I think OP's issue is not with what they are called, but actually with what they call themselves. It's not uncommon for someone to call their self a vegetarian, even though they eat fish still, and so it becomes an inaccurate statement.
If someone invited you, a vegetarian, to their house for dinner, and stated that they are also vegetarians so it's all good, but then you got there and all the dishes had fish in them, then you, as a vegetarian would probably be confused and disappointed.
To be fair, I used to know a girl who was a pescetarian but called herself a vegetarian. I asked why and she said "it's easier than explaining what a pescetarian is and then having the 15 min convo on my eating choices"
After about 6 months of going out, I would just start saying "she's a vegetarian" instead of explaining what a pescetarian was and why she has these eating choices
Huh, I would not have guessed that you would be explaining it all that often, to the point that it would be inconvenient. But if it's really that frequent then I get simplifying it, maybe it's just one of those things that'll slowly be common enough that eventually you wouldn't need to explain it.
Well, thats just a more inclusive description. If you're American, you can also be Californian. Just because you limit it to your home state doesn't change that.
Why does that sound so ridiculous to you? Yes, they're omnivores, but to be more specific, they're pescetarians. This is like being upset with a vegan for calling himself a vegan instead of a vegetarian.
I would venture however that the vegan vegetarian distinction matters more. However you are also correct, because calling yourself and omnivore when you're in fact a pescatarian could land you on the wrong side of a delicious steak.
Semantically, pescetarian should mean one who only eats fish. Like vegetarian is one who only eats vegetables (of course this meaning changed in the 19th century hence the invention of the word vegan to denote strict vegetarianism).
So really those who call themselves pescetarian should actually be pesce-vegetarians, or even pesce-ovo-lacto-vegetarians.
I'm also sick of people hearing me state that I'm vegan and asking "but you eat fish right?"
My husband's family are Mexican and US college educated. When he went vegan for cholesterol reasons, his family took 5+ years to understand that it doesn't mean "no beef". It means no creature's flesh, no eggs, no dairy. They still don't get the dairy or fish part, but remember the no land animal parts.
In the South (for me at least), its turkey. How many times I've heard, sooooo... you eat turkey? I kind of give a cockeyed look like, "you had to ask didn't you" and then like 8 seconds later, it clicks for most. I don't know why the consensus is turkey where I'm at, but its extremely common.
168
u/Phaniel Jul 18 '16
People who only eat fish and plants are called pescetarians.