To think eating less animal products is a good think to be welcomed and positive about

[FeeFiFoFumm]

A lot of people I know are consciously making the choice to eat vegan or vegetarian for a substantial amount of their food. For reasons regarding the planet, or to switch to less meat that is less intensively farmed but more expensive.

So many people seem sneezy about this, ‘not a proper vegan/vegetarian’ kind of comments, putting down the effort and quite dismissive of the effort.

Whilst I appreciate that going vegan/ vegetarian has a greater personal impact I would have thought us all reducing animal product consumption/ seeking organic and better farming methods significantly is more realistic and would actually have a massive impact.

Why is the label so important? Please explain. What does it do for one, being able to wear that particular badge?

It's not about a badge, it's about explaining what I can/can't eat.

So if I can't say that I'm vegetarian then I would have to say "I don't eat any meat or fish, I don't eat gelatine or cheese made with animal rennet. I don't eat carmine or anything cooked in animal fat. etc."

OK, Slash, I totally get that on a practical level. Just out of interest, do you really find that people need such basic tenets of vegetarianism spelled out to them? Man, that's depressing.
But there have been threads on here lately where the label appears prized above its practical application; some woman had been unceremoniously 'stripped' of her vegetarian credentials after accidentally eating something animaly from a friend's plate in a restaurant. That kind of thing. Like 'I am the vector of vegetarianism, begone accidental eater of wine gum!'

do you really find that people need such basic tenets of vegetarianism spelled out to them?

I'm often asked when I say I'm vegetarian if I eat fish and occasionally if I eat chicken, these people aren't going to know about gelatine or a specific food colouring. TBH, I wouldn't expect them to and am always happy to answer questions or to bring my own food if needed.

For me, there's a difference between accidentally eating something you thought was vegan/vegetarian and someone who knows they are eating a food containing animal products. There's another thread where someone served their vegan friend something containing fish sauce, I would say their friend was still vegan because they were not aware (other people may think differently). The OP from the other thread sometimes knowingly eats non-vegan food, I would say they are not vegan.

It doesn't help when people call themselves vegetarian but then sometimes eat fish etc. because it just confuses people even more.

Yanbu, I'm pescetarian myself and have on a few occasions had people try to convince me I should just give up and eat all meats because I'm not a proper vegetarian.

This has even come after I've explained my diet isnt especially morally/environmentally motivated. I just find eating anything fleshy to be unpleasant and dont have the same problem with fish.

Conversely, I've never had another vegetarian try to make me drop seafood, which might have made a bit more sense. The defensive attitudes some people have about meat are bizarre. A lot of the reaction to the Gregg's vegan sausage roll is a good example.

A friend of mine is entirely vegan at home and when out and about, but when she eats at other people’s Houses she says she’ll just eat vegetarian to make it easier. Considering she eats at someone else’s house maybe once every 2months if not more infrequently Is she not a vegan in people’s eyes? She’s vegan for environmental reasons if that matters