This vegetarian may have just eaten some meat by accident.

[Alexander]

I was at my first day of work today (a 9-5 shift), and came home starving. They didn't offer any type of lunch break, that being one of the reasons my first day was also my last. More to the point...

I was hungry, and went to this really good Chinese buffet for dinner. I stopped eating meat in early December, feeling that yes, I would prefer being a vegetarian. So I haven't been at this long, but I still want to keep it up.

I had plates and plates of delicious food, and with the final plate, ate two dumplings. It struck me almost immediately that I may have eaten meat. I thought that perhaps they were vegetarian dumplings, but the sign was no help and the staff spoke hardly any English.

I did some research on what the Chinese typically put in their dumplings, and found that it usually consists of pork, fish, chicken or other stuff that I wouldn't knowingly eat these days.

Ever since then my stomach has felt rather uneasy, which could possibly be due to eating three plates of food at once, and practically chugging several glasses of lemonade.

I've known vegetarians who have vomited from consuming meat, but the effect is usually almost immediate. It's been about 2 hours and I still feel like crap, but nowhere even close to puking.

I've thought of gagging myself or ingesting something to make me hurl, however I'm somewhat convinced that if it was meat I would definitely have vomited, and much sooner. Plus, it would be a pity to waste the money and the other food I consumed, most of which, I am certain, was NOT meat.

On the other hand, my stomach is practically made of iron - in other words, it takes a LOT to get me to throw up - not even a gallon of milk in an hour made me spew, and although I've been drunk countless times, I've only thrown up 3 or 4 times, and don't remember them at all because I was so wasted I blacked out most of the night.

At the very least, I learned an important lesson - make sure of the ingredients first.

The main question I have is - should I puke? Or just stay awake long enough to digest whatever the hell was in those dumplings, so I don't asphyxiate on my own vomit?

I suppose I should also ask of my fellow DUers - am I a vegetarian, even though I didn't knowingly and intentionally eat meat? What if I puke it up?

[graywarrior]

1. Get to a VA meeting now.

Kidding.

I do it sometimes by mistake. No big deal. You're still a veggie-tarian.

[BikeWriter]

17. As the local rep for Mothers Against Duct-taped Ducks...

I demand you release that duck!

[madinmaryland]

21. Free the Duck!!!

Brought to you by the folks at PETD - People for the Ethical Treatment of Ducks!!

[WeRQ4U]

2. Don't make yourself puke or anything.

That's not good for your esophagus or your teeth. You won't die. And you're still a vegetarian if you say you're a vegatarian. There is no bible. And there are no commandments.

Best of luck.

[tjdee]

3. It's just your body going "WTF?"--but then again, it was Chinese food.

I love Chinese food, but every now and then I know that my stomach is going to go nuts with it. And eating so much, and on top of it those dumplings, might just have done it for you.

One of my veg friends ate part of a hamburger after not eating meat for a while and was down for the count, LOL. Didn't puke, but felt really sick for a few hours.

But I wonder if your body would have made the adjustment that much that meat would affect it that much in what...a month?

So my very not educated opinion is that you shouldn't force puke, you'll be fine.

[u4ic]

4. You're going to hell now!

:evilgrin:

[LisaL]

6. Yep. You will burn in hell for this.

Just cheer up, you ate meat before. You will be fine.

[Shine]

5. Don't make yourself vomit, for heaven's sakes! Too traumatic.

Like you said, you learned a lesson about checking ingredients first. Chalk it up to a learning experience.

No biggie. Your body will survive a dose of meat. Of course you're still a Vegetarian.

:hi:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Not to worry, I accidentally ate some vegetables today

and I am still a confirmed carnivore ;)

[BikeWriter]

11. I accidentally ate some veggies today, too. Will I be okay?

"

[existentialist]

8. myself, I'm an omnivore

I eat relatively little meat, certainly not every day, not today for instance, but I feel no need to apologize when I do eat meat.

[NMMNG]

9. Don't make yourself throw up

There is no need for that. You are still a vegetarian even if you did accidentally eat meat. As to your stomach feeling bad, it may or may not have been the meat (that you may or may not have had). You may be having a psychological reaction based on your belief that you had meat when you didn't want to.

