"John Cartmell" wrote in message
...

"Vegetarian" (without further explanation) does not preclude eating
cheese.

Anyone that eats anything made with the milk of X ought to be prepared to
eat the meat of X as well. You don't get cows' milk without calves, and
the
male calves won't grow up to produce milk. If you drink cow's milk or
eat
cheese made with cows' milk, you're implicitly condoning the slaughter of
young male cattle for food, so you might as well eat the beef that
results.

That's a separate matter and is an argument that divides vegetarians from
vegans. Some people regard being a vegetarian as just one step they can
take
in a particular direction. Others regard meat reduction in their diet as a
step towards being a vegetarian. Saying you must make an all or nothing
choice
immediately is an argument well-used by the meat industry to attempt to
turn
people away from reform of their diet. There is no such requirement
whether
your reform is for health or moral reasons and most reasonable religious
prohibitions expect the occasional lapse.

Indeed. There are very many degrees and several reasons for choosing one's
diet.

Mary