I also wish people would stop thinking of vegetarianism as a black-and-white concept. Moreover, the people who are quickest to point out that "you're not really vegetarian" are the ones who eat meat regularly :(
Especially for someone who is vegetarian to reduce carbon emissions, 90%, 95%, and 100% aren't that different, and hell even 50% is a tremendous reduction especially if it means that it's easier to convince 5 people to do 50% than 1 person to do 100%.
Occasional indulgence was never the problem for the environment, and people should know that's okay to occasionally indulge, it doesn't need to be black and white.
Indeed. I'm not a big fan of militant vegetarianism/veganism. I think it creates a barrier to entry. It's one of the reasons that a lot of products now describe themselves as 'plant-based' rather than vegan.
As someone who grew up vegetarian, things have changed drastically in the last 30 years. I grew up eating some truly niche meat-replacement products[1][2].
Things like 'Impossible Burgers' and 'Beyond Meat' have changed the experience significantly. There is still a long way to go, and it's not just about taste, but also nutrition. However it has made it much more appealing to use those alternatives, and reduce the use of meat.
My own vegetarian/vegan mix is also occasionally broken when people don't know that I'm vegetarian, and serve meat. I have long decided not to make a scene. One of my of ex-colleagues never found out I'm vegetarian, because of an incident where they invited everyone out to dinner and it turned out to be at a fancy sushi restaurant (share-plates, yay).
Especially for someone who is vegetarian to reduce carbon emissions, 90%, 95%, and 100% aren't that different, and hell even 50% is a tremendous reduction especially if it means that it's easier to convince 5 people to do 50% than 1 person to do 100%.
Occasional indulgence was never the problem for the environment, and people should know that's okay to occasionally indulge, it doesn't need to be black and white.