Either way, just resume your normal diet and forget about this incident. As you said, you've just had a valuable learning experience and will know to be more cautious in the future.

[LeftyMom]

10. Since you're a pretty new vegetarian,

your intestinal flora may still be adapting and you may escape most of the digestive ugliness that most of us would suffer.

Personally, (almost 4 years veggie, vegan a bit over 3) I wouldn't induce vomiting. If your intestinal flora have adapted much your body will probably clean itself out pretty well, and if not making yourself sick isn't any better for you than the mystery meat dumplings. I think you can go to sleep (although if your stomach is iffy you may want to do it in a recliner or prop yourself up with a few pillows,) you won't sleep through vomiting unless you're on medication or have some sort of health problem.

BTW, there's a vegetarian group here at DU and we love it when new faces drop in. :)

[Kali]

12. It was Chinese buffet -

there isn't even much meat in the meat - don't worry about it. If you ARE sick, it's probably the regular food poisoning everyone gets from Chinese Buffets. ;)

[Common Sense Party]

13. If you never used to puke after eating meat...

what makes you think you would now? You're still the same person. you have the same stomach.

Chalk it up to experience and move on.

[LeftyMom]

18. Intestinal flora change based on what you eat

which is why people often have a hard time with their stomachs while traveling or after eating unaccustomed food. When somebody hasn't eaten meat for a while, the bacteria that help to digest if die off, so the response to meat ingestion in a long term vegetarian is usually diarrhea.

The response could be partly psychosomatic, too. I'd probably throw up if somebody fed meat or even if they fed me faux meat and then told me it was real because the idea of ingesting flesh would distress me greatly.

[Common Sense Party]

20. Nothing would have changed in the last month. nt

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Pork is harder to digest than other meats,

so it's not surprising that you don't feel well. You might try eating a little yogurt or making some ginger tea to help settle your stomach...

[Robeson]

15. I had a restaurant screw up and put meat in a dish that I had....

...ordered that was supposed to be vegetarian. You can read about all the nasty details on this thread in the Veggie Group... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=231x10436

[XemaSab]

16. Here's the deal:

I consider myself vegetarian, but I'm not anal about it.

If I go to someone's house, I don't worry that they're sneaking meat products into the food.

If I go out to eat, I don't worry about there being meat products in the soup.

It's the thought that counts.

[DanCa]

19. I had a pet duck as a kid , He's name was Quincy and I miss him.

After raising a duck I'll never eat the animal. Not just because there cute but because of thier dirty messes they made. Ah well just wanted to contribute.

[flamingyouth]

22. Your stomach feels gross because you're not used to meat.

But yes, I would definitely consider you a vegetarian since you didn't willfully eat the meat.

[Zambero]

23. It might have been MSG

This dubious flavor enhancer/poison is ubiquitous in many Chinese restaurants, although many have stopped using it. Others will hold it out on request for menu items, but buffets can still be problematic. The stuff can give me migraines, upset stomach, and profound fatigue.

[Scout1071]

24. Dude....you will be fine.

You haven't gone that long without eating meat. Your body knows how to handle it. You probably just over-ate - it was a buffet!

I once went for nearly 4 years without eating meat. Until one day when I was stuck in a friend's parents house all day due to thunderstorms. His grandma cooked up a beef brisket which filled the house with it's glorious smell for hours on end. When dinner was served that night I said "Granny...cut me off a slice of that brisket. Corn on the cob and a potatoe just won't do it tonight." And so went nearly 4 years of being a vegetarian. Oh well, it's for the best for me - I live in the beef and BBQ capital of the world. That night around dinner I came to terms and said "My name is Scout.....and I'm an omnivore."

You'll be fine. Good luck with your veggie ways.

[Beer Snob-50]

25. say 5 hail marys

but realize you can still be a vegetarian. you didn't do it intentionally.

[JVS]

26. MURDER!

:sarcasm:

[Bridget Burke]

27. Sounds like you just ate too much.

If your body needs to vomit, it will let you know!

If you're just feeling a bit queasy, drink a cold, carbonated drink. It will probably make you "burp"--which will relieve some of the unpleasantness.