How hard do you find it, being a vegetarian?

ALIBOBSY

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

Couldn't give up dairy or eggs though and don't feel so much moral obligation there as there's no killin ( free range though)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but even on free range farms milk and egg production involves alot of killing as males don't produce eggs or milk and because of specialised breeds are rarely raised for meat and are usually killed very early on.

Ali x

[Deleted User]

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

At country shows the veggie burger vendors hardly ever have a queue so its much quicker to get food there!

I would only buy from a veggie burger vendor, if veggie is all they sell.

A regular burger vendor, who also sells veggie, provides the opportunity for cross-contamination.

I once visited a certain, well known, toasted sandwich retailer, and was shocked to see them assembling both veggie and non-veggie sandwiches, while wearing the same latex gloves.

When I pointed out he was cross-contaminating, he offered to change gloves, but I declined to purchase anything, as the worktops, utensils, and who knows what else, could've been equally contaminated.

[Deleted User]

candygirl wrote: »

But why should you have to do this, in this day n age? It's outrageous :mad:

I agree.

It's like paying a single room supplement, when holidaying alone.

I could understand it years ago, when almost everyone was married by the time they were 25, but nowadays, with many more people staying single, or divorcing, surely travel companies can book single rooms?

Justamum

NewShadow wrote: »

I find it a little silly that people get offended if someone checks if they eat fish or derivatives - because people who call themselves vegi but aren't 'pure' are inferior?

Personally I wonder how many 'pure' vegetarians call themselves christian but never go to church...

It's not 'silly', and nobody is saying that someone who eats fish is inferior to a vegetarian, it just makes it harder to eat out if a chef thinks that vegetarians eat fish and chicken.

I'm not sure what religion has to do with it though?

NewShadow wrote: »

But it's a blurred line anyway!

It's all down to individual preference.

but all of them have just as much right to self define as 'vegetarian' in the same way you have the right to define as Christian or Druidic, or Wiccan, or...

Saying you're vegetarian is often the easiest way to ensure you can eat whatever arrives. I've done it on flights before now because I don't eat pork and don't like the idea of halal (where I tend to travel halal chicken is often offered as the alternative).

Surely the worst that happens if you're asked to confirm your specific requirements - which may be irritating but isn't exactly a bad thing.

Either way - getting too worked up about it is a little pointless (what I called silly before) - you and I both have the right to explain what we eat and why in any terms we choose. I don't think we have the right to say others are bad for doing the same thing.

The line is only blurred because of people who 'self define' as vegetarian when they're not!

Is it too much to ask that a chef or caterer actually finds out what consititutes vegetarian/vegan rather than assuming? I thought the old 'fish eating/chicken eating vegetarian' nonsense had gone as people learned more. There is a restaurant near us which is brilliant. When we booked and asked if they did vegan food he went out of his way to research what veganism is and made sure we had a fantastic meal. He told me he had known nothing about it before, and had found it very interesting to learn about it.

Again, I'm not sure where religion comes into it. I'm an atheist if that helps.

VJsmum

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

At country shows the veggie burger vendors hardly ever have a queue so its much quicker to get food there!

Ditto on the festival circuit, I think. though i go to Glastonbury where it is pretty even. i do eat meat - but rarely there as the veggie options are plentiful and varied...

DD is someone who doesn't much like meat, though isn't full veggie. i think she may become veggie in time. She eats a lot of Quorn.

GreenBitterfly

NewShadow wrote: »

While I wouldn't say "not important" - some think it's very important to them, i do agree with the idea of live and let live.

I find it a little silly that people get offended if someone checks if they eat fish or derivatives - because people who call themselves vegi but aren't 'pure' are inferior?

Personally I wonder how many 'pure' vegetarians call themselves christian but never go to church...

I'm not offended, I just think it's daft to ask if I eat fish, when there's a fish option on the menu, I would have chosen it if I ate fish, I don't, so that's why I was asking what the vegetarian option was.

NewShadow

Justamum wrote: »

It's not 'silly', and nobody is saying that someone who eats fish is inferior to a vegetarian,

You might be surprised...

I'm not sure what religion has to do with it though?

It's actually very similar from a sociological perspective.

Vegetarianism is (almost always) a moral or preferential doctrine, as opposed to a medical one. Therefore the degree to which is it adhered too depend on the beliefs of the individual. A christian that doesn't regualy go to church is considered by some to be a 'bad' christian, a vegetarian that eats food containing animal products is considered by some to be a 'bad' vegetarian. Both still have the right to self define as their chosen doctrine.

