Living as a vegetarian

Back in the early 90s there was a fraction of the vegetarian-friendly food on offer in supermarkets than there is now. I can't recall there being a meat-free section until possibly late 90s (if not later), so I used to buy stuff that I knew would be acceptable (or so I hoped; one can never be too sure) and cooked pasta and rice and the like. Some cheeses are not suitable for vegetarians for they contain rennet, which comes from animal stomachs.

Back then, labelling food as suitable for vegetarians wasn't in existence. Slowly, as more people chose to become vegetarian and supermarkets wanted their custom, products were labelled as appropriate, as they do for nut allergies nowadays; but that information comes as a warning, lest someone dies and the family decide to sue. Tesco even used to label things which to the untrained eye one might assume to be vegetarian friendly. I remember some of their ice creams were labelled as suitable for vegetarians, and others as “Not suitable for vegetarians”. Only a few years ago did they label their cheese and onion flavour crisps as not suitable for vegetarians, later to change the recipe so they were suitable. One could argue that the UK lead the field in this labelling food business; try finding food labelled as vegetarian friendly in Spain, for example.

One bane of the vegetarian is always eating out or going to friends' soirées. In my experience, you seldom have a choice when eating in a restaurant or a pub. Well, you do: eat the supposed vegetarian dish or don't. Such dishes may not be suitable for strict vegetarians too: is the cheese rennet free? Is the dish cooked separately from the meat? If cooked in oil, has meat been cooked in the same oil; are the utensils used also to handle meat? The vegetarian option is usually bland and expensive for what it is. Fast food outlets too on the whole don't offer much in the way for non-meat eaters. I went to a dinner party a few months ago and my friend (the host) forgot to inform his wife that I was a vegetarian, even after I had asked him if he had reminded her. Never mind; such things happen. I had to 'make do' with some hurriedly-cooked veg (as most of the vegetables were in a stew) and a few others things salvaged from a cupboard or two. It was quite nice for what it was, but one can't help feeling a nuisance; that the evening would have gone more smoothly if we all ate meat.

Before I finish this section, let me just mention a stereotype about vegetarians. The number of people who assume that vegetarians eat fish (and perhaps chicken too) is very high. I often used to get asked if i ate fish (once I was offered a meal and when I explained I didn't eat meat, the suggestion was to “pick the meat out,” as if that would render the dish suitable). I was a very strict vegetarian: checking to see if things contained E120 (cochineal; basically crushed insects); was the cheese suitable; enquiring if it was cooked with meat. As a result, I avoided eating certain foods which on the surface could be vegetarian friendly, but isn't labelled as such (as Cadbury's chocolate wasn't until fairly recently).