"flexitarians" ... what's in a name?

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from the Cincinnati Post

the American Dialect Society, which gave the term flexitarian -- used to describe meat-eating vegetarians -- its top honor for most useful word of 2003.

Flexitarians adhere mostly to the vegetarian diet as a healthy lifestyle rather than following an ideology. They feel an occasional meal that includes fish, fowl or meat is acceptable...... flexitarians could be estimated as high as 40 percent of the American population says the Vegetarian Resource Group.

related article on the concept

So are you a flexitarian? Know one or more?

Think the entire terminology thing is completely bizarre?

Do we actually have to have "labels" for everyone now?

[StudentChefEclipse]

"Meat eating vegetarians..."

I suspect that might also win an award for Oxymoron of The Year. Didn't we used to call these folks Omnivores?

[Big Bunny]

The ultimate weasel word!

BB

[Jason Perlow]

I also usually call this "Picky pain in the ass who I don't want to be sharing my table with"

[jschyun]

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

[cdh]

Ah... I know a few people who might be called "break for steak" vegetarians...

And people who insist only on eating "happy meat" from beasts who are known to have lived a cruelty free life... which necessitates a mostly vegetarian diet.

Edited September 8, 2004 by cdh (log)

[stovetop]

I am not a English teacher, but does not the word vegetarian mean a person who lives on a meatless diet, are we loosing or minds to create new words like flexitarian, wow it was probably created by a marketing firm to target the confused world of trendy eaters, I do not think they know what the hell they want.

Also you have the Macro-Biotic world which allows this trend to occur, humans have different dietary needs depending on the season or health reasons; this system allows you adapt to what the body needs and allows for adjustments depending on the person, all our needs are different so is our diets.

[Hest88]

I hate all these semantic contortions. So-called vegetarians who eat some measure of meat are just trying to benefit from the appearance of spiritual and moral purity the term imbues. Can't they just say, "I don't eat red meat?"

[Carrot Top]

Flexitarian?

Sounds like a cute name for a pair of orthotic shoes, to me....

[Carrot Top]

Next thing you know, we'll have a group called the Flexitarian Flexiversalists.

Wonder what they would eat. Wonder what they would worry about eating.

Wonder how bad they would feel if they ate something, uh, evil...oh, I mean wrong.

[Pyewacket]

It seems folks here are being unnecessarily hard on vegetarians-

"Pains in the asses" etc. etc.

I happen to be one who you might consider a "flexitarian" although I find the label silly and pointless to the extreme.

Generally, I eat a vegetarian diet. My tummy feels better if I limit my meat and dairy-that is the long and short of it. And yet, sometimes I feel the need for that extra dose of iron and protein that meat provides, so on those occassions I have some. My food choices are made by what makes me feel good when and after I eat it, not for any religious or ideological reasons.

Granted there are some people out there who decide to be vegetarian to give themselves some sort of distinction that they otherwise would not have, but I believe these are the exceptions to the rule.

But, "flexitarian?" When would you ever need to use this word?

[StudentChefEclipse]

Nothing against vegetarians; everything against people who are idiotic with the language.

[Carrot Top]

Nothing against vegetarians; everything against people who are idiotic with the language.

 

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Count me in on that notion.

[petite tête de chou]

My understanding..as dim as my bulb is...

Vegetarian...NO, NO meat. Period. No exceptions for the freak-shows.

Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian- NO, NO meat. Period. Eggs/dairy ONLY.

Vegan- NO, NO animal products WHATSOEVER. Including honey and leather products. The folks who don't want animal meat in their life, at ALL, are perfectly fine by me.

The folks who want to eat 'happy' animals that roam 'free'....unless you raise the beast and kill it yourself (or hire a gent/gal) this trust could very well be misplaced unless you visit the farm. -sigh-

Myself, I feel like a yo-yo..

I dislike labels. I often wish that I could at least be given the opportunity to raise a pig, cow, chickens, ducks, geese etc and the responsibility to kill and dress them.

[Al_Dente]

I also usually call this "Picky pain in the ass who I don't want to be sharing my table with"

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Amen to that!

[slkinsey]

Pyewacket, I would simply call you (and others who would fall under this "flexitarian" label) as an omnivore who eats a diet that includes, but does not necessarily feature, meat and other animal products. This would include many traditional dietary practices, such as the pre-20th century Italian peasant diet, for example.

[reesek]

of course, it's worth noting that the american dialectic society came up with this label...not some roving band of flesh dabblers. but i don't understand the venom. am i picky, and therefore not worthy of sharing your table because the dialectic people named me, or because i eat more vegetables than meat?

