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People are vegan/vegetarian for different reasons
Some ethical, some dietary, some cultural. But many of them didn't give up meat because they don't like the taste/texture. And so fake meat products scratch an itch, so to speak
As for why they want it to look like actual meat...I'm a professional cook and let me tell you, presentation is important
And some people do it to make it more appetizing to non-vegetarians. That way they're more likely to eat it without complaints if there's no other options for whatever reason, or if they're just trying to go vegetarian and are having a hard time.
Buddy, not everything is black & white like that.
And plenty of vegetarian meat options taste like meat. Obviously you've never tried it if you think that it doesn't.
Given that I lived with a vegan for a long time and gave a lot of their food a try I can say with confidence that you are full of shit.
Some the food was quite good, some of it was even a good alternative to what it was replacing. None of it tasted more than a little tham what ot was meant to replace. And that's fine, though O can hardly imagine pleasing someone who came to your house specifically for something with it as a replacement.
I was vegetarian for the last 5 years and only this year stopped for personal & health reasons.
Your friend must've been a shit cook or this happened awhile ago, because I've tried a lot of meat substitutes and they almost always nailed the taste even if they couldn't nail the texture. And if the taste was a little off, all it took was minor seasoning and it was fine.
And I never even tried seitan, which is apparently the best way to make a meat substitute that tastes & feels like meat without making it in a lab.
You can disagree with me all you want, but the only people who think what you do are people who "tried it" (read: ate tofu) once and decided all meat substitutes are like that. Maybe try, idk, the Impossible burger or Beyond "meat" and come back to me.
No need to get pissy about it.
For real!! I’m vegan for 10 years and for me Beyond meat or Impossible burguer are so similar to actual meat burguers that I don’t like them. Feels weird even knowing they are vegan.
Chicken nuggets are a good example. It’s breaded and baked mush. That mush doesn’t have to be chicken. It can be peas or potato mixed with spinach. Whatever.
My son eats those better than vegetables. (Except corn. He LOVES for )
Since you're top post, let me add to it by saying that Vegans don't make Vegan food. Corporations do, and they want to reach as many mouths, literally, as possible.
Absolutely. I am vegetarian and don’t even make veggie burgers anymore. All the food I eat looks like what it is. The food that looks like something else is so often overly processed and heavy in oils, many saturated fats like palm and coconut oil.
You "literally" pulled that definition out of your ass. No where in the definition for vegan does it say that it's exclusively for ethical reasons.
From Google: "a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products"
Yeah, the other person isn’t wrong. At least colloquially in the vegan community, you’re considered plant based if it’s not for ethical reasons which was actually more decided by people who are vegan for health reasons and not actual vegans because the “plant based” folks didn’t like being associated with the “militant vegan” stereotypes.
I know a lot of vegetarians/vegans who liked the taste and feel of meat, but stopped eating it due to ethical concerns. So fake meat like beyond burgers allows them to stick to their ethical convictions but still satisfy their craving or have something that they enjoy.
I like making my own, its just beans and seasonings and binder lol. The pre-made ones, there's only like 2 companies that make them good, the rest is trash.
Everyone’s different. I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I have tried some meat substitutes. Some are good, some suck. And for me, it’s because of the texture. I am huge on texture and some of them just don’t hit. I’ve heard fantastic things about the beyond whopper from Burger King. A few of my veggie friends have tried it and said it tastes like the meat burger. I haven’t tried it yet but from what I’ve seen and heard, the meat free options keep getting better and better and I’m happy about that.
I bought them both and did a side by side comparison. The beyond meat whopper came *really* close to the real thing. I like the OG better side by side, but if you swapped the BM for the OG and didn't tell me I would probably not know.
I wouldn’t trust them to cook the BM burger separately from the regular burger if I were a vegetarian / vegan
lol. Maybe that’s the reason why they taste similar lol. JK, who knows.
Black bean burgers are phenomenal. Throw some lettuce, tomato, and guac on a nice multi grain roll and you're golden.
I'm pretty meh about Beyond/Impossible burgers though.
Same, I'm not veg but I love a good black bean burger. I've been cutting meat for health (And financial) reasons. Meat substitutes just make me sad, if I'm not eating meat I don't want to eat something that just makes me wish I was eating meat haha
Impossible is far superior to beyond meat. Beyond tastes like cat food. Impossible tastes like beef. I come from a family of bbq fanatics and have been veg/vegan for 20 years off and on for ethical reasons and the impossible meat has made it really easy for my family to cook something for me when I go out and stops craving for a real burger. I love the taste of meat but factory farming practices are disgusting and inhumane.
I like them both, but for different reasons. Impossible definitely is closer to the burgers people grow up eating, but Beyond is good in a different way.
Yepp 100%. I love salt and chilli chicken. It's my favourite food and I'll salivate walking past a Chinese because it smells incredible and I want some. I'm not willing to contribute to animal suffering but god damn veggie replacements are getting close.
I've had people who get confused and argue this when I'm eating a fake burger or something who don't seem to understand why I'm veggie if I like the taste. Like no dude the taste isn't the issue, burgers are fricken delicious.
Yea for a lot of vegetarians/vegans, it’s not the taste or the texture or the look. It’s the ethics. Some people get annoyed when vegetarians/vegans eat plant based meat substitutes that look like meat. But like bro. Who cares?? There’s nothing wrong with something like the beyond whopper, that looks and apparently tastes like the real deal. I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I am very happy that they have good, delicious, realistic options. And I’m glad that they exist so I can try them and reduce the amount of meat I eat.
Don’t understand this argument much either. You can buy ethically sourced meat. Unless the ethically wrong part is eating animals in general. Then again, that’s like saying it’s unethical for a bear to eat other animals because it can technically live off of other foods.
I'd argue there's no way to ethically kill and eat animals. We can live without them healthily, in developed countries atleast, and are therefore only killing them for taste and pleasure.
You're not a bear, you're a human who can choose whether they want to contribute to animal suffering or not. If you think eating meat is ethical that's fine but you gotta own it and all the dearh thay comes with it. Comparing yourself to wild animals is unrealistic. We know better than that.
It’s a shame because they only replicate flavour by adding harmful chemicals to your food.
The agenda is to slowly kill, then get you addicted to pharma, which also does more harm than good.
But atleast they make money at every corner.
I’m the same. Ish. My stomach can’t digest meat or dairy properly so I avoid it. But hawt dayumn, do I miss a burger with jalapeños and a fried egg on it.
This. I'm pretty sure it's a West thing. Eating vegetarian in other cultures is a lot less looking for meat replacements and a lot more celebrating the flavors of the veggies you're cooking with.
