Kooky.

Nikki.P

Definately no problem getting invited, everybody usually expresses a bit of surprise that you are a veggie, but its never a major issue. As others have expressed previously you usually take along your own meat etc anyway so you can just take what you like. The biggest battle is finding good vegie food here, I truly do miss Quorn!!!!! Nikki

vicki t

so how are vegetarians seen in oz? i know sydney has a few veggie restaurants. is it like the uk was years ago?

by the way people that say they are vegetarian and eat fish/seafood are actually pescatarians. vegetarians dont eat any animals and yes that includes prawns !

Rhia27

Badge put a post up about a year ago (maybe more) about having a veggie friend over for a bbq. Do a search - i seem to remember there were some good recipes

Rhia27

Found it. It was 3 years ago - my how time flies

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290843

bu1lder

If god did'nt want us to eat animals.................why did he make them out of MEAT???????????

Vash the Stampede

Not at all; Aussies enjoy a good laugh.

Kooky.

I've never heard anyone introduce themselves as a pescatarian; most people say they are vegetarian and then expand on that if asked.

grevillia

Generally fine and accepted, though it may depend on the area you are in. In our experience, Sydney & Melbourne are fine with plenty of fellow veges & a huge choice of ethnic restaurants which tend to offer imaginitive & delicious vege food. The only place we found less choice was Far North QLD, where we were out in the sticks. However, we still managed to get fed.

There's a myth that all Aussie men are avid meat eaters who mock vegetarians, but here in VIC, we have several male friends who are vegetarian or pescatarian. When we had a tradie in a few weeks ago & I offered him coffee & biscuits I was surprised when he asked to see the packet, to make sure there were no animal products in the ingredients.

The only time in recent years when we've had trouble getting vege food was on a visit to Yorkshire a couple of years ago!

G.

BadgeIsBack

Bloody hell what a memory. I remember it now - the occasion.

kiwinow

Just make sure that on the rare occasion someone invites you and tells you to "just bring yourself" you make clear that you are a vegetarian, and then take something anyway.

vicki t

this is because there are so many people who say they are vegetarian when they are not. you cant expand on being a vegetarian, you either are or you arent! i guess its a bit like someone saying they dont believe in religion but go to church to pray occasionally! whenever i hear someone say they are a veggie i always ask them if they are vegetarian or do they eat fish? most of them are surprised to hear they are not vegetarian! the term pescatarian is not widely used but should be.

i personally cant see what is wrong with saying "i dont eat meat but i do eat fish/seafood"

roamer25

There's no such thing as a vegetarian straight and true. There are 7 types of vegetarians~:

Vegan - no animal products or by-products.
Frutiarian - a vegan but only eats things from trues qnd bushes, nothing pulled from the ground.
Lact-ovo-vegetarian - veg based with dairy products.
Pescetarian - veggie plus fish, doesn't always eat dairy though.
Pollotarian - only excludes red meat.
Macrobiotic - like a vegan but would only have non-processed (tofu and quorn would be outfor e.g.) Mainly eat food, nuts, seeds and sometimes line caught fish.
Combination - I for example am a lacto-ovo pescetarian!

vicki t

oh dear, i thought this might happen.

of the above list pescetarian and pollotarian are not types of vegetarians. by its very nature a vegetarian diet does not consist of eating animals whether they are land based or water based. however i do agree there are many differnent permutations.

i think the most common type is

the lacto ovo veggie. ie eats eggs and dairy produce
then probably followed by lacto veggie (like many hindu's) ie no eggs but they do eat dairy produce.

to complicate things further you have dietry and non-dietry vegetarians. for example wearing leather, silk etc.

there has been a few scares with fruitarians. i think a couple have been prosecuted in the US for unintentially killing their child bringing them up on a fruitarian diet. however fruitarians are definately a minority in the vegetarian scale.

many vegans would not class themselves as vegetarians but say they are in a class of their own.

it has always puzzeled me why meat reducers/and or fish/seafood eaters want to class themselves as vegetarians in any shape or form?

there is nothing wrong in saying - i base my diet on a vegetarian lifestyle but occasionally eat fish/meat etc.

Kooky.

Well you did kick it off so it wasn't a huge leap of imagination.