Mushroom.. a vegetarian or non-vegetarian ?  

I think it is vegetarian and everybody thinks so. Some people are of the view that it is non-vegetarian.

I think that you were definitely right.
My mother and sister are both vegetarians and have mushrooms in most of their meals.
Even my vegan friend loves mushrooms, so I don't understand how anyone else could possibly rule them out of the 'vegetable' category.
Understandable if he didn't *like* mushrooms (although I love them), but to state that they were non-vegetarian seems absurd to me.

As I understand it all fungi are correctly considered to be neither plants or animals. Most vegetarians, myself included, are happy to eat fungi since, presumably, they lack the central and complex nervous system of animals.

all the best urban

I agree with the views here. The starting principle for health is to eat a wide variety of plant foods, including plenty of strongly coloured vegetables and fruits. Each food has different strengths, so the fewer foods you eat the less likely it is that all your needs will be met. Mushrooms just happen to contain a lot of b12.

Nuts and seeds are an important source of protien but not strictly plant matter - does he avoid these too?

I think Mushroom is vegetarian for the reasons you stated.
A lot of my friends who are pure vegetarians go for mushrooms. In fact this is the first time here that I am seeing mushroom being called as a non vegetarian food.
I googled it, and found some interesting results. Have a look: http://www.echarcha.com/f...