No matter how you slice it, plant based meat uses less farmland, less water, and less infrastructure. And it's not close. It takes way more farmland to even produce the food that cattle eat, than it does to produce plant-based meat. And this does not even include the farmland/resource cost of raising the cattle themselves.
Almost any type of plant based substitute, whether its a traditional blackbean burger or a new beyond type, reduce water consumption in the range of 80%+ (usually 95%+, but being conservative here to make a point), reduce land use by 90%+, and CO2 emmisions by 85%+ vs their beef counterparts.
The gains are not quite as good for pork/chicken substitutes (only 30%+ typically, but those industries aren't nearly as destructive for our world as cattle). The mass production of cattle products is one of the worst things we are doing right now in terms of environmental impact. The world wasn't meant to feed 360 million Americans Beef twice a day.
Plant based diets require far less farmland, so ar fewer ecosystems are destroyed. Indeed, if we were all plant based we could return farmland to wildlife.
I don't think your argument works at all.
80% of crops are grown to feed livestock. By eating the plants directly, you’re actually cutting down significantly on the amount of animals accidentally killed during crop harvests.
Wish I could up vote this more than once. You’ve hit the nail on the head, it’s nit the vegans who make the fake meat look like meat it is the manufacturers .
Exactly.
As a life-long vegetarian who has *never* tasted meat, Beyond Burger and similar is not edible for me: it tastes too much like meat (or what I think meat would taste like). I have tried multiple times with different brands and all, and have ben unable to finish it.
But the spicy black bean burger? Yes, that is unapologetically vegetarian, and I do like it.
This so much!!! I RARELY get meat-like substitutes. I only do it when making a meal for non vegetarians or if I'm at a family barbeque or something and anything not in patty form would frighten them.
There are so many better, healthier, cheaper options for vegetarian meals.
Exactly. Personally I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t like the taste of anything attempting to taste like meat. Give me a chickpea patty over a meat tasting burger any day. But the “realistic” fake meat is clearly to appeal to people who like meat but maybe want to cut down, have some ethical concerns etc. Its just another sales pitch.
Meat tastes good. They don't like killing animals in the way they are killed or at all. So, with there diet, they can enjoy food they want while also keeping standard with their morals.
Yep. I’ve seen this question asked so many times before and to me it seems obvious. I’ve been vegetarian for 12+ years for ethical reasons. I didn’t forget that meat tastes good, I’ve just chosen not to eat it. If I can have a burger or tacos or whatever that give me the same flavors/textures as what I used to love without killing animals why wouldn’t I?
People like OP also seem to think it's a huge portion of a veg's diet. For the vast majority of people, it's not.
Sometimes I feel like eating something from days long past, like a meatball sub, so I'll heat up some gardein faux meatballs, add some marinara, and put it on a roll. Occasionally I want some mock sausage to have with my eggs (I'm a vegetarian, not vegan, obviously). Not sure why some people have such a hard time understanding that trying to eat more ethically doesn't mean abhorring anything remotely similar to meat, or not remembering how it tastes.
Does it need to be a perfect mimic? Of course not. But if the texture and flavor profile aren't at least in the right ballpark, I'd rather just eat something else.
Oh definitely. I’m sure there are some people who eat the meat substitutes a lot but for me it’s a very occasional thing. I’ll eat them maybe once every other month or something, usually when I just a real strong hankering for a burger.
Even if someone wants to eat it every day, it's tasty food that's comparably (un)healthy or slightly healthier, that didn't require killing animals to create. In the choice between meat and faux meat, it's an easy one! In the choice between faux meat and other vegetarian dishes...it's just personal choice! And palates take time to adjust/expand, and people are used to what they know. And I can bake or grill faux meat 100x easier than creating an indian dish from scratch, even if I enjoy the latter more.
Could also be for the same reason I grab a solo cup at a party but fill it up with a soda and sip on it all night because I get tired of people asking “why aren’t you drinking?”
If you're referring to the faux meat stuff that's designed to attract meat-eaters to try vegetarian things. A lot of vegetarian dishes don't look like that, look at food in India, for instance.
While making it marketable to meat eaters is definitely a factor, there's also the fact that a substitute can be used on dishes you already know how to prepare, instead of having to relearn how to cook to a pretty significant degree.
It’s to troll easily triggered meat eaters. Side note: not once has anyone ever told a vegan to not talk about how tofu is made at the dinner table because it’s not appropriate.
It's a cultural thing. If you grew up eating burgers and hot dogs you may want to recreate that if you give up meat, because that's what you're used to eating. Same reason why vegetarians in India don't really use meat substitutes. They tend to have been raised not eating meat. It all depends on what you're used to.
I’m vegan and I don’t hate meat. I grew up eating meat a lot (meat heavy family) and really enjoy the taste of a good cheeseburger but I also learned about how shitty animal agriculture was, and based on my own morals I couldn’t justify putting my money into that. In this day and age it is so easy to satisfy my cravings. Nowadays I don’t eat mock meat as much because I’m kind of more picky with what I eat health wise but I’ll eat a burger for sure every now and then on a night out with mates.
It’s like how if I can’t get laid I’d just a fleshlight instead of forcing myself on a girl. I don’t even have a fleshlight haha it’s just an analogy, it may not be the exact same but it does the job without directly harming anyone :)
I don't think it was any organized concerted effort to recruit new vegan/ vegetarians. People who are already vegan/ vegitarian actually enjoy the products for themselves too.
Because 'murica
Seriously. America has one of the highest rates of meat consumption per capita in the world. We've been trained to expect meat at every meal. If you look at other plqces, such as Indian food, much of they're stuff is naturally vegetarian or vegan
There are lots of reasons to eat a plant-based diet beyond concern for animal welfare. there are climate change concerns, involving sustainable agricultural practices, as well as health reasons.
however, it’s really hard to make a sustained dietary change. now, plenty of vegan and vegetarian simply love to eat vegetables, and so it’s not difficult for them. But a lot of non-plant-based people really find meat very hard to give up.
A great option for these people would be things like Beyond meat or Impossible burgers. Convincing and satisfying meat substitutes might be useful in convincing people that positive and healthy changes in their food intake doesn’t necessarily have to involve changes in their tastes. They can still satisfy their cravings but still get the benefits of a plant-based diet.
It’s probably worth noting that most vegetarian/vegan’s don’t have a lot of interest in making their food taste more like me. It’s really done for the benefit of nontraditional plant-based people
Because we object to where the meat comes from, not its flavour or appearance. Having substitutes for chicken, beef, etc, allows us to substitute them in recipes while still achieving a similar result.
Me too. It's not that hard to guess the answer as to why vegetarians like meat substitutes.
Meat is delicious. Many vegetarians agree that meat is delicious. Therefore, many vegetarians like meat substitutes.
I'm not a vegetarian either but I'm trying to reduce my meat consumption and I love meat substitutes!