[pidge]

you'd be surprised how many people order whole fish in my restaurant with a "do not present--vegetarian" note on the dupe.

fish are not vegetables.....flexitarian or not!

i'm not really clear on the necessity of a label for every type of eating style/diet known to man. i don't like eggplant tremendously, though i will eat it...does thois make me an antidisegplantarianist or something???

[Stigand]

I know quite a few people who were once vegetarian (usually in their teenage years for semi-ethical, semi-food-issues reasons), and who now eat meat, but who won't eat large or obviously meaty-tasting pieces of meat. I find this pretty odd, but I suppose it's not inherently much odder than people who won't eat bugs or whole fish - they've conditioned themselves to be repulsed by eating meat, but don't mind as long as they don't think about it.

[jschyun]

I used to be a vegetarian, and I still don't eat much meat, but "flexitarian" is still stupid in my book.

[Daddy-A]

Reminds me of a great quote from a Kenneth Branagh film called Dead Again In it, Branagh is telling someone (played by Robyn Williams) about how he's trying to quit smoking. The other character replies: "Quitting's for pussies. You're either a smoker, or a non-smoker. Figure out who you are, and be it."

I choose to eat red meat no more than twice a month. If you need to label me, you can call me Arne.

[Carrot Top]

of course, it's worth noting that the american dialectic society came up with this label...not some roving band of flesh dabblers.  but i don't understand the venom. am i picky, and therefore not worthy of sharing your table because the dialectic people named me, or because i eat more vegetables than meat?

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reesek, I'm pretty sure that the fellows that expressed those feelings about sharing the table were joking. If you notice their other posts, they uh, sort of have a tendency towards humor...and this subject, this particular word, certainly leads one right into the land of silliness, doesn't it?

That the humor was addressed in this way might be understood if one takes a look at the other side of the coin. Many non-vegetarians have been treated time and again to a 'holier-than-thou' attitude from vegetarians.

Even different sorts of vegetarians are treated in this manner by each other sometimes...guess it is just human nature.

Love that line of yours... 'roving band of flesh dabblers'... maybe it should be you working for the Dialectic people rather than whoever is now...

[redfox]

of course, it's worth noting that the american dialectic society came up with this label...not some roving band of flesh dabblers.  but i don't understand the venom. am i picky, and therefore not worthy of sharing your table because the dialectic people named me, or because i eat more vegetables than meat?

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The American Dialect (not "dialectic") Society didn't come up with the word, they just honored it at their annual meeting. The American Dialect Society is an academic society dedicated to the study of dialects of English in North America -- they observe colloquial American English, they don't make it up.

Every year, members make nominations and then vote for "Word of the Year," which is supposed to represent the most characteristic or dominant new(ish) word in the national discourse that year. Honors like "most useful" are sort of runner-up things, along the lines of "Miss Congeniality" crossed with the kind of thing that would be voted on for mention in a high-school yearbook.

[donk79]

I once was (very) briefly engaged to a young lady who was a strict vegetarian. That is, no Worchestershire sauce, etc. because of the anchovies etc. I'd guess you'd definitely have to say she was an ethical vegetarian. But somethimes her apetites overode her ethics. We would be sitting there nicely eating our lunch, her salad on bread, my steak and cheese. Then she would suddenly look at me guiltily and tell me how good my sandwich smelled. She would just stare at it, like a cat before a mouse. Then if a scrap of steak were to fall from my sandwich and I were to turn my back, the scrap would disappear.

I should have taken a hint. Our relationship was long distance and food was not the only area where appetites overode ethics.

Edited September 9, 2004 by donk79 (log)

[Carrot Top]

The American Dialect (not "dialectic") Society didn't come up with the word, they just honored it at their annual meeting. The American Dialect Society is an academic society dedicated to the study of dialects of English in North America -- they observe colloquial American English, they don't make it up.

Every year, members make nominations and then vote for "Word of the Year," which is supposed to represent the most characteristic or dominant new(ish) word in the national discourse that year. Honors like "most useful" are sort of runner-up things, along the lines of "Miss Congeniality" crossed with the kind of thing that would be voted on for mention in a high-school yearbook.

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Hmm. I stand corrected, too, in following stream of consciousness use of words in repetition of another person's use...right smack into the wrong word!

If it was the Dialectic Society their purpose would be to arrive at the truth through exchange of logical arguments...no?

They would be discussing at length whether there actually was a thing such as a Flexitarian rather than just saying that is the common name being used for the thing.

But here is another question: Has anyone in this food and word-wise group ever previously heard of this word in general use?