How hard do you find it, being a vegetarian?

[Deleted User]

Naturally, this thread is addressed to vegetarians and vegans.

Do you ever slip up, and buy something non-vegetarian?

Is there something non-vegetarian, which you find yourself craving, from time to time?

I've bought strawberry sponge puddings, and a bottle of strawberry milk shake syrup, and had to give them away.

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bossymoo

What was in them? Gelatin? Or was it the food colourings?

I was veggi for about a decade - I'm not a fan of meat really but since having a family it's been easier to not cook different meals. I didn't miss anything, as my choice was due to not liking meat rather than an animal protection sort of thing. I still wore leather shoes, for example. Nor was I very conscientious in checking whether my cleaning / laundry / toilettry products were animal friendly.

I guess it depends on how strict you want to be. For my part, life is too short, and I am too busy to research every product that enters our home...

You only have yourself to answer to!

[Deleted User]

bossymoo wrote: »

What was in them? Gelatin? Or was it the food colourings?

Food colouring. Cochineal.

Sweets can be a PITA too.

Some contain animal gelatin, usually beef, but sometimes pork.

LameWolf

I always look for the little green V sign or the words "suitable for vegetarians" on the package. If I can't find them, I don't buy. Just not prepared to take the risk.

I'm afraid I just cannot think of a bit of dead animal as "food" - I can't even handle meat or fish (when we had a dog staying with us who brought raw mince with her to be cooked for her dins, my husband stepped up to the plate and did it :A ) and I even have to insist that my prescription medication is in tablet form, as opposed to capsules, as anything with gelatin gives me 'orrible collywobbles._pale_

So in answer to your 2nd question, no, I do not crave any non-veggie foods!:o

Justamum

I don't find it difficult at all. There's absolutely nothing from an animal which I crave. I know some people reckon that all vegetarians secretly crave a bacon sandwich, but the smell of it is nauseating.

HornetSaver

My sister's a veggie. She's adamant that the meals bought for yourself side of it is quite easy, shopping for sweets and treats is somewhat more difficult, and that eating out with meat eating friends is a nightmare. Not because she's intolerant of meat either side of her, but because restaurants seem to take the view that vegetarians will happily eat the token mediocre option or two provided, when what she was hoping for was something better than she would typically make at home.

[Deleted User]

HornetSaver wrote: »

Not because she's intolerant of meat either side of her, but because restaurants seem to take the view that vegetarians will happily eat the token mediocre option or two provided, when what she was hoping for was something better than she would typically make at home.

There's also those people/restaurants, who think fish is suitable for vegetarians.

pollypenny

Rarely any problem, although I am thrilled when I have a decent choice in a restaurant.

I'm vegetarian on revulsion, not ethics, do I don't scrutinise products for lists on minor ingredients.

candygirl

S

Justamum wrote: »

I don't find it difficult at all. There's absolutely nothing from an animal which I crave. I know some people reckon that all vegetarians secretly crave a bacon sandwich, but the smell of it is nauseating.

I'm exactly the same, n have been veggie for 43 years

thriftwizard

ETA: please forgive intrusion by a non-veggie!

I'm not vegetarian, but I am shopping for one & a pescatarian amongst our various inhabitants. Our veggie is verging on vegan; she will eat home-laid eggs, because she can see there's no cruelty or hardship involved (except when the chickens catch a mouse) but that's the only animal product that she'll tolerate.

We get round it by only eating cooked-from-scratch; DD2 (pescatarian) never eats anything ready-made. If she's going off to football for the day with her Dad, she takes home-made snacks & water with her. TDiL (true veggie) does eat ready-made when out & about, but reads labels carefully before buying. As I cook from scratch for everyone else anyway, and it's a big kitchen & cooker, we can usually bodge it somehow so that they can have, say, chick-pea burgers when I'm doing HM burgers for everyone else, and they'll eat the wedges & veg that we all eat; I'm careful what fat I use, and what utensils get used for what. On Mondays two big pots of soup will be made, one from stock from the Sunday roast, the other purely veggie, which will go on for most of the week to provide for lunches for those at home, and snacks for those who are out to work.

Eating out can be a bit of a nightmare, but they're of an age where pizza seems like a treat & there are two good, locally-owned pizzerias in our town, as well as a completely vegetarian Indian restaurant.

We rarely buy sweets any more (except high-quality chocolate) but we do make them, and all three girls bake their own treats to share. Two of them are working, but locally - within walking distance - so time is not the issue that it might be if they were commuting.

So it's not an issue, we can work round it, but it'd be a nightmare if I tried to buy ready-made food; I'd spend all day reading labels! Which I had to do when they were small children, due to assorted allergies, asthma, eczema & intolerances; that's how I got into cooking from scratch & now it's just so much easier. When the house isn't quite as full as it currently is, we play "host family" to young German students from Bavaria, many of whom are vegetarian. I've never worked out why they pay me more to have vegetarians; it's cheaper to feed them, and just as easy!

BrassicWoman

shopping is easy especially if you cook from scratch; I go to a few trusted restaurants; the most irritating thing is people who finds bacon "jokes" funny.