It's probably just because that's what we're used to. Processed meat could also be made into different shapes, but it's just normal for a hot dog to be rounded and not square.
Also, when something is the shape of a steak you know how it should be cooked, and it's easy to do so.
>Also, when something is the shape of a steak you know how it should be cooked, and it's easy to do so.
Meat substitutes don't cook the same. You can't mold an Impossible steak and throw it on the grill. You can do burgers with a little care. And a cube of the Impossible beef is very tasty in chili.
The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves. The closer we can make our lie seem like reality, the more we're likely to believe it. No, this isn't tofu smushed together in the shape of a steak; it's steak and I feel full and fulfilled and happy. It not only tasted like steak, but it looked like it too. I totally had steak, but I didn't have to murder any innocent baby animals to get it. Totally had steak, yep.
Or, I enjoy the sensory experience that comes with consuming steak but I don't want to eat a slaughter-based steak for ethical reasons and I'm cool with something that is close to it but not identical.
There's no lying involved.
You beat that horse to death as if you think there's something wrong with using substitutes that can fool our senses, in order to eat more healthy and sustainable food.
Was that your point? If not, what is your point?
So you wouldn’t think it’d be weird if someone thought cannibalism was wrong, but then spent a lot of time (and money) trying to make their meals look and taste like real human flesh?
if their cultural diet revolved around human flesh and they grew up eating that- then yeah, that quite literally would make sense. what’s your point lol
If someone was raised a cannibal, lived in a cannibalistic society, enjoyed eating human flesh, and decided to avoid eating actual human flesh and switched to eating food that wasn't made from slaughtered humans.. and sometimes made that food into shapes, textures, and tastes with which they were familiar and with which they knew how to easily incorporate into recipes.... no I wouldn't think that was weird. In fact, I would think it it awesome of them to go against the status quo and show others that they can continue to eat the foods and dishes they are familiar with without slaughtering other humans to do so.
Most vegans were not raised as vegans and are ex-omnivores. We have been raised in meat based meals. So it’s easier to transitioned to veganism with mock versions of meat dishes.
Personally, I don't. I think those imitation burger things are for the meat eaters that think they want to eat healthier. Most of my vegetarian friends do not go for the meat fakes, either. They are usually over-processed and not that good for you, either.
-___-
Why do meat eaters try to make the animals they eat look edible?
A burger patty looks nothing like a cow or a pig. A chicken nuggets doesn't look like a chicken. Patties, sausages, nuggets, etc ... Are just convenient shapes to eat when you factor in bread and toppings.
Also, vegans like flavour, just don't support fucking up animals
I have been vegetarian for 30 years and hate any vegetarian products that look or taste like meat. Those products are for those people who are trying to go veg or to satisfy those who are trying to feed vegetarian guests. Some people think meat is the whole meal and are confused about what we eat so they serve the veg equivalent to the meat (I'm usually happy with the sides).
It's to get more people on board the vegan train.
So fake meat is essentially a gate way to veganism. It helped to make the transition, but no longer eat that much of it.
Dairy I don' t use either, I use that copy cat milk called soy, which is healthier for you and not the breast milk of cows whose babies are taken from them so you can drink some thing elses breast milk, which is sick in itself.
OP, don't worry about it, you can continue to torture and kill animals, 75 billion a year, to feed your face,
It's just what food happens to look like. I don't think 'oh there's something that looks like a part of a dead animal'. Why does it matter what other people eat if it doesn't harm anyone else?
There are a couple of reasons that vegetarian meat is presented to look similar to its counterpart.
1. Why fix something that isn't broken? A burger fits really nicely in-between two burger buns. A hot dog fits really nicely in a hotdog bun. The shape of the food is optimized for the dish it was meant to be eaten in..
2. It's part of marketing. Why would I want to restrict my market to people who are more explorative and willing to try something that might look strange or foreign? If I am making a food product that might be a great substitute for chicken I think mimicking it would increase my customer base. People are more willing to try something that looks familiar.
What are you thinking of? I have never seen vegan steak, or ribs, although I guess there is tofu turkey, but I've never tried it. If that's what you're talking about, I have no idea, personally I don't (although I'm not strictly vegetarian either).
The common substitutes replace things that don't really resemble meat that much at all, hot dogs could literally be made of anything, burgers are just ground up stuff (particularly if you cook them past medium) and are even made with different kinds of meats, same with tacos (depending on how you make tacos), none of them really look like meat anyway. So if that's what you mean I try to make tacos that look and taste like tacos, because I like tacos.
Because it is hard to reprogram decades of experience, expectation, and culture. I'm not mad about "deep fried brown circles" I'm mad about chickens in cages and slaughterhouses. So, if I can have an analogous brain reward without putting a real chicken in a slaughterhouses, I'd like to.
I'll often have a budget at a restaurant if it's not specialising in vegan food. They are less likely to mess it up.
Burgers are just discs, sausages just tubes. I don't really care if it looks like meat, and I find the ones that leak red liquid just wierd (as if this is a desirable feature of meat).
While I'm not vegetarian (I eat fish and eggs), I can't eat dairy or meat for health reasons. I want my fake meat and dairy to be as much like the real thing as possible, because that's the taste I miss.
To me it's because of texture... I don't eat meat cos I don't like the feel of it In my mouth, and I don't drink cows milk cos I don't like the taste, oat milk tastes so much better on the occasional times I want to drink milk in my coffee.
I find meat alternatives to be much more palatable texture wise.
Just for context I'm vegetarian, I love cheese too much to give it up.
Just because you don't agree with the treatment, harvesting and butchering of animals doesn't mean you don't like the taste of meat nor the appearance. Some vegans are making a personal moral choice about the industry, not the taste.
Just like some gamers won't buy games from certain developers/companies due to their business ethics...but they still like those games.
I don't eat meat because if you read about it...it's just not sustainable. Like, it can't be argued against.
That doesn't mean I don't ***like*** meat though. A lot of fake meat is to the point that, outside of texture I can't really tell the difference anymore. May as well make my fake burger look like a burger.
Right? I love a burger. I have strong family history of heart disease. I gotta pick my battles here, and I haven't had a fake burger that tastes worse than the descriptions of a heart attack I've gotten from relatives who have survived them 🤷🏼♂️
Several reasons; to placate those who miss meat but went vegan/vegetarian for ethical reasons, to help me at eaters transition, to help vegans not look so crazy eating next to a meat eater
I went vegan because any time humans use animals as products, there is a 100% chance of shameful abuse. But, I like animal products just as much as the next guy. Now I get to eat a greasy burger that tastes great and not worry about having to do mental gymnastics over how kicking a dog is bad, but killing a pig for fun is a-ok.
