Fake Vegetarianism

Ann Marie feels strongly about veganism. I, having been a vegetarian for going on 15 years, feel strongly about vegetarianism.

Here's the thing. If you eat fish, you are not a vegetarian. You aren't. You're someone who doesn't eat red meat or chicken.

If you eat chicken, you are not a vegetarian. You are someone who doesn't eat red meat.

And so on. Vegetarians come in a couple flavors: Lacto-ovo vegetarians are people like me who don't eat meat, but do eat dairy products and honey and gelatin. We usually wear leather and aren't fanatical about products derived from animal by-products.

Lacto Vegetarians drink milk but don't eat eggs. Ovo-vegetarians (are rare) eat eggs but not milk products. Etc.

Vegans don't eat any food that once had something to do with an animal. This usually includes gelatin and yeast and sometimes honey. Vegans usually don't wear leather and are much more vigilant about what products they bring into their home.

There's one thing in common here though: no type of vegetarian eats animals.

Fish are in the animal kingdom. If you eat fish you can not in good conscience call yourself a vegetarian.

I don't care what you eat. I'm not judging your choices. I make my choices, you make yours, we all live happily together. I'm much more likely to lecture you about sustainable cleaning products than giving up meat.

So, in case I wasn't clear, if you eat any type of animal, you are not a vegetarian.