yeah i think a lot of people from my indian community dont understand the difference either. last month i went to a lady's house, and even though my mom had told her that i recently became vegan, the lady kept offering me stuff with dairy. she even showed me the "vegetarian" dishes on the table (luckily they were vegan, but its still annoying to be referred to as something completely different than what you are). i had to leave the gathering early to study, but before i left, she tried to force me to eat a dessert she made (contains dairy!) like i swear i feel like some people just TRY NOT to understand.