I respect vegetarians. I respect what they do, and if they are concerned about animal welfare, I understand why they do it. My best friend is a vegetarian.
Having said that, I don't understand those who eat fish, wear leather or use milk and cheese. For instance, if you don't believe in eating veal (ie those calves for whom the milk - and indirectly, the cheese - were intended), then surely you shouldn't be endorsing the killing of calves by drinking their milk. Either you do the whole thing properly (apart from eating eggs. Chickens seem to like laying eggs, though why anyone would want to go through the equivalent of childbirth every day, defeats me), or maybe you shouldn't bother at all.
And one last plea to any vegetarian who visits me. Please, please tell me before you arrive that that's what you are. Because there are few things more annoying than the guest who announces his chosen lifestyle just as you are putting a plate of roast beef in front of him. And no. "Just give me the vegetables" simply won't do. Martyrdom at the dinner table does not make for a cosy occasion.
