An unusual or standard Vegetarian?

[Bistrobore]

I work in a busy bistro.

We had a customer email for a booking recently and listed a couple of dietary requirements for the booking, all fine, all normal and completely easy to accommodate.

But one of the diners was a "lacto ovo vegetarian".

Staff had a chat about this and our conclusion was this is a vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs.

Customers came, had lovely meal, and all was good. And left 5* TripAdvisor review 🌟.

So my AIBU?

Yanbu : you're right, this is a bog standard vegetarian.

Yabu : totes wrong this is some sort of Special Vegetarian.

i agree with all those who don’t like fake meat. It makes me want to gag, but I had a conversation with my teen daughter recently (also veg) who shifted my opinion on it in general. All that fake meat is not for us. Even the beyond meat founder said his goal was not to serve the vegetarians, but rather to appeal to meat eaters and reduce meat consumption overall. Every time a nonveg eats a beyond meat burger or some other fake meat option that is amazing, so now I just get the salad or whatever and am glad fake meats and whatnot have gone more mainstream.

My Mam bought a veggie cookbook from the 80s in a charity shop a few years ago. It had the helpful explainers in it but there was a fish section at the back 'for healthy options' 😯

Seemed they were of the school of thought veggies would wither away without fish!

To be fair I do eat some fish and seafood. I am pescatarian predominately as i do not like the taste or texture of meat. For this reason, I also don't eat certain 'meaty' fish due to the same issue. More and more I eat mainly vegetarian (ovo-lacto version) dishes, though as mine is more of a taste preference I do have cheeses with animal rennet, non vegetarian friendly wine, etc.

However, I don't describe myself as vegetarian on the whole.
I will state vegetarian in some situations, such as when booking a restaurant or on a plane) to ensure I don't get given meat simply for ease. But if having a chat about it in other situations I say pescatarian.

agree. Ex husband was into food experiences and following chefs, etc, but as a vegetarian I hated it because of the open contempt and appalling meals very posh restaurants had for vegetarian clients. I prefer an Indian or Asian meal for a fraction of the cost of eating out.

It is bog standard vegetarian but basically used with veggies want to make a point that they eat dairy and eggs. As some places do lump veggies and vegans together.

YANBU but it’s always good to be clear. The amount of times vegetarians get offered fish or chicken, or vegans get offered the gluten free option…

Don’t worry, they don’t give you dairy free butter or cheese on planes even if you order a vegan meal - they just give you a plain roll/crackers instead. And usually a gluten free one even though the normal one is vegan. This is my experience of BA anyway.

No, that would be a vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs. Vegetarians don't eat meat or meat by-products.

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and whilst the rise of vegans means there's more choice in supermarkets and restaurants than before, I do get frustrated when it means no cheese in my main or a bland dairy-free dessert (usually on a vegan set menu).

It's good that they communicated what they wanted.

Some restaurants don't seem to know what dairy means. I can't have lactose so avoid dairy when eating out. One place I went to thought that eggs were dairy and there ensued an odd conversation about how ( in their opinion) I therefore couldn't have eggs. I asked them if they thought cows laid eggs....

I assume that the customer was trying to clarify for you exactly what their dietary need was. I often do the same (but usually specify something like 'no meat, fish or ingredients derived from them, but eggs, milk, cheese etc are fine'- as I know not everyone knows the official terminology). There are lots of people who say they are vegetarian who eat fish and/or don't mind gelatine etc so I can understand how it's easy for caterers to be confused about what a customer means. Up until about 5 years ago it was pretty common to be offered fish as a vegetarian option (even in hotels etc where I assume there were professional chefs) but nowadays lots of places seem to default to vegan - I hope that by being clear about what I will eat I'm more likely to get something I like.

Yep, that is the diffenition of a vegetarian. Eats eggs and dairy produce, but not meat. Usually for ethical reasons, yet they can't just get over cheese, so continue to contribute to animal suffering. If they happen to have the odd bit of fish then they are pescatarian, if they have the odd bit of chicken, then they are omnivores - no right to call themselves vegetarian at all.

