To think tuna is not vegetarian!

[TheTitOfTheIceberg]

A member of my team has been involved in arranging a small event at work, which was taking place today. I'm on leave but dropped her a quick text to see how it was going, and also asked her to let me know particularly what she thought of the lunch provided/any delegate feedback about it as it was the first time we've used these particular caterers. Company policy is now to order vegetarian options only as standard.

She has just replied "lunch was fine - samosas, spring rolls, quiches (leek & cheese, broccoli), dips with raw veg crudites, sandwiches/wraps (salad, cheese, tuna mayo, egg & tomato) and lots of fruit".

Tuna?? On a vegetarian platter? AIBU to think the catering company has dropped a bollock here?

It’s highly unusual to have a veggie spread covered in seeds. Besides surely someone with a severe allergy is responsible for alerting the caterers/whomever, regardless of whether food is veggie or meat?
We did but it wasnt a buffet and what was served mostly had seeds in it. They heard the "Nuts" bit and ignored the "seeds" bit

Allergy to meat is very rare
seafood and fish can be a problem
but most allergies are plant based or dairy including rice and potatoes

The people I know, live with, work with and entertain as guests have (variously ) the following allergies
Nuts
Seeds
chick peas
Peas
Tomatoes
Pineapple
Red peppers (and green)
Gluten

And
Chicken
Fish
Shellfish

So a veggie platter avoiding hummus, felafels, bajhis (made with gram flour = chick peas) salad with tomatoes, pizza with tomatoes, etc etc is not always an easy task.

Oh, and eggs

That was always something I queried years ago when my DB was supposedly passionately veggie but ate fish. Lots of others were too. In my DB’s case, it was just as well he’s always eaten fish as he’s always struggled to eat a healthy diet.

He still wasn’t a veggie, though.

Tuna is absolutely NOT vegetarian.

@bruffin That was crap of the caterers but not anything to do with the vegetarian nature of the wedding. Vegetarian food is not typically covered in seeds.

Not rtft but imo vegetarians are kidding themselves as the dairy and egg industry are just as cruel as the meat. Probably more so than beef / lamb farming.

That is indeed a very valid point. I know that DH thinks about this a lot - but becoming vegan is a big leap, and definitely not something I will consider for DD.

I do wonder whether we'd all be better off ditching the dairy rather than meat.

I agree magpie - it always makes me laugh how vegetarians get their knickers in a twist over someone eating fish whilst quite merrily eating dairy products and eggs. It also makes me laugh that so many people are appalled by veal, whilst having no issue whatsoever with dairy.

well - it just goes to show that most of us are hypocrites one way or another, but we are just muddling along trying to do our best whilst knowing that doing X has knock on effect Y but you feel it's better than Z.

Nobody is perfect but everyone who is trying to make the world a better place and our planet a better place should be applauded.

then a term is needed for people who are eating vegetarian for environmental/health reasons but don’t really care about the odd haribo and might join in the family Christmas turkey.

Why is a term needed? I don’t get this need for labels.

Fuck it. Give them water.

SO long as it's not in a single use plastic bottle.....

no the term flexitarian is not 'needed'. It does not convey any useful info to the caterer or anybody else. I mean what are they supposed to do if someone writes on the food preference box that they are flexitarian? Ask if it's the meat-eating day or not?

Nobody is perfect but everyone who is trying to make the world a better place and our planet a better place should be applauded.

Except there are lots of 'vegetarians' on here saying only that counts. And sneering at people calling themselves flexitarian or peskytarian (deliberate)

It's not needed but if some people like to use it to describe themselves, because changing their diet from fully meat/fish is a big deal, what harm can it do?

'Pescatarian' is almost as annoying as 'Flexitarian'. The first means you eat everything except meat, the second means you are an omnivore, as are most of us. Only twats use these titles. I've also met many a so-called vegetarian who eats fish, bacon, etc ... also twats.

I think pescetarian is useful - it conveys the dietary requirement in one word. Flexitarian is nonsense - it could mean anything!

I usually try to eat locally grown produce but occasionally have a mango. All I'm missing now is a fancy name to call myself..

