# Poll for vegetarians and people of quasi-vegetarian persuasions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-vegetarians-and-people-of-quasi-vegetarian-persuasions/628501>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 17, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-vegetarians-and-people-of-quasi-vegetarian-persuasions/628501 "2012-07-17T07:43:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-vegetarians-and-people-of-quasi-vegetarian-persuasions/628501/41 "2012-07-20T19:58:20Z")

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> [@SurrenderDorothy](#):
>
> lacto-ovo and pretty strict about it. I check labels in grocery stores and don’t eat gelatin or any of that.
> 
> I relax on the “hidden” ingredients if I’m in a restaurant or someone has made food for me. I’m not going to grill servers on rennet and gelatin or refuse something somebody put thought and work into because they didn’t know worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it.

Exactly the same. I’ve become more relaxed after living in the UK for several years (I grew up in India, strict lacto-ovo vegetarian, and my grandmother used to give me hell about eating eggs). I avoid gelatin and potentially non-vegetarian cheese where possible, but I’m not anal about it. If it happens, it happens. Not the end of the world.

> [@tellyworth](#):
>
> Interesting to hear about gelatin and rennet. I’ve never thought of those as off-limits to lacto-ovo vegetarians.
> 
> I’m in SurrenderDorothy’s camp. Never use gelatin myself, but the thought of it being in a restaurant dish doesn’t keep me up at night. And I’ve never tasted a rennet-free cheese worth a damn.
> 
> Oyster sauce, on the other hand, can fuck right off. Chinese restaurants with your “vegetarian” menus, I’m looking at you.

Ah, Chinese food. A great challenge. There’s a great Chinese restaurant in London that has awful service and wonderful food, including a vegetarian meal with vegetarian crispy fried duck, vegetarian pork, and other wonderful things. I’ve never enquired too closely into the actual ingredients, so I sort of adopt the Nanny Ogg Style of International Cuisine:

> [@Terry Pratchett](#):
>
> “It’s called gumbo,” said Nanny. “It’s got lady’s fingers in it.”
> 
> “I know well enough that lady’s fingers is a kind of plant, thank you very much,” said Granny. “I’m not entirely ignorant.”
> 
> “All right, but make sure you get a helping with snakes’ heads in it as well,” said Nanny Ogg. “They’re the best part.”
> 
> “What kind of plant is snakes’ heads?”
> 
> “Best if you just eat up, I reckon,” said Nanny.

> [@Laggard](#):
>
> How is a chicketarian or pescetatarian any type of vegetarian?

I’m in your camp. I think they should come clean and be honest with themselves. 😛

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-vegetarians-and-people-of-quasi-vegetarian-persuasions/628501/42 "2012-07-20T21:56:20Z")

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I’m generally what I would call “vegetarian” and apparently you would call “lacto-ovo-vegetarian”.

But recently I’ve decided to be more practical and still eat small amounts of meat if no demand is created by my doing so. For example, when prawn crackers come free with my Chinese food it seems stupid to just throw them away, so I’ll either eat them, or give them to someone else, or both.

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**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-vegetarians-and-people-of-quasi-vegetarian-persuasions/628501/43 "2012-07-21T11:30:22Z")

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> [@Dervorin](#):
>
> Ah, Chinese food. A great challenge. There’s a great Chinese restaurant in London that has awful service and wonderful food, including a vegetarian meal with vegetarian crispy fried duck, vegetarian pork, and other wonderful things. I’ve never enquired too closely into the actual ingredients

The one time I asked about that at a restaurant, they said they use Quorn. I wonder if there’s any difference between the “chicken” and the “duck” though.

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