ok, sorry for that REALLY LONG VENT.....ahh but i needed that. ok. the end i promise.
Original Post by emmilie:
haha hmarcos, I can totally relate to that actually.
I went over to a friends house, and her mom asked if it was ok if she made pancakes with butter, milk and eggs, right after I explicitly told her that vegans do not eat butter, milk, or eggs. I think she was just nagging me about becoming a "vegan". So I politely replied, "Oh yes I can eat pancakes as long as they do not contain butter, or milk, or eggs." and then she backed off my case. :)
If you really are serious about being vegan, these types of situations will come up a lot. It's just my personal opinion, but this would have been a good time to educate your friend's mom on vegetarianism and veganism and the differences between them instead of a quick comment to get her "off your case". It's easier in the long run when people understand and aren't going off of assumptions and hearsay!
i am EXACTLY the same, i call myself vegan and am a strict vegan except i eat fish! i am vegan totally out of moral belief (though health is obviously a plus) and for some strange reason i just dont feel bad about eating fish? i think mnaybe its because i dont imagine them being mistreated during their lives in the same way most mammals are.
when it comes down to it youre still dramatically lowering your inatke of animal products and therefore 'making a difference' anyway, and in my opinion fish is pretty necessary for a healthy diet - at least for me.
I'm a vegan who has the occassional spoonful of honey. I'm also planning on buying my own chicken so I can eat eggs again without buying them from some factory-farm-from-hell manufacturer. No one would attack me or call me immoral for this.
I've since dumped the label "vegan" because it garners too many questions and critisms and annoying comments. I'm a "cruelty-free person".
Labels are dumb.
To the op-you're just a fish-eating vegan, who cares? What makes people think they have the right to ask nosy questions about your diet anyways, unless they're cooking for you. And its realy not that difficult to say "I follow a mostly vegan diet, except I occassionally eat fish because of my parents". If they don't know what the word "vegan" means, then they can google it.
Original Post by samantha456456:Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarianYou don’t have to be vegetarian to love vegetarian food! “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat. ----such as fish and other seafood
oh dear i was dreading when that would come up... not directed specifically at you samantha i just hate that term :X if a vegetarian is someone who does not eat meat, if you eat meat, how are you a "semi" of something that doesn't eat meat? it's simple math. your not. your a semi of the meat eating group. you can not be a semi of the group that does not include ANY meat. it just doesn't make sense. your just a meat eater who doesn't eat a lot of meat... an omnivore. if i eat pork and beef and chicken but i don't eat hedgehog and gazelle am i a semi-vegetarian??????? i used to eat chicken, beef, turkey, but not eat pork or seafood. i NEVER thought to label myself a semi-vegetarain. i was just a meat eater who didn't like all meats.
a vegetarian does not eat any meat. a vegan does not eat any animal products. they are simple definitions but people will draw their lines where they feel appropriate. the trouble comes when you draw your line outside the standard definition and it causes confusion for people who are unfamiliar. for example the chicken thing- obviously no vegetarian eats chicken. they are firmly planted in the animal kingdom and that's that. however i've seen fish cause a great amount of confusion. as far as i'm concerned- it's an animal, i don't eat it. however, some people drawing their lines for different reasons might alllow it in their diet. (some might say they're nervous systems aren't as developed and they don't feel pain or suffer as much as other animals in factory farms do...) either way, i don't consider them "full vegetarians" but i understand that because it's somewhat common for their sake in explanation it might be easier to choose the label vegetarian than meat eater. however if your telling someone who doesn't know about veg*nism it might help to say "i'm a vegetarian but i do eat fish" or something like that. the same thing with vegan. i completely understand using the term for ease of what fits closest to your lifestyle. and then maybe if explaining say "i'm a vegan although sometimes i'll eat fish"... the trouble only really comes when someone who say eats chicken tells their aunt their a semi vegetarian or god forbid full vegetarian and then the aunt turns around and serves another vegetarian at another time a chicken dish or something with chicken hidden in it (like in sauce, broth, etc.) and then that person is sick as a dog from eating it.
as for other peoples need to get angry about you yea i don't get it either. my boyfriends brother was complaining about how a "vegetarian" friend of mine eats fish and how she wasn't a vegetarian and putting her down and all of this... hel-lo what does it matter to him??? she's doing much more for what she believes in then any one else right? she's taking a stand right? she's not just going along eating what she was raised to eat and being "normal". her life would be alot easier to just eat meat right but she's making a commitment and sticking with it. i'd rather see her do that then just say "oh well i might as well eat meat and be a full meat eater"... she considers herself a vegetarian but just tells people "but i eat fish too"
if only meat eaters had to defend their lifestyle as much as we do!!!!! but god forbid we asked them why they ate what's on their plate or if they thought such an item was gross or whatever it is WE are the bad guys! it's just not fair :X
Original Post by brighteyes82:An example of why it can be confusing to others...Since I've come to work for my company and the head chef found out I was vegan, they actually put a Vegetarian Station in the cafeteria. (Which is one reason why I love my company so much, they are SO accomodating and caring.) Anyway, they always have about 5 dishes and sides (for example today was red pepper hummus and grilled pita bread, cajun tofu, quinoa salad, etc.)...
