I remember reading about students at Purdue University who came up with a soy bean based vegetarian gelatin a few years ago during Purdue's annual competition to create new products from soy beans. I don't know if it was turned into a commercial product.
Which is why I included that part, "when they are at least in part an ethical concern."
Absolutely but something that is actually vegetarian, as per the generally-accepted definition of the word when coming from an ethical perspective, will almost surely qualify as vegetarian as per the personal criteria of every self-professed vegetarian who is not a vegetarian for ethical reasons. They may not like the limitations imposed on the fare offered them, when they self-identify as vegetarian (absent any other info provide), though, because it will be governed not by their own personal definition but rather by the generally-accepted definition.
Any chef who provides salmon to a diner who simply identifies themselves as "vegetarian" deserves to be fired. That's the point. While a singular diner can surely specify that they want something that goes beyond the generally-accepted boundaries, a chef should not do so without that explicit permission. This is basic stuff for chefs in this country now... they had better not muck it up, or they'll deserve all the crap that would rightfully be dumped on them.So long as people will go into a restaurant and say "I'm a vegetarian, so I'll have the cheese plate, salmon, and a Jello cup," anyone who has concerns about specific ingredients IMHO is well advised to inquire about those specific ingredients.
That's horrible. That chef was not a chef.
I did a search too and couldn't find any commercially available vegetarian gelatin either. I found a website for a company started by one of the students that came up with the soy-based gelatin and there is no mention of a product there either. They do make vegetarian marshmallows however! http://www.chicagosoydairy.com/index.php
The issue is that one way or the other they're getting in trouble. Gelatin, specifically, is a word that means it comes from an animal. There have been gel-like substances for centuries, but to call them gelatin would basically be a corruption of language (sometimes referred to as "marketing").
I don't see why the definition should change based on whether someone is a vegetarian for ethical reasons or health reasons or environmental reasons or any other reason. I have always gone by the definitions of vegetarian and vegan from The Vegetarian Resource Group's FAQs page:Except that many people aren't vegetarian primarily on ethical grounds. The fact that you feel there's a clear definition of "vegetarian" doesn't change the fact that many people self-identify as vegetarian, despite the fact that their diet isn't one that fits your definition.
So long as people will go into a restaurant and say "I'm a vegetarian, so I'll have the cheese plate, salmon, and a Jello cup," anyone who has concerns about specific ingredients IMHO is well advised to inquire about those specific ingredients.
(Likewise for pretty much any other special dietary requirements. My mom was served a plate of ravioli last year, which both the waitress and the chef swore up and down was gluten-free. Finally she asked "what did you make the pasta out of?" "Just regular all-purpose flour. Completely gluten-free!")
I believe it was referred to as a "gelatin alternative".
That would do the trick.
