Am I a flexitarian?!
Answers: I've seen some discussion about flexitarians vs. vegetarians on this site and I understand the difference, but I'm wondering if it is wrong to call myself a vegetarian. I eat meat once or twice a year, usually in a holiday-with-the-extended-family type situation. It's not because I think it's okay, but the meat's already purchased and cooked. Am I a flexitarian or just a bad vegetarian?
Although it is a made-up word (and most words are really made-up), flexitarian was created for folks like you--who eat meat once in a while. But if it worries you, you might want to consider not eating meat this Thanksgiving and make a vegetarian dish instead.
Flexitarian; Otherwise known as "omnivore".
LOL you are pretty much a vegeterian. I do not think I would say that you are a bad one!
I can't answer your question but I'm intrigued. I've never heard of a flexitarian and I might actually be one. I gave you a star since it was a great question. Good luck on getting the answer you need.
Don't bother labelling yourself. Eat what you want when you want :)
You're not a 'bad' anything. I guess the label of flexitarian would describe your diet as you eat meat so seldom.
You don't have to label yourself or beat yourself up; you do more than most people do to limit your contribution to animal suffering or exploitation.
You're a flexitarian a.k.a. omnivorous meat eater. You eat meat by choice, vegetarians don't.
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I think your still a vegetarian, although many people will disagree with me. I don't understand why people go ballistic over a vegetarian eating a piece of meat if it's going to be trash anyway. Would you rather it be wasted? the animal is already killed and they've already bought the meat, so it's not like it can be reversed. I think it's more of a crime to waste the life of an animal because of strict morals than to swallow a piece of (yes i said it) meat that would be otherwise thrown away. Most holiday dinners they buy a big roast or something and the leftovers aren't usually all eaten anyway they are thrown away. Maybe you aren't a fully strict vegetarian, but I don't think that makes you bad..you are still an animal rights supporter and thats a good thing =)
You're an omnivore.
Not a vegetarian.
A ''flexitarian'' doesn't exist. A flexitarian would be a sell out. They don't have any principles. To not eat meat, but then munch a bacon sandiche is not a practice of TRUE vegetarians!
oh your bad!!!!!, no not really!!! :)
you seem to be happy with eating a veggie diet, would it not be easier for you to explain in advance to your family before the holidays, I'm sure it would be easy to do something veggie for you!
but if you are OK with eating meat once or twice a year then that is your choice and you must be happy with it!
But saying that i don't think you could call yourself a vegetarian because you still eat meat, i think its a meat eater who eats lots of veggie meals!
Flexitarianism is a term used in the United States to describe the practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons. There is a wide range in the circumstances and outer boundaries of their dietary practices, which resist easy classification.[1] The term semi-vegetarianism is used to convey roughly the same meaning as flexitarianism.
the above extract is from wikipwedia.
I think you are a wonderful, considerate person, who sees the higher value of doing right in context, rather than an extremist who can't keep the present moment in mind.
I was a strict vegan for two years, when I arrived at my grandmother's house after a FOURTEEN HOUR drive, mostly completed in the dark, through harsh New England snow and hail. The sun was not yet up when I dragged myself out of my vehicle, and into my granny's kitchen. She was still up, still waiting for me, and still keeping dinner warm, knowing that I would not find many places to make a pit stop along the desolate back roads to her home. While I was unloading my bags, she took advantage of the opportunity to set the table. I don't know how she managed to fit all of this in the oven at once to keep it at temperature, but she had roasted a whole turkey, a beef roast, some pork chops, and baked some chicken legs, and a deep dish lasagna with plenty of cheese and ground beef. She also had a platter of venison steaks, some broiled fish that my grandfather had caught specifically for the occasion, and plenty of buckwheat pancakes, loaded with fresh butter made from the milk on my great uncle's dairy farm, and eggs from my God father's chickens. She had spared no detail, with diced ham in the mashed potatoes, and bacon mixed into most of the vegetables. As I sat down at the table, she poured me a tall glass of cold milk, without waiting for me to ask for a thing.
And you know what I did?
I ate a little of everything. I did my best to conceal how violently ill it made me, and phoned my cousins to keep me company, so that when the stomach cramps were too severe, I could lie ina fetal position on the bed, and they could tell my grandmother that we had been chatting the whole time.
I would never put the feelings of an already dead animal in front of the feelings of my grandmother, who slaved all day and sat up all night making sure her eldest grand daughter had a hot meal, not to mention the money that she spent, and the pain it probably caused her to be on her feet all that time.
My grandfather was so proud of her at that meal, and was so excited to tell me about my uncle's success with the deer, his adventures catching the fish, the health of my God father's abundant flock of hens, and the success of my great uncle's dairy farm, all produced by family that still didn't even have indoor plumbing in the 50s. That was the last meal we ever shared, my grandfather and I, and I am very proud that I took the pain of digesting something for which my body was not prepared, rather than inflicting it upon my grandparents, who would not have understood my choices.
This week, in a class on Zen Buddhism at the local university, I heard the true story of some monks who were faced with the same conundrum. The zen master instructed them to eat the meal, for the very same reasons. Kudos to you, and bugger off to anyone who questions your decisions.
PS-- I know that doesn't answer your question about flexitarianism, but I have never heard that word before. I just think right is right, with or without a label.
You aren't a bad anything but your still a meat eater who eats lots of veggies. Vegetarians don't eat animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products
Well, you have already had a lot of answers, but I would add that your family should be able to accept you as a vegetarian, and you would probably feel better if you stood your ground, even at holidays. You are feeling not quite right about it, clearly, or you would not be asking our advice. They'll get over it. My family stongly objected for years (I started when I was ten), they tried everything, but eventually got used to it. Good luck!
You are a flex vegand congratulations you are part of a sophisticated group of intelligent individuals who are conscious of their diets and of the needs of animals, but are not complete fanatics about it. Trust me you are in a growing trend of people who tend to be vegetarian or vegan but do not like awkaward social situations, so you allow your self some meat to not have embarassing family issues. Vegans wish they had this flexability then to stick to such a rigid stigma.
"flexitarian" is not a real term.
you mean are you an omnivore or a vegetarian. well, you're an omnivore. it's not that complicated, why do you need to label yourself? you eat meat, it doesn't matter if you eat it everyday or a few times a year.. it doesn't make you a vegetarian.
your a meat-eater. Flexitaerian is just another word that makes people think they are something that they aren't. If you eat meat AT ALL you are not a vegatarian. I guess you can call yourself a 'flexitarian' whatever it means, but to me it's not any different than a meat-eater.