So, can vegetarians pick around meat?

Question

Sorrry if this has been asked before. But let's say you have a pizza and the only type left has pepperoni (yes, i eat cheese. i'de be vegan if i weren't only 14=/), would it be okay to just take off the pepperoni? I thought it would be okay, but my friend who doesn't eat pork won't do that because it's been "contaminated" or somethingg. Or, to give another example, yesterday someone told me to try this salad and right after I served it they told me it has bacon in it so I just tried to find all of the bacon and put it to the side and not eat it. But I still felt bad after.
So anyways, do you tthink that is okay for a vegetarian to do?
Thanks=)

Answer 1

Do you believe that if you violate the rules (whatever they are) that something awful will happen to you, like a vampire eating garlic?
Do you have vegetarian friends who are very judgmental? Are you worried that someday you'll say you are a vegetarian and someone will contradict you?
If you decide to live in a vegetarian society -- that is, eat exclusively in vegetarian restaurants, have only vegetarian friends -- then your question wouldn't even come up. But if you decide to live in the world as it exists, and maintain some contact with other people, and not let vegetarianism become your entire reason for living -- then you are going to have to pick around the meat, and learn to do it without loudly announcing how special you are.
(let's see how many thumbs-downs i get for this one!)

Answer 2

Some people are vegaterian because they feel it is more healthy, some for religious reasons. Typically, if health is your concern, you could pick around the meat. If religion is your reason, you probably believe it was wrong to kill the animal that the meat came from. Oh, there are also vegetarians who are so because they feel that that amount of land it takes to raise food for say a cow, vs. the amount of vegetables you could raise there, that eating meat just doesn't make sense. These vegetarians are okay with eating fish.

Some religions teach that certain foods (pork, or beef) are sinful to eat. Furthmore, if one of these foods touch other foods, it has been "contaminated" and may not be eaten. Some religions believe that certain foods can be eaten, but just not together (milk & meat), and should never touch the same plates.

So, I guess the real question is why are you vegetarian?

Answer 3

It depends entirely upon the vegetarian. Some will, others won't. If there's no choice, really (and yes, I have been in that situation), I'll pick around. Otherwise, I totally avoid it. .

It's hard for a lot of people to figure out the distinction. The eating around it question comes up, as does the broth and flavoring question.

One rather colorful analogy uses roadkill (or cat poop or any other unappealing "ingredient"). If the chicken or beef were replaced with this item, would you eat the dish? If it was pizza with cat poop on it, would you pick of the poo and eat the pizza? What if I boiled a roadkill raccoon with some spices to make the base for a soup? If I took the raccoon out and didn't use its meat as a separate ingredient, would you eat it? Some people would, but others wouldn't. It's personal. However, it puts it into a more easily-understandable context for people who don't get it.

Answer 4

Hi,

The pizza wil contain anmal fats, thats for sure. But if you are happy with that its up to you. Its not really a veggie thing to do but as you yourself acknowledge you are young and we all start somewhere. Good on you for making your stance.

Most veggies would not touch the pizza. Maybe that could be a goal for you ?

Can i point out this way of thinking though ?

Its not the eating of the meat that causes the death of the animal. Is the buyng of it. The meat industry doesn't care if we eat meat, as far as they are concerned we can all pick off the meat so long as we buy it. Its the money used to buy the meat that supports the rearing and death of animals.

If you were to only buy veggie food the resturant will get the message that more veggies are eating thier and they will buy less meat and more veggies. The less meat they buy, the less cows get killed. That is how veggies can help reduce animal cruelty and death.

Answer 5

If you been served a pizza with meat on it by mistake, you can send it back in this case you be wasting food and it will be environmentaly wasteful as well (yeah sorry I know its a sillt argument but many veg*ns say veg*nism is more environmentally friendly) as they will then have to cook and prepare your food or you can give it to someone else.

But in the case of choosing its all down to you, if the pizza is going to waste then it does not make sense not too, but you have to deal with your moral choices. If for example they only made pepperoni pizza and they had to buy new meat or kill a new animal then no that would be against the veg*n way.

Answer 6

If you're okay with it, then that's fine.

I would not pick meat out of a meat dish & then eat it. If I found an accidental chunk of meat or dairy in something I'm eating, I usually just get mildly annoyed and pick that chunk out.
That said, my pizzas are meat & cheese free.If there was a small piece of pepperoni that happened to be put on my pizza (toppings do get kind of messy and sometimes stuff drops into other bins at pizza places), I'd just remove it. I don't think I'd pick pepperoni & cheese off of a whole pepperoni & cheese pizza & eat it.

Answer 7

I don't think it's wise to ask if it is okay for a "vegetarian" to do? I think the question should be asked, "Am I okay with it?" I am a vegetarian, and will not eat anything that meat has touched. I won't even eat a boca or a veggie burger at a restaurant if they grill it on the same grill as the meat without cleaning it, first. But, that's just me. I think it's great that you want to be vegan. I used to be when I was younger and during college I started eating dairy because there wasn't much else to eat. I'm slowing going back to vegan-ism, though. Good luck to you.

Answer 8

Are your friends vegetarian or Vegan? And is being vegetarian YOUR choice, or just because your friends decided to be vegetarians? For goodness sake! There is nothing wrong with putting the pepperoni or bacon to the side and eating the rest. Don't let them bully you. And if you DO want to eat meat, what's it to them?

Answer 9

For the first month or two that I was vegetarian, I picked around it a few times. I was young and sort of afraid to stand up for myself and embarrased to send food back in a restaraunt. After awhile I realized that your friend is right - there's still animal on that pizza - and it really became impossible for me to do it any more. It's your call, but I personally don't feel that eating things prepared with meat is vegetarian.

Answer 10

As a vegetarian I would not do this. Pizza that has had pepperoni on it will still contain traces and all the grease and I wouldn't want to eat it. Same with a salad. You can certainly do whatever you're most comfortable with, but I think that most strict vegetarians would choose not to do this.