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

[beccaboo]

There's and article about flexitarians in the Toronto Star.

[CompassRose]

As a person who was once vegetarian, and is now an unabashed omnivore (though I do still find large and obviously meaty bits of meat slightly disturbing) who is married to a person who is still a lacto-ovo vegetarian who eats no meat at all, this annoys me for two major reasons.

First, the stupid language trick, yes. Not quite as bad as most examples of corporate neologisms, but bad.

Second, because these fools, these vegetarians who eat fish on days with an S in them and chicken breast on days with a Y, make it so damn difficult for the real vegetarians. I can't count how many times A. has been given "vegetarian" food with chicken broth in it, or hunks of fish, by well-meaning friends or relatives, and even by professionals. I am so tired of going through careful explanations with waitstaff, reiterating that even though the vegetarians who ate there last week loved the grilled chicken yakitori skewers, we would not care for those, and no, the fowl broth in the minestrone was not OK.

That's the big problem: when stupid people use words to mean what they don't mean, other stupid people follow their lead.

[StudentChefEclipse]

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

Karen Resta-Bateman"

(Sorry, my quote feature just is not happening for me...I am cutting and pasting like mad!)

I first heard flexitarian in conjunction with a Moosewood cookbook that came about, I want to say, last November or so. It included recipes for animal-flesh, which is of course a departure for the Moosewood folks.

Someone in school mentioned this business and I asked where they'd gotten that word. I guess it appeared in the Moosewood PR stuff about the cook book. Where Moosewood got it from, I have no idea. If they made it up, I think someone should speak with them, vociferously.

[CompassRose]

Departure? Moosewood's had fish recipes in their cookbooks since practically forever. I hope they didn't come up with the word, though.

[jschyun]

CompassRose said:

As a person who was once vegetarian, and is now an unabashed omnivore (though I do still find large and obviously meaty bits of meat slightly disturbing) who is married to a person who is still a lacto-ovo vegetarian who eats no meat at all, this annoys me for two major reasons.

First, the stupid language trick, yes. Not quite as bad as most examples of corporate neologisms, but bad.

Second, because these fools, these vegetarians who eat fish on days with an S in them and chicken breast on days with a Y, make it so damn difficult for the real vegetarians. I can't count how many times A. has been given "vegetarian" food with chicken broth in it, or hunks of fish, by well-meaning friends or relatives, and even by professionals. I am so tired of going through careful explanations with waitstaff, reiterating that even though the vegetarians who ate there last week loved the grilled chicken yakitori skewers, we would not care for those, and no, the fowl broth in the minestrone was not OK.

That's the big problem: when stupid people use words to mean what they don't mean, other stupid people follow their lead.

Amen. Wow, this is exactly what I would have said if I had better language skills.

[ruthcooks]

Which is easier to say:

"He's a flexitarian." OR

"He's basically a vegetarian but eats meat on some occasions."

I'm for shorthand--like saying "tomato concasse" instead of saying "peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes".

[viva]

I agree the shorthand concept, but I think the problem is that "a vegetarian who eats meat on occasion" is an oxymoron. If you eat meat on some occasions, you're not a vegetarian. You're an omnivore. We don't need the word flexitarian if we've already got omnivore.

Me? I'm carnivore who eats vegetables on occasion. I'm also a potato-phobe that eats french fries on occasion.

[jschyun]

"Tomato concasse" is not a good analogy for "flexitarian". A tomato concasse is still a tomato, but just peeled and seeded. A flexitarian is no longer a vegetarian as viva mentioned.

Edited September 10, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[Daddy-A]

Which is easier to say:

"He's a flexitarian."  OR

"He's basically a vegetarian but eats meat on some occasions."

I'm for shorthand--like saying "tomato concasse" instead of saying "peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes".

←

Isn't this getting dangerously close to Orwell's NewSpeak? I've got nothing against being concise (e.g. in short supply vs. scarce), but this is getting silly.

Arne

[winesonoma]

Kinda like VEGANS dressed in leather.

[Carrot Top]

Oh I dunno. The very sound of the word sort of makes me want to dance a little dance.

Can that be all bad?

[StudentChefEclipse]

It does sound a little bit more like it belongs in a dance studio, doesn't it?

Nevertheless. The word "omnivore" is perfectly fine for what people are describing here. Part of what bugs me about "flexitarian" is that first syllable. Most of the real vegetarians I know are that way for religious or ethical reasons, not reasons of fashion. There's nothing flexible about their commitment.

I think I feel my usual defense of the language coming on. Time to go read someone who's truly creative and playful with it, I guess.

[GG Mora]

More "useful" word awards from ADS: Words of The Year.

Seems to me they mixed up the winners of the Most Useful and Most Creative categories...

Winner – Most Creative – freegan: noun, person who eats only what they can get for free.

[Carrot Top]

More "useful" word awards from ADS: Words of The Year.

←

Strange...in reviewing the words they chose for winners in past years it seems there are some entire years I must have slept through somehow, for I can not recognize the words they chose or even guess what they meant...

