Guest guest Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 There is a word for that - flexitarian. ie: someone who is part time vegetarian or a vegetarian in transition from being a meat eater. I know, I know, how can someone possibly be part time vegetarian? But, I didn't invent the word, just passing it along. , Catharin Meadors <bokodasu@g...> wrote: > My husband, on the other hand, is mostly-veg-at-home-and-omni-out > (really, there needs to be a word for that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 A flexitarian by any other name is an omnivore. Personally I think if one eats meat anywhere at anytime, s/he is an omnivore. It's frustrating to constantly have to explain to people the proper definitions of vegetarian and vegan, because people run around saying, " I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken. " Well, no, then you aren't a vegetarian. When I was waiting tables in college I had this woman say, " I'm a vegetarian. " Then she ordered a BLT with the B. It makes it difficult for real veggies and vegans who arrive at someone's house and are expected to eat seafood because that person's had 15 people tell them they are vegetarians and then sucked down some tuna. It makes me wonder why people identify themselves as vegetarians and vegans when they aren't. One either is or isn't a vegetarian or vegan by definition. There really isn't a gray. btw, smartgirl, I'm not attacking you. I realize you're just passing along the insanity. Just my opinion as a long-time v*n. When I became veggie where I lived, it was very difficult...I was a child, and people thought I was crazy. But I stuck with it. So if someone is going to talk the talk ( " I'm a vegetarian. " ) then they should walk the walk, so to speak. OK, this is a pet peeve of mine. Sorry if I sound crazy. Hope no one is offended...that wasn't my intent. , " smartgirl27us " <thesmartfamily3> wrote: > > There is a word for that - flexitarian. ie: someone who is part time > vegetarian or a vegetarian in transition from being a meat eater. I > know, I know, how can someone possibly be part time vegetarian? But, > I didn't invent the word, just passing it along. > > , Catharin Meadors <bokodasu@g...> > wrote: > > My husband, on the other hand, is mostly-veg-at-home-and-omni-out > > (really, there needs to be a word for that) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 I have a very good friend who went through a stage where she was a flexitarian. She called herself vegetarian, yet ate some sorts of meat. However, her goal was to become vegetarian. I once asked her why she claimed to be vegetarian, and she said, " I need to get into the frame of mind that I am. " It was a transition period for her. Maybe it was a mental psych for her to make the step to become vegetarian. She is now vegan. Melanie Lisa <lisaviafamily wrote: A flexitarian by any other name is an omnivore. Personally I think if one eats meat anywhere at anytime, s/he is an omnivore. It's frustrating to constantly have to explain to people the proper definitions of vegetarian and vegan, because people run around saying, " I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken. " Well, no, then you aren't a vegetarian. When I was waiting tables in college I had this woman say, " I'm a vegetarian. " Then she ordered a BLT with the B. It makes it difficult for real veggies and vegans who arrive at someone's house and are expected to eat seafood because that person's had 15 people tell them they are vegetarians and then sucked down some tuna. It makes me wonder why people identify themselves as vegetarians and vegans when they aren't. One either is or isn't a vegetarian or vegan by definition. There really isn't a gray. btw, smartgirl, I'm not attacking you. I realize you're just passing along the insanity. Just my opinion as a long-time v*n. When I became veggie where I lived, it was very difficult...I was a child, and people thought I was crazy. But I stuck with it. So if someone is going to talk the talk ( " I'm a vegetarian. " ) then they should walk the walk, so to speak. OK, this is a pet peeve of mine. Sorry if I sound crazy. Hope no one is offended...that wasn't my intent. Personals Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. Lots of someones, actually. Try Personals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 I have friends who are 'vegetarian tolerant,' 'vegetarian friendly,' or 'vegetarian sympathizers.' Some have experimented with being vegetarians at times and are happy to be that way when I'm visiting. Most of my family are tolerant and supportive. .... Be kind. Be of good cheer. Dick Ford www.dick-ford.