Why do so many people call themselves vegetarian but still eat fish?

Maybe they couldn't pronounce Pescatarian :PP

I blame the Catholics, personally...

Is this a question or a rant? I eat fish and seafood, but not any other meat, and I refer to myself as a pescetarian. If people ask me if I'm a vegetarian I say no. I know that fish are animals but I choose to continue to eat seafood in limited amounts because I have clinical depression.

I know a lot of people that do that, and they said they don't believe that fish is real meat.

Well, you know, if it doesn't look like them, most humans consider it food... that's why they eat meat... and when they decide not to eat meat, they still see fish as so different, that they "can't be animals"... weird, but that's the way it works with most humans. Also, addiction to animal products in general -fish too- could be another explanation...

People use the word 'vegetarian' to mean a wide variety of things. I've met a few people who claimed to be vegetarians who ate chicken and even one who ate corned beef but still claimed to be vegetarian.

They are pescetarian.

you are right most eat some kind of meat, or eggs and then call themselves vegetarians, that's because they are not.

People seem to get confused about what constitutes an animal, with many thinking that all animals are mammals, and birds and fish are in separate categories. I also think Christianity has a lot to do with it, but that may be tied to the mammal thing too. @ Lisa, pescaterianism is NOT a branch of vegetarianism. Vegetarians are defined as not eating any animals.