Are you a vegetarian?

Uber_Yank for the day or two you ate meat you weren't vegetarian but then suddenly on the 3rd day you were again?  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would say that's ridiculous.  Personally I don't care what anyone else eats or what they label themselves, it's up to them.  It's not a competition.

Like I said in my previous post...it was a two month period, not three days.

Like I said in my previous post...I didn't call myself vegetarian until I was positive that I wanted to be on a path that did not include eating flesh.

I'm not really trying to come across as bitchy, but having to deal with people who thought vegetarians ate chicken or fish can be annoying.  Six years of that will put a bit of b*tch into anyone I guess.

After living in the UK for three months, I have to give it to anyone who can limit their meat intake.  It seems like all my husband's family do is eat meat and each meal is about what kind of meat and what to have with it. The only vegetables they eat come in a tin.

Nope, going for Thanksgiving

ARGH that's what I meant - so jealous!  I am looking into fares.

wow....I like, Courtney am surprised where this thread went ... 

The Master Cleanser was a book written by Stanley Burroughs, it was finally published in the 70's.  Here is some good reading on it and if you google it you'll find loads.

http://www.therawfoodsite.com/mastercleanse.htm

To some people its a diet, its not a diet but a detox/cleanse.  And it works, but its HARD!

Gracious...I'm sorry I asked!

Didn't mean to spark such a debate.     Nor did I intend to offend anyone.  My question wasn't about anyone having a "right" to call themselves a vegetarian (not to me, anyway...though it was possibly worded poorly).  It just seems like there should be a better term for those who are somewhere in between omnivore and vegetarian, I guess, since vegetarian implies no meat at all (and saying quasi, pseudo, etc. and tacking vegetarian onto the end seems to confuse a lot of people into thinking a lot of vegetarians eat fish).  Everyone is free to eat whatever they choose and call themselves whatever they like, of course.

I don't know how those who rarely eat meat do it.  When I first started to eat a mostly vegetarian diet, trying meat made me feel ill after just a few weeks without it.

ANYWAY.  Back to the original question.    I forgot to answer the part about eating at other peoples' houses.  I just make sure people know I'm a vegetarian beforehand if at all possible.  If it's kind of a spur of the moment thing, then side dishes are usually vegetarian and generally enough to fill me up anyway.

Geeta, the results from the MC are extremely rewarding.  I'd be happy to discuss it with you further if you'd like, but not on a public forum! 

I wanted to thank almost everyone who replied here for their insightful and helpful answers!

ARGH that's what I meant - so jealous!  I am looking into fares.

My husband and I are going - we paid $1,330 for two tickets.  I can't wait!  All I can think of is pumpkin pie

Vegetarian:
–noun 1. a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc. 

[MOD HAT ON]
Most people have discussed their reasons for what they do and don't eat.  No one that I've read has said they're a strict vegetarian who eats meat.  They've mostly tried to explain the journey they took to reach their definition of what they are. 

I'm not sure why you're making such a point about this, but I'm stepping in as a moderator and asking you and everyone else to let it go.

This is an interesting discussion about food and lifestyle choices.  Let's not spoil it by taking issue with labels. 

Thank you.  Thank you. 

Well, I'll step in and discuss our eating choices! My DH and I are not *any* kind of vegetarian. However we STRONGLY believe in buying and eating humanely raised meat - and fish from sustainable sources.

This can be extremely difficult to do on our VERY tight budgets. Our shopping is an endless series of compromises. But until we are in a better financial position, one of the results is that we eat quite a bit of meat-free food. Last night was Cuban black beans, a few days ago dal curry, etc.

We do eat eggs but never less than free range. We drink milk but 90% of the time it's organic.

I am aware there is some debate as to whether or not the abbatoires that organic, free-range meat is slaughtered in is any better than non-organic, but this is an area that if it isn't changing, I expect will be soon. The 'ethical' meat bandwagon is growing ever larger so, IMO, it is inevitable that slaughtering methods will improve, and hopefully, costs will come down a bit, too!

So what do I label myself? Well, DH and I kind of like the term 'ethitarian'!!

Where did you find black beans? I've been looking and cannot seem to find them anywhere

DH and I are not *any* kind of vegetarian. However we STRONGLY believe in buying and eating humanely raised meat - and fish from sustainable sources.

we are the exact same.  very very rarely do i buy my food without knowing where it's come from.  that is one of the reasons i like waitrose-they explain about their types of chicken etc. and how they are all raised ethically.

i am at my worst with fish though.  it is my abso fav but i need to pay more attention to the safe list i think!

why did i think that a form of vegitarianism that ate fish was pescatarian?  i'd actually told dave that i could eat like that easily, so we eat veg/fish about 85% of the week.....maybe even more. 

Where did you find black beans? I've been looking and cannot seem to find them anywhere

The brand  name is Epicure. They come in cans. I've seen them in various places (farm shops, etc) but these happen to come from an independent grocers in Taunton.

Aimiloo, there is a web site for 'safe' fish. I'll see if I can find it for you.

i get my black beans dried at an organic shop and then rehydrate

We have some La Costena canned black beans from Mestizo in London.  Cool chile company also sell black bean "kits" - dried black beans + spices.

I JUST found some canned black beans at Waitrose - jumped for joy right there!  I think they were also Epicure - can't remember but they had a green label.  Soooo happy!

I'm sure I've seen dried black beans at Sainsburys and Waitrose.

For sustainable fish:

http://www.fishonline.org/advice/eat/?item=6

ETA, there is a downloadable pocket guide to what fish is sustainable and what isn't. Very handy!