Page 3 | to think its silly when people they are a veggi but meat chicken and fish.

alicet · 10/11/2008 21:27

I always ask anyone who is vegetarian if they eat fish or not. Not because I think fish is actually a fruit but because in my experience a lot of people who describe themselves as vegetarian eat fish. And its a lot easier to cook a dinner party meal if they eat fish.

Would never presume they would eat chicken though and if they didn't eat fish I would make something separate for them quite happily.

peacelily · 10/11/2008 21:46

I've been vegi for 22 years.

That means I haven't eaten fish or meat for 22 years, if i had i wouldn't have been a vegetarian.

It's bulls**t when vegetarians say they eat fish etc. And makes me fume in retaurants when fish is one of the vegi choices

And also when people say "oh you don't even eat fish then...???"

WTF!!!

zipzap · 10/11/2008 23:01

As a person that hates eating fish, I always found that describing myself as a 'veggie that eats meat' led to interesting conversations with people that insisted on calling themselves 'veggie that eats fish' . Especially if they bring it up first, as I can then say 'well that makes me a meat eating veggie then' - if they are not eating meat because they believe in the not taking a life side of things, it is amazing how self deluded some people are, I guess because they want the 'feel virtuous' factor of being a veggie, without actually being one!

I have no problem with people that are veggie but eat fish or that call themselves veggie but eat other stuff because it just is too complicated/time consuming/whatever to explain at the time. It's just the people that want to have their moral position and eat fish too that wind me up...

FuriousGeorge · 10/11/2008 23:11

We've been trying to explain this concept to dd1,who has several 'vegetarian' friends.All of whom,eat fish.She can't understand why they think it is ok to eat a fish,but not a sheep.The mother of one is quite a militant vegetarian,and is quite a good friend of mine too,despite my coming from a farming family.At a recent party,I pointed out all the veggie stuff I'd gotten in especially,and also made a point of telling her that a certain plate of biscuits wasn't vegetarian.She replied that it didn't matter as they were biscuits and she ddn't mind her dc eating them.

thumbwitch · 10/11/2008 23:13

on our nutrition course, they are called fishiechickietarians.

edam · 10/11/2008 23:25

I really couldn't care less what anyone else eats (although it would be nice if everyone went veggie and gave the poor planet a break and ensured there was enough food to go round but hey, it'll be a long time coming) but it does piss me off when people take my diet in vain.

If you eat meat or fish you are NOT a vegetarian, OK? Work out your own term but stop pretending your are something you are not and creating all sorts of hassles for people who actually are vegetarians.

Sheesh.

edam · 10/11/2008 23:26

Oh, and before any vegans pop up and protest about giving the planet a break.. I do know it'd be a lot better for the world if we were all vegan hence no cows hence much less methane.

cheesesarnie · 10/11/2008 23:30

1 of my sisters is veggie and eats fish i am veggie i do not eat meat(which includes everything!).

my nan used to make me a quiche and say oh you can have this i made it veggie for you-its cheese and ham.

ds2 is veggie and i find when i list things he cant have-as in for a creche etc i have to say vegetarian.no meat/fish etc.

edam · 11/11/2008 16:51

Glad to see we cheeses are fighting the good fight.

poppy34 · 11/11/2008 16:54

agree with edam but isn't it called pescatarian if you eat fish or is that a made up name?

and sorry if you eat any kind of meat its not really veggie

Lauriefairycake · 11/11/2008 17:07

My husband, a proper veggie since he was 5 said yes he would theoretically eat henrietta our chicken when she died of shock (she got freaked out falling out the hedge) as she had a great,long life and no one had killed her.

of course he wouldn't actually eat her (and none of us did cos we loved her) because he wasn't sure how his constitution would take it after not eating meat for 30 years.

I really respect my dh - he thinks everything through well.

TinkerBellesMum · 11/11/2008 17:15

My mum is pesco and I keep picking her up for calling herself vegetarian. I?m a meat eater (she made a pact with my sister to go veggie, but she knew better than to ask me!) and it annoys me. She also has a leather 3 piece and wears leather shoes. My sister is allergic to fish, so she is a proper vegetarian but I don?t know what her views would be if she wasn?t allergic, she is a lot stricter than Mum! Mum will happily eat at a traditional fish & chip shop, my sister doesn?t know the difference and Mum hid it from her (leaned on the sign on the window so she couldn?t see). I think for Mum it?s more about the knowing what she?s eating (not sure where fish come into that) she doesn?t like to think about it, but chips from a traditional chip shop or leather she doesn?t have to think about.

