to feel disgusted with myself :(

[WinterfellPrincess]

I've been vegetarian for 10 years. Partly for moral reasons, partly because I don't like the thought of eating meat - the thought always made me feel nauseous. But it's a personal choice, I don't judge others for what they chose to eat.

I went to an East Asian restaurant, and ordered a vegetarian dish. The dishes were not in English. The dishes arrived, and the waiter gave me what I thought was mine. It looked like it was, lots of vegetables etc.

I ate quite a bit of it, until I realised there was meat in it - it were prawns underneath the vegetables. I realised they had given me the wrong one. The worst thing is I'm pretty sure I ate chicken, as the veggie dish was supposed to have tofu in it, and I thought that's what it was. I don't remember what meat tastes like.

I feel awful - the worst thing is, someone at the dinner party made a huge deal about it and brought it to everyone's attention.

I've barely been able to eat since, and I feel a fraud to call myself a vegetarian. Some of the vegetarians at the table definitely judge me for not realising, saying 'I would have definitely realised if it were me'. I want to cleanse my whole body somehow, I tried to make myself vomit but failed.

I feel stupid and disgusted with myself for not realising.

That is all a bit of a torment for a few prawns, OP.

Rigidity and over control are not a good way to live life. You cannot control life. Try and get a bit more balanced thinking for peace, serenity and acceptance.

😂😂 hope you're ok OP, what a traumatic experience

Oh fuck off laughing. It was important !! Just because you feel it is not to you.... Just goes to show what you are

Not only your so called friends being arseholes OP, seems plenty on this thread are too.

Your friends were being total dicks. They should have been angry with the restaurant, not having a go at you.

dont be hard on yourself.DO NOT VOMIT or do other beahviours to rid yourself of a bad feeling.this way madness lies and possible beahviours you become trapped in as it wont absolve the feeling in ur mind and emotions and is a spiral you do not want to get into!
your beliefs are still the same.your ethics and why you became veggie are still the same.you made a mistake.this makes you human not evil.
many vegetarians go back and then go back again.does this make them wrong or bad people.no it means their lives and choices change.and some things for all sorts of reasons come first be it mentally or emotionally people do thing at different points in their lives. but your wasnt even that.it was a mistake.
let others judge.are they inisde your mind.do they control your thoughts and actions...nope.so dont let them control feeling shit about yourself.its all soeasy to say we would or wouldnt do things others do.but you only know when your in the same situation.
and if they were horrid they arent great friends.id be trying to make my friend feel better.telling her not to worry or feel guilty.
move on.prepare a really good veggie meal,something really comforting and say "this is for you chickens!" and enjoy.

This is why I'm always quite paranoid at restaurants. I rarely order anything where it wouldn't be immediately obvious if it was meat.

Some of the responses on here are really mean, if you're not a strict vegetarian you have no idea what it feels like to accidentally eat meat

I'm a vegetarian and have accident eaten meat quite a few times (and deliberately tried it to please my children who I insist they try things they don't like and put that back on me). It doesn't make you a fraud. You don't like meat or fish and choose not to eat it. Just carry on as you were.

My late mother also thought it was funny to try to sneak meat into vegetarians meals.

You may be projecting AmeriAnn. At no point did I suggest making a joke or deliberately exposing my daughter to meat products. Some desserts contain gelatine. Accidents happen. I'm sorry your mother didn't respect your choices as I respect those of my daughter.

Sorry for the derail Op.

I've been a vegetarian for 25 years and have often eaten meat by mistake. Its never bothered me at all. Just thought "Ooops!". Calm down and forgive yourself.

Yanbu OP, I would be upset too. It’s happened to us all though, I’m fairly sure my mum accidentally fed me a lamb samosa thing at Christmas (not envy). I have been a veggie 34 years now and it’s hard to get the concept of eating meat.

Don't feel bad, it happens. Vegetarianism is also about behaviour and intentions - you didn't choose to eat it

In the nicest possible way, you need to get a grip. One mistake doesn’t negate years of vegetarianism. Also, your friends sound like dicks for the comments they made.

I'm pretty certain all veggies accidentally end up licking a spoon that's been in a meat dish, eating something with gelatine or rennet in, or eating chips cooked in lard without knowing at times. You're still a vegetarian.

As a vegetarian, you still consume animal products if not necessarily by eating creatures that have been killed. If you were a vegan, I could understand your disgust. As a vegetarian, I'm sorry but you seem to BU.

I think your guilt is coming from your veggie 'friends' reaction...which wasn't very sympathetic and quite superior.

Try to imagine the compassion you would've reacted with if one of them had eaten the meal and then give yourself that same talk and chill out.

Mistakes happen. Not the end of the world.

YANBU op, I get it. I’ve been veggie for 30yrs, and have never knowingly eaten meat or fish in that time. If this happened to me I think I would feel really weird about it being in my body. The veggie lifestyle is so deeply ingrained in me, it’s just who I am. I totally understand the way it’s made you feel, but you didn’t do it on purpose.

You now need to try to forget this and move on 💐

To me, being a vegetarian is about choosing not to eat meat. If you accidentally eat some, that doesn't negate your choice - it was an accident.

My dad (veggie for 40yrs) once involuntarily sprayed his dinner party hostess with 'vegetable' soup after she gaily said 'oh, I ran out of vegetable stock cubes, so I just chucked in a chicken one instead!' He was utterly horrified and his mouthful of soup just left his mouth without it being a conscious decision. It might sound extreme, but he just couldn't have it.

He's still a vegetarian though.

The veg you eat have caused lots of animals to be killed by machines in the fields, that doesn't seem to bother many people. Little mice mangled in a harvester is quite a grim sight, and no one cares. So your idiotic friends might as well be eating them for all they good they do to these animals.

I assume that most meat eaters eat vegetables, too?

I understand exactly how you feel as the same thing happened to me on my birthday a few years ago - I ordered a tofu Chinese meal but they gave me chicken. I found it really upsetting and lost my appetite for ages. I felt really disgusting for a long time afterwards, people will laugh but I truly felt violated. It’s awful when you unknowingly consume something abhorrent but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Just try not to think about it OP, the memory will fade in time and you won’t feel so bad.

someone at the dinner party made a huge deal about it

And now you’re doing the same thing.

Maybe the 'chicken' was actually tofu, and they had prawns in there as a lot of people think vegetarians eat fish/seafood. I have noticed this a lot. You are getting a hard time on here OP, I have been vegetarian for 32 years, and would feel like you did. I think the reaction of the others was poor, and probably made you feel worse than you should have too. Hope you feel better soon

I'm vegetarian and I wouldn't judge you...your 'freinds' are dicks!

I agree with @MatthewBramble you are being ridiculous. If this has affected you so much maybe you need to go research the dairy and egg industry.

I agree with Cherrysherbet it would make me feel really weird too, almost squeamish at the thought of eating something that was alive. Your friends were very unkind.