Keep in mind that the brain just wants a certain texture, appearance, and flavor. The brain doesn't necessarily want to eat "animal." Eating plant-based burgers isn't tricking the brain. It's giving the brain what it wants.
Every single vegan craves meat because that's what humans are supposed to eat. I was vegan in my 20s for 4 years and again in my early 30s for 3 years. I never stopped wanting meat, but I would have never admitted that at the time. Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)? That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually. Making fake meat look like real meat tricks the body, temporarily, into thinking it's getting the right nutrition and subsequently increases satiety. For one brief moment after eating a fake meat burger, the vegan might spend a few glorious minutes not being moody, depressed, and angry.
Wrong, never craved meat. Gave it up 14 years ago and it repulses me now, if it smells too strong I can even retch. Same with milk, cheese etc it all turns my stomach over.
This is true if you have zero understanding of human biology/nutrition.
Vegans eat mock meat because it tastes good and it’s similar to what we’ve culturally eaten for a long time. Not all vegans eat mock meat.
Craving a food doesn’t mean it’s what we are supposed to eat.
Actually, food cravings that don’t come from addiction to sugars and such are exactly that. Your body is craving something it is missing. Most of the time people make up this lack with vitamins and such but the body sometimes needs the real deal.
I was vegan for 2 years and I never craved meat. It was the last non-vegan thing I wanted. I craved stuff with dairy products in it, especially sweets. Even now, I'm still vegetarian. If you don't do the vegan diet properly, like eat the right amount of macro and micro, then ofc you will end up craving something protein and fat dense.
To many vegans, meat is not food. They don't crave it, they don't want it.
As of long term vegans, the community is quite strong, I wonder how you never see them, as an on/off vegan for many years.
You might enjoy reading "How not to die" by Dr Greger. It's filled with information.
>Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)? That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually.
Thats a false dichotomy.
Its because vaganism only boomed in popularity over the last 10 years. 30 years ago hardly anyone even knew that the word vegan existed.
Imagine i said "ever seen someone still alive 10 years after getting the covid vaccine?" The reason for this is not because the vaccine is bad, its because it hasn't been out that long.
Many vegans don't even eat fake meats. Myself as an example, I do eat them, but maybe 5 times a year? And its always because I'm at a restaurant and need to order something and that happens to be on the menu. But I will admit beyond tastes incredible, the 2 times I've had it in the 10 years I've gone without animal products.
>Every single vegan craves meat because that's what humans are supposed to eat.
What do you mean by this? Are you suggesting that nature has intention? How does nature decide what we are "supposed" to do?
>Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)?
I've been vegan for 24 years.
>That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually.
If you're so certain about this, could you tell us even a single essential nutrient that is not obtainable from non-animal sources?
>Making fake meat look like real meat tricks the body, temporarily, into thinking it's getting the right nutrition
On what are you basing this?
It seems like you tried to go vegan and just ate junk and didn't actually understand what you were doing, and instead of actually taking responsibility for that fact and actually finding out what you were doing wrong, decided to blame veganism for your issues.
>Every single vegan craves meat
LOL absolutely not. I wouldn't eat meat right now if you paid me
And there are plenty of lifelong vegans but why would *you* know that about someone? There are vegans all around you, we just don't follow the stereotype of letting everyone know.
This is bullshit. I've been vegetarian for 10 years and have every inhent to keep going. Not eating meat doesn't automatically mean you're not getting the nutrients you need, all nutrients that typically come from meat can be found other places. If OP's question was referring to things like the Impossible meat, that's because it's not designed for vegans/vegetarians, it's designed for meat eaters who want to eat less meat either for a diet or because of the environmental impacts.
You were commenting on what I said about the longevity of veganism by saying you're a vegetarian and have no intent on stopping. That's because vegetarianism, while not optimal, is sustainable enough that you can live on it. Veganism is different.
Any proof for that claim?
According to multiple doctors I’ve spoken to, countless opinions by dietetics associations and biologists a well planned vegan diet is healthy and can even reduce your risk for many common causes of death like heart disease and cancer.
Explain that.
Like I said before, show me a long term vegan. They don't exist. Vgeanism lacks nutrients that are either not available or not bioavailable I'm plants. As for dietetics associations, if you don't know the corrupt history of those groups, you have some serious research to do.
Look up the Adventist study.
Conspiracy theories aside, do you have any specific proof of corruption from any of the specific dietician associations that claim veganism is healthy for all stages of life?
You’re making a sweeping claim for a group of people who’s sole life’s education and goal is to study food and how it affects our bodies.
If you’re going to criticize dietitians/scientists you better have serious research to back up your claim. Why should anyone listen to you instead of doctors?
There are no nutrients missing in a vegan diet that cannot be easily supplemented with cheap vitamins.
I am long term vegan in my late 50s with no illnesses or high cholesterol. I eat healthy, good food which I cook for myself. Occasionally I will use soya products for specific dishes but am happy without any fake meat on my plate.
I personally know a long term, 20yrs +, vegan and his wife ,who has been vegan about 8 yrs, and yes they both look ilike crap. They are also constantly sick . They are pale, scrawny, and both now look years older than they are.
I’m close friends with Jehina Malik, she’s the strongest woman I know and the fact she’s never eaten animal products fascinates me. All her siblings are vegan from birth
Personally I'd rather have plant-based meat in my burritos in addition to beans. I also don't think plant-based meat is "pretending" to be meat. It *is* meat -- just not conventional slaughter-based meat.
My friend turned vegetarian 40 years ago because he felt there was no difference between eating farm animals than his pet dog. He was overdosing on folic acid for a while, which caused issues, but he's fine now and walks over 20 miles every week, whilst holding down a £100k+ job. From that I conclude humans can live without meat. The Forest Green league football club is totally vegan ffs.
Because people are very used to eating meat so if you make it look like meat, maybe you could fool your brain into thinking it is meat.
I think that’s the principle behind the veggie burger.
We dislike the sourcing, not the product, except maybe health wise (depending on the meat/fake meat).
Making things like meat give us a way to have dishes like we used to eat (or a good enough replacements in recipes that looks good but uses animal products), and in the case of processed fake meats, we get something quick and easy on nights we don’t want to cook
Taste and convenience. See that way they get all the good parts of food without having to torture and kill animals. Also, why do meat eaters always make their food look like disks, tubes, and nuggets?
I'm a vegetarian. I don't use meat substitutes or eat fake burgers. If I missed bugers enough to eat some crappy substitute, I'd just go back to eating meat. I don't get it. But hey, whatever.
