People are funny....
Today I stopped in at a culinary school for breakfast on the way to work (they have a wicked bakery that serves gourmet patries and breads for low prices since the products are prepared by students). I haven't been there since I went vegan, but was planning on getting a plain bun or maybe a veggie sanwdwich without mayo/cheese. I asked the sales lady for something without meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. She directed me to the sandwich counter, and suggested both the tuna sandwich and the egg and lobster sandwich. So I say, "Oh, sorry maybe I wasn't clear enough--no meat means no fish. Mayonnaise has eggs, which I don't eat." She replies, "Oh, but the egg and lobster...it's IMITATION lobster, made from pollock (a white fish)".
Uhhh!?!?!?!
Anyway, I ended up going elsewhere for breakfast.
How do you guys make it clear to people about your diet when ordering food? Why do people think fish isn't meat? Maybe this is a pointless question, but aren't people familiar enough with vegetarianism to NOT suggest a tuna sandwich when someone specifies "no meat"? My friend had it worse at a family friend's house...she was given a sausage sandwich instead of ham everyone else was having. Sheesh!
To me when I turned vegetarian the first time a long time ago it was very clear to me that fish wasn't meat. I was actually flabbergasted the first time I found this wasn't true with all people. I was in a Spanish restaurant with 12 other friends. Everything on the menu had meat and I asked the waiter to help me out. How about the paella (a rice dish) without meat? I waited and waited and people were practically finishe'd when my the waiter said "here's your meatless dish", and it was loaded with shrimp, muscles, clams, etc. I was stunned. I was in a bad spot because we were in a hurry to catch a show and everyone else had practically finished.
To me it still boggles my mind that people don't think of fish flesh as meat.
Many people will say "if it had a mother , I won't eat it." Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Lots of folks out there have low-wattage bulbs in their heads.
Wow... that's so annoying! I live in a small town, and it's really difficult to find places that provide decent cuisine (and I'm only vegetarian!). Either there is nothing veggie on the menu, or they have a HUGE problem with altering a dish. I always ask to order first, and tell the waiter point blank that I'm vegetarian and can't do dairy, and tell him what I'd like to order. Sometimes, they will offer to cook something completely off the menu for you, which rocks. The only issue I have is getting all the nutrients I need at dinner... there is never a protien supplement (other than beans n' rice) available if you don't do meat OR dairy. SIGH. Lastly.. in my family, not eating meat is CRAZY. People treat me like I'm ill! Happy eating!
;D I always say, "If it poops, I don't eat it."
Harr! I like that one!! ;D
I always say in my most innocent voice, "I must have missed that. When were fish reclassified into the plant kingdom?"
8)
I tell them quite firmly I am horribly allergic to dairy and do not eat any meat. I specifically ask for veggie dishes or I state very firmly "NO <insert meat here>" if it is a dish they normally would put a meat on. Deli's are hard, so you have to go prepared to ask the ingrediants of everything.
Honestly, I am not above stretching the truth to get what I need.
Go armed with information. Should someone offer you Tuna as an alternative state quite clearly something like "Thank you for the offer but I am a Vegetarian not a PesciVegetarian. I do not eat any Fish or Shellfish. Do you have any grains, veggies or anything that did not have a central nervous system?"
I found a great T-shirt for you to wear next time you go in... Check it out! ;D
http://www.newhumanitee.com/vegan-vegetarian.php/vegan-vegetarian-29
I like the "if it poops, I don't eat it"
I have also used the "if it has a face" or the "if it had a mommy" I don't eat it.
I also used to try and say "if it would have tried to get away from me or otherwise defend itself against someone trying to catch it and turn it into dinner I don't eat it". But that is too wordy and some crackerjack would say clams or some other such animal can't get away... or they say something about the "poor little plants, they have feelings too".
If someone asked me now I would either say the one about the poop or "I don't eat living things or parts of living things that had legs, feet, shells, fins, fur, hair, feathers..." (you can add to the list).
I once went to a sandwhich shop and asked about their veg sandwhiches, and said I could not eat dairy. The two teenagers behind the counter starting talking about how I could eat the egg salad as that was veg but the other said I couldn't because eggs were dairy. (?!?!?!?!)
There is a serious confusion in our country about where our food comes from. If people don't know that eggs comes from chickens and not cows and that seafood is actually from a crustacean and that fish prepared for the diner was once part of a live animal called a fish, we have a serious problem. I think part of the problem is that some "vegetarians" at least the people I have met who have once knew a "vegetarian" ate fish and that Jewish people are allowed to eat fish when they are not supposed to eat "meat".
I get this from people all of the time!!!!!!!!! Especially older people. When I tell people I am a vegetarian they automatically ask me if I eat fish or sometimes if I eat chicken or turkey. I just say "I don't eat anything with a face". I work with a girl that says she is a vegetarian, but I think she eats fish and I have seen her with Jello before. She is NOT a vegetarian.
The fish thing is my ULTIMATE pet peeve! I hate when people talk my ear off about how important it is to them to be vegetarian and how they know everything about health (or what ever..) and then proceed to order a tuna sandwich or something. And then, when I question the fish thing, I get "Well I don't eat meat. I don't eat red meat. But yah, I eat fish." You. Are. Not. VEGGIE.
Rant, with a side of grumbles. Hold the mayo please. ;)
I call those people who say they are veg and then eat meat "meat eaters that eat vegetables".