I understand that they are clarifying. But we're a business with a professional chef, we know what the difference is between vegans and vegetarians

Not something we can take for granted, unfortunately. I was served cod garnished with mussels as the "vegetarian" option not so long ago.

I've also had potatoes cooked in goose fat and "vegetarian" soups made with meat stocks.

Some vegetarians are lacto-vegetarian or ovo-vegetarian - eg they do eat eggs/dairy but not the other.

Some Sikhs and Buddhists, for instance, are lacto-vegetarian. And if I'm correct, I think the food served in a gurdwara is always lacto-vegetarian.

I don’t eat meat, but I do eat fish and dairy, so I don’t describe myself as a vegetarian unless I have to because whoever I’m trying to explain it to just doesn’t get it.

I mostly eat vegetarian when eating out due to the prevalence of sea bass with salad and crushed potatoes on menus.

I do get increasingly annoyed at the number of restaurants conflating vegetarian with vegan and serving one dish to cover both.

*definition

Don’t worry, they don’t give you dairy free butter or cheese on planes even if you order a vegan meal - they just give you a plain roll/crackers instead. And usually a gluten free one even though the normal one is vegan. This is my experience of BA anyway.

Sadly not with Virgin. I opt for a vegetarian meal and always get a vegan one. Seeing my travel companions tucking into fruit scones with jam and cream whilst I get a dry "gluten free" version with non dairy spread and non dairy cream is grim. It was uneatable. Truly foul.

Every time a nonveg eats a beyond meat burger or some other fake meat option that is amazing, so now I just get the salad or whatever and am glad fake meats and whatnot have gone more mainstream

generally though, when eating out meat eaters will choose meat over fake, because why go for fake meat when treating yourself.

i don’t see why every non meat option has to have a fake substitute- i had nachos with fake meat chilli, and fajitas with soy meat pieces at a restaurant the other day. They were the only non meat options. There’s no need, as nachos with sour cream, guacamole, cheese etc and fajitas/tacos/burritos with beans/veg/salad are amazing on their own.

it’s basically trying to cater for meat eaters on the meat AND vegan options.

No wonder it is confusing for people when @Inklingpot says they don't eat meat but eat fish. Meat is flesh of an animal, fish is meat ffs. It might be flaky, but it is still muscles, tendon and cartilage. It's meat.

If they eat cheese which is made from animal rennet they're not a vegetarian.

Agreed. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for many years and I'm now a pescetarian. People have some strange ideas about what being vegetarian means so there's no harm in being specific, especially as veganism is now more popular and veggies are getting palmed off with vegan stuff.

You'd be amazed how many people think vegetarians automatically eat fish. Or vegans for that matter. Or lots of veggies might eat cheese.but not milk, or vice versa. Or people with IBS might avoid one or other. Or veggies might be keen to eat cheese and dairy and not be served vegan cheese. But no, come on here and make your snide digs at what sounds like a clear and delightful customer

And with rennet they wouldn’t be vegetarian cheeses.
There are plenty of vegetarian cheese options though.

I have never heard this phrase before. I was veggie from around the age of 10. When I got to about 18 I was pescatarian as I discovered salmon. I ate dairy and eggs. When I was pregnant my body craved chicken so bad so I gave in. Years later I'm back to fish only. I never ate red meat or pork was just chicken. A lot of good choices on the menus for veggies now. Years ago it was really restricted xxx

We're omnivorves - perfectly normal to eat meat it's what we're designed to do and we need the range of vitamins and minerals (especially in childhood) to do so. B12, the 21 essential amino acids, calcium.

After puberty, a lot of men and some women can live on a vegan diet - it's not something I'd do as it's too processed and I want to know what I'm eating.

But...Kids do not grow as much on a vegan diet and I keep posting this - your children will be smaller in height if they don't eat meat.

I’m vegetarian and have been to several restaurants and functions at which professionals have served me fish because they think that’s what vegetarians eat.

I’m surprised a business with a professional chef had to puzzle out what lacto ovo vegetarian meant.