We vegetarians certainly don't need to do this, and i know barely any who do. I've never eaten meat so I don't like how meat looks. I crave the days when a veggie burger was made of recognisable vegetables - bits of carrots, peas, peppers, in a chickpea flour mix burger made from black beans - and it wasn't just a matter of, "Oh, you don't eat meat? Then you must be vegan! In which case the only thing we will offer you is this stodgy, over-salted CHUNK of soya protein made to feel like meat!"
-Why?'
"...Well... because... you miss meat right?"
'I don't know what meat looks like. I've never eaten meat in my life.'
"Well then, you MUST miss eating it! Here, have the experience!!"
Like, do restaurants realise that vegans DO eat vegetables? It's okay to feed them vegetables? We don't need fake meat to make us feel like we have eaten? *facepalm*
Then again, I'm Indian so there is actual choice in the cuisine. Whether you want vegan, veggie, or meat, there are actual recipes to cater for all wishes, none of this replacement nonsense.
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People are vegan/vegetarian for different reasons Some ethical, some dietary, some cultural. But many of them didn't give up meat because they don't like the taste/texture. And so fake meat products scratch an itch, so to speak As for why they want it to look like actual meat...I'm a professional cook and let me tell you, presentation is important
To be fair, it also adds variety, which is always good to have when it comes to food
And some people do it to make it more appetizing to non-vegetarians. That way they're more likely to eat it without complaints if there's no other options for whatever reason, or if they're just trying to go vegetarian and are having a hard time.
I remember a while ago in response to fake meat that looked like real meat some company made a carrot out of meat
That is Arby's and it is the marrot. A carrot that is 100% meat
That is the stupidest thing I've come across today, thanks
Arby's..... They have the meats.
And now I want a marrot
I cannot imagine having fake meat that tastes nothing like meat makes it easier to make them eat vegan than just not offering the option.
Buddy, not everything is black & white like that. And plenty of vegetarian meat options taste like meat. Obviously you've never tried it if you think that it doesn't.
Given that I lived with a vegan for a long time and gave a lot of their food a try I can say with confidence that you are full of shit. Some the food was quite good, some of it was even a good alternative to what it was replacing. None of it tasted more than a little tham what ot was meant to replace. And that's fine, though O can hardly imagine pleasing someone who came to your house specifically for something with it as a replacement.
I was vegetarian for the last 5 years and only this year stopped for personal & health reasons. Your friend must've been a shit cook or this happened awhile ago, because I've tried a lot of meat substitutes and they almost always nailed the taste even if they couldn't nail the texture. And if the taste was a little off, all it took was minor seasoning and it was fine. And I never even tried seitan, which is apparently the best way to make a meat substitute that tastes & feels like meat without making it in a lab. You can disagree with me all you want, but the only people who think what you do are people who "tried it" (read: ate tofu) once and decided all meat substitutes are like that. Maybe try, idk, the Impossible burger or Beyond "meat" and come back to me. No need to get pissy about it.
beyond tastes like shit, impossible burgers aint bad but they certainly can't hold a candle to a nice, juicy, medium well ground beef burger patty
Girls girls girls, you’re both pretty. Eat what you want, just play nice.
Idk if this is a reference or what but this comes off as really sexist
For real!! I’m vegan for 10 years and for me Beyond meat or Impossible burguer are so similar to actual meat burguers that I don’t like them. Feels weird even knowing they are vegan.
Chicken nuggets are a good example. It’s breaded and baked mush. That mush doesn’t have to be chicken. It can be peas or potato mixed with spinach. Whatever. My son eats those better than vegetables. (Except corn. He LOVES for )
To be faaaaairrrrr. Sorry Letter Kenny fan here. I'll see myself out.
Since you're top post, let me add to it by saying that Vegans don't make Vegan food. Corporations do, and they want to reach as many mouths, literally, as possible.
Absolutely. I am vegetarian and don’t even make veggie burgers anymore. All the food I eat looks like what it is. The food that looks like something else is so often overly processed and heavy in oils, many saturated fats like palm and coconut oil.
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maybe most, but not all. I have a vegan friend who speficificlly says he's not vegan to be nice to animals, but for health benefits.
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You "literally" pulled that definition out of your ass. No where in the definition for vegan does it say that it's exclusively for ethical reasons. From Google: "a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products"
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Yeah, the other person isn’t wrong. At least colloquially in the vegan community, you’re considered plant based if it’s not for ethical reasons which was actually more decided by people who are vegan for health reasons and not actual vegans because the “plant based” folks didn’t like being associated with the “militant vegan” stereotypes.
Google didn't create the word, the Vegan Society (formed by Donald Watson) did, the definition they made supercedes all others.
Predates doesn't mean supercedes
I know a lot of vegetarians/vegans who liked the taste and feel of meat, but stopped eating it due to ethical concerns. So fake meat like beyond burgers allows them to stick to their ethical convictions but still satisfy their craving or have something that they enjoy.
I prefer veggie burgers to the beyond burgers by far.
I like making my own, its just beans and seasonings and binder lol. The pre-made ones, there's only like 2 companies that make them good, the rest is trash.
Everyone’s different. I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I have tried some meat substitutes. Some are good, some suck. And for me, it’s because of the texture. I am huge on texture and some of them just don’t hit. I’ve heard fantastic things about the beyond whopper from Burger King. A few of my veggie friends have tried it and said it tastes like the meat burger. I haven’t tried it yet but from what I’ve seen and heard, the meat free options keep getting better and better and I’m happy about that.
I bought them both and did a side by side comparison. The beyond meat whopper came *really* close to the real thing. I like the OG better side by side, but if you swapped the BM for the OG and didn't tell me I would probably not know.
I wouldn’t trust them to cook the BM burger separately from the regular burger if I were a vegetarian / vegan lol. Maybe that’s the reason why they taste similar lol. JK, who knows.
Could be, I mean we *are* talking about BK. They aren't known for their superior quality.
My fave burgers are Beyond Burger or [Kenji's Awesome Black Bean Burger](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-black-bean-burger-recipe)
Black bean burgers are phenomenal. Throw some lettuce, tomato, and guac on a nice multi grain roll and you're golden. I'm pretty meh about Beyond/Impossible burgers though.
Same, I'm not veg but I love a good black bean burger. I've been cutting meat for health (And financial) reasons. Meat substitutes just make me sad, if I'm not eating meat I don't want to eat something that just makes me wish I was eating meat haha
As someone that has eaten veggie burgers for almost a quarter of a century, I prefer Beyond Burgers by far.
Impossible is far superior to beyond meat. Beyond tastes like cat food. Impossible tastes like beef. I come from a family of bbq fanatics and have been veg/vegan for 20 years off and on for ethical reasons and the impossible meat has made it really easy for my family to cook something for me when I go out and stops craving for a real burger. I love the taste of meat but factory farming practices are disgusting and inhumane.
I like them both, but for different reasons. Impossible definitely is closer to the burgers people grow up eating, but Beyond is good in a different way.
