# Vegatarians eat birds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813 "2017-11-16T23:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/21 "2017-11-17T04:38:14Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I think that someone who is a vegetarian doesn’t eat any flesh from an animal. Is that not the case? Generally, but words mean what we use them to mean, and the same word is frequently used to mean different things. I had a friend who would eat wild-caught fish and game but not farmed animals, his rationale being that he was concerned about how animals lived, rather than about how they died. You may share his views or not, but it does look like a perfectly cromulent ethical position. But in circumstances where explaining this would have been more detail than was required, he would often simply slot himself into the “vegetarian” category, since this would mean he was not offered food that was problematic for him. So, yeah, not everyone who is “vegetarian” is as necessarily vegetarian as we might expect. But our expectations are mostly our problem, not theirs. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/22 "2017-11-17T04:43:50Z")
I’ve been a pretty straight-up vegetarian for 30 years (except for a brief stretch during basic training when field chow was my only option, and I was burning 4000 calories a day). Anyway. I know lots of vegetarians and vegans. The rule is “Nothing with a face.” Or, I would add, any kind or neurological system & vascular system, however primitive. It means that for the vegetarian who chooses to eat eggs and dairy, FERTILIZED eggs are out. So is cheese with rennet. We also prefer cruelty-free eggs and dairy, so we like them to come from free-range animals. We also don’t wear leather, or use items form animals when it is not necessary, or an alternative of it is. A doctor offered me a medication once, and it was in capsule; it was the timed-release version. The capsules had gelatin. I found that the non-timed release worked just as well, but you hut you had to remember to take them every two hours, and wake up at night to take one. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/23 "2017-11-17T05:19:13Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’ve been a pretty straight-up vegetarian for 30 years (except for a brief stretch during basic training when field chow was my only option, and I was burning 4000 calories a day). Anyway. I know lots of vegetarians and vegans. The rule is “Nothing with a face.” Or, I would add, any kind or neurological system & vascular system, however primitive. > > It means that for the vegetarian who chooses to eat eggs and dairy, FERTILIZED eggs are out. So is cheese with rennet. We also prefer cruelty-free eggs and dairy, so we like them to come from free-range animals. > > We also don’t wear leather, or use items form animals when it is not necessary, or an alternative of it is. A doctor offered me a medication once, and it was in capsule; it was the timed-release version. The capsules had gelatin. I found that the non-timed release worked just as well, but you hut you had to remember to take them every two hours, and wake up at night to take one. But it’s Ok to drive a car, even though the fuel used to be dinosaurs? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/24 "2017-11-17T05:49:04Z")
Anyone that’s a vegetarian for moral reasons should stick to eating only fruit. By eating fruit you are generally helping the plant, while the eating of other parts is likely to harm it. What does having a face or advanced neurological system matter? That’s not about morality, that’s about things that creep you out. For bonus points, once done eating, bury your apple cores in fertile ground not too close to any other trees. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/25 "2017-11-17T06:06:02Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I’m partial to the term “flexitarian.” As in, a vegetarian who is flexible enough to eat meat sometimes. I thought it meant a Unitarian who does yoga. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/26 "2017-11-17T06:12:46Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I’m partial to the term “flexitarian.” As in, a vegetarian who is flexible enough to eat meat sometimes. It pretty much describes my family’s diet. As if we need another term for omnivore. What do you call a virgin who is flexible enough to have sex from time to time? Or, the smoker who says: \* Quitting is easy. I’ve done it dozens of times.\* ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/27 "2017-11-17T06:15:35Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > The rule is “Nothing with a face.” If you define “face” to mean “mouth, nose, and two eyes”, then birds don’t have faces because a beak isn’t the same as a nose and a mouth. Therefore, one can eat birds and still say “I never eat anything with a face”. As I see it, everyone has a line they draw of what they will eat and what they won’t. Most Americans draw that line with cows and pigs on one side of the line but horses, cats, and dogs, on the other side of the line. Myself, I draw the line with mammals on one side and non-mammals on the other. I usually say “I don’t eat beef or pork”, but if someone asks me “Are you a vegetarian?”, I often find it’s easier to just say “yes” rather than go into an explanation. FWIW, [Spider Robinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_Robinson) once wrote that a chicken is “such a pathetically stupid animal that vegetarians eat them with a clear conscience.” On a related note, there’s a scene in [The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress) where Prof (a self-described vegetarian) eats ham by pretending that it’s pink salmon. ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/28 "2017-11-17T06:21:18Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > As if we need another term for omnivore. What do you call a virgin who is flexible enough to have sex from time to time? Or, the smoker who says: \* Quitting is easy. I’ve done it dozens of times.\* Surely you aren’t suggesting that “vegetarian” should only apply to people who have never eaten meat, are you? That’s the analogy with “virgin”. And exactly how long does someone have to refrain from smoking before you would allow them to use the label “non-smoker”? One week? One month? One year? One decade? A closer analogy would be what would you call a person who never smokes cigarettes (or tobacco in any form) but occasionally smokes marijuana? Would you object to such a person calling themselves a non-smoker? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/29 "2017-11-17T06:35:32Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I told him if it moves of its own accord, its meat. Clearly a city girl, who’s never seen sunflowers grow. Or corn, or tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/30 "2017-11-17T06:55:23Z")
