Hi everyone (especially the latest new members!)

I'm just wondering how often you manage to surprise someone with information about certain things not being suitable for vegetarians.

The things which spring to mind most readily for me are cheese (animal rennet), yoghurt, jelly, marshmallows (gelatine), certain coloured sweets/ice-cream (cochineal). I've lost track of the number of times that I have completely surprised an omnivore (or occasionally a veggie!) with an offhand comment about something not necessarily being veggie, only to find them not believing me, quizzing me further, and saying that they'd had no idea up until then.

So - do you regularly find yourself explaining these kinds of things to friends/relatives/strangers/ restaurants? And if so, what's their general reaction?