Yes it's a choice - one based on beliefs for very many vegetarians. Are we not allowed to hold beliefs? Please do tell me exactly what is wrong with that?!

Those making comments belittling that - it says far more about you than it does about vegetarianism.

Shouldwestay your post at 7.08 attempts to be supportive but I feel doesn't really fully show understanding of the issues we've faced over many years. Yes there's much more veggie/vegan food/options available now but that's largely due to activism by vegetarians/vegans.

"I do support people eating les meat but there’s no need for a wanky term for it." Pretty much sums up how I feel.

In all my years as a veggie I've found I tend to get one of 2 responses when I meet someone new and they realise (I don't introduce myself "hi I'm Graphista I'm vegetarian" but people tend to realise when you socialise around food or they spot you in the supermarket buying veggie food).

Either:

Bravado, ridicule and criticism - ranging from mild "oooh I could never give up bacon" to trying to 'catch me out' "aren't your shoes leather? Isn't that gravy meat?" (No) to downright offensive - references to oral sex, "accidentally" putting meat gravy on my food.

Or

Guilt & defensiveness - "I don't eat much meat really thinking about it" "we only eat free range meat" "we only eat fish and chicken" "some days we don't eat meat at all" - I suspect these are the ones desperately grasping at the straw of "flexitarian"

"For some reason most vegan/veggie/flexi seem to have a fixation that all people can eat everything that is non-meat, so whatever they offer is fine." Absolutely nobody has said anything like that indeed many vegans/vegetarians are very aware of the issues allergy sufferers face.

"there is nothing inherently inedible about vegetarian food if you happen to eat meat" exactly!

"I wouldn’t trust a firm providing tuna as a vegetarian option not to have used things with “hidden” meat in, like non-vegetarian cheese" I agree. They just don't seem on the ball at all.

I rang the company this morning and apparently the tuna sandwiches are a fairly recent addition to their 'vegetarian' platter in response to some customer requests for it, but they're going to "take on board" my comments/suggestions. TBH whether they act on them or not - and they're well within their rights to ignore them if it suits their customer base, but I can't imagine I'll be the only person to query their definition of vegetarian - I doubt we'll use them again, too many gaps around their product knowledge. Obviously catering is a competitive field so we're unlikely to have a problem finding another provider for future events at a similar cost without the risks.

Tuna is not a vegetarian option! I went to a Smokeys the other day and asked about their vege options, she mentioned a dish with some fish in it, I told her that was in no way vegetarian, her response- perhaps in your Country the definition of vegetarian is different to this Country, um WT actual F, born and raised in this Country for starters.

I rang the company this morning and apparently the tuna sandwiches are a fairly recent addition to their 'vegetarian' platter in response to some customer requests for it, but they're going to "take on board" my comments/suggestions

FFS. If they were a decent catering company, you'd think they'd have piped up "tuna isn't vegetarian though", rolled their eyes and filed the request under Bonkers not bloody pandered to it!
I'm not even vegetarian or vegan, but that is ridiculous. What else could the get wrong? What about allergy sufferers like myself?
If you're allergic to fish for example you wouldn't expect it to be on a vegetarian platter.

Subway is also of the opinion tuna is vegetarian. One of their staff got quite argumentative with me- they only change their gloves for vegetarians after handling the tuna on request, as tuna is vegetarian

That and the double dipping into all the fillings meant i only ever went there once.

Caterers can’t really afford to argue the toss with their idiot customers. I remember going to a London curry house with European workmates who ordered Chicken Tikka and then complained loudly that it didn’t come with “Chicken Tikka sauce” -ie it wasn’t a chicken tikka Marsala because that wasn’t what they’d ordered. Restaurant gritted their teeth and produced a jug of sauce.

However of course the caterers should realise that routinely shoving fish in a veggie platter could lead them to serious trouble. Obvious solution is to offer “Vegetarian Platter Plus Tuna” and “Vegetarian Platter”

For different reasons I am fed up with the "I can use whatever definition I want" attitude.

Imagine if car manufacturers used that stance.
Customer: you said my car was a hybrid, but it only has a petrol engine.
Car person: we don't like labels. We can define hybrid as we want.