I Just Wanted To Know What Kind Of Vegetarian She Was!

[redbrunja]

I was at my childhood home last weekend, and my mother and I had a friend over for dinner.

As my mom and I were making dinner, I was stealing shrimp for shrimp foo young (and sidenote, dropped one down my shirt and IT VANISHED INTO MY CLEAVAGE NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN, I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING) I go, "wait, isn't friend-we're-having-for-dinner-a-vegetarian?'

Mom: Yeah, she's a vegetarian but she eats seafood.



Me: I'm sorry, but that is not being a vegetarian.

Mom: But it's just fish. If I was a vegetarian, that's the kind of vegetarian I'd be.

Me: Fish and shrimp are animals, mom! They count.

Mom: You're right.

[long pause]

Me: So I was reading about the siege of Leningrad, and did you know that cannibalism was so prevalent that the police had a special division to try and stop it?

Mom (disgusted): Really?

Me: I wonder if I would eat human flesh to survive. I want to say no, but...

Mom: ...you're hesitating.

Me: I mean, if I was starving, and my neighbor was already dead right across the hall... I'd probably eat them.

Mom: I wouldn't! How do you live with that afterwards? ...unless I had kids who were starving. Then I'd probably feed them human flesh. But I'd lie, I'd say it was rat.

Me: This probably wasn't the best conversation to have before dinner, was it?

Comments

[iki-teru.livejournal.com]

That's the BEST conversation to have before dinner. Like, seriously, isn't it right before meal time that all the awkward/mildy horrifying talks happen?

(also. I can never remember, what is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian? :| I always assumed one wasn't as hardcore as the other?)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, vegetarians don't eat animals and vegans don't eat any animals OR animal BYPRODUCTS. So no dairy, no honey, etc.

Unpopular opinion: I think it's a very rare person who's body actually functions better on a vegan diet. I will actually argue that being a vegan is unhealthy. It's very, very hard to get all the nutrients that your body needs.

[qualapec.livejournal.com]

"I will actually argue that being a vegan is unhealthy."

This. I do think it's possible to be vegan and healthy, but the problem is that it costs a lot of money. I have one friend that was practically eating nothing but bread because she couldn't afford anything else...then when she couldn't eat glucose anymore, she pretty much had no choice but to go back to eating meat.

However, it's an ironic shift class-wise, because vegetarian/vegan food sources were basically discovered by incredibly poor people that couldn't afford to slaughter cows, goats, and chickens all the time.

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

Also, it's really not that expensive. You just have to like beans. I grab the $1 stir-fry vegetables from Kroger, make some rice and lentils. Meal in 20 minutes, with all your needed nutrition. Except B12. This is why I still eat fish.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

but the problem is that it costs a lot of money.

Yep. And frankly, one of the contributing factors to obesity is that in some places (not everywhere, but some) due to the availability of grocery stores, it's cheater to eat badly than to eat healthily.

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

My body seems to be much happier on an almost completely vegan diet. It's very sad. But I have more energy, my digestion isn't so troublesome, and I'm dropping weight at a nice pace. I eat fish, honey, some other things occasionally. But mostly I've dropped all animal products.

I miss steak and bacon, but my cholesterol does not.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Good for you - and to be honest, I'm glad you're still eating fish for the protein and the B12.

Diet is very personal - I know for me personally - and I say this as someone who has been eating more and more vegetarian meals as the years go on - it would be really, really unhealthy for me to try to stop eating the animals that I do.

[qualapec.livejournal.com]

Only the greatest conversation to have before dinner! ...Except now you have to wonder about every time she gave you steak when you were little...

If they eat fish they're called pescetarians. I'm not sure about the shrimp/other seafood though, since those would technically be bivalves or crustaceans, so there might be another name for it when it's more than just fish.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

If they eat fish they're called pescetarians.

Oooh, thanks for the info!

...Except now you have to wonder about every time she gave you steak when you were little...

Well, we were never even close to starving, so I think I'm safe.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I really love this conversation a lot.

[whisperingwasp.livejournal.com]

Best pre-dinner conversation ever.

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

Your mom sounds like the type of person I would want to be friends with.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

She absolutely, absolutely is.

[tigerpetals.livejournal.com]

I was taught in high school that there was a specific kind of vegetarian who ate fish. I was also taught in the college philosophy intro class that fish don't feel pain. I have no idea.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I was also taught in the college philosophy intro class that fish don't feel pain. I have no idea.

How on earth do they know that?

[tigerpetals.livejournal.com]

I don't remember what the given reason was. Something to do with their nervous systems? It was a discussion about one philosopher's view of ethics, and how he would have considered it ethical to eat fish - or maybe just some kinds of fish - because they can't feel pain.

[natural-blue-26.livejournal.com]

That specific 'breed' of vegetarian has always bothered me as well - if you want to not eat animals, that's perfectly fine but pretending fish (with their little beards, eyes, brains, etc) are NOT animals is just plain silly/hypocritical, you know?

PS - I think I remember something about some protein/whatever found IN humans makes people go crazy in the long term, so please factor that into your possible dietary choices lol

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

That specific 'breed' of vegetarian has always bothered me as well - if you want to not eat animals, that's perfectly fine but pretending fish (with their little beards, eyes, brains, etc) are NOT animals is just plain silly/hypocritical, you know?

Exactly! Like, I'm all for doing whatever works for you personally diet-wise, but fish are animals, regardless, you know?

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

But how will you ever know that your mom didn't ACTUALLY feed you human flesh now? D:

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Because we didn't live in Leningrad?

[spirited-lizard.livejournal.com]

LMAO!!! Btw, I don't think that rat would be that much better than human...? What am I even saying? LOL

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Taste wise.... possibly not. Morally? I'm going to pick rat.