Vegetarians - would you eat jellyfish? WAY OT, I know.

[Sillygirl]

I do some adventurous ethnic cooking and there's a recipe for jellyfish salad I've been dying to try. I'd like to unveil the dish at a party where there will be a fair number of vegetarians and I wonder if they'll eat it. Of course I'll tell them the ingredients but if all of them are going to say no, maybe I'll save it for another party.

I realize jellyfish are not plants, but really, they're barely animals. I kind of think of them as giant overgrown amoebas. (Mmmmmm, how appetizing!) They don't even have much a nervous system! So vegetarians here, I ask you - would you eat an otherwise vegan salad that contained jellyfish?

[hellokitty1]

There's a Chinese dish with jellyfish served cold and it is delicious. But regarding your question, I think whether your vegetarian friends will eat it or not depends on why they are "vegetarian" and how they define it.

I know various people who say they are "vegetarian" yet they'll turn around and eat fish, shrimp. That's not what I would call vegetarian. Then there's the person who is a vegetarian but will eat chicken broth. You get my drift? Coming from a person who is not a vegetarian but who's mom observes Buddhist practices and eats vegetarian on certain days, jellyfish does not pass as vegetarian. and you may offend some people if you attend to pass it off as vegetarian.




Vivian
Mom to Sydney (4/24/03)
www.thelins.znot.net (FINALLY updated 6/15/05!)

[goodnightmoon]

I wouldn't, but I agree with the pp that some vegetarians definitely would. I think it is nice of you to consider their feelings. :)

Laura
mommy to Eva Marie 2/16/05

[Globetrotter]

NO WAY :) and definitely not if they are vegan!
I realize some people who eat fish and seafood call themselves vegetarians, though technically they are not. I actually find seafood the least appetizing thing because of the way it looks!

ETA: A long time ago, I asked for a veg. dish in a Chinese restaurant and was wondering what these new fangled "vegetables" were. Then I realized it was seafood - yikes! From then on, I've gotten very specific "no meat, no seafood, eggs okay" etc... Each "vegetarian" is different - I started eating stuff with chicken broth when veg. broth wasn't available, but not other non-veg. broths. I'm not veg. for religious reasons, so that's ok to me. DH doesn't eat eggs if he can see them, and definitely not chicken broth. So you can see we each have our ways of dealing with living in a meat-eating society!

ETA again!!:
You could certainly make the salad and make it clear that it has jellyfish, but just don't count on it as a veg. dish. I understand it's hard when you're not used to preparing veg. meals. Have a fun party, btw!!

Kris

[JElaineB]

I'm not a vegetarian now, but I was for about 3 years. A true vegetarian would not eat jellyfish, as it really is an animal (even though it doesn't seem like it so much. If you have people coming who say they are vegetarian and they really are not (i.e., they eat fish) then I think it would be fine.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[buddyleebaby]

I was a vegetarian for five years, and I would not have eaten jellyfish.
But there's no harm in making it. They don't HAVE to eat it.

[kristine_elen]

I'm a vegetarian and I wouldn't eat it. But if it's one of many salads or many dishes, you can still make it and just tell them what's in it. I never expect people to serve all-vegetarian meals when I come to their homes, though it is nice when people who know you're a vegetarian make an effort to at least have a few things you can eat. (It's funny the things people will put in a dish and wonder why you, as a vegetarain, won't eat it. Like bacon on salad, etc.)

[zen_bliss]

there are many varieties of vegetarians and semi-vegetarians. people make diet modifications and choices for many reasons. it is often easier to say "vegetarian" if you are prominently so, then going into specifics only as necessary.

ovo=eat eggs, lacto=eat dairy, pesco=eat seafood. there's probably a prefix for those who eat chicken and eschew 'red' meats, but i don't know what it is.

vegans will not eat anything involved with animals: no honey, no refined sugar (sugar is filtered through a bone char), no marshmallows nor jello (gelatin is boiled bones & hooves.)

perhaps you could prepare the salad and put the jellyfish on the side as a garnish for guests to add as they wish?

[TraciG]

UGH I'm not a vegetarian & I wouldn't eat it !!!!!!! But that's great that you're so adventureous !!!!!!!!

[kaylinsmommy2]

Sorry, I have a few questions, since we're on the topic - sorry to hijack!

Is Jello/gelatin vegetarian, then, or is it actually made with bones and hooves and so a vegetarian wouldn't eat it either?

Any other good vegan info that I wouldn't have thought of? I knew about gelatin, but no refined sugar and no honey both make sense - I just never thought of it. Is there a place I can look to find this info? I have a couple of vegan friends and am always afraid to definitely say that something is vegan or not, since I might not have known about something...
Thanks!
Caroline
Kaylin 6/5/04

[Sillygirl]

Unfortuantely, the jellyfish basically is the salad. The other ingredients just make up the dressing.

I am kind of surprised at the unanimity on this question! I was a tuna-eating vegetarian for a few years but I think I would have eaten jellyfish. They really just don't seem like animals to me.

I have heard of pollo-vegetarian for the chicken eaters, but I think that's stretching things a bit.

I NEVER heard about the refined sugar thing. Those are some hardcore vegans you know.

Thanks for all the responses!

[wendmatt]

I've been a veggie for about 20 yrs and would not eat jelly fish! If it's something you want to try you should still make it though as long as there's something for the veggies to eat.

[zen_bliss]

jello/marshmallows = not vegetarian. it is pretty much bone marrow (sorry to be graphic). even back when i did eat meat, i wouldn't eat those (nor hot dogs) ick! there are vegetarian versions made with agar agar (seaweed) that are yummy. there's really nothing i miss.

i'm an on/off 'pescatarian' and to be honest... i'd probably skip the jellyfish. it just has a squishy squirm factor for me. but i could be swayed if there was some compelling nutritional benefit, like full of omega-3s and antioxidants and iron, that sort of thing, i'd give it a try.

hey, for your party, here's an easy, amazing vegan (lowfat) chocolate mousse recipe that will get you lots of WOW. (thanks to melaniee for the recipe!) it could not be easier. 3 ingredients, ten minutes.

1 pkg silk/silken tofu. the softest available.
10 oz -ish semi-sweet chocolate (i use ghirardelli baking chips or a big hunk from trader joe's... note for the vegans, the label says "trace amounts of milk protein)
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup

let the tofu come to room temperature, and whip in your blender at high speed. blend in 1 tbsp of the maple syrup.
melt the chocolate in a double boiler
slowly add the chocolate to the tofu in the blender while it is running (the reason you get the tofu to room temperature is so the chocolate doesn't go gritty when hot hits cold)
add 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup to taste. it acts as an emulsifier, sweetens, and neutralizes the tofu taste. really!
spoon into serving dishes, chill for a few hours.

i used this as frosting for DD's birthday cake. everyone (NOT vegetarians!) ate the vegan cake, and i tossed out a nearly untouched traditional cake (still, made with organics!)


oh another note re vegans/maple syrup -- lard is sometimes used in the production to reduce foaming, so, not vegan. kosher syrup is not processed with lard. i've picked all this up over time from reading vegetarian times. if i think of a site with an easy list, i'll post it. i did a quick search and found this. http://www.vegsource.com/veg_faq/