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?

Surely the spat that’s arisen on this thread is exactly why “flexitarian” can be a useful label. You can use it as code for “I’ll have the vegetarian options please, but don’t worry too much about using separate spoons for serving, and if you haven’t got veggie “Parmesan” or Worcester sauce in then that’s OK.”

If “vegetarian” is a term reserved only for people who adhere to the diet perfectly (and that’s fine: if you’re utterly disgusted by the idea of eating part of an animal then of course you wouldn’t do it) 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.

It’s just omnivore though. Or perhaps trans-veggie?

I was a vegetarian in the 80s and we certainly didn’t eat fish. Well maybe if we didn’t have a dictionary? Vegetarians don’t eat fish.

Nobody blinked an eye in the 80s when I said "I'm veggie but I sometimes eat fish."

OMG. MN is so damn orthorexic.

Nobody blinked an eye in the 80s when I said "I'm veggie but I sometimes eat fish."
Yeah, as I said. Ignorance. Wasn't really a "thing" then. Definitely not mainstream like now anyway.

OMG. MN is so damn orthorexic

"If you think fish is vegetarian, sea kelp"

Nobody blinked an eye in the 80s when I said "I'm veggie but I sometimes eat fish."

Could you explain the relevance of that 40 years later?

FFS this really gets on my wick. Vegetarians don't eat fish, pescatarians do. I don't care what anyone else eats but don't call yourself vegetarian if you eat fish.

@Tavannach I'm vegan and eat a lot more than 'just veg!'

Tuna and Ham are totally vegetarian!

As is Roast Turkey on Christmas Day.

Do you mean mushrooms and Marmite ghast?

@MyGastIsFlabbered
@Tavannach I'm vegan and eat a lot more than 'just veg!

I hear you, Mygast. I'm not vegan but my husband's been strict vegetarian nearly as long as I've known him (over 20 years) and the past several years he's gone vegan.
You would not BELIEVE the amount of people who get triggered over the V word lol. Even if they happily ate it before finding out it was vegan
You can have amazing cheesecakes, ice cream, etc and if you don't tell them it's vegan they love it.

"If you eat fish you were never really veggie regardless of what decade it was."

Obviously I agree with this, it really made things harder for vegetarians prior to pescatarians having a name.

Anyonebutanton - no I think it just muddies the waters. Clear definitions make it easier for people to understand the differences. You then get people giving it "fussy vegetarians" vs "easy vegetarians", cross contamination and ingredient honesty being let slide.

As I said much earlier in the thread (and I'm fairly confident those veggies that are old enough to remember will agree) we had to campaign long and hard to get good, clear, regulated labelling, honest restaurant menus, decent options when eating out - hell more than one option at all!

It didn't just happen overnight and food companies didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts! We petitioned, picketed, campaigned and publicised to get to where we are now - which hasn't only benefited vegetarians but also those with non-conventional dietary requirements for other reasons including allergies and intolerances (many of us "cross supported" on these issues) and religious and cultural reasons.

It's important to us and having our beliefs dismissed and minimised is actually offensive.

This drives me mad. I have lost count of the number of times vegetarian dd was offered tuna (usually tuna pasta bake) as the veggie option either at school or on an activity meaning she went without food. School meals providers are particularly bad for it.
It’s not difficult to understand that vegetarians do not eat fish either.
I always had to stress no fish on the dietary requirements.

Flexitarian is a totally unnecessary term for “I eat food”.

Seems a good compromise to me, forcing people to be vegetarians is a big off but adding a fish option in the tuna seems to me to satisfy everyone as long as it is not served as part of every plate as standard. Well done to your co-worker for such an ingenious solution.

Serving one meal without meat is not 'forcing people to be vegetarians' FFS.

It's just normal food that is suitable for everyone, taking allergy requirements into account obviously.

I must have missed the memo, that not being vegetarian means that I must eat meat at every meal, because it never occurred to me that I had to and the OPs buffet offering sounds a lot more appetising than the more common alternative that includes ham sandwiches, sausage rolls, pork pie and mini sausages.

Any one or two of those options are fine, but when you find that well over half the buffet involves processed pork, most people would start to look for something else, so choosing a cheese sandwich or onion bhaji is not 'stealing all the vegetarian food' it's eating a normal, varied diet.

It's important to us and having our beliefs dismissed and minimised is actually offensive

You make it sound like a religion.

Of course, some people want veganism to be protected as a religion.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/03/ethical-veganism-could-considered-religion-landmark-tribunal/

• Er - it's a faddy diet.

• Blasphemy!

Actually I think that flexitarian is showing an intent to eat less meat, which surely as a vegetarian or vegan you should support. A person who cuts down massively on meat or who only eats it on a few occasions will be beneficial to the environment and to an extent animal welfare.

I cannot eat some meat/fish as it makes me really ill. Generally I will state the foods that I can't eat but I can see how others might just request vegetarian because it does open you up to being questioned. 'Oh, why don't you eat red meat? What do you mean by red fish? What happens if you eat red meat? I have never heard of anyone not being able to eat red meat.' etc. etc. It is sometimes easier to request to eat vegetarian. That doesn't mean that on another occasion I wouldn't eat a chicken sandwich. The problem comes in other people then extrapolating and stereotyping based on someone else's choices. It is when they think 'oh Jo requested a vegetarian meal and she eats tuna so tuna is vegetarian' Jo might have requested a vegetarian meal because it was a Monday and she never eats meat on a Monday. The problem doesn't lie with Jo (unless she declares that she is actually is vegetarian), the problem lies with the caterers not knowing what vegetarians do or do not eat.

Actually I think the rise of pescitarian and flexitarian lifestyles will benefit vegetarians and vegans. Already there are far more vegetarian options in the shops. In the same way that more people eating gluten free has increased the options available. Any issues with cross contamination etc are the responsibility of the caterers. It is great now that I can actually eat gluten free vegetarian burgers which even a few years ago were really hard to find. It has never been easier to be vegetarian or vegan which surely has to be a good thing.

‘Beliefs’ FFS. It’s a lifestyle choice.

Seems a good compromise to me, forcing people to be vegetarians is a bit off

You’d hate me then. I cook veggie/vegan when we have friends around. Why would I cook meat when neither dh and I eat it? I’m a great cook and people enjoy what I make.

Actually I think that flexitarian is showing an intent to eat less meat, which surely as a vegetarian or vegan you should support.

I do support people eating les meat but there’s no need for a wanky term for it.

"It's just normal food that is suitable for everyone, taking allergy requirements into account obviously."

Except it's not, someone who is allergic to eggs & tomatoes for instance would really struggle with that provided lunch.

For instance off limits would be the quiche, many of he sandwiches, leaving pretty much the cheese and tuna sandwiches.

Tuna isn't vegetarian! I'm vegan now but even as a veggie wouldn't touch egg sarnies, yuk.

Why is it so hard for firms to put together a platter that will appeal to everybody? I went to buy a platter from Morrisons for a family do and it was like I was stuck in the 80s with tuna and egg mayonaise sarnies.

Except it's not, someone who is allergic to eggs & tomatoes for instance would really struggle with that provided lunch.

Did you miss the “taking into account allergy requirements” in the post you quoted?

Most tuna sandwiches have mayo in, so wouldn’t be suitable for an egg allergy.

"Did you miss the “taking into account allergy requirements” in the post you quoted? "

No.