...Lately I've been noticing that as one of their dishes, they've sometimes included foods such as Calamari, Mussel salad, and today Poached Salmon. None of these things are vegetarian and in my opinion would be better placed in the salad bar or somewhere else. Apparently the chefs and kitchen coordinators believe seafood is vegetarian as well, and most likely this is from coming across people or being informed that vegetarians eat fish/seafood. This also would lead others who go to the cafe and see the seafood in the vegetarian station, to believe that seafood is vegetarian as well.
I'm not making any sort of complaint or argument, just giving an example of how there is a misconception about what vegetarianism is and what it includes.
Have a great day guys :o) Hope all is well!
exactly, that's when it starts to cause confusion. when i go somewhere and i tell them i'm a vegetarian and they offer me fish or something like that... then i have to tell them what a vegetarian is... and then they're just left confused. i think it's easier to just say "i'm a vegetarian mostly but i eat fish, most don't" and hopefully end the discussion. or "i'm a vegan but i'll eat some things depending on where it comes from"... easier said then done, judge by the situaton... you shouldn't have to defend yourself and explain away to friends and other people.
I call myself a vegetarian because I think true veganism is extremely difficult to achieve unless you grow all your own food. (Read the post "Surprise it's not Vegan"). Animal products are in almost everything we eat. I avoid eating obvious animal products (i.e. any meat, dairy, or eggs) but I know other things I eat likely have trace amounts. Heck even produce is coated with some kind of animal byproduct to keep it fresh longer. Nothing is safe.
Anyway, you seem a lot more obsessed with "labels" than most other people I know. I rarely discuss my diet with anyone - unless I am going to dinner at their house. Then I will let them know I don't eat any animal products but if that is a problem for them, I can bring my own dish. I have never had anyone give me a hard time about. If I was out at a restaurant and someone made fun of what I was eating, I guess I would just give them a shocked stare and go back to my meal. It has never happened to me before, though. It really just doesn't come up that often unless you are bringing it up, which I suspect is the case. Possibly you wish others to give you the "respect" the term vegan supposedly garners, without actually adhering to the diet?
*edited to add link to previous post
Original Post by brittypooo:i am EXACTLY the same, i call myself vegan and am a strict vegan except i eat fish!
Um..then you're not a strict vegan?
I was interested in becoming a vegetarian, or at least exploring eating more meat free meals. I like many meat free dishes, I like that in general it takes fewer of the planet's resources to produce them, and I like the fact that they tend to be better for one's body.
I gave up that notion after being attacked by a few veg*ns for not choosing that way of life for the "right" reasons. Um, ok then. I didn't want to be confused with such obnoxious elitism. Sure, the majority of veg*ns might be perfectly nice, tolerant people who don't take pride in acting like a jerk over what other people put choose to put in their bodies or why. But the ones that are were vocal enough to make me just give up even exploring the possiblity of joining the ranks.
I still often eat meat free dishes, and enjoy them. But I will not consider taking the next logical step.
Tealeaf
I think that if you like vegetarian food, eat vegetarian food. If you want meat once and a while eat meat once and a while. However, it makes me sad that you would let a few ignorant, albeit vocal, people change your mind because you dont want to be associated with them. If you dont want to be confused with people like that, then don't be like that; be a "cool" veg*n. Maybe people will associate being veg*n with being an awesome person, and not with the elitists.
Original Post by giggle_puppy:
I like to come in here from time to time... i remember why i continue to eat animals. Personally going to eat one part of an animal for every post this thread gets! COME ON BABY!
Is that really necessary? I don't see any one here bashing your life style.
and good luck with all that sat fat and cholesterol.......
Trolls only post because they want to be fed!
Don't feed the trolls! 
haha i shall resist.....
to the OP, you are going to find so many different vegans and vegetarian with different opinions. some wont care, some will. unless you get really good at identifying them before talking to them, i would either not let it bother you or just dont call yourself a vegan if you cant handle some of the replies
good luck
Original Post by tealeaf:I was interested in becoming a vegetarian, or at least exploring eating more meat free meals. I like many meat free dishes, I like that in general it takes fewer of the planet's resources to produce them, and I like the fact that they tend to be better for one's body.
