"Do you eat meat?" "No, but I eat fish/chicken."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a good question. I am a vegetarian and get asked quite often if I eat seafood or poultry. I've been asked by people from a variety of backgrounds so I wouldn't be able to suggest it's cultural.

+1.

Surprised at how many ppl assume when I say I am vegetarian that I would still eat chicken and fish (which I do not).

[Anonymous]

I currently eat meat, but in the past I was vegan and vegetarian at different points. When I was vegan, I ate/used no animal products (including honey, whey, and leather), and when I was vegetarian, I ate no meat at all. Agree I find this self-labeling trend odd: maybe people feel better about themselves if they call themselves vegetarian (even if they're not).

[Anonymous]

I normally assume vegetarian means no chicken, and probably no fish, but I've met a number of folks who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, but who do eat fish, because they don't have the same ethical concerns with fish. I don't really care what people call themselves, but if I cook and carefully make a special batch for you that say, omits chicken broth, I might be annoyed if I then find out that your "vegetarian" means you eat chicken.

[Anonymous]

That's OK, I'll make lamb instead

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I normally assume vegetarian means no chicken, and probably no fish, but I've met a number of folks who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, but who do eat fish, because they don't have the same ethical concerns with fish.

Then those people are NOT vegetarian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If I am coming to your house, and you serve me no fish, I will be happier than if I have to eat fish. I will eat the fish if there is nothing else for me to eat.

If you put chicken broth in your stew, I would rather you not. If I know there is chicken broth, I won't eat the stew. If I can pretend it's not in there, and I am hungry, than I might eat the stew.

Honestly, it's not that complicated. If you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, just ask them: does that mean you eat eggs and cheese, does it mean you eat fish.

The difference between you and a vegetarian is that if I go to your house and you serve fish, I will not eat it, regardless of what else there is to eat. I am a vegetarian, while you are not.

And if you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, there is no need to ask them what does that mean. It's a very simple definition! A vegetarian doesn't eat fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I normally assume vegetarian means no chicken, and probably no fish, but I've met a number of folks who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, but who do eat fish, because they don't have the same ethical concerns with fish.

Then those people are NOT vegetarian.

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

If you eat fish or other meat, even sparingly, you're not a vegetarian.

It completely defeats the purpose of the term.

You can say you don't eat meat often, or very rarely. Or you eat mostly plant based, rarely eat meat/poultry/fish/porn/etc. There are other ways to define/discuss your eating choices and habits, but if you eat meat occasionally (or because it's convenient at someone's house), you're not a vegetarian.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I think it's rude/offensive to call yourself something you're not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The difference between you and a vegetarian is that if I go to your house and you serve fish, I will not eat it, regardless of what else there is to eat. I am a vegetarian, while you are not.

And if you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, there is no need to ask them what does that mean. It's a very simple definition! A vegetarian doesn't eat fish.

Except that there are plenty of people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish. Now, you may say that these people are not really vegetarians. But there is no way to know, without asking, if a person is a fake (fish-eating) "vegetarian" or a real (non-fish-eating) vegetarian.

Which is one reason why I ask everybody who comes over to eat the same question: Is there anything you don't eat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Met someone who said this recently. When you think "meat," do you only think red meat, or all animal meat?

I've never understood the disassociation of fish/chicken as meat - is it cultural?

If you don't think of fish/chicken as "meat," where were you raised? To me, meat = all animal flesh. Red, white, seafood, whatever. And if you eat seafood, you're not vegetarian.

In general terms meat can mean almost any type of food. Meat is the edible portion of an object. Then there are all sort of sub definitions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The difference between you and a vegetarian is that if I go to your house and you serve fish, I will not eat it, regardless of what else there is to eat. I am a vegetarian, while you are not.

And if you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, there is no need to ask them what does that mean. It's a very simple definition! A vegetarian doesn't eat fish.

Except that there are plenty of people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish. Now, you may say that these people are not really vegetarians. But there is no way to know, without asking, if a person is a fake (fish-eating) "vegetarian" or a real (non-fish-eating) vegetarian.

Which is one reason why I ask everybody who comes over to eat the same question: Is there anything you don't eat?

Of course, it's polite to ask that question and it's fine to do so. But if someone answers, "Yes, I'm a vegetarian", then you have your answer. And please don't think that vegetarian = someone who eats fish, because it doesn't!

[Anonymous]

I eat chicken and seafood and do not at consider myself a vegetarian.

I usually just say I don't eat beef, or I don't red meat, but that is not entirely correct because I also don't eat pork. This comes up fairly often because bacon is included in so many things (caeser salad, chicken wraps etc at restaurants often have bacon). People do assume I am vegetarian because I ask for things without bacon or chose the vegetarian option if the meat option is red meat, but I certainly don't consider myself one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The difference between you and a vegetarian is that if I go to your house and you serve fish, I will not eat it, regardless of what else there is to eat. I am a vegetarian, while you are not.

And if you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, there is no need to ask them what does that mean. It's a very simple definition! A vegetarian doesn't eat fish.

Except that there are plenty of people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish. Now, you may say that these people are not really vegetarians. But there is no way to know, without asking, if a person is a fake (fish-eating) "vegetarian" or a real (non-fish-eating) vegetarian.

Which is one reason why I ask everybody who comes over to eat the same question: Is there anything you don't eat?

Of course, it's polite to ask that question and it's fine to do so. But if someone answers, "Yes, I'm a vegetarian", then you have your answer. And please don't think that vegetarian = someone who eats fish, because it doesn't!

No, I don't. Different people have different definitions of "vegetarian". Even different people who call themselves "vegetarian" have different definitions of "vegetarian". You may believe that yours is the single, true, accurate definition, but other people aren't cooperating with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I normally assume vegetarian means no chicken, and probably no fish, but I've met a number of folks who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, but who do eat fish, because they don't have the same ethical concerns with fish.

Then those people are NOT vegetarian.

Not everyone is vegetarian for ethical reasons and not always the same ethical ones. My younger child reasons that Jesus ate fish so she feels comfortable with seafood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The difference between you and a vegetarian is that if I go to your house and you serve fish, I will not eat it, regardless of what else there is to eat. I am a vegetarian, while you are not.

And if you have a friend who's vegetarian and coming over for dinner, there is no need to ask them what does that mean. It's a very simple definition! A vegetarian doesn't eat fish.

Except that there are plenty of people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish. Now, you may say that these people are not really vegetarians. But there is no way to know, without asking, if a person is a fake (fish-eating) "vegetarian" or a real (non-fish-eating) vegetarian.

Which is one reason why I ask everybody who comes over to eat the same question: Is there anything you don't eat?

Of course, it's polite to ask that question and it's fine to do so. But if someone answers, "Yes, I'm a vegetarian", then you have your answer. And please don't think that vegetarian = someone who eats fish, because it doesn't!

No, I don't. Different people have different definitions of "vegetarian". Even different people who call themselves "vegetarian" have different definitions of "vegetarian". You may believe that yours is the single, true, accurate definition, but other people aren't cooperating with you.

Not pp. And not a vegetarian.

Those people aren't a vegetarian, and shouldn't be calling themselves a vegetarian, and will get eye-rolled bigtime for calling themselves vegetarian while eating meat.

There are not "different definitions" of being vegetarian. A vegetarian doesn't eat the flesh of any animal. That's it. It's very simple and to the point.