No. No, they do not. If a person says they are a vegetarian and then eats chicken, they are telling a lie so big it should have its own zip code. Chicken is a bird, birds are animals, and animals are off the menu for vegetarians. It’s not a gray area; it’s a bright red stop sign.
Why do people get confused? Because we live in a world where “I’m mostly vegetarian” means “I eat chicken on weekends.” This is like saying you’re “mostly sober” but you drink beer on Tuesdays. It doesn’t work that way, my friend. The word vegetarian comes with a sacred oath: No meat. Period. Fish is not meat. Chicken is meat. End of story.
The Great "Pescatarian" Escape
Here’s where it gets fun. If you eat chicken but no red meat, you are not a vegetarian. You are what we call a flexitarian, or more accurately, a person who likes chicken. But wait—there’s a real term for this! It’s pescatarian if you eat fish, but what about chicken? That’d be a “pollotarian.” Yes, that’s a real thing. It’s a person who only eats poultry.
Imagine telling someone at a party, “I’m a pollotarian.” They’ll think you’re a dinosaur who only eats pollen. But it’s legit. Pollotarians eat chicken and turkey but skip beef and pork. They are not vegetarians. They are meat-eaters with a selective palate. So, if you see a pollotarian at a potluck, hand them the drumstick. Just don’t call them a vegetarian or they will correct you with a smugness that could power a small city.
