Rant. Sorry.
So, I'm not entirely sure why I'm so PO'ed about this, but I am. (Well, I know why I'm pissed, but I don't know why I haven't let go of it... maybe I'll be fine once I get it off my chest.) I have a friend who is a pescetarian and her daughter just went pescetarian too. For those of you who have no idea what in the heck I'm talking about, a pescetarian is a person who eats seafood but no other meat.
What bugs the hell out of me is that my friend is constantly self-identifying as a vegetarian and telling her daughter that she's a vegetarian, too. It's annoying that she's teaching her daughter that fish is appropriate for a vegetarian, especially given that her daughter wants to give up meat "because they're animals." I don't know if my friend is lying to her daughter and telling her that fish aren't animals or what, but it does seem inappropriate. It's downright upsetting that she tells other people that she's vegetarian, though. Every time a pescetarian claims that they're vegetarian while eating seafood, they're saying that I eat seafood, too. I fully understand saying that you're vegetarian if you're going to order something that is vegetarian. But don't say that you're a vegetarian while munching on shrimp or tuna. It's not only incorrect, it does a disservice to anyone who actually is a vegetarian (which is defined as a person who does not eat animal flesh... the Vegetarian Society goes a step further to specify that vegetarians don't eat slaughter by-products like rennet and gelatin either).
It would be a lot like a person who isn't a fan of eggs saying that they're allergic to them. This is okay if you actually avoid all eggs, but if you only avoid eggs in their whole form, you do a disservice to people who are truly allergic. If I say, "I'm allergic to eggs" but I eat baked goods or desserts that contain them, I'm saying, "It's okay to use eggs as an ingredient in something if a person is allergic to eggs. They can have egg as long as they can't see it." While someone seasoning my pad Thai with fish sauce won't cause me to go into anaphylactic shock, it will gross me out and violate my personal ethical choices.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a pescetarian, but lying and saying that you're a vegetarian is dishonest and generates confusion about what vegetarianism is. Even saying that you're a semi-vegetarian or "almost vegetarian" is better (though there are vegetarians who will laugh at you for doing so).
My friend claims that it isn't about status or labels, but she has no real understanding, it seems, of why what she's doing is a problem.
GRRR!
Okay, I actually feel a bit better about this now. Yay! Cleansing rant.
In other news, those of you who haven't seen my FB might not know this, but in honor of Vegan Awareness Week, I've decided to go vegan for a week. Woot. Woot.
What bugs the hell out of me is that my friend is constantly self-identifying as a vegetarian and telling her daughter that she's a vegetarian, too. It's annoying that she's teaching her daughter that fish is appropriate for a vegetarian, especially given that her daughter wants to give up meat "because they're animals." I don't know if my friend is lying to her daughter and telling her that fish aren't animals or what, but it does seem inappropriate. It's downright upsetting that she tells other people that she's vegetarian, though. Every time a pescetarian claims that they're vegetarian while eating seafood, they're saying that I eat seafood, too. I fully understand saying that you're vegetarian if you're going to order something that is vegetarian. But don't say that you're a vegetarian while munching on shrimp or tuna. It's not only incorrect, it does a disservice to anyone who actually is a vegetarian (which is defined as a person who does not eat animal flesh... the Vegetarian Society goes a step further to specify that vegetarians don't eat slaughter by-products like rennet and gelatin either).
It would be a lot like a person who isn't a fan of eggs saying that they're allergic to them. This is okay if you actually avoid all eggs, but if you only avoid eggs in their whole form, you do a disservice to people who are truly allergic. If I say, "I'm allergic to eggs" but I eat baked goods or desserts that contain them, I'm saying, "It's okay to use eggs as an ingredient in something if a person is allergic to eggs. They can have egg as long as they can't see it." While someone seasoning my pad Thai with fish sauce won't cause me to go into anaphylactic shock, it will gross me out and violate my personal ethical choices.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a pescetarian, but lying and saying that you're a vegetarian is dishonest and generates confusion about what vegetarianism is. Even saying that you're a semi-vegetarian or "almost vegetarian" is better (though there are vegetarians who will laugh at you for doing so).
My friend claims that it isn't about status or labels, but she has no real understanding, it seems, of why what she's doing is a problem.
GRRR!
Okay, I actually feel a bit better about this now. Yay! Cleansing rant.
In other news, those of you who haven't seen my FB might not know this, but in honor of Vegan Awareness Week, I've decided to go vegan for a week. Woot. Woot.