I was taking a survey the other day for Vegetarian Times magazine and as part of the survey, I was asked to specify my eating habits. Out of habit, I selected "Vegan" and while doing so, read the description specifying that Vegans not only eliminate animal products from their diet but also from their life - leather, wool, silk, down, etc. For various, that does not describe me. I have long known that the majority of people consider Veganism to exclude these products, so I have opted to call myself a "dietary Vegan"... makes sense, right? Well, after reading the description for "Vegan" that this survey provided, I kept reading and the classification right below Vegan was "Total Vegetarian". The description for this was: "I eat only food derived from plants and refrain from eating any animal foods, including fish, eggs, dairy products and honey"... so, with the exception of honey, I guess I am Total Vegetarian... who knew?? And I thought the typical waitstaff found "Vegan" confusing... wait till I unleash this on 'em!

Turns out there's lots of nuances of vegetarianism - check it out! Vegetarianism on Wikipedia.com