"Strict" Vegetarian

[Anonymous]

I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’m pescatarian so not a vegetarian (so I don’t avoid fish sauce or worchestshire or Caesar) but do avoid chicken stock and gelatin. Another thing I avoid is refried beans made w lard (I only eat vegetarian refried beans). I know avoiding lard seems obvious but my in laws recently made refried beans assuming I’d eat it and were surprised when I asked if they were vegetarian beans so not something everyone necessarily considers.

Oh also boxed cake mixes often have lard in them in case you didn’t know.

Really?

Yeah Ive never heard that either... All betty crocker box cake mixes are actually vegan. They tell you to add eggs and milk (which vegans can sub/adjust for), but the ingredients in the box do not contain animal products.

Correcting myself, because not all are vegan, like the angelfood mix has egg whites. But most are, and I'd be shocked if any of the mainstream boxes had lard.

The WORST is menus who mark things as vegetarian but it seems to be incomplete. For example, California Pizza Kitchen. Why is every section marked except the pastas? Is the Buffalo Cauliflower vegetarian? The corn? The tomato soup? Then you ask them and they say "yeah it's vegetarian" but you can't trust them...

https://www.cpk.com/menu

I had to stop eating spinach artichoke dip because it is sometimes made with chicken stock, that was a sad day.

That is super frustrating! I just looked at the menu and at first blush, it appears they are listing it for vegan items (excluding items like cream for the tomato soup, or gorgonzola for the buffalo cauli). But the pizzas all have cheese AND have the leaf. Perhaps they mean it can be made vegan if you exclude the cheese? I'm honestly not sure. Confusing indeed!!

At the bottom the website says the leaf indicates "means, based on information from suppliers, this item contains no meat ingredients." A cheese pizza without meat would qualify. This matches my definition of vegetarian (excludes meat, but not cheese), but not the so-called "strict" definition of vegetarian (which excludes certain cheeses). They could eliminate the part where the leaf says "Vegetarian" and just insert that definition ("No meat").

[Anonymous]

I try my best to do no animal products (no gelatin, chicken stock, etc) but I accept that when I eat out, I may not know. Or I may ask and they may not know. At least I won’t melt if the waiter lies/has no idea.

(I feel for people severe food allergies who are told a dish is fine/has no nuts or anything just to get ill from eating it! I’ve seen that happen to someone at least twice!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

Yeah that’s weird, pp. you are vegetarian but eat chicken broth? Gelatin? Do you realize gelatin is made of animal bones, cartilage and skin? Chicken broth is made of meat and bones. Obviously do whatever you want but I think it’s really weird to claim to be vegetarian and still eat gelatin and chicken broth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pescatarian so not a vegetarian (so I don’t avoid fish sauce or worchestshire or Caesar) but do avoid chicken stock and gelatin. Another thing I avoid is refried beans made w lard (I only eat vegetarian refried beans). I know avoiding lard seems obvious but my in laws recently made refried beans assuming I’d eat it and were surprised when I asked if they were vegetarian beans so not something everyone necessarily considers.

Oh also boxed cake mixes often have lard in them in case you didn’t know.

Really?

Yeah Ive never heard that either... All betty crocker box cake mixes are actually vegan. They tell you to add eggs and milk (which vegans can sub/adjust for), but the ingredients in the box do not contain animal products.

Ok maybe that’s outdated info. When I first became vegetarian many years ago, a lot of boxed cake mixes did contain lard so I stopped buying it. I suppose maybe they don’t anymore for which I’d be glad because I like a good boxed cake mix!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pescatarian so not a vegetarian (so I don’t avoid fish sauce or worchestshire or Caesar) but do avoid chicken stock and gelatin. Another thing I avoid is refried beans made w lard (I only eat vegetarian refried beans). I know avoiding lard seems obvious but my in laws recently made refried beans assuming I’d eat it and were surprised when I asked if they were vegetarian beans so not something everyone necessarily considers.

Oh also boxed cake mixes often have lard in them in case you didn’t know.

Really?

Yeah Ive never heard that either... All betty crocker box cake mixes are actually vegan. They tell you to add eggs and milk (which vegans can sub/adjust for), but the ingredients in the box do not contain animal products.

Correcting myself, because not all are vegan, like the angelfood mix has egg whites. But most are, and I'd be shocked if any of the mainstream boxes had lard.

The WORST is menus who mark things as vegetarian but it seems to be incomplete. For example, California Pizza Kitchen. Why is every section marked except the pastas? Is the Buffalo Cauliflower vegetarian? The corn? The tomato soup? Then you ask them and they say "yeah it's vegetarian" but you can't trust them...

https://www.cpk.com/menu

I had to stop eating spinach artichoke dip because it is sometimes made with chicken stock, that was a sad day.

That is super frustrating! I just looked at the menu and at first blush, it appears they are listing it for vegan items (excluding items like cream for the tomato soup, or gorgonzola for the buffalo cauli). But the pizzas all have cheese AND have the leaf. Perhaps they mean it can be made vegan if you exclude the cheese? I'm honestly not sure. Confusing indeed!!

