Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Hi,

Does anybody know anyone who's vegetarian in Canada? We are hoping to get our PR through soon and I'm vegetarian along with my daughter. Will we be seen as strange in Canada?

Not worried for myself but worried for my daughter I want her to fit in, do schools offer a choice of meals or will it be packed lunch everyday?

We visited Niagara recently and when we told a waitress we were vegetarian her chin hit the floor, although she did her best to accommodate us. It seemed a bit like the UK 15 years ago.

Any insight would be appreciated. :)

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Hi,

I am a vegetarian. I don't live in Canada any more but did from16-18.My family still live there so I visit once to twice a year. I'll admit when I first moved to Canada being a veggie was seen as a novelty over there.

However, times have changed. There is plenty of veggie choices in restaurants and supermarkets even have a dedicated veggie section in the chilled cabinets. You won't have any problems.

You can't get things like Quorn but they do have similar.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Unfortunately there are no vegetarians in Canada due to statutory laws deeming vegetarianism illegal. To comply with PR status an immigrant must eat at least 1KG of meat for 2 out of each 5 years.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Thanks good to know

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Perhaps I'll form a secret society of vegetable worshipers

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Is that raw or cooked meat,,,lol:lol:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

As long as you've shot it, it doesn't matter.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Yup no quorn or linda mccartney type food there, people seem to think your a weirdo if your a vegeterian and from what i have seen restaurants and supermarkets do not cater well for vegeterians.........

MR79

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Dh has been a veggie for many many years and I have no problems finding him stuff in the supermarket.

This is generally what you can find in the shops plus President's choice do have a few things. Also find plenty of veggie pizza's, lasagne etc in the frozen section. Not been to many restaurants but Pizza Delight has a couple of veggie options and DH has eaten there with no problems

http://www.yvesveggie.com/

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

One of my daughters was vegetarian for most of her life (she's omnivorous now). She even worked as a "raw food vegetarian private chef" which I suppose is flower arranging by another name. She said it was fine in Toronto and Montreal but elsewhere the options for eating out were limited to house salad and Indian restaurants; this was particular a problem in very white provinces such as NS. One year we drove out to California, through the meat eating belt of Nebraska and Kansas, that meant salad bars and supermarkets for hundreds of miles.

I don't think vegetarianism really works in a hunting, shooting and fishing country, not only is the food going to be less accessible than in Europe but the degree to which one is considered an affected weirdo is much greater. I suppose one could regain some measure of social acceptability by killing something. Do you foxhunt?

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

You can imagine my Canadian redneck father-in-law's utter disgust when he realised his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren were all vegetarian and of course it didn't help that we lived in the Church and Wellesley area of Toronto. As you know vegetarianism and gayness go hand in hand and it's contagious.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Indeed. It's a wonder you didn't all start speaking French.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Oh the horror!!

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Coffee now snorted all over keyboard.
WINNER funniest post of the Year. :rofl::rofl:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

But i thought gay men prefer to eat meat?

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

My daughter has just decided to become a veggie:frown: It's really difficult in a meat eating environment to find her food options that are healthy. She's 14 and I'm really hoping this is just a stage (just from the cost and cooking point of view) but if it becomes her life choice then I have no problem with that. There isn't a huge choice of veggie options when your out and about so that makes it difficult - I mean seriously how interesting is a salad sandwich every day? She is not keen on tofu - and what am I supposed to do with it anyway?

So if anyone has any recipes they would like to share that is suitable for a teen that doesn't take all night to prepare I would really appreciate it - she's going to be sick of bean stew and bean soup and tuna sandwiches and suchlike before long.:eek:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Good news she's not a vegetarian if she's eating tuna sandwiches:rofl:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Being a vegetarian is completely normal in Vancouver.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

I thought they were all being deported?

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

It's generally not a problem in Toronto either. My son went to daycare in Toronto and they always made sure there was vegetarian food for him.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

The hydrokids daycare at University and College is all vegetarian.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Bloody weirdos

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Not the staff mind, they don't care what finings are used so long as there's buckets of wine.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Being a vegetarian isn't a big deal but you are limited on what is available in restaurants. There is usually one or two things to choose from but not much more. The smaller places are much better at accommodating you than the larger ones.

Had a veggie burger at Whitespot at the weekend. Asked first where it was cooked and was told on a grill used just for veggie burgers. Manager came back - no, veggie burgers are cooked with the steaks. They were very good and cooked it in a frying pan but were a bit put out as it wouldn't be chargrilled as advertised.

