In reflection to my previous question (link given), about vegetarianism...?

Question

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkZeNKJ58f3YB2fZ1Z8Zpt4gBgx.?qid=20061026105036AAaIBYt

...how come, when we were at McDonalds, the fish fillet burger said "Not suitable for vegetarians" - because some vegetarians such as my friend DO eat sea food

Answer 1

Because McDonalds got it right. (wow- never thought I'd say that) They know that fish is not suitable for vegetarians. Whatever oil it's fried in.

I'd have thought that this would clarify the issue, not confuse it. Fish is not suitable for vegetarians, even McD's knows that, there you go.

Tell your friend congratulations, she's a pescatarian, and she can eat that Fillet o Fish to her hearts content.

If someone told you they were a "vegetarian who eats meat on the holidays", would you wonder why turkeys did not say "Suitable for vegetarians" on the packaging? No, you'd wonder why the f**k they called themself a veggie in the first place. Same thing here.

Answer 2

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat, with or without the use of other animal derivatives, such as dairy products or eggs. Some people choose to refrain from wearing clothing derived from animals, such as leather and fur. Veganism, in particular, excludes all animal products from diet and attire, whether or not this involves the actual death of an animal (dairy, eggs, honey, down feathers and silk). Vegetarians are found in countries across the world with varied motivations including religious, ethical, environmental, and health concerns.

The following similarly named diets are not considered true vegetarianism:

Pesco/pollo vegetarianism (semi-vegetarianism, poultratarianism) — These people will only eat certain meats depending on the particular diet (pesco-fish, pollo-fowl).
Flexitarianism — Flexitarians neither want to eat the meat of animals that lived or died in cruel conditions, nor are they fulltime vegetarians. They sometimes will eat meat and other non-dairy animal products.
Freeganism — Freegans consume things that are beyond the ability to produce support for those products. For example, a Freegan may eat a meat product if it has been thrown away or is about to be thrown away (provided it is still good to eat), but not one that they have bought or which was bought for them. The point is not to give money to animal exploitation, but to partake of its waste.

Answer 3

OK Just to clarify a real vegetarian DOES NOT EAT MEAT OR SEAFOOD. This includes any fish or shell fish or chickens or whatever the hell else so called demi veggies claim they can eat. if it had a mother than it is off the menu if you veggie. Your Friend is not a veggie and McDonald's fillet o fish are not suitable for vegetarians!

Answer 4

As a vegan, I want to dissociate myself from the righteousness and anger of many of the replies.

Right and wrong are creations of human beings. For instance, cats don't agonise over what and whether thay should eat, have sex, etc - they just do whatever.

We are all in different places at different times. I take my hat off to anyone who reduces cruelty and suffering of others, and have respect for others' decisions which may not align with my own.

That said, there is a lot of government and food industry mis-information and propaganda out there. Often people are not making truthfully informed choices - just unconsciously following the path that is laid in front of them - the path of least resistance.

Thanks for being a good friend to your fish-eating buddy.

Answer 5

The true definition of vegetarian is very clearly not fish-eating.
Vegetarian = no meat.
(fyi, Vegan = no animal products.)

Muscle tissue is meat. Fish have muscle tissue. Meat also includes organs and such, but I won't split hairs here.
Point being that fish is very much meat. Dictionary.com describes meat as "the flesh of animals used for food." Fish are animals. Definition of animal, in case we're unclear:

"any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli: some classification schemes also include protozoa and certain other single-celled eukaryotes that have motility and animallike nutritional modes."
and lastly, vegetarian:
"a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc."

So, by the train of logic I've followed here: Meat is tissue from animals. Animals are beings with ability to move and breathe of their own volition, find food, have nervous systems. Vegetarians do not eat meat, the tissue from animals.

FISH IS NOT VEGETARIAN AND NEVER WILL BE.

Answer 6

agreeing with the others about fish not being a member of the plant kingdom, it could be the oil they fry that fish in. could well have lard in it.

are the fries, made from potato, really suitable for vegetarians? quite possibly not as mickey d's used to flavour them with beef tallow and might still for all i know. feh!

Answer 7

to be a TRUE vegetarian, you can not eat any form of meat, and fish and sea food are meat. You cannot choose to be half vegetarian and just eat some and not the others. Just because fish and sea food are not cute and cuddly like the land animals don't make it NOT an animal.. it is still alive...

Answer 8

Many different definitions of vegetarians (depending on where you come from)

* European vegetarians eat fish & eggs (so not strictly vegetarian)
* Asian veg. do not eat meat, fish or eggs (however these are not vegans as they DO eat dairy products - BTW, egg is NOT a dairy product - not made of or start out as milk)
* Vegans - no meat, fish, eggs or dairy (basically no animal products)
* Kiwi veg - no meat or fish, but do eat bacon on sundays (you go figure!)

By the way, these are actually the definitions used by airlines as well.

Answer 9

Probably because McDOnalds uses animal based fat to fry all their stuff in--it's cheaper than penut oil and does the same thing, and it is certainly not suitable for vegans or vegetarians who have issues with that sort of thing. Also, they may be printing that on the lable to keep the fish away from vegetarians who dont eat fish.

Answer 10

Vegetarians DO NOT EAT DEAD ANIMALS. Choosing to limit your intake of meat by only eating fish is a fine choice, but it's NOT vegetarianism. The filet-o-fish is not suitable for vegetarians because it is made from a dead animal. It IS suitable for people like your friend who choose to limit their intake of meat to fish (but those people have no business calling themselves vegetarians... they're not.)