> [@sbunny8](#): > > If you define “face” to mean “mouth, nose, and two eyes”, then birds don’t have faces because a beak isn’t the same as a nose and a mouth. Therefore, one can eat birds and still say “I never eat anything with a face”. That’s a bit silly, but it does bring to mind that certain animals like oysters legitimately don’t have a face. A strict vegetarian wouldn’t eat any dead animals. But a lot of vegetarians are not 100%. Pescetarians eat fish; I don’t think there’s a special word for people who eat certain invertebrates. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/31 "2017-11-17T06:57:31Z")
> [@sbunny8](#): > > Surely you aren’t suggesting that “vegetarian” should only apply to people who have never eaten meat, are you? That’s the analogy with “virgin”. And exactly how long does someone have to refrain from smoking before you would allow them to use the label “non-smoker”? One week? One month? One year? One decade? A closer analogy would be what would you call a person who never smokes cigarettes (or tobacco in any form) but occasionally smokes marijuana? Would you object to such a person calling themselves a non-smoker? Deacon: I think we drink virgin blood because it sounds cool. Vladislav: I think of it like this. If you are going to eat a sandwich, you would just enjoy it more if you knew no one had fucked it. -What We Do in the Shadows ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/32 "2017-11-17T08:02:44Z")
I’ve known a lot of people who don’t eat mammals but do eat other animals.I imagine they often check the “vegetarian” box because it’s easier than explaining. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/33 "2017-11-17T10:18:33Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > He better be really, REALLY good in bed. ha ha - that was my first thought too; but then I thought that he could be a footballer or something with a ridiculous income. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/34 "2017-11-17T11:03:44Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > So is cheese with rennet. Fortunately, most cheese made these days doesn’t involve real rennet. Something like 90% of cheese is made with [fermentation-produced chymosin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet#Fermentation-produced_chymosin), where they’ve taken the genes for rennet enzymes and put them into fungi or bacteria. However, there’s still some made with real rennet, so you may want to do some research if this matters to you ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/35 "2017-11-17T11:04:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > While vegetarianism has different shades, everybody I’ve known for the past twenty or so years who refer to themselves as vegetarian excludes eating any creatures. The same. But the vegetarians I know, know more vegetarians than I do, including plenty of people they think aren’t “real vegetarians”. The term we used when I was at university was “white meat vegetarian”, and there were plenty of them in the liberal arts school. By the way, my mother isn’t a vegetarian. She just doesn’t eat meat. There’s probably a term for that too. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/36 "2017-11-17T11:23:05Z")
I try not to use a term, but it might be easier. I choose not to eat red meat for a variety of reasons (too fatty, colon cancer avoidance, don’t really like it to begin with) but it sounds so pretentious to explain that, “oh I don’t eat red meat,” if someone offers me a cheeseburger or something. It swings the other way too. I’ve never claimed to be vegetarian, and I never would, but people who are familiar with my dietary habits refer to me that way all the time. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/37 "2017-11-17T16:54:46Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Fortunately, most cheese made these days doesn’t involve real rennet. Something like 90% of cheese is made with [fermentation-produced chymosin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet#Fermentation-produced_chymosin), where they’ve taken the genes for rennet enzymes and put them into fungi or bacteria. Surely you’re not saying that it’s ok for a vegetarian to eat food that involves killing poor defenseless fungi?? Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants are. Stop the mycocide! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/38 "2017-11-17T17:26:35Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > My boyfriend, not the brightest light on the tree, . . . . > Can you give me a link or two so I can prove him wrong? The links have been provided, now how will you explain the information contained within? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/39 "2017-11-17T17:38:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > As if we need another term for omnivore. What do you call a virgin who is flexible enough to have sex from time to time? Or, the smoker who says: \* Quitting is easy. I’ve done it dozens of times.\* Omnivore is not a choice. It’s a biological fact. Humans are omnivores whether we choose to eat meat or not. Likewise, choosing to eat only plants does not make one an herbivore, nor does choosing to eat only meat make one a carnivore. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813/40 "2017-11-17T18:18:17Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Anyone that’s a vegetarian for moral reasons should stick to eating only fruit. By eating fruit you are generally helping the plant, while the eating of other parts is likely to harm it. What does having a face or advanced neurological system matter? That’s not about morality, that’s about things that creep you out. > > For bonus points, once done eating, bury your apple cores in fertile ground not too close to any other trees. You don’t understand what you’re snarking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegatarians-eat-birds/801813.md?page=3)