Maybe I can do the same this year and therefore erase that flexitarian thing from my mind.

Though I did like one other winner: 'Ass Hat'. What a novel idea. It used to be 'wipe', now it is 'hat'.

I've got to get out more, obviously.

[Hest88]

Which is easier to say:

"He's a flexitarian." OR

"He's basically a vegetarian but eats meat on some occasions."

And it's completely useless in any practical terms. "Joe, is this the day you're eating meat?" "Sue, are you one of those no red meat flexitarians or one of those only seafood flexitarians or does it depend on the phase of the moon?"

I agree with the others. Call me a purist, but no one who eats meat is any sort of vegetarian.

[bloviatrix]

Winner – Most Creative – freegan: noun, person who eats only what they can get for free.

←

That's classic.

[eunny jang]

You're vegetarian or you're not. Just as you're pregnant or you're not. No one's "kind of" vegetarian, just as no one's "kind of" pregnant. So, strike one.

Why would anyone want to describe themselves as something they're not, i.e. "I'm a flexitarian - that is, a vegetarian who eats meat occasionally", other than for some cachet or meaning they associate with the label itself? YOU ARE NOT A VEGETARIAN. So, strike two.

Third, a word already exists for this exact thing - omnivore. So, strike three.

Because I'm generous like that, I'll give it another chance - but then, wait! People who know you well and with whom you dine often undoubtedly already know your habits and choices. The only people for whom you need to concisely label yourself are those who you don't know well. But why should anyone you don't know very well care about your dietary habits and your ethical choices care ANYWAY, at least to the nit-picky extent of distinction the creators and users of the word seem to feel is necessary? Tsk tsk, self absorbed, much?

Besides, "flexitarian" sounds like a name for an adherent to a trendy new fusion yoga-pilates-Brazilian kickboxing workout. Oh, sorry, "body management system."

Edited September 10, 2004 by eunny jang (log)

[betty031]

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

Karen Resta-Bateman"

(Sorry, my quote feature just is not happening for me...I am cutting and pasting like mad!)

I first heard flexitarian in conjunction with a Moosewood cookbook that came about, I want to say, last November or so. It included recipes for animal-flesh, which is of course a departure for the Moosewood folks.

Someone in school mentioned this business and I asked where they'd gotten that word. I guess it appeared in the Moosewood PR stuff about the cook book. Where Moosewood got it from, I have no idea. If they made it up, I think someone should speak with them, vociferously. 

←

[betty031]

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

I hate to be the voice of reason here - but.... I've actually seen, read, written and even spoken this word. I have two teenage daughters at home who would like to be vegetarians - largely for philosophical reasons - "It's icky to eat meat." And in an effort to encourage them toeat meat once in a while to grow new red blood cells I've persuaded them to be flexitarians. Besides, they're much easier to cook for.

[Carrot Top]

If the kids take to the word in aid of the direction a parent wants them to go..what can I say? Of course, then I say...great word. Give it to me!

[Suzanne F]

More "useful" word awards from ADS: Words of The Year.

Seems to me they mixed up the winners of the Most Useful and Most Creative categories...

Winner – Most Creative – freegan: noun, person who eats only what they can get for free.

←

Shouldn't that be "freephage"?

Anyway, HWOE and I are usually omnivorous, but until the autumnal equinox we remain estivegetarians. Except for this Sunday, of course.

[cakewalk]

Bless this thread.

Today's NY Times crossword puzzle, 22 down: "In modern lingo, a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat"

I never coulda done it without you, eGullet!

[tomweir]

Well, if you follow the logic of the term through... basically, everyone's a vegetarian and some eat meat. They just came up with a term for those ones who don't eat a lot of it. Daft.

For me, the confusion lies with ascribing the adjective 'vegetarian' to people. You're better off ascribing it to a diet.

"Do you follow a vegetarian diet?"

"Uh, usually"

No problems there.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Bless this thread.

Today's NY Times crossword puzzle, 22 down: "In modern lingo, a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat"

I never coulda done it without you, eGullet! 

←

Pleasure is all mine, to be sure! Delighted to be of some tiny help in your NYT reading!

[Gifted Gourmet]

interesting article on this very topic

The move toward sophisticated healthy cooking relates not only to vegetarian cuisine, but also to the effort people are making to use good-quality ingredients, whether they are organic vegetables or free-range chickens.... graduates face increased competition from non-vegetarian schools, so the school's emphasis has to be on taste and presentation, not just nutrition. "We really are becoming more gourmet. We've hired more mainstream chefs, including people who have worked in high-end restaurants," she said. Despite the increasing interest in vegetable cookery, vegetarians are still rare birds. In 2003, about 2.8% of the population in the United States was vegetarian, up from 1% in 1994. This slim minority never eats fish, poultry or red meat. Flexitarians - or fleshitarians, as Connelly dubs them - account for roughly 20% to 30% of the population, he estimated.