The line is only blurred because of people who 'self define' as vegetarian when they're not!

By your definition, which may or may not include some things other vegetarians would consider to be not vegetarian.

Is it too much to ask that a chef or caterer actually finds out what constitutes vegetarian/vegan rather than assuming?

Given the range of preferences exhibited along the spectrum known as vegetarianism, it would seem the only safe meal to serve a vegetarian would be one suitable for a vegan!

I'm fairly sure a number of vegetarians would them be unimpressed by the limited ingredients and lack of options...

Again, I'm not sure where religion comes into it. I'm an atheist if that helps.

That's possibly not surprising - i'm an agnostic, which may also not be surprising.

thenanny2die4

beautiful_ravens wrote: »

My husband and his mum are veggie, and if we eat out they have maybe 2 meal options and I have at least 10 to choose from, can't help feeling a bit sorry for their lack of options.
Another thing Ive noticed is that a lot of meat eaters don't choose the veg option, because its for vegetarians...as if meat eaters shouldn't be eating it - there should be more options in restaurants that are meat free or meat dishes with a veggie alternative version.
At country shows the veggie burger vendors hardly ever have a queue so its much quicker to get food there!

Absolutely! I get utterly bemused by the concept that foods I can eat (marked as vegetarian on a restaurant menu) are considered as suitable ONLY for vegetarians. I really wish menus were organised in a different way, so that all foods fitting a particular course were listed together and there was a mark against those that are not suitable for vegetarians. I'm convinced that more omnivores would then eat the veggie food, thus it would become more popular and chefs would pay as much attention to meatless food as they do to the meaty stuff.

LameWolf

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.

Reminds me of when I worked at the MoD - there was one woman who would have a bacon sarnie for her elevenses every day. The smell made me absolutely retch!_pale_

PasturesNew wrote: »

If I bought some goodies and realised they weren't vegetarian, I'd still eat them - and just learn from that.... if there's no health reason for being a veggie, then once they're in your basket and out of the shop they're fair game.

It's not like a diet, or drinking booze, or smoking .... being a veggie is entirely a choice that it's not "important" that you slip up with sometimes.

I wouldn't eat it, myself, because I'd be as sick as the proverbial dog afterwards._pale_ In my case it IS important not to slip up.:(

On the rare occasions we eat out (I dislike doing so, but we go occasionally because DH likes to celebrate birthdays etc by eating out) we always go to the same place; they always have at least two good veggie options, and will come up with another alternative if asked and they have the ingredients available; and they know me there - they even know without being reminded that I'll need to use the stair-lift to get to the restaurant!:o

Thankfully, my DH, who has steak when we do eat out, is happy to eat veggie at home. When I moved in with him (2002) I said he was welcome to have meat if he wanted, but he'd have to cook it himself with the kitchen door shut and the window open, or I wouldn't cope. Bless him, he said he'd have whatever I was having, and consider meat a treat for when we're out.:A

NewShadow

thenanny2die4 wrote: »

Absolutely! I get utterly bemused by the concept that foods I can eat (marked as vegetarian on a restaurant menu) are considered as suitable ONLY for vegetarians. I really wish menus were organised in a different way, so that all foods fitting a particular course were listed together and there was a mark against those that are not suitable for vegetarians. I'm convinced that more omnivores would then eat the veggie food, thus it would become more popular and chefs would pay as much attention to meatless food as they do to the meaty stuff.

Part of the problem with this is the attitude of some vegetarians - I've been lectured before now as a meat eater (vegi twice a week, fish once a week), about:

Omni food 'contaminating' the vegetarian food because the plates were next to each other on the buffet - with the person in question having no regard to the fact they were contaminating the food containing allergens that could cause people in the room to get seriously ill (not feel queasy)

How the vegetarian couldn't consider eating meat because it's just immoral to kill those sweet little animals. Cue long description of butchery practices.

At length, while eating, about how disgusting my food was, how long it would stay in my intestine, how bad it smelt/looked.

How it was unacceptable the 'meat eaters' were eating the vegetarian food - shouldn't they just eat their disgusting meat and leave the vegetarians the vegetarian food (which has also been quoted on this forum)


And no. It wasn't all the same vegetarian. An no, it wasn't all on the same day.