Vegetarian means no meat!

a combination of two reasons. 1. they are a bit stupid and don't know what vegetarian means 2. they have encountered people who are a bit stupid, and don't know what vegetarian means, so think that if they don't eat beef but eat chicken and fish they can somehow legitimately call themselves a vegetarian. having encountered people who are stupid enough to call themselves vegetarians when they eat chicken or fish, and still called themselves a vegetarian, they have come to think that that actually is what vegetarians eat.

I read you question and the answers but I don´t think that it is by ignorance or stupidity that people ask about fish or chicken. In fact I would understand that vegetarian means NO chicken or fish, but many so called vegetarian eat both and just skip red meat and pork. So I, like other meat eating people, ask them so that I know what to serve at a diner where they are invited.

I get the opposite response. When I tell people I don't eat red meat (I do eat fish and chicken), they say, "Oh, so you're vegetarian?" Well... not really, but whatever.

It's probably just ignorance, lack of knowledge on the subject. In my mind, it's very stupid to ask such a question when someone says they are vegetarian.