Yesterday at the coffee shop there was this older man who likes to joke around used his same 'ol joke of "you have pointy teeth for a reason -- to eat meat". Both times he has said this to me I say I keep my teeth sharp and pointy to bite rude people. You should have seen his expression the first time I said it -- he was shocked and kind of jumped back! It was so funny! I figured if he is going to preach to me I am going to say something that will startle him.
I get so tired of people and their self-imposed negativity about MY diet. I purposefully keep my opinions to myself unless asked so I can just eat my food in peace. Sometimes I don't want to discuss the reasons behind my sandwhich toppings, ya know? A few weeks ago my very juvenile 40-year old BIL was having dinner with us and a few of my husband's friends after skiing. One of the other men is very open to veg food - he is not veg but for a meateater he is quite healthy and eats lots of meatless meals. He mentioned the restaurant in the ski area had quite a few veg options and was going to continue talking about it when BIL blurted out "Don't get me started!!" I was so friggin mad I wanted to leave but where would I go? He is always incredibly rude. The conversation during the meal was also about full-bodied crab sandwhiches that they liked-- where the legs stick outside of the bun (I think it is some kind of soft-body crab or something) and then they were talking about if they had one meal left to eat what it would be. BIL asked each person and then made a point of asking my husband and was trying to get him to say he wanted to eat beef or something (he thinks my husband does not eat beef to somehow meet a requirement of mine or something - absurd I do not tell him what to eat, besides he gave up beef several years before he met me).
I get mad at BIL and can't think of any good snappy comebacks. Afterwards I thought I should have said something about how "it was ok if he felt threatened by vegetables, we wouldn't hold it against him. But he should see a therapist in case he felt it threatened his manhood or something."
What's you favorite comeback to the rudest people?
Delia
ecodel22
i don't understand getting mad about people who eat fish but not other meats...no, they are not vegetarian, but at least it's one step closer! the world will probably not be completely vegetarian, but i happen to believe that every single step closer is a step in the right direction. when i was 12 i stopped eating red meat. when i was 19 i stopped eating poultry. and when i was 21 i became a full-fledged vegan. now that i'm vegan i will never go back, but i'm glad i didn't rush into anything. i hope that the people out there who don't eat red meat but do eat fish or dairy will eventually make the same choices i did. but i don't think hostility toward them is at all beneficial. rather, why not embrace them? that's probably more likely to aid them in their potential transition.
Thank you, Finally someone that is kind to the missunderstood fish eater..okay was...when i first became "Vegitarian" yes i did think fish was alright to eat just because it wasent clasified as meat, but just because i dident know better dosent mean i wasent trying. Now that i am a fullfledged vegan and more schooled on the subject, and yes i do not eat "Anything with a face"..the point i am trying to make is, if you are going to start telling people off when they are trying to make good changes in there life, then people will just end up turning away and for what, some stupid law that if you want to vegitarian you have to be strict. Come on people Us Vegitarians (Everyone, i'm talking about here) have got to stick togeather on this!!! ;D
I don't think that the earlier posters were expressing their irritation at the fish-eaters for eating fish but for calling themselves vegetarians when they're not. That makes it harder for the vegetarians who really are vegetarian to be understood.
As far as comebacks, I've found that the best comeback is none at all. Lots of times people are looking for one, and providing one entertains them or fuels their little argument. I won't give them the satisfaction of getting to re-tell the story about "one of those" vegetarians. So I answer questions as simply and obviously as possible. "So, do you eat fish?" "No." People are often left not knowing what to say and feeling foolish. I've found it to be remarkably effective, but then again it fits my personality.
I don't really get offended when people don't understand that fish is also meat. I realize that not everyone can be an expert on my chosen eating style.
My friends and family don't necessarily know that I'm vegan, because I don't make a big deal out it. It's MY choice and I do it mainly for health reasons - and some for beliefs about animals. If people are curious about my food selection at a resturant, I will tell them - but not in a self righteous way.
I also never have problems ordering anything Vegan - resturants are GLAD to accomodate, and mostly - I can always find a vegetatian dish on the menu - and easily alter it to be vegan! If you're looking to be offended, you will be. If you're looking to be noticed for your choices, you will be :D Happy eating!
Here's the flip side of your situation and it's even sillier. So, on Sunday a lady spoke on Daniel chapter 1, how he and his friends were veggie while being held in the court of Babylon, and yet were healthier, handsomer and smarter than those who ate the rich (meat and wine-laden) meals from the king's table. She underlined the fact that our Danny ate "pulses"--ie lentils, garbanzos and the like. Legumes.
I said I'd be bringing a vegetarian dish to the potluck next week and she asked me what. I replied, some kind of bean dish--legumes, ya know? To my COMPLETE amazement she informed me that "legumes aren't vegetables." Oh really? ??? I asked her when was the last time she had to chase a bean to earth in order to catch it!!
So suddenly legumes are ANIMALS, here??? :D :D
I once heard of a story about a tourist in Turkey ordering a vegetarian dish and they brought her eww the sheeps brains dish.
What gets under my skin is when you start asking the server questions about what is in the food and explain that you are a vegetarian and they (or even the people you are with) immediately go on the defensive. I've had this happen on several occasions and it truly gets under my skin. Especially when they use a really lame statement like "plants are alive too so you're taking a life". >:(