You’re a Pesca – what? … A Pescatarian? A MICRO POST

When I am invited to a home for dinner, I generally inform the host of my dietary restraints.  Truthfully, I would rather not say a word.  ALLOWED to ‘just pick,’ I could always find something on the table to eat, and I’m never going to starve.  But the host would be mortified or at least minimally upset not to be fully accommodating or engaged.  Even more important to me is that I truly don’t want to offend friends by ‘dissing’ their efforts.  So I generally explain that I am not a ‘vegan’ and actually not even a ‘vegetarian.’  I explain how I will eat dairy products and fish, just not red meat nor chicken or foul.

Even the term ‘red meat’ can be interpreted in unexpected ways however. A friend and I once took a hiking vacation in rather elegant style.  It was a hike from inn-to-inn in the Vermont Green Mountains.  With these arrangements, dinner is included as well as breakfast.  Despite our dietary restrictions, the offerings were varied and remarkably good as a rule.  However, in one casual lodging we were informed that dinner would be an ‘old family pork dish.’  Of course, we tried to keep our gasp silent, but feeling a bit incredulous, I asked ‘did you not get our instructions about no chicken or red meat?’  Some of you may anticipate her answer, but for those as startled and baffled as I was, you may be surprised.  The distressed B & B owner said ‘but pork is the other white meat.’  Sigh.  Ultimately I guess it was our fault for not being totally specific in our original instructions.

While that incident happened long ago, the lesson stuck with me.  Now I take care to explain what I do or don’t eat.  All that being said, I find it distressing to sound so restrictive or ‘high maintenance.’  Still, more and more people are adopting no-meat, little-meat, or other specialized diets.  Hopefully we can become accustomed to the various terminologies.

‘Gluten-free’ certainly made its way into the vernacular lexicon quickly enough.  So if someone tells you they are a ‘Pescatarian,’ what does it mean exactly?

Even the term Pescatarian (a combination of other words) is argued about in regard to spelling, definition and reasoning.  It is influenced by Spanish and Italian words for fish (pescado or pesce), and the word vegetarian. Some people describe it as a ‘fish vegetarian’ but then there is a question of whether they eat eggs and dairy or not.  [Usually they do.]  And the reason for someone being a Pescatarian?  Here too there is debate.

Some in my camp think it is more ethical (although my vegan friends would definitely disagree, believing it does not go ‘far enough’).  Others proclaim it is more environmentally friendly (yes, every step toward less meat helps, but our oceans can’t accommodate too much over-fishing either).  And still other Pescatarians think it is healthier than vegetarian diets due to the consumption of fish or fish oils high in Omega-3 fatty acids; but here too there are veggie alternatives such as flax seed oil.  Few ever seem to admit it is a bit of a lazy option.  Being a Pescatarian is easier than adopting vegan or vegetarian diets and yet has some of the same benefits.  I have seen authors declare that it is the first step toward being a vegetarian – like a gateway drug, I guess.  But I have been a Pescatarian for over 30 years, actually longer than Merriam-Webster says the term has been coined (specifically 1993), and I don’t think it is a gateway to anywhere else.

Lifestyle modification, such as losing weight, cutting back on alcohol and reducing pornography use which sildenafil viagra can desensitise people. This chemical acts on the erectile tissue of male genital part to increase the blood circulation in the body, especially in the male cheapest cialis 20mg organ. However we can consciously take control of their mind, side effects of viagra stopping their anxiety and panic to take control of their minds. The treatment model Masters and Johnson (1970) provided, including a brief, directive, problem-focused emphasis, was appropriate for many sex-therapy clients during the 1970s, many of whom simply needed unica-web.com buying viagra in india to overcome ignorance and negative sexual attitudes.

So generally your Pescatarian friends usually consume fish, seafood and dairy products.  Most likely they strictly avoid any red meats (including pork), chicken and any foul.  Maybe I am biased, but in the world of dietary restrictions, this is actually one of the easiest for everyone to accommodate.  Once in a while I may feel desperate after my first glance at the menu in a German restaurant, but in the US even that is changing.

So try not to groan when you hear a friend is a Pescatarian; and avoid quizzing them or asking ‘a pesca – what?’

—

Credits: title picture:  Image by Irina_kukuts from Pixabay