I gave up that notion after being attacked by a few veg*ns for not choosing that way of life for the "right" reasons. Um, ok then. I didn't want to be confused with such obnoxious elitism. Sure, the majority of veg*ns might be perfectly nice, tolerant people who don't take pride in acting like a jerk over what other people put choose to put in their bodies or why. But the ones that are were vocal enough to make me just give up even exploring the possiblity of joining the ranks.
I still often eat meat free dishes, and enjoy them. But I will not consider taking the next logical step.
i would hate to think you actually gave up on changing your diet lifestyle to vegan/vegetarianism because of what some people said.... why not go veg*n and contribute towards changing the stereotype of veg*ns being rude? instead you can be one who's cool about it and isn't rude? if you want to eat meat then go ahead, but there are just as many (in my experience MUCH MORE) RUDE, INTOLERANT, NASTY meat eaters. so do you feel better associating with them? it shouldn't matter. i try not to judge every omni/meat eater i meat just because most of those i meet are rude, the same should be for veg*ns
and to whoever said about how the veg must be bringing up the veg issue first, definately not true. i sit down to a meal and off the bat start getting asked questions about what i'm eating, what i'm ordering, so why do i do this? don't you miss steak? etc. etc. etc. sometimes the questions are polite and genuine and i answer politely, but other times i want to say how i really feel or i just want to eat or the questions are really really rude! i'm sure it depends, but i never bring it up, it's always brought up to me.
I think the problem here is that the "vegan" and "vegetarian" labels come in two forms.
1. It's what you eat.
or
2. It's who you are.
I eat a vegetarian diet, yes. But I don't walk up to people and say "Hi I'm Shoe, and I'm a vegetarian." I think people take offense to inaccurately using the label "I'm a vegan" because to the people who identify with that label, it's a way of life, a way of thinking, perhaps a religion (as someone as this thread pointed out).
But why would anyone take offense to "I eat a mostly vegan diet, except fish"? It's describing the DIET, not the person's identity.
As for people who are saying the OP is an omnivore, that's just not practical. If Someone placed a typical omnivore dinner in front of her, she would not eat it. If someone placed a veggie lasagna covered in cheese in front of her, she would not eat it. But a vegan meal would hit the spot.
"Pescetarian" doesn't even work, because that implies vegetarian+fish. But since vegetarian doesn't exclude milk/eggs, something pescetarian-friendly is not necessary Emmilie-friendly. But a vegan meal would be. Therefore as a matter of practicality, "vegan" works best.
Just don't ask for a vegan dish and then put fish on top of it. That's the only way this could be confusing. :-)
Wow, such discussions in forums sure do bring about the discussions! I agree with much of what was said here.
1. Most veg*ns are not militant, nor do they get angry over a misused label.
2. It's not always easy to be a veg*n, we do take a lot of "heat" for not eating meat / animal products, so some do take offense to those who use the label w/o (what they perceive to be) earning it.
3. Many vegans do take it personally because they believe animals have rights, too. As noted previously, it really does border on a religion, and as is probably apparent to anyone who's ever brought it up, discussing different religions causes more debate than even veg*nism does!
I actually admire vegans (I'm a veggie, 10 years this August) as it is a LOT of work. I accept that I live in a meat society and likely always will. If someone has a misconception about what veg*n is, I'm happy to clarify for them, but never in a condescending or angry tone. Sure, I'd prefer it if folks said, "My diet most resembles veg*n, except I occasionally eat....."
When all is said and done, one must be true to oneself. I would feel like a hypocrite if I called myself a veg*n but ate any kind of meat. However, that is ME, and I don't believe in imposing my values on others. If a restaurant claims a dish is veg*n when it isn't, I will say something to them because they have a responsibility to advertise correctly. However, it's typically an issue of ignorance, so why approach it with hostility? I doubt they sat around thinking, "Ha ha, let's slip some oyster sauce in with these veggies to trick all those veg*ns into eating meat!"
Live, and let live. Approaching someone with anger or hostility, as we've seen here, not only affects how they perceive you, but the entire "movement" they perceive you as representing. I'm a veggie and darn proud of it, as it was hard work to change my ways. However, I believe I'm far healthier for the change, and I'd never go back, but I sure don't think any less of anyone else because of what they choose (or choose not) to eat. My entire family eats meat. My 15-year old stepdaughter is trying to be veg for the second time because she saw the PETA video on animal slaughter. I support her, but would never think less of her for going back.
There's enough hatred, anger and violence in the world today. We all need to practice more understanding of others and their ways. Peace to you all!
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