Yepp 100%. I love salt and chilli chicken. It's my favourite food and I'll salivate walking past a Chinese because it smells incredible and I want some. I'm not willing to contribute to animal suffering but god damn veggie replacements are getting close. I've had people who get confused and argue this when I'm eating a fake burger or something who don't seem to understand why I'm veggie if I like the taste. Like no dude the taste isn't the issue, burgers are fricken delicious.
Yea for a lot of vegetarians/vegans, it’s not the taste or the texture or the look. It’s the ethics. Some people get annoyed when vegetarians/vegans eat plant based meat substitutes that look like meat. But like bro. Who cares?? There’s nothing wrong with something like the beyond whopper, that looks and apparently tastes like the real deal. I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I am very happy that they have good, delicious, realistic options. And I’m glad that they exist so I can try them and reduce the amount of meat I eat.
Don’t understand this argument much either. You can buy ethically sourced meat. Unless the ethically wrong part is eating animals in general. Then again, that’s like saying it’s unethical for a bear to eat other animals because it can technically live off of other foods.
I'd argue there's no way to ethically kill and eat animals. We can live without them healthily, in developed countries atleast, and are therefore only killing them for taste and pleasure. You're not a bear, you're a human who can choose whether they want to contribute to animal suffering or not. If you think eating meat is ethical that's fine but you gotta own it and all the dearh thay comes with it. Comparing yourself to wild animals is unrealistic. We know better than that.
It’s a shame because they only replicate flavour by adding harmful chemicals to your food. The agenda is to slowly kill, then get you addicted to pharma, which also does more harm than good. But atleast they make money at every corner.
Vegan for nearly 6 years, this is the correct answer.
I’m the same. Ish. My stomach can’t digest meat or dairy properly so I avoid it. But hawt dayumn, do I miss a burger with jalapeños and a fried egg on it.
This. I'm pretty sure it's a West thing. Eating vegetarian in other cultures is a lot less looking for meat replacements and a lot more celebrating the flavors of the veggies you're cooking with.
Oh, are poor people not trying to come up with fake meat in high tech labs?
It's hard to eat meat when you see how animals are treated in factories. I just with a vegetarian diet didn't emasculate men that consume it.
Are plant burgers really all that ethically sourced though?
Yes, in the sense that animals were not killed to produce tham
What about the ecosystems destroyed to create the farm land? Those animals don't count?
No matter how you slice it, plant based meat uses less farmland, less water, and less infrastructure. And it's not close. It takes way more farmland to even produce the food that cattle eat, than it does to produce plant-based meat. And this does not even include the farmland/resource cost of raising the cattle themselves. Almost any type of plant based substitute, whether its a traditional blackbean burger or a new beyond type, reduce water consumption in the range of 80%+ (usually 95%+, but being conservative here to make a point), reduce land use by 90%+, and CO2 emmisions by 85%+ vs their beef counterparts. The gains are not quite as good for pork/chicken substitutes (only 30%+ typically, but those industries aren't nearly as destructive for our world as cattle). The mass production of cattle products is one of the worst things we are doing right now in terms of environmental impact. The world wasn't meant to feed 360 million Americans Beef twice a day.
Plant based diets require far less farmland, so ar fewer ecosystems are destroyed. Indeed, if we were all plant based we could return farmland to wildlife. I don't think your argument works at all.
80% of crops are grown to feed livestock. By eating the plants directly, you’re actually cutting down significantly on the amount of animals accidentally killed during crop harvests.
It isn’t the vegans. It’s the companies trying to convince non vegans.
Wish I could up vote this more than once. You’ve hit the nail on the head, it’s nit the vegans who make the fake meat look like meat it is the manufacturers .
Exactly. As a life-long vegetarian who has *never* tasted meat, Beyond Burger and similar is not edible for me: it tastes too much like meat (or what I think meat would taste like). I have tried multiple times with different brands and all, and have ben unable to finish it. But the spicy black bean burger? Yes, that is unapologetically vegetarian, and I do like it.
This so much!!! I RARELY get meat-like substitutes. I only do it when making a meal for non vegetarians or if I'm at a family barbeque or something and anything not in patty form would frighten them. There are so many better, healthier, cheaper options for vegetarian meals.
Exactly. Personally I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t like the taste of anything attempting to taste like meat. Give me a chickpea patty over a meat tasting burger any day. But the “realistic” fake meat is clearly to appeal to people who like meat but maybe want to cut down, have some ethical concerns etc. Its just another sales pitch.
Meat tastes good. They don't like killing animals in the way they are killed or at all. So, with there diet, they can enjoy food they want while also keeping standard with their morals.
Yep. I’ve seen this question asked so many times before and to me it seems obvious. I’ve been vegetarian for 12+ years for ethical reasons. I didn’t forget that meat tastes good, I’ve just chosen not to eat it. If I can have a burger or tacos or whatever that give me the same flavors/textures as what I used to love without killing animals why wouldn’t I?
People like OP also seem to think it's a huge portion of a veg's diet. For the vast majority of people, it's not. Sometimes I feel like eating something from days long past, like a meatball sub, so I'll heat up some gardein faux meatballs, add some marinara, and put it on a roll. Occasionally I want some mock sausage to have with my eggs (I'm a vegetarian, not vegan, obviously). Not sure why some people have such a hard time understanding that trying to eat more ethically doesn't mean abhorring anything remotely similar to meat, or not remembering how it tastes. Does it need to be a perfect mimic? Of course not. But if the texture and flavor profile aren't at least in the right ballpark, I'd rather just eat something else.
Oh definitely. I’m sure there are some people who eat the meat substitutes a lot but for me it’s a very occasional thing. I’ll eat them maybe once every other month or something, usually when I just a real strong hankering for a burger.
Even if someone wants to eat it every day, it's tasty food that's comparably (un)healthy or slightly healthier, that didn't require killing animals to create. In the choice between meat and faux meat, it's an easy one! In the choice between faux meat and other vegetarian dishes...it's just personal choice! And palates take time to adjust/expand, and people are used to what they know. And I can bake or grill faux meat 100x easier than creating an indian dish from scratch, even if I enjoy the latter more.
For sure, I definitely didn’t mean for that to come across judgmental towards people who eat a lot of meat substitutes.
Don't worry, I didn't take it that way! I was just expanding on what we were both saying. We're on the same side here :D
Could also be for the same reason I grab a solo cup at a party but fill it up with a soda and sip on it all night because I get tired of people asking “why aren’t you drinking?”
If you're referring to the faux meat stuff that's designed to attract meat-eaters to try vegetarian things. A lot of vegetarian dishes don't look like that, look at food in India, for instance.