At the bottom the website says the leaf indicates "means, based on information from suppliers, this item contains no meat ingredients." A cheese pizza without meat would qualify. This matches my definition of vegetarian (excludes meat, but not cheese), but not the so-called "strict" definition of vegetarian (which excludes certain cheeses). They could eliminate the part where the leaf says "Vegetarian" and just insert that definition ("No meat").

Yes I get that. We were wondering why other vegetarian type dishes were not listed - ie tomato soup, no leaf. So they might have chicken broth in the tomato soup. Buffalo cauliflower, also sounds like it should be vegetarian, but no leaf. So some sort of meat item in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

Yeah that’s weird, pp. you are vegetarian but eat chicken broth? Gelatin? Do you realize gelatin is made of animal bones, cartilage and skin? Chicken broth is made of meat and bones. Obviously do whatever you want but I think it’s really weird to claim to be vegetarian and still eat gelatin and chicken broth.

I don't think it's that weird, especially for people who are eating this way for health reasons. It's basically aiming for vegetarian but acknowledging there may be instances out of their control (unless you want to be reaaallly focused on it) where that seemingly vegetarian dish is not. Not freaking out there may be a teaspoon of Worcester sauce in a meal. I know many moons ago I didn't eat animal proteins, but things like rennet were not going to make me avoid a fruit and cheese plate at a party. It's treating it like a dietary preference, not a religious edict or potentially life threatening food allergy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

Yeah that’s weird, pp. you are vegetarian but eat chicken broth? Gelatin? Do you realize gelatin is made of animal bones, cartilage and skin? Chicken broth is made of meat and bones. Obviously do whatever you want but I think it’s really weird to claim to be vegetarian and still eat gelatin and chicken broth.

I don't think it's that weird, especially for people who are eating this way for health reasons. It's basically aiming for vegetarian but acknowledging there may be instances out of their control (unless you want to be reaaallly focused on it) where that seemingly vegetarian dish is not. Not freaking out there may be a teaspoon of Worcester sauce in a meal. I know many moons ago I didn't eat animal proteins, but things like rennet were not going to make me avoid a fruit and cheese plate at a party. It's treating it like a dietary preference, not a religious edict or potentially life threatening food allergy.

I didn’t say freaking out about worchestshire sauce (which is fish—not the same as other meats). I said it’s weird to eat ground up animal bones (gelatin) or boiled juice of animal meat (chicken broth) and claim to be vegetarian.

[Anonymous]

The rao’s cookbook calls for rendering fat from salt pork or pork belly and the cooking the onions and garlic in the fat before adding the canned tomatoes. I don’t know if that’s done any restaurants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

Yeah that’s weird, pp. you are vegetarian but eat chicken broth? Gelatin? Do you realize gelatin is made of animal bones, cartilage and skin? Chicken broth is made of meat and bones. Obviously do whatever you want but I think it’s really weird to claim to be vegetarian and still eat gelatin and chicken broth.

I specifically said I don't cook with them. I'm not looking to eat them but I'm not stressing it either if it's there. My intent is not to eat animal flesh. I even said I don't use the term vegetarian to avoid these silly debates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you are asking these questions now, after 25 YEARS as a vegetarian?

Probably a writer researching a vegetarian trends article.

[Anonymous]

Vegetarian means no animal meat. Vegan is no animal products or by products. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm vegetarian. To me it means I do not eat meat, chicken, and fish. I don't care about broth, gelatin, and cheese. If I did I'd be vegan. I don't use animal broth to cook myself, and I don't like or order soup or Caesar salad anyway, but I definitely would never worry about something like marinara sauce in an Italian restaurant potentially having chicken broth in it. I hate fish, so I would stay away from anything I thought had touched fish.

However, I have sort of subconsciously tended towards saying "I don't eat meat" instead of "I'm vegetarian" to avoid these kinds of discussions. And even then people still ask "but do you at least eat cheese?!"

I mean, you do you, but apart from the cheese thing, that is not what vegan means.

Yeah that’s weird, pp. you are vegetarian but eat chicken broth? Gelatin? Do you realize gelatin is made of animal bones, cartilage and skin? Chicken broth is made of meat and bones. Obviously do whatever you want but I think it’s really weird to claim to be vegetarian and still eat gelatin and chicken broth.

I don't think it's that weird, especially for people who are eating this way for health reasons. It's basically aiming for vegetarian but acknowledging there may be instances out of their control (unless you want to be reaaallly focused on it) where that seemingly vegetarian dish is not. Not freaking out there may be a teaspoon of Worcester sauce in a meal. I know many moons ago I didn't eat animal proteins, but things like rennet were not going to make me avoid a fruit and cheese plate at a party. It's treating it like a dietary preference, not a religious edict or potentially life threatening food allergy.

+1

[Anonymous]

I usually take strict vegetarians to vegan restaurants, because then I know they will have some choices.