“I’m a vegetarian but I eat fish.”

“I’m a vegan, but I eat beef for the protein.”

Those are two of the most inane comments I have heard.  Follow me closely on this, if you eat animal flesh you are NOT a vegetarian.  If you eat animal flesh or any animal product you are not vegan.  Calling yourself such when the term is false is just a ploy to make yourself look like you have a desire to belong to a group that you don’t.

Don’t get confused, I don’t care what you eat as you shouldn’t care what I eat but to call yourself something that clearly doesn’t apply just makes you look foolish ,and yes, I do laugh at you after I walk away when you make one of those statements.  If you want to eat fish and no other animal derived meat that is fine and your choice, just don’t apply the term “vegetarian” to your diet.  If you want to eschew all forms of animal products except animal derived cheese from your diet don’t call yourself vegan, you’re not one.

I’ll go as far to apply the same to those who eat cheese filled with animal rennet, you’re not a vegetarian.  Some will disagree, fine, but to eat the stomach scrapings of a calf/lamb/etc. is not in the definition of vegetarian.  That’s not arguable.

So to those who want to engage in a discussion of how you have been vegan for so many years and how you eat chicken once a week just for the “variety”, don’t engage in a discussion of how you are vegan, because you’re not.