for vegetarians. Actual interesting food!

There's children starving in the world and I have the luxury of being awkward!

Actually being veggie is good for people in poorer countries who face food shortages (and good for the planet generally) because raising meat uses up far more land and energy than growing plant crops.

If the whole world went vegetarian, it would be easier for everyone to get enough food.

You can say that to your mum OP (maybe in a whiny teenager voice :o)

YADNBU.

I remember The Vegetarian Society running a campaign aimed at the restaurant and catering industries, about the fish misconception (or 'fishconception' as a PP said!), and outlining what the true definitions of the main vegetarian types (ovo, lacto, lacto-ovo) can and can't eat. The campaign referenced 'those Pesky Pescetarians', who say they're vegetarians yet eat fish, and pesky they are indeed.

At a wedding two years ago, the 'vegetarian' dish that was brought out to me was salmon, and my conversation with the server went like this...

Me: Er, excuse me, I'm down for a vegetarian dish
Server: This is the vegetarian dish
M: It's salmon, it's fish, it's an animal
S: Vegetarians eat fish
M: No we most certainly don't, [goes on to explain what a vegetarian is]
S: Well can't you eat it just this once
M: No I'm afraid I can't

It wasn't possible to make me anything else, so I just filled my plate with sides, and then went crazy at the buffet later.

Jeez plaint that harks back to the years when I had to clear my plate in the parental home 'as there are children starving in Africa'

The vegan society has a 'passport' Grass that explains in different languages what vegan is.

Yeah well she has asked me to apologise to the wedding planner and my brother for causing a problem at the wedding and causing a massive fuss.

The catering company should bloody know what vegetarian/vegan means. Imagine if someone had an allergy - would they have still pulled something like this? Your brother needs to man up and get the company to give him a refund for your meal

'Yeah well she has asked me to apologise to the wedding planner and my brother for causing a problem at the wedding and causing a massive fuss.'

Oh, fuck her off. I'd just ignore her request.

Oh god I'm a recent veggie at 35 due to a gastro bug in march and system refusing to tolerate meat poultry or fish since and although reluctant at first I now love it and have been pleasantly surprised eating locally (in NI) however I hadn't thought about weddings and functions. I never did eat much fish even before but now I can't tolerate it (or any meat etc) so functions and travel could be more interesting than I'd realised

My brother doesn't even know there was a problem! Her theory is I used to eat meat and have fish and chips so I should just accept it now as it was a special occasion! Errrrr you were there the day I got a fish bone stuck in my throats so I stopped all fish and now I have ecological reasons for not eating meat as @MsMoobly said earlier.

She looking to cause trouble with me. She likes to pick a time where I can't escape and start a fight with me. I'll not be seeing her again hopefully when I return home.

I can see how things could get confusing with a language/culture barrier, as well as the fact that most omnivores don't dedicate a huge amount of headspace to vegetarianism.

Even on this thread, the definition of 'vegetarian' is getting confusing - eg:

Vegetarian = no food with a face.
Not difficult.

By that definition, surely most shellfish (mussels, scallops, oysters, clams, etc) would be vegetarian.

I do kind of feel that if you expect people to make a special effort to accommodate your dietary preferences, the least you can do is make a special effort to ensure that they fully understand what you can and cannot eat - even if that means specifically spelling out "I can't eat any meat (including poultry, ham and bacon), fish, shellfish, cheese, gelatin or any sauces made using any of the above, such as chicken stock." Yes it takes a bit longer to explain, but it also takes longer to meal plan/shop/cook for for a veggie if you're not used to it, so it goes both ways.

For me it's anything that would fit the definition of animal if you were to put everything in the boxes of animal, vegetable or mineral.

And yes, I get fed up with this conversation:

I'm vegetarian.
Do you eat fish.
No. I'm vegetarian.
But some vegetarians eat fish.
No they don't. They aren't vegetarians, they are pescitarians, or hypocrites.

risotto made with meat stock...
gravy made with meat juices...
jelly made with gelantine...

but it's not meat...

When you are eating out and paying for food to be cooked you expect that the chef would know the difference between a vegetarian a pescatarian and a meat eater.

'She looking to cause trouble with me. She likes to pick a time where I can't escape and start a fight with me. I'll not be seeing her again hopefully when I return home.'

'Hi mum. Just to let you know that I've decided in the wake of WeddingGate to go nonparentarian. It means I quite literally don't have to deal with you on my plate ever again. So go and fucking spin!'

Home from holiday and I've lost 5lb nearly because I have eaten salad all week. Plain salads too because I don't eat feta (it's a weird reason). But I still had alcohol so I guess it's the biscuits I missed and they are my enemy!

Hi River, there has been a massive improvement in recent years, regarding veggie and Vegan food. Do you live near Belfast? If you go to the Nutmeg shop, they're very good at being able to tell you loads of places that you can go. There's also a fab vegan baker, called crumbs, if you're ever looking a cake or buns. Her stuff is amazing, especially her cakes. Drool. 😍

The clue is in the name VEGetarian, if you eat fish then you are a pescatarian. YANBU.