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 I'm glad your friend is now a vegan!! Personally I think a nice little viewing of Meet Your Meat would be more of a mental psych than just (incorrectly) calling myself a vegetarian. If someone tells me s/he is a flexitarian, I'm going to assume they can do a back-bend. Ha! , melanie casto <melaniekcasto> wrote: > > I have a very good friend who went through a stage where she was a flexitarian. She called herself vegetarian, yet ate some sorts of meat. However, her goal was to become vegetarian. I once asked her why she claimed to be vegetarian, and she said, " I need to get into the frame of mind that I am. " It was a transition period for her. Maybe it was a mental psych for her to make the step to become vegetarian. She is now vegan. > > Melanie > > Lisa <lisaviafamily> wrote: > A flexitarian by any other name is an omnivore. Personally I think if > one eats meat anywhere at anytime, s/he is an omnivore. It's > frustrating to constantly have to explain to people the proper > definitions of vegetarian and vegan, because people run around saying, > " I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken. " Well, no, then you aren't a > vegetarian. When I was waiting tables in college I had this woman say, > " I'm a vegetarian. " Then she ordered a BLT with the B. It makes it > difficult for real veggies and vegans who arrive at someone's house > and are expected to eat seafood because that person's had 15 people > tell them they are vegetarians and then sucked down some tuna. It > makes me wonder why people identify themselves as vegetarians and > vegans when they aren't. One either is or isn't a vegetarian or vegan > by definition. There really isn't a gray. btw, smartgirl, I'm not > attacking you. I realize you're just passing along the insanity. > Just my opinion as a long-time v*n. When I became veggie where I > lived, it was very difficult...I was a child, and people thought I was > crazy. But I stuck with it. So if someone is going to talk the talk > ( " I'm a vegetarian. " ) then they should walk the walk, so to speak. OK, > this is a pet peeve of mine. Sorry if I sound crazy. Hope no one > is offended...that wasn't my intent. > > > > > Personals > Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. > Lots of someones, actually. Try Personals > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2005 Report Share Posted December 4, 2005 I agree with you there. I was just relaying her path. Melanie Lisa <lisaviafamily wrote: I'm glad your friend is now a vegan!! Personally I think a nice little viewing of Meet Your Meat would be more of a mental psych than just (incorrectly) calling myself a vegetarian. If someone tells me s/he is a flexitarian, I'm going to assume they can do a back-bend. Ha! Personals Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. Lots of someones, actually. Personals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2005 Report Share Posted December 5, 2005 First, no offence taken to your post. Second, I think that what you say in your post is exactly why the term flexitarian was invented. So that someone who is transitioning to vegetarian or someone who just eats fish, etc. has a term other than vegetarian to use for themselves, while still distinguishing themselves from your typical omnivore. They can say, " I am a flexitarian " . And someone asks " what's a flexitarian " . and they respond " Well, I am transitioning to vegetarian but I still eat fish for now " or whatever their specific situation. This gets rid of the confusion of supposed vegetarians who actually arent, but as someone else said in their post it can perhaps give them the psychological boost to, in the end, become a real vegetarian. , " Lisa " <lisaviafamily> wrote: > > A flexitarian by any other name is an omnivore. Personally I think if > one eats meat anywhere at anytime, s/he is an omnivore. It's > frustrating to constantly have to explain to people the proper > definitions of vegetarian and vegan, because people run around saying, > " I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken. " Well, no, then you aren't a > vegetarian. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 Wouldn't it just be easier to say, " I am transitioning to vegetarian but I still eat fish for now " ? That would be a much shorter conversation. People are confused enough by vegetarian, vegan, lacto-ova vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, ova-vegetarian, pescatarian, pollotarian. A lot of people already have a pre-conceived notion that vegetarians/vegans are flakey. I think adding yet another term, flexitarian, will just reinforce that idea. I remember when being a vegetarian wasn't " cool. " Now I think a lot of people like to call themselves a vegetarian (when they aren't), because they think it gives them some mystique. Strange. A flexitarian is an omnivore, but I guess if a person needs to call themselves a flexitarian, so be it. , " smartgirl27us " <thesmartfamily3> wrote: > > First, no offence taken to your post. Second, I think that what you > say in your post is exactly why the term flexitarian was invented. So > that someone who is transitioning to vegetarian or someone who just > eats fish, etc. has a term other than vegetarian to use for > themselves, while still distinguishing themselves from your typical > omnivore. > > They can say, " I am a flexitarian " . And someone asks " what's a > flexitarian " . and they respond " Well, I am transitioning to > vegetarian but I still eat fish for now " or whatever their specific > situation. This gets rid of the confusion of supposed vegetarians who > actually arent, but as someone else said in their post it can perhaps > give them the psychological boost to, in the end, become a real > vegetarian. > > , " Lisa " <lisaviafamily> wrote: > > > > A flexitarian by any other name is an omnivore. Personally I think if > > one eats meat anywhere at anytime, s/he is an omnivore. It's > > frustrating to constantly have to explain to people the proper > > definitions of vegetarian and vegan, because people run around > saying, > > " I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken. " Well, no, then you aren't a > > vegetarian. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 6, 2005 Report Share Posted December 6, 2005 Ah, the language issue again! ;-) I wonder if people would have less of an issue if, instead of saying, " I'm mostly vegetarian " they instead said " I mostly eat vegetarian " --that is, if instead of labeling themselves, they labeled the foods they eat? Maybe it's just my own innate aversion to labeling people (including myself!) but I find that I rarely say " I'm vegan " or " I'm vegetarian. " What I usually say is " I eat vegan most of the time. " This also reflects my personal belief that what we do (what we eat) is more important than how we describe ourselves. Am I the only one out there using veg*n as an adjective, rather than a noun? K , " smartgirl27us " <thesmartfamily3> wrote: > > First, no offence taken to your post. Second, I think that what you > say in your post is exactly why the term flexitarian was invented. So > that someone who is transitioning to vegetarian or someone who just > eats fish, etc. has a term other than vegetarian to use for > themselves, while still distinguishing themselves from your typical > omnivore. > > They can say, " I am a flexitarian " . And someone asks " what's a > flexitarian " . and they respond " Well, I am transitioning to > vegetarian but I still eat fish for now " or whatever their specific > situation. This gets rid of the confusion of supposed vegetarians who > actually arent, but as someone else said in their post it can perhaps > give them the psychological boost to, in the end, become a real > vegetarian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 I think the phrases you suggested are accurate and would lead to less confusion...unless of course someone said, " I mostly eat vegetarianS. " Ha! All I could think of when Dave (?) used the phrase " vegetarian tolerant " was someone who could digest vegetarians! Haaaaaaa! , " kaydeemama " <lionstigersbearsohmy@e...> wrote: > > Ah, the language issue again! ;-) > > I wonder if people would have less of an issue if, instead of saying, > " I'm mostly vegetarian " they instead said " I mostly eat > vegetarian " --that is, if instead of labeling themselves, they labeled > the foods they eat? > > Maybe it's just my own innate aversion to labeling people (including > myself!) but I find that I rarely say " I'm vegan " or " I'm vegetarian. " > What I usually say is " I eat vegan most of the time. " This also > reflects my personal belief that what we do (what we eat) is more > important than how we describe ourselves. > > Am I the only one out there using veg*n as an adjective, rather than a > noun? > > K > > , " smartgirl27us " > <thesmartfamily3> wrote: > > > > First, no offence taken to your post. Second, I think that what you > > say in your post is exactly why the term flexitarian was invented. So > > that someone who is transitioning to vegetarian or someone who just > > eats fish, etc. has a term other than vegetarian to use for > > themselves, while still distinguishing themselves from your typical > > omnivore. > > > > They can say, " I am a flexitarian " . And someone asks " what's a > > flexitarian " . and they respond " Well, I am transitioning to > > vegetarian but I still eat fish for now " or whatever their specific > > situation. This gets rid of the confusion of supposed vegetarians who > > actually arent, but as someone else said in their post it can perhaps > > give them the psychological boost to, in the end, become a real > > vegetarian. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 I completely agree with this. In fact, in restaurants when I am having my usual dialogue with the waiter about what I will and won't eat, I often explain simply that I don't eat meat or fish, not that I am a vegetarian. And I don't ever say I can't eat it, I say I choose not to eat it. Or I don't eat it. There's an important distinction. Terry - " kaydeemama " <lionstigersbearsohmy Tuesday, December 06, 2005 3:52 AM Re: Flexitarian > Ah, the language issue again! ;-) > > I wonder if people would have less of an issue if, instead of saying, > " I'm mostly vegetarian " they instead said " I mostly eat > vegetarian " --that is, if instead of labeling themselves, they labeled > the foods they eat? > > Maybe it's just my own innate aversion to labeling people (including > myself!) but I find that I rarely say " I'm vegan " or " I'm vegetarian. " > What I usually say is " I eat vegan most of the time. " This also > reflects my personal belief that what we do (what we eat) is more > important than how we describe ourselves. > > Am I the only one out there using veg*n as an adjective, rather than a > noun? > > K >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 <<I often explain simply that I don't eat meat or fish, not that I am a vegetarian. And I don't ever say I can't eat it, I say I choose not to eat it. Or I don't eat it. There's an important distinction.>> Yeah, unfortunately that distinction has gotten me sick a few times. Better to say you *can't* when around a stranger who doesn't care, has their own prejudices and opinions, and won't be around for the consequences of slipping you something because " oh, she'll never know " . Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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