Gone a bit hungry at some bbqs though. People had made things especially for me as they knew I was veggie but cooked it on the same grill as the meat (OH got to enjoy those things) and salads have been made with bacon bits and pasta dishes with anchovy. They need a bit of educating.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Educating to the extent of buying a second barbecue?

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

My OH travels quite a bit for work and the worst place he's been so far for veggie food is Spain they seem to think fish is a vegetable. I never thought I'd see the day he'd be glad to get to France:eek:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Just out of curiosity, do the vegetarians on here still wear leather products, use capsuled medicine, wear cashmere, eat chewing gum, own silk products, use soap, use tooshpaste, use washing powder.........etc etc?

I'm not against vegetarians in the slightest. My veggie friends make me smile with regards to their double standards when they refuse to eat meat on the grounds of compassion while walking around in their leather shoes after brushing their teeth and then popping a bit of chewie (not of star wars fame) in their mouths :rofl:

Granted some of the items above can be found containing no animal by-products but many don't.

Hope this doesn't start a debate on the subject mind you. Saying that, i am feeling grumpy today................:p

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

I think that's being impossibly picky, everyone has a personal standard of what they will consume and it's not reasonable to set an arbitrary standard of what's adequately vegetarian. After all, even vegans are just fruitarians who lack commitment.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

No - understanding bacon is meat!!! When you say you don't eat meat it means any part of an animal or fish not just the lumps of steak.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

:rofl:

Which boils down to, why do people choose to be vegetarian. If it's due to the compassion of animals then that's the standard they should set. If they don't want to eat a steak because of it's origin, how is that different to eating products containing Gelatin, or buying a leather chair. It just seems daft to me if you choose to be vegetarian yet eat animal by-product. You may as well enjoy a good Steak or Bacon Butty and be done with it :D

I love how these threads are able to freefall from a perfectly nice question to a good old grumpy debate :thumbup:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

My OH is actually vegan so he won't wear leather or silk or eat anything with gelatine etc., I'm a little more lax I do my best to avoid animal products but I still eat eggs and cheese and drink milk.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

You complained that vegetables were cooked on the same grill as had been used for meat. That's what I'd offer at a home barbecue, I wouldn't buy a second grill in order to indulge someone's cullinary preferences. Blimey, a guest as demanding as that wouldn't get offered one of my fags.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Check the ingredients of your toothpaste, it may contain Glycerine ;)

I think photographic film uses Gelatin too so you house may be decorated with animal by-product :ohmy:

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Can't speak for others but I don't wear leather, silk or cashmere. As for food, I always check the label but I am sure something has slipped through inadvertently over the years. To be honest, don't check the toothpaste/washing powder labels. Is there really animal by-products in washing powder? Just checked, no ingredients are given on the package.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

They do it because they want to. The same as people choose to take up a religion or learn Spanish. It does no harm to people who have not chosen to participate and so it's something of which people in general should be mildly supportive. Judging whether or not someone else is properly vegetarian is like judging whether or not they're properly gay; it's vindictive and pointless.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Some can contain soap-based animal fats in the ingredients. Not all though.

It's an animal minefield out there :D

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

I even read a thing awhile ago that said a lot of cigarettes contain honey so you can't have those either if you want to be vegan.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

No, I didn't complain actually and I never expect people to go out of their way to accommodate me. I just find it terribly difficult to offend people when they think they have done something really good by preparing me a veg kebab and have cooked in along with the steak to turn round and say sorry but I can't eat that.

I have a problem upsetting people, you obviously don't!

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

Didn't know that. Checked all the washing powder and toothpaste I have in the house and none have the ingredients. Chances are therefore that I have used stuff but it was unwittingly done so my conscience is clear - just need to do some research. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

Re: Any vegetarians in Canada?
 

I'm not judging people in the slightest. I'm just merely being curious.

All i'm suggesting is that if people are veggie on compassionate grounds then surely if they continue to eat and use items containing animal by-product then it's no different from a man pertaining to be "Straight" while sleeping with other men. It's purely being selective when it suits them. I'm not judging, just being curious. Just gaining a personal understanding of why people choose to be vegetarians.

I am fully supportive of people who choose, even selectively, to be a veggie. I also find the selectivity mildly amusing.