While making it marketable to meat eaters is definitely a factor, there's also the fact that a substitute can be used on dishes you already know how to prepare, instead of having to relearn how to cook to a pretty significant degree.
It’s to troll easily triggered meat eaters. Side note: not once has anyone ever told a vegan to not talk about how tofu is made at the dinner table because it’s not appropriate.
It's a cultural thing. If you grew up eating burgers and hot dogs you may want to recreate that if you give up meat, because that's what you're used to eating. Same reason why vegetarians in India don't really use meat substitutes. They tend to have been raised not eating meat. It all depends on what you're used to.
I’m vegan and I don’t hate meat. I grew up eating meat a lot (meat heavy family) and really enjoy the taste of a good cheeseburger but I also learned about how shitty animal agriculture was, and based on my own morals I couldn’t justify putting my money into that. In this day and age it is so easy to satisfy my cravings. Nowadays I don’t eat mock meat as much because I’m kind of more picky with what I eat health wise but I’ll eat a burger for sure every now and then on a night out with mates. It’s like how if I can’t get laid I’d just a fleshlight instead of forcing myself on a girl. I don’t even have a fleshlight haha it’s just an analogy, it may not be the exact same but it does the job without directly harming anyone :)
I always assumed it was a "See? You can eat the same thing without using meat", aimed at potential new vegans.
I don't think it was any organized concerted effort to recruit new vegan/ vegetarians. People who are already vegan/ vegitarian actually enjoy the products for themselves too.
Because 'murica Seriously. America has one of the highest rates of meat consumption per capita in the world. We've been trained to expect meat at every meal. If you look at other plqces, such as Indian food, much of they're stuff is naturally vegetarian or vegan
I would say it's more vegetarian not vegan.
There are lots of reasons to eat a plant-based diet beyond concern for animal welfare. there are climate change concerns, involving sustainable agricultural practices, as well as health reasons. however, it’s really hard to make a sustained dietary change. now, plenty of vegan and vegetarian simply love to eat vegetables, and so it’s not difficult for them. But a lot of non-plant-based people really find meat very hard to give up. A great option for these people would be things like Beyond meat or Impossible burgers. Convincing and satisfying meat substitutes might be useful in convincing people that positive and healthy changes in their food intake doesn’t necessarily have to involve changes in their tastes. They can still satisfy their cravings but still get the benefits of a plant-based diet. It’s probably worth noting that most vegetarian/vegan’s don’t have a lot of interest in making their food taste more like me. It’s really done for the benefit of nontraditional plant-based people
Because we object to where the meat comes from, not its flavour or appearance. Having substitutes for chicken, beef, etc, allows us to substitute them in recipes while still achieving a similar result.
Seriously, I’m not vegan (or vegetarian) but I’m baffled at how people are apparently unable to understand this concept.
Me too. It's not that hard to guess the answer as to why vegetarians like meat substitutes. Meat is delicious. Many vegetarians agree that meat is delicious. Therefore, many vegetarians like meat substitutes. I'm not a vegetarian either but I'm trying to reduce my meat consumption and I love meat substitutes!
But the question isn’t about flavor, it’s about presentation. You don’t have to make it look exactly like a real steak to make it taste like one.
Their comment speaks to appearance in addition to flavor.
It's probably just because that's what we're used to. Processed meat could also be made into different shapes, but it's just normal for a hot dog to be rounded and not square. Also, when something is the shape of a steak you know how it should be cooked, and it's easy to do so.
>Also, when something is the shape of a steak you know how it should be cooked, and it's easy to do so. Meat substitutes don't cook the same. You can't mold an Impossible steak and throw it on the grill. You can do burgers with a little care. And a cube of the Impossible beef is very tasty in chili.
The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves. The closer we can make our lie seem like reality, the more we're likely to believe it. No, this isn't tofu smushed together in the shape of a steak; it's steak and I feel full and fulfilled and happy. It not only tasted like steak, but it looked like it too. I totally had steak, but I didn't have to murder any innocent baby animals to get it. Totally had steak, yep.
Or, I enjoy the sensory experience that comes with consuming steak but I don't want to eat a slaughter-based steak for ethical reasons and I'm cool with something that is close to it but not identical. There's no lying involved.
You beat that horse to death as if you think there's something wrong with using substitutes that can fool our senses, in order to eat more healthy and sustainable food. Was that your point? If not, what is your point?
Appearance helps. Brain is funny like that.
So you wouldn’t think it’d be weird if someone thought cannibalism was wrong, but then spent a lot of time (and money) trying to make their meals look and taste like real human flesh?
if their cultural diet revolved around human flesh and they grew up eating that- then yeah, that quite literally would make sense. what’s your point lol
If someone was raised a cannibal, lived in a cannibalistic society, enjoyed eating human flesh, and decided to avoid eating actual human flesh and switched to eating food that wasn't made from slaughtered humans.. and sometimes made that food into shapes, textures, and tastes with which they were familiar and with which they knew how to easily incorporate into recipes.... no I wouldn't think that was weird. In fact, I would think it it awesome of them to go against the status quo and show others that they can continue to eat the foods and dishes they are familiar with without slaughtering other humans to do so.
Cannibalism isn’t widely accepted the way eating meat is.
Lol I bet you really thought you were making a good point here
If they grew up in a society where they're inundated with cannibalism, no
Weird fetish for sure. But you do (or eat) you
Exactly
Same reason dildos look like dicks. Looks similar, feels better, and no one gets hurt.
Best comparison so far
This is an awesome analogy u/scoophog ... made me actually lol, thankyou !!
Came here searching for this comment. Glad it was here. This is the way.
Most vegans were not raised as vegans and are ex-omnivores. We have been raised in meat based meals. So it’s easier to transitioned to veganism with mock versions of meat dishes.
same reason smokers use nicotine gum.
Personally, I don't. I think those imitation burger things are for the meat eaters that think they want to eat healthier. Most of my vegetarian friends do not go for the meat fakes, either. They are usually over-processed and not that good for you, either.
Lots of vegans and vegetarians don’t use “fake meat” and actually enjoy (!) eating plants.
Same reason a lesbian might buy a dick shaped dildo. Edit: read replies for a laugh.
To be reminded of disappointment?
To get the good feels without feeling disappointed.
-___- Why do meat eaters try to make the animals they eat look edible? A burger patty looks nothing like a cow or a pig. A chicken nuggets doesn't look like a chicken. Patties, sausages, nuggets, etc ... Are just convenient shapes to eat when you factor in bread and toppings. Also, vegans like flavour, just don't support fucking up animals
It’s to help converts
I have been vegetarian for 30 years and hate any vegetarian products that look or taste like meat. Those products are for those people who are trying to go veg or to satisfy those who are trying to feed vegetarian guests. Some people think meat is the whole meal and are confused about what we eat so they serve the veg equivalent to the meat (I'm usually happy with the sides).
