POLL: Is fish a meat?

[Dalveen]

This is inspired by a discussion ive been having with my mate recently, in my opinion fish is a meat.

Heres a link backing me up:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4251/whymeat.htm

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 45 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Is fish a meat? (45 votes.)

Is fish a meat? (Choose 1)
* Yes, fish a meat, no argument about it - 93% (42)
* No i dont think fish is a meat (insert reason here) - 7% (3)

[Aikanaro]

Meat = flesh. Fish has flesh. Therefore, fish is meat.

[Gehn]

My sentiments exactly!

[Wordplay]

No question about it; otherwise it would be the same as counting pork "vegetable."

[Takara]

There are two ways you can look at what meat is:
1) muscle mass, like chicken breast or rump steak
2) an animal type cell. Plants have quite a difference in that they have a lot of cellulose.

In both cases fish fits the meat catogory. So I'd say it's a meat.

[Death Rabbit]

It depends on if you're Catholic or not.

Sounds stupid, but I've been having this debate with my chika all throughout lent. Apparantly, during lent you aren't supposed to eat meat of any kind on Fridays. The following conversation happened every friday for the last 2 months.

She: "Can we go out for fish?"
Me: "Sure. Why?"
She: *sigh* "Because that's all I can have, and I don't want just veggies."
Me: But I thought you weren't supposed to eat meat?"
She: "I'm not, that's why I need to have fish."
Me: "Well what do you think fish are made of? Wood?"
She: *glares at me*
Me: "Well?"
She: ...
She: ...
She: "Well, the church says fish doesn't count."

So that settles it. Meat is meat depending on your religion. Apparantly. I also have a feeling that's not the standard Catholic decree, but rather my girlfriend's goofy interpretation. If any other Roman Catholics can confirm this, I'd appreciate it. Please - I may convert eventually and I need to know what lunacy I'm getting myself into.

[Splunge]

From Encarta Online's definition of meat:

edible animal flesh: the flesh of an animal that is considered edible, especially a mammal or bird

But it also define flesh as:

cooking meat of animals: the flesh of animals, including birds and fish, regarded as food

So, fish is an animal, but not a mammal or bird. But it has flesh.

I'd say it's meat.

@ DR - NO!!! Don't go over to the dark side.

[Rallymama]

DR: She's not goofy. I grew up RC and every Friday was fish-day, Lent or not. Around here I move our weekly fish dinner to any day other than Friday during Lent because the line at the fish market is so long that I'd be late for my train. Also, have you ever noticed that when a place serves soup, clam chowder is almost always served on Fridays? I hope it's not the kind that's made with bacon.

If the generic definition of meat is the edible flesh of animals, then yes, technically fish = meat. However, I don't think a few fringe loonies are going to change centuries of culinary tradition.

[Register]

I am a vegetarian, and I would never ever eat fish, no argument about it.

[Vyndin Source]

If Fish is not meat, then what could it possibly be. Except it's own group, that is...

Now thinking about it, why isn't Fish in a separate group. I mean, it's not like it's a small group of animals

Oh well... Fish is meat! (unless someone bigger than me say so )

[metal leper]

I always thought it was weird that some vegetarians ate fish

I don't see how it can not be meat really

[Tarrasque]

A friend at school also said that fish were not meat.

So I just printed of a copy of:
UK Vegetarian Society Fishconceptions Campaign

She wasn't impressed.

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

I'm RC as well, and yes, no meat on Fridays during lent. However, i do not follow it. Reason: The rule used to be no meat at all. The Pope in the 11th century added the caveat "except fish" because the Vatican had a vested interest in the local fisheries whose sales were abnormally low. RC will do anything for a buck...

[Lazy Bonzo]

cooking meat of animals: the flesh of animals, including birds and fish, regarded as food

Only 'regarded as food' ? Is that saying that birds and fish are only almost food? Can we not eat them? What have we been doing all these years then? Hmmm!

[Hacken Slash]

As the Papal Nuncio to SP I'll try to clear up the question.

If you seek to determine the identity of fish from a culinary standpoint, you should ignore scientific or biological definitions.

"Meat" has been considered the flesh of mammals and birds (not just by Catholicism, but in cookbooks as well). Fish is, well...something else. As such, the Lenten prosciptions against meat on Fridays does not apply to fish. Maybe it has something to do with the day God created them (wait...that goes in another thread).

So, DR, no meat on Fridays of Lent...and although there is historicity of a sort behind Aldeth's claim, that's not why we do it. You'd probably be OK also eating snails, frogs, snakes and lizards on Fridays of Lent, also.

Fish looks like the best of those choices .

[Sarevok•]

I don't think it is meat or well I guess it is or not I don't really care but it sure tastes good.

[Meatdog]

Well, like said before there are indeed two ways to view it:

1) I like meat but not fish, so no fish is not meat.
2) Fish is muscle tissue of a fish, so yes it is meat.

Of cours, viewpoint one way surclasses viewpoint two and so there is only one way to view it :

FISH ISN'T, WAS OR EVER WILL BE MEAT!!!

[Tassadar]

Chalk me down for "fish *is* a meat".

[Dice]

Isn't fish some exotic fruit?

[Slink]

I love confusing all the vegetarian girls at my school (which is Christian, by the way) by telling them that if they eat fish they arn't true vegetarians. But at the same time trying to convince them that pork isn't a meat and they can eat it all they want.

But then I just say to them: "For every animal you don't eat, I'll eat three"

[Oaz]

Bah, just go for the tofu-based fish substitutes.

[Aldazar]

Yes, fish is a meat, even though the RC church allows it to be eaten on Fridays. I'll never understand that and that's why I left the church. Unfortunately though, the whole "no meat except fish on Good Friday" programming is still there.

[Sniper]

Fish is meat. Only difference between fish and say a cow is that Fish inhabit the sea (or your everyday fish tank) whilst Cow's inhabit grassy patches and go Moo

[Faraaz]

It is the flesh of a fish...of course its meat!