re: fish-eating vegetarians

[Guest guest]

It is always a good idea to take the opportunity to educate about veg'nism

when the opportunity presents, but it helps to know what misinformation

we're trying to undo. There are three things that make it difficult for

others to understand what vegetarianism and veganism are.

 

One has to do with the different ways that the word meat is used. Veg'ns

call all flesh food meat, but carnivores don't. To them, meat means the

flesh of mammals, while the flesh of sea creatures is called either fish or

seafood and bird flesh is called poultry. It's not that they think that

fish is a vegetable, they just don't know if you mean fish when you say

meat.

 

One of the other reasons they don't know is that there are large numbers of

people who adopt labels that do not, in fact, describe them. Haven't we all

heard people say, Yeah, I'm vegetarian, I gave up red meat a few years ago.

Or, Oh, you're vegetarian? Me too, I only eat meat twice a week and

usually, it's just chicken. A lot of others say, I'm not a strict

vegetarian, you know? I eat fish sometimes. With all of that going on, you

can hardly blame non-veg'n folks for being confused, and asking if we're

that kind of vegetarian or the other kind. (You know, the actual vegetarian

kind.)

 

The third difficulty is that people in our culture seem to have difficulty

with absolutism. Any time a person says, I never do [fill in the blank],

someone can be found to say, Well, you don't really mean never, though, do

you? Whatever the subject is, they figure Never really means Sometimes.

You never watch TV? But you make an exception for the Sopranos, don't you?

Or PBS? You never use chemicals in your organic garden? OK, but you use

weed killers, right? You never drink alcohol? Well, beer isn't really

drinking, is it,?

 

One thing that might contribute to greater clarity is not saying

I-don't-eat-meat, but instead saying, I-eat-only-plants. (Or, obviously, an

equivalent statement for those who eat eggs and dairy.) Too many people

have gotten the idea that it's the issue of giving up meat, which seems to

leave open the question of how much of it and what kinds have you given up.

Also, I'd like to dispel the notion of it being some kind of sacrifice,

which few veg'ns actually feel it to be. But, for vegans especially, it can

just be much easier saying I-eat-only-plants, because there is no logical

way for anyone to come back with, But do you eat fish? If they do, then

they may really believe fish grown on stems, and all hope of meaningful

conversation in that instance is truly lost.

 

My two-plus cents.

[Guest guest]

On the topic of book definitions, I had a nutrition book that while it

acknowledged flax seed and flax oil as an omega-3 source, it went on

to say in a vegan nutrition sidebar that fish oil supplements should

be used for their omega-3 source. Doh!

 

As for educating the public, I have a simple, yet evocative way of

explaining veganism to those who ask:

 

" If it had a mother or came from a mother, I don't eat it. "

 

(Imagine the impact of that statement on Mothers' Day!)

 

My cents,

Matthew

 

, " caryatis cardea " <caryatisc@i...> wrote:

> It is always a good idea to take the opportunity to educate about

veg'nism

> when the opportunity presents, but it helps to know what misinformation

> we're trying to undo. There are three things that make it difficult for

> others to understand what vegetarianism and veganism are.

>

> One has to do with the different ways that the word meat is used.

Veg'ns

> call all flesh food meat, but carnivores don't. To them, meat means the

> flesh of mammals, while the flesh of sea creatures is called either

fish or

> seafood and bird flesh is called poultry. It's not that they

think that

> fish is a vegetable, they just don't know if you mean fish when you say

> meat.

>

> One of the other reasons they don't know is that there are large

numbers of

> people who adopt labels that do not, in fact, describe them.

Haven't we all

> heard people say, Yeah, I'm vegetarian, I gave up red meat a few

years ago.

> Or, Oh, you're vegetarian? Me too, I only eat meat twice a week and

> usually, it's just chicken. A lot of others say, I'm not a strict

> vegetarian, you know? I eat fish sometimes. With all of that going

on, you

> can hardly blame non-veg'n folks for being confused, and asking if we're

> that kind of vegetarian or the other kind. (You know, the actual

vegetarian

> kind.)

>

> The third difficulty is that people in our culture seem to have

difficulty

> with absolutism. Any time a person says, I never do [fill in the

blank],

> someone can be found to say, Well, you don't really mean never,

though, do

> you? Whatever the subject is, they figure Never really means Sometimes.

> You never watch TV? But you make an exception for the Sopranos,

don't you?

> Or PBS? You never use chemicals in your organic garden? OK, but

you use

> weed killers, right? You never drink alcohol? Well, beer isn't really

> drinking, is it,?

>

> One thing that might contribute to greater clarity is not saying

> I-don't-eat-meat, but instead saying, I-eat-only-plants. (Or,

obviously, an

> equivalent statement for those who eat eggs and dairy.) Too many people

> have gotten the idea that it's the issue of giving up meat, which

seems to

> leave open the question of how much of it and what kinds have you

given up.

> Also, I'd like to dispel the notion of it being some kind of sacrifice,

> which few veg'ns actually feel it to be. But, for vegans

especially, it can

> just be much easier saying I-eat-only-plants, because there is no

logical

> way for anyone to come back with, But do you eat fish? If they do, then

> they may really believe fish grown on stems, and all hope of meaningful

> conversation in that instance is truly lost.

>

> My two-plus cents.