I once asked a vegetarian friend why some vegetarians eat fish and he asked me ?why do some virgins have sex??

hatwoman · 11/11/2008 17:21

I don't think it's remotely silly to eat as per op. but it is (a bit) silly to call yourself a veggie. esp with the chicken (have to say I've never come across anyone who eats chicken and calls themselves veggie)but it's hardly a horrendous offence. tbh I would pmsl at teh pretentiousness of anyone who called themselves a pescatarian. and would need to ask them to explain it. whereas if anyone says that they're a veggie who eats fish then I understand exactly what they mean. which is the general idea of communication. I also don't have a problem with someone who says they're a veggie and who then eats jelly beans. a lot of labelling/communication is short-hand - if you're going to someone's house for dinner you don;t really need to mention that you don;t mind jelly beans do you? if you pontificate about how virtuous you are and that you don;t eat meat becaause you don't agree with killing animals then that's hypocritical. but if you just prefer not to eat meat but are partial to jelly beans and use the term veggie to describe yourself then where's the problem with that?

I was a fish-eating "veggie" for years.

TinkerBellesMum · 11/11/2008 17:23

OlderNotWiser would a lame cow be OK?

zipzap, I'll have to try that! I'm also allergic to fish, even just the smell and I'm retching.

Just to confuse people, my veggie (well pesco, their mother is veggie but lets them eat fish) stepsons don't like vegetables...

BouncingTurtle · 11/11/2008 17:25

spottyzebra - YANBU

BOCO - I'm nominating you for QOTW. That was bloody hilarious!

hatwoman · 11/11/2008 17:32

I tell you what used to really annoy me. and that's people who took the piss out of me for being a (fish-eating) "veggie" who didn;t like vegetables. blimey I got sick and tired of explaining why this was no more remarkable than a meat-eater who didn't like vegetables. I gave up in the end.

TinkerBellesMum · 11/11/2008 17:56

Sorry hatwoman

I tease my stepsons about not liking veggies because they tease me about fish, oldest: "I'm going to have fish for my dinner just because [TBM] doesn't like it".

TheNinkynork · 11/11/2008 18:29

I don't think you can have definite labels for these things. I'd be here all night if I tried to explain my weirdy diet which has hardly changed since I was weaned. Vegetarianism is just a word which broadly defines it.

Is it silly if non-veggies don't like offal? Loads of them won't touch it so are they not really meat-eaters?

onager · 11/11/2008 19:12

There's a big difference (to the people feeding you) if you just don't like the taste of meat or if you believe that eating meat is immoral/disgusting. For example if the former than you won't care that it was cooked in the same room or if that cough medicine contains animal products etc.

TinkerBellesMum · 11/11/2008 19:26

TheNinkynork it's as valid as a vegetarian not liking certain vegetables. Just because a person likes meat doesn't mean they like all meat, they taste different and have different textures, it's no different. But to say you don't eat meat except for... is exactly the same as saying "I eat beef but not chicken/fish/pork"

TheNinkynork · 11/11/2008 19:49

It's true there is a distinction between not eating meat for ethical reasons, (in which case I do think it's odd to eat fish and chicken) or not eating it because you can't stomach it.

I didn't consume any flesh until I was at least ten years old, but I have become more adventurous and will eat a small pure piece of chicken breast or well-done fillet of salmon with the skin off and no fat, if there are sauces involved.

It's all about the texture with me because I love the taste and smell of meat. Is there a term for people who are sickened by fat, sinew, bone or skin on what they're eating?

It was a lot simpler in the days when Cod would just call you a fraek

Perhaps there is and I should google it.

hatwoman · 11/11/2008 20:14

I think there are a whole range of reasons for not eating meat - I wasn;t quite like you ninkynork but not too dissimilar - I had a stomach-turning moment aged about 14 with an undercooked burger and thought bleurgh I don;t want to eat this any more. I just didn;t feel the same way about fish. I didn;t pontificate or preach or say it was wrong to eat meat. it was just something I didn;t want to do.

usual story - bacon tempted me back.

NotanOtterOHappyDay · 11/11/2008 20:20

vegetarian in nz do eat chicken?

they are not vegetarians then