Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Public Service Announcement
If you call yourself a vegetarian and you eat fish, you are calling yourself by the wrong name. Vegetarians do not eat meat. Fish are animals. Their flesh is not a vegetable. It is meat.
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11 comments:
Honestly, what difference does it make? I agree in theory, but it is only a word that someone calls themselves.
I am a label reading lacto-ovo vegetarian - but I really don't care if a person who eats mostly vegetarian with some fish, or chicken, etc. calls themselves a vegetarian. At the end of the day, we eat what we eat, and we call ourselves what we like.
Here in blogland, I can call myself a supermodel if I like! I'm really just saying, too many people are hung up on labels. Is a misnomer someone gives to themself going to matter in the end?
Hm. I agree with Rose. I was a vegetarian for five years and it would irritate me so much when meat-eaters (even those who just avoided red meat!) would call themselves vegetarians. Because of people like that, I'd order a vegetarian salad in a restaurant and it would come out covered in tuna. Gross! You can call yourself what you want, but then I can call you a liar. :)
Check out this funny Ask Metafilter post on the subject:
http://ask.metafilter.com/95029/VegetarianFilter
The difference is it spreads misinformation and passes along inaccuracies. I don't care for labels as a rule when they are used to compartmentalize or divide, but sometimes they are necessary as a means of identification. If I'm going to use a label I make sure it's correct -- that's responsible.
As a vegan, I appreciate this post :)
I've seen a person who eats fish but no other meat called a pesco-vegetarian. I guess a better term would be just a pesco-tarian. If you eat fish and eggs are you a pesco-ovo-tarian? I hate lables. Too confusing.
Ms. Bread Winner
but are you really vegetarian or vegan? Do you investigate ALL of the chemical additives, and whether there is any animal product or content in them?
I'm sure that someone feeling even more 'holier than thou' would find all of you vegans/vegetarians lacking in some way (lipstick? perfume?? hair dye??), and not 'technically' vegan/vegetarian.
Go ahead and be as judgemental as you want. Someone else will certainly find you and your standards to be sorely lacking, and judge you for it.
lighten up people! Life is too short to worry about what people call themselves.
Interesting that the two commenters who agree with me are non-meat eaters. :) Perhaps people who do eat meat just can't understand why the incorrect usage of the word "vegetarian" drives me nuts.
"I'm a neo-Nazi, but I will occasionally date black girls, I like big butts and I can not lie."
"I'm a strict orthodox Jew/Hindu but occasional eat a pork chop/bacon."
"I'm Amish but I play an occasional video game to unwind at then end of a hard day."
Don't these things sound odd to you? If you eat meat, and I do, then you can not call your self a vegetarian. If another animal dies to sustain your life you not a vegetarian. Yes labels are just labels but hypocrites are just hypocrites.
So saith the Meat-eater,
Mrs. Resourceful
"I'm a neo-Nazi, but I will occasionally date black girls, I like big butts and I can not lie."
"I'm a strict orthodox Jew/Hindu but occasional eat a pork chop/bacon."
"I'm Amish but I play an occasional video game to unwind at then end of a hard day."
Don't these things sound odd to you? If you eat meat, and I do, then you can not call your self a vegetarian. If another animal dies to sustain your life you not a vegetarian. Yes labels are just labels but hypocrites are just hypocrites.
So saith the Meat-eater,
Mrs. Resourceful
What? Fish are *meat*? I thought they were like tomatoes -- you know, maybe a vegetable, maybe a fruit... Damn American public school system.
"It's OK to eat fish 'cause they don't have any feelings"
Will the words of Nirvana ever lose their relevance?
I absolutely understand how someone who has committed themselves to a life of meat-free living would be bothered by "part-time vegetarians" who somehow don't consider fish to be meat. Just saying that labels can get so complicated.
Breadwinner, again (with lots of love and respect to my veggie and vegan friends)
I'm also vegetarian (definitely not vegan tho) and also find it really odd when people say to me 'do you eat fish?' I say 'no, because I can't grow fish in the garden' then they tend to look a bit like Kermit - you know when he did that think with his mouth....
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