Do You Eat Fish?

I was chatting to one of the guys at work a few days ago and we got onto the subject of vegetarians. When I mentioned that I was one he asked me a question that I had been asked several times before when the subject came up – he said: Do you eat fish? No, I said, I’m a vegetarian. He replied, well, my wife is a vegetarian and she eats fish. To which I replied, well, then she’s not a vegetarian. So we argued the point. He, at least initially seemed to maintain that fish wasn’t meat and therefore that eating fish and being a vegetarian where not mutually exclusive. After a few more moments he conceded my point and re-labelled his wife as a piscatarian – a cop out but a good point to end the discussion and get back to work.

I couldn’t help mentioning this conversation when I got back to my ‘office’. One person who is new to the group asked for confirmation that I didn’t eat fish. I confirmed that fact and then she asked: Are you a vegan? No, I said, I’m a vegetarian. I also drink milk and eat cheese and eggs. But I know lots of vegetarians who eat fish, she replied. Then they’re not vegetarians I said. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, period. But, she replied, fish isn’t meat, it’s…… fish. Well, I replied, they’re not exactly vegetables are they? They’re animals and I don’t eat anything with a face. By this time, of course, other members of my team had joined in relating stories of people who call themselves vegetarians who not only eat fish but also eat chicken (that well known other vegetable no doubt). It’s very simple I said, if you eat meat of any kind you can’t be a vegetarian and if you don’t eat meat or meat products then you’re a vegan. But I do consume meat products – dairy and eggs – but don’t eat flesh which makes me a vegetarian. At this point I think they started to get it or maybe a phone rang or the boss looked in our direction and things went a bit quiet.

To me at least the definition of vegetarian is pretty simple. Not so, it would seem, to a surprising number of otherwise switched on people. Of course people calling themselves veggies whilst still eating meat doesn’t exactly help matters. Two memories immediately sprung to mind. One was my ex-girlfriend tucking into fish on our last holiday together despite me thinking her being a veggie for the two years we spent together. Rather incredulous I said to her that I thought she was vegetarian. I am, she said, but I also eat fish. The other memory was of my mother’s reaction when I told her that I was a vegetarian just before coming home for Christmas. Oh, she said, but you’ll still be OK with the chicken? No, I said, I don’t eat meat any more. But chicken isn’t meat, she replied. So what is it, I asked. Chicken, she said. Sometimes you just have to laugh, sadly shake your head and move on with your life. But just for the record, I’m a vegetarian and, no, I don’t eat fish.