...for vegetarian me

Question

I had a wheat tortilla with refried beans and cheddar cheese inside "for vegetarian me". 1 minute in the microwave, and it is done.

I didn't know that structure. Does it mean something like vegetarianizarse? I do not think so, cause she is a vegetarian already. Maybe just comer algo vegetariano, alimentarse como vegetariana que es.

Can you provide more examples like this one?

Answer 1

It is not a structure I use. I can think of two possible interpretations:

One-context is the person is a vegetarian- shorthand for me, because I am a vegetarian, which I might shorten to me, the vegetarian.

As in I ordered this for vegetarian me and that for my beef-eating husband.

Two- context person is only vegetarian some of the time, has tendencies that way- shorthand for the vegetarian part of me, my vegetarian side. Yesterday I ate fish, but today I fed the vegetarian me.

Like I did it for my inner child.

I am interested in what other people come up with.

Bosque: I hadn't thought of your second explanation but it seems like a (remote?) possibility. :) - DilKen, Aug 4, 2017

Who knows, I don't use the structure, so I am only trying to think of the ways it could be interpreted. :) - bosquederoble, Aug 4, 2017

Bosque: I thought about it for a few minutes while I was making pizza and I actually think it is a possibility. I was going to delete the comment but since you've replied to it now, I'll leave it. - DilKen, Aug 4, 2017

I would say that one most likely "for the vegetarian in me" :) - bosquederoble, Aug 4, 2017

Answer 2

This isn't very common English.

I would say it is more like:

Comí algo vegetariano para la vegetariana que soy yo.

And yes, no one would say that in Spanish probably....just like you may go 50 years in an English speaking country and not hear the usage that you are referring to.

I had a wheat tortilla with refried beans and cheddar cheese inside since I am a vegetarian.

I had a wheat tortilla with refried beans and cheddar cheese inside because I'm vegetarian.

I had a wheat tortilla with refried beans and cheddar cheese inside. I'm a vegetarian.

Without additional context, I would say the above sentences mean basically the same thing. The person just wants to communicate what she ate and mention that she is a vegetarian, possibly in order to explain why she ate what she ate.

Your request for something similar initially stumped me, because it is so unusual, but here's an attempt.

Did you run the 5K or the 10K?

I ran the 5K, that's enough for big athlete me. Pretty unusual to hear this but possible.

It made me think, however, of a very common idiomatic phrase....little old me.

I live in a 300 sq ft apartment downtown, but that's enough for little old me.

I had two drinks at the party, but that was plenty for little old me.

Little old me has nothing to do with being little or old. It is just a cute way to refer to oneself.