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Original poster

Who thinks vegetarians are cranks?

108 replies

unicorn · 12/07/2005 16:10

only asking to glean opinion (not start a war!)

I was under the misguided illusion that being veggi was no longer a particularly interesting issue... yet I had a gang of adults gang up on me yesterday simply because I asked if there were going to be veggi burgers (as well as the usual stuff) at the school summer fair!

Why on earth do I need to justify my eating habits/choices to anyone?

OP posts:
spidermama · 13/07/2005 10:36

I would never go to a burger bar. Except to use their toilets Ha!

Chuffed, at the risk of being pedantic, you are not, technically a vegetarian as the definition of vegetarianism is: 'The principle or practice of excluding all meat and fish'.

I believe the correct term is pescetarian (as used earlier in the thread) though I can't find this in my Collins Dictionary.

(My dictionary is rather old and dated now so if anyone has a newer one to hand perhaps they'd look this up.)

fishfinger · 13/07/2005 10:36

me barking
they have no palate

fishfinger · 13/07/2005 10:37

oioh and MEN who are veggies

shudder
how BETA MALE

monkeytrousers · 13/07/2005 10:39

Tish! I beg to differ!!

Chuffed · 13/07/2005 10:42

spidermama I know but it is so much easier to explain to people by saying vegetarian and adding that you 'do' eat fish.

dillydally · 13/07/2005 10:48

I would rather be with a veggie man than a man who must eat meat in every meal. generally cos they (the meat eaters) seem to have worse gas emmissions and worse breath than us veggies
and also they seem better cooks too.

spidermama · 13/07/2005 10:54

Yes dilly. I can smell the meat oozing from my dh's pores when he's had it. Not sexy at all.

Mercifully he only has it once or twice a week. (Meat that is

monkeytrousers · 13/07/2005 10:57

My dh is a veggie. He's a crap cook though (sorry dillydally!) and I think he's great, so there!

But I would think that, wouldn't I?

redsky · 13/07/2005 11:38

We try hard to cater for everyone who comes to our pub. But I have to admit the 'veggies' can sometimes be hard to please because there is such a wide degree of 'veggie-ism'. Sometimes they are offended if I DON'T point out a fish option for instance. And I've known more than one so-called veggie give in to a BLT. How am I supposed to know how 'strict' they are??? We have 6 vegetarian main meals on the menu as well as jacket pots.

As for buffets - how would you suggest I stop meat eaters from eating veggie items? I'm not sure that an 'all veggie' buffet would be acceptable to the meat-eaters.

Aren't humans omnivores - digestive system designed to digest meat and veg??

spidermama · 13/07/2005 11:41

Redsky, my advice would be to go by the dictionary definitions. Vegetarians don't eat meat or fish. Vegans don't eat any animal products (including honey, eggs, butter etc) but don't generally expect to be catered for.

Those who eat fish are NOT vegetarians and those whoe eat fish and call themselves vegetarians are confusing us all.

Sorry Chuffed.

WigWamBam · 13/07/2005 11:42

The fact that the digestive system may be designed to cope with veg and meat doesn't mean that we have to eat it. It also doesn't mean that we have to agree with the farming methods that may have been used to produce it. Horses for courses and all that; I wouldn't question a meat eater for his or her choice of food and don't expect to be questioned about mine.

dillydally · 13/07/2005 11:47

Redsky, you as buffet provider should not patrol the veg buffet options, I am merely asking meat eaters to think ahead if they are aware of veggies being present and not scoff all the cheese sandwiches and veg samosa before the vegetarians have had a chance.
Is it not always the way that the meat sandwiches are the last to go
(Dont bring yucky egg mayo sandwiches into this )

monkeytrousers · 13/07/2005 11:51

Exactly Spidermama!

redsky · 13/07/2005 11:54

I like your responses MNers. Thanks!

Buffets and bbqs - it's the veggie stuff that tends to get left till last IME. I've still got packets of veggie burgers left in the freezer from the last bbq cos my veggie neighbour told me she would be here with loads of her veggie friends - and guess what - they didn't come! GRRRR!!

puddle · 13/07/2005 12:12

I don't eat meat but do eat fish. So that's what I say when people ask me. NOT vegetarian (I was veggie for a long time until 5 years ago when I started eating fish again).

Iklboo · 13/07/2005 12:14

I'm not a veggie but know lots of people who are. I don't see the big issue over it. I always make sure I cook something they like when they come round to eat. Last year we had a BBQ and set up 2 separate BBQs so that the veggie stuff wasn't cooked on the same rack as the meat. We got some really odd comments about it at the time.

spidermama · 13/07/2005 12:17

Could be cos meat eaters aren't very good at buying decent veggie burgers redsk. Also the decent ones, like Dragonfly, are expensive.

Chuffed · 13/07/2005 12:18

After you haven't eaten meat for a while you actually have trouble digesting meat. I know if something has been cooked in meat stock, or has meat hidden in it as I have awful wind and stomach pains for about 2 days after I eat it.

starlover · 13/07/2005 15:40

piscetarian/pescetarian isn't in the new oxford ditionary of english (the big one that takes at least 2 people to carry it!!!)...

does have piscatorial/piscatory which means relating to fish

or piscivorous which means feeding on fish- but this assumes a fish-only diet

Tortington · 13/07/2005 16:05

its obviously not used enough = piscatarians everywhere asert your rights

spidermama · 13/07/2005 16:48

I remember struggling my way through some soup my grandma had given me. It probably took her about five hours to make it.
I'd been veggie for five years, and I knew it had chicken stock in it but didn't want to offend her.
I somehow managed to get through it, wrretching with every mouthful.

At the end she asked, 'Did you like your soup?' and I said, 'Yes thank you.'
'Ha! Vegetarian indeed! It just goes to show,' she said, gleefully, It had chicken stock in it so there'.

Nice.

OnTheTipOfMyTongue · 13/07/2005 16:58

spidermama, that's what I hate. People sneaking meat into your meal and then triumphantly saying "ha told you you would eat meat!"

My stepmum does that - looks at me with scorn and contempt when i say the kids won't eat sausages off the bbq. "Oh give them a nice bit of steak, bet they'd scoff the lot!"

Er....NO actually.

OnTheTipOfMyTongue · 13/07/2005 16:59

think I'll remember to change my name next time

ThePrisoner · 13/07/2005 18:27

And there you are, eating your vegetable lasagne (which I like!), sitting amongst all the carnivores chomping away on slabs of raw steak saying "you don't know what you're missing!"

I've been known to say, "how about some lovely raw pigs intestines with eyeball puree?? You don't know what you're missing either ... and that's how I feel about eating sausages."

I do not preach to anyone about what they should or shouldn't eat. In the 35 years I've been veggie (from childhood, and my own decision), I have had people have a go at me about my choices.

My dd is very very strict veggie (almost vegan), and has always seen it as her right to inform everyone as to exactly what is in food, how it got there, and why they shouldn't eat it. I greatly admire her, but just don't like having to justify my views.

Blu · 13/07/2005 18:34

Could you lovely and very UN-cranky vegetarians help me out with my Veggie-sausage dilemma on the allergy board, please?