Can you eat cheese and still call yourself a vegetarian?

[*RaiN*]

I got in this HUGE debate with my sister becuase she basically preaches to everyone about what a good vegetarian she is, yett she eats cheese. I tried to tell her that almost all cheese contains rennett which is obtained by cutting the cow/goat open and getting it from the stomach, but she said that not all cheese contains rennett. Which is true, but she isn't one to go and check it restraunts or even at home if shes eating rennett free cheese. Could you still call yourself a vegetarian if you ate cheese containing rennett>? Thanks.
~*Rain*~

[treehugger]

Well...you know, some people eat fish and seafood and still call themselves vegetarian....

although I wouldn't.

For me, if you killed something animal...it's not vegetarian. If you ate an animal produced product...you're still vegetarian but not if the animal had to die.

[Pedata]

There are rennet substitutes. But there's probably not much way of knowing if it's in her cheese or not. If it's plainly labeled vegetarian it has the substitute, but I bet it costs a lot.


Peace,
Cassandra

[delta9]

Originally Posted by treehugger

VEGAN = no animal products whatsoever; not even honey

Lacto-vegetarian = eats dairy products but no meats or eggs

Ovo-vegetarian = eats eggs but no meats

Ovo-lacto vegetarian = eats eggs and dairy

And there's another category although I'm hard-pressed to call it "vegetarian"...

Pesco vegetarian = eats fish and seafood

Cheese = dairy, no?

[Pedata]

Oh, what's in a name? ....a rose by any other name.....etc.

It's just catagories to define different eating habits.

I'm an omnivore. I don't care for that word, it's not pleasant to pronounce. I prefer hunter/gatherer. It's an ancient diet.

My niece is a 'vegetariansometimes-sneaks-porkchops'

Maybe you could call your sister a 'vegetarian' at every opportunity until she's sick of hearing it, lol. Oh, that's evil.

Lol.

Peace
Cassandra

[Pedata]

Did you know honey is actually bee barf?


Lol

[Herbmama]

I'm an omnivore. I don't care for that word, it's not pleasant to pronounce. I prefer hunter/gatherer. It's an ancient diet

.

A friend of mine used to call himself an Opportunivore, given the opportunity he'd eat it.

[LIBRA]

BEE PUKE IS MY FAVORITE!!!

and whats this about ripping guts open to make cheese, maybe I am not the brightest but I thought cheese was milk fermented and swirld around poured then aged or somethingI knew nothing of ripped open guts!! someone explain!!
vegetarian is just another label, I will not label myself to any one thing I dont know they bother me, I do like pedeta's label though!!

[Pedata]

In biblical times the stomachs of animals were used to transport liquids. There were no plastic bottles back then. Everyone used animal stomachs as containers. Many of these containers contained watered down cheap wine- but I digress. There was something in the stomachs of young goats that formed the curds and whey when milk was in it. That 'something' was rennet. The curds were dried and that's what cheese is.

Why were they using the stomachs of young goats? Because if you waited to eat a goat when it was full grown it was very tough meat.

Some rennet today is made from a bacteria that exudes rennet. I suspect this type of rennet is going to be used more and more because it's cheaper to make.

So if you eat cheese you are willfully subjecting bacteria (an innocent life form) to a life of living in crowded petrie dishes and being forced to produce, produce, produce Lol.

You can't have cheese without rennet. I don't know about those single slices things. They have to be labeled as 'cheese food' because they're not actually cheese, in and of itself. I think they're a form of edible plastic, lol.

Bee Barf Rules! Steal some bee's barf today!!

Peace,
Cassandra

[freakyfairy]

Originally Posted by Pedata

I don't know about those single slices things. They have to be labeled as 'cheese food' because they're not actually cheese, in and of itself. I think they're a form of edible plastic, lol.

Peace,
Cassandra

wow.... i love those little slices of 'cheesey' plastic... mmmmmmmmmmm processed food is so bad but those little slices of yellow goodness are so irrisistable...... string cheese is good too....