Comment of the Day: When Is It Okay to Call a Place a 'Vegetarian Hangout'?

Comment of the Day: When Is It Okay to Call a Place a "Vegetarian Hangout"?

By Cathy Matusow Wed., Sep. 14 2011 at 5:00 PM

Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch.

Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a new way.

In return, we offer them a virtual White Russian.

Today on Chef Chat, Mandy Oaklander interviewed Nicole Hudson of Conscious Cafe.

The story raised the question of when it is okay to call a place "vegetarian":

Wrote Guest:

This is not a vegetarian restaurant - fish are NOT vegetables.

All right, thanks Guest. What do the rest of you think? Is it acceptable to call a place a "vegetarian hangout" if it serves plenty of veggie dishes but also offers fish?

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Clanier

OK if you are a veteraian and you eat pu*** does that disqualify you???Lighten up people. Regardless of what other people call C2 they called themselves "CONSCIOUS CAFE".A place of consciouness.Theres 3 types of vegetarian;vegan,non-meat eaters,and those who eat only fish.Either way the goal for the establishment is to educate people to a better and a healthier eating habit.And C2 is doing that.

Lareijon

A tomato is not a vegetable and they sell those .....I consider anything that's not meat, vegetarian. Fish is not meat Duhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Nicholas L. Hall

I am reposting my comment from the original post, as I think you're all missing the point.

"I don't see where she called it a vegetarian restaurant. She called it a vegetarian hangout, meaning that vegetarians hang out there. I think you could make a strong case for slaughterhouses as vegetarian hangouts, what with all the PETA picket lines."

Corey

They're all neurotic, that much they share in common.. Some more so than others.

Prepress Service

Thanks for sharing the idea there would be some apprehensions from segment but i am up for it.

Margin Fades

Cultural vegetarians - I'm thinking of Indians and Indo-Americans - aren't going to take very kindly to finding fish in a vegetarian dish.

Bruce R

If they serve meat (beef, chicken, fish, etc.) then it's not a vegetarian restaurant. If they have plenty of options that are vegetarian, then it's vegetarian friendly. It's really that easy. To put this concept into practice, Conscious Cafe is vegetarian friendly.

Clusher

There lots of types of vegetarians, ie: lacto-ovo,pesce,and flexitarians.

Jeff

Traditional vegetarians and vegans have issues with those kinds of overly nuanced terms. Simply put, vegetarians don't eat any animal flesh (the ovo-lacto is redundant) - nothing with a face, to be blunt. Vegans don't eat animal flesh or animal by-products such as milk, eggs, cheese, etc.

Flexitarian? Wow, talk about trying hard to fit into something you aren't.

As for the restaurant, admittedly, serious vegetarians find it frustrating when people think eating fish qualifies as vegetarianism. It doesn't (remember the nothing with a face thing). But, if the restaurant specifically caters to vegetarians and is almost entirely meat free, I think calling them a vegetarian restaurant is fine.

I'm no longer a vegetarian, but I do want to try this place. Yum.

Clusher

Jeff, I respect your opinion, but, I know quite a few vegetarians of many forms and "types". None that I know take any "issue" with their personal preference to what vegetarian means to them. I see it as religion. What feels best in your spirit or belief system, and works for you both mentally and health wise. Flexitarians are not trying to fit into anything, just a new found and more healthy way of eating for themselves, the environment, and of course the animals. Vegetarianism has come a long way, and again are many types and versions. None of us has the right to say or judge ones beliefs on what we consume. That was the point I was trying to get across.

Jeff

I understand what you are saying, but I just don't think there need to be 100 titles for something this simple. I don't eat pizza very often. Does that make me a pizza-flex-tarian?

If your dining choices are more complex than no flesh and/or no dairy, chances are a title won't help clear things up; it will only serve to complicate matters.