Do you eat meat on the sly, but call yourself a vegetarian? If so, you might be a cheatarian.
Vegetarians, vegans, vegawarians, carnivores; these may be familiar terms, but they aren’t always clearly defined. Does a vegetarian eat fish or not? The answer seems to be flexible. It is difficult to decide on a menu or venue for an event when different people define their eating habits with one term but different classifications.
One of the most widespread issues is the term “vegetarian.” Usually this term refers to those who abstain from eating all animals and sea creatures, however there are those who are willing to eat fish and still consider themselves vegetarians.
With the rise in prices of meat, vegetarianism is a great option, however giving up meat permanently is too difficult for most people. This has given rise to a new form of part-time vegetarianism, TreeHugger reports. These are people who have dedicated several days of the week to abstain from eating meat. The question is then, is it possible to be considered a vegetarian if it is for only a few days a week?
Consider the implication of this confusion for those part-time vegetarians in a relationship with a true vegetarian. If you call yourself a vegetarian, but you allow yourself a nice healthy steak once in a while, do you tell your partner? In order not to upset a partner, there are many people who prefer to eat meat outside the home on the sly. It is at this point that the term cheatatarian seems more appropriate.
Many people would assume that what their partner doesn’t know will not hurt them, however there is always another side to the story. Some people appreciate complete honesty. Nevertheless, there are others who would no doubt prefer that the knowledge of their partner’s steak-eating habits be kept from them.
Whichever term you choose for yourself, it is important that you are clear on what that title means for you personally. Vegetarian, vegan or carnivore, you can always enjoy the benefits of adding more vegetables to your diet.
Image via wallslide
More vegetarian items of interest:
5 Vegetarian Myths To Counter Die-Hard Carnivores
Food For Thought – Iron Chef America’s Vegetarian Challenge
An Easy “Cous Cous and Roqaq” Vegan Iftar Menu For Ramadan
Author: Naomi Ben-David
Naomi interned at Green Prophet during the summer of 2010. She grew up in Australia with a chiropractor mom who introduced her to various forms of alternative medicine. Her mother was forever pointing out the healthy food choices in the supermarket, or attempted to make it from scratch at home in order to avoid the preservatives and additives in the food. Naomi’s mother’s influence has stayed with her, impacting the food and medical choices she makes to this day. She is currently pursuing a career in writing.
I’ve been vegan (all vegan, wardrobe ‘n all) for 14 years now and my wife wasn’t when we first met. I’ve never been a preachy vegan, but when asked why, I always answer with facts as opposed to my emotional reasons. Despite creating this comfort zone that allows a no guilt meal of you choice in my vegan presence, people, including my wife, admitted to sneaking in animal here and there. My reply was, “You should NEVER lie to yourself for the sake of anyone else’s judgment. That kind of stress has been known to cause cancer!” Well, after that, my wife, on her own accord, began taking vegan cooking classes and has had a great time learning about all the different dishes you could make. It’s not all tempeh and hummus, kids! Anyway, she no longer sneaks, as she admitted the last time she did, “it was a burger in the car, then the whole car smelled like it, and I thought, ‘Oh NO!’ and just felt gross”. We all have a choice and we should be honest with ourselves. Like I’ve never felt guilty about eating a salad at a bbq. Where would the guilt stem from. In conclusion, if you ever feel it’s wrong to do whatever is is that you’re doing, it probably is.