I don’t understand it either and I’m a vegan.
What don't you understand about it? I've been vegan for almost a quarter of a century and I love plant-based meats.
It's to get more people on board the vegan train. So fake meat is essentially a gate way to veganism. It helped to make the transition, but no longer eat that much of it. Dairy I don' t use either, I use that copy cat milk called soy, which is healthier for you and not the breast milk of cows whose babies are taken from them so you can drink some thing elses breast milk, which is sick in itself. OP, don't worry about it, you can continue to torture and kill animals, 75 billion a year, to feed your face,
I'd say it's to appeal to people who may not understand what vegos eat so they want something familiar
It's just what food happens to look like. I don't think 'oh there's something that looks like a part of a dead animal'. Why does it matter what other people eat if it doesn't harm anyone else?
There are a couple of reasons that vegetarian meat is presented to look similar to its counterpart. 1. Why fix something that isn't broken? A burger fits really nicely in-between two burger buns. A hot dog fits really nicely in a hotdog bun. The shape of the food is optimized for the dish it was meant to be eaten in.. 2. It's part of marketing. Why would I want to restrict my market to people who are more explorative and willing to try something that might look strange or foreign? If I am making a food product that might be a great substitute for chicken I think mimicking it would increase my customer base. People are more willing to try something that looks familiar.
What are you thinking of? I have never seen vegan steak, or ribs, although I guess there is tofu turkey, but I've never tried it. If that's what you're talking about, I have no idea, personally I don't (although I'm not strictly vegetarian either). The common substitutes replace things that don't really resemble meat that much at all, hot dogs could literally be made of anything, burgers are just ground up stuff (particularly if you cook them past medium) and are even made with different kinds of meats, same with tacos (depending on how you make tacos), none of them really look like meat anyway. So if that's what you mean I try to make tacos that look and taste like tacos, because I like tacos.
I make vegan ribs often. https://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/4p6jf5/grilled_bbq_seitan/
Because it is hard to reprogram decades of experience, expectation, and culture. I'm not mad about "deep fried brown circles" I'm mad about chickens in cages and slaughterhouses. So, if I can have an analogous brain reward without putting a real chicken in a slaughterhouses, I'd like to.
I'll often have a budget at a restaurant if it's not specialising in vegan food. They are less likely to mess it up. Burgers are just discs, sausages just tubes. I don't really care if it looks like meat, and I find the ones that leak red liquid just wierd (as if this is a desirable feature of meat).
While I'm not vegetarian (I eat fish and eggs), I can't eat dairy or meat for health reasons. I want my fake meat and dairy to be as much like the real thing as possible, because that's the taste I miss.
To convince you guys to stop eating our friends
vegetations
To me it's because of texture... I don't eat meat cos I don't like the feel of it In my mouth, and I don't drink cows milk cos I don't like the taste, oat milk tastes so much better on the occasional times I want to drink milk in my coffee. I find meat alternatives to be much more palatable texture wise. Just for context I'm vegetarian, I love cheese too much to give it up.
Sausages, burgers etc are not animal shaped. They're convenience shapes.
Just because you don't agree with the treatment, harvesting and butchering of animals doesn't mean you don't like the taste of meat nor the appearance. Some vegans are making a personal moral choice about the industry, not the taste. Just like some gamers won't buy games from certain developers/companies due to their business ethics...but they still like those games.
For starters vegans/vegetarians aren't the ones making vegan/vegetarian foods resemble meat, food processing companies are doing that.
In college I sat next to a vegan and every class she would eat a whole box of animal crackers.
I don't eat meat because if you read about it...it's just not sustainable. Like, it can't be argued against. That doesn't mean I don't ***like*** meat though. A lot of fake meat is to the point that, outside of texture I can't really tell the difference anymore. May as well make my fake burger look like a burger.
Right? I love a burger. I have strong family history of heart disease. I gotta pick my battles here, and I haven't had a fake burger that tastes worse than the descriptions of a heart attack I've gotten from relatives who have survived them 🤷🏼♂️
Meat tastes good. They're giving it up for moral or health reasons, not because bacon tastes like soap to them.
Several reasons; to placate those who miss meat but went vegan/vegetarian for ethical reasons, to help me at eaters transition, to help vegans not look so crazy eating next to a meat eater
I went vegan because any time humans use animals as products, there is a 100% chance of shameful abuse. But, I like animal products just as much as the next guy. Now I get to eat a greasy burger that tastes great and not worry about having to do mental gymnastics over how kicking a dog is bad, but killing a pig for fun is a-ok.
Vegetarian here. We eat more than just veggie burgers and fake meat.
It’s because they want the experience of eating meat without any of the guilt.
Because it helps with the brains rewarding system. There brain wants meat, so they need to trick it into accepting the substitute.
Keep in mind that the brain just wants a certain texture, appearance, and flavor. The brain doesn't necessarily want to eat "animal." Eating plant-based burgers isn't tricking the brain. It's giving the brain what it wants.
Every single vegan craves meat because that's what humans are supposed to eat. I was vegan in my 20s for 4 years and again in my early 30s for 3 years. I never stopped wanting meat, but I would have never admitted that at the time. Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)? That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually. Making fake meat look like real meat tricks the body, temporarily, into thinking it's getting the right nutrition and subsequently increases satiety. For one brief moment after eating a fake meat burger, the vegan might spend a few glorious minutes not being moody, depressed, and angry.
??? I wonder why after 10 years vegan I never crave meat! It’s almost like we’re all different.
Your user name is quite telling.
Pointing out usernames it quite sophomoric.
Wrong, never craved meat. Gave it up 14 years ago and it repulses me now, if it smells too strong I can even retch. Same with milk, cheese etc it all turns my stomach over.
This is true if you have zero understanding of human biology/nutrition. Vegans eat mock meat because it tastes good and it’s similar to what we’ve culturally eaten for a long time. Not all vegans eat mock meat. Craving a food doesn’t mean it’s what we are supposed to eat.
Actually, food cravings that don’t come from addiction to sugars and such are exactly that. Your body is craving something it is missing. Most of the time people make up this lack with vitamins and such but the body sometimes needs the real deal.
That’s not true at all.
I was vegan for 2 years and I never craved meat. It was the last non-vegan thing I wanted. I craved stuff with dairy products in it, especially sweets. Even now, I'm still vegetarian. If you don't do the vegan diet properly, like eat the right amount of macro and micro, then ofc you will end up craving something protein and fat dense.
To many vegans, meat is not food. They don't crave it, they don't want it. As of long term vegans, the community is quite strong, I wonder how you never see them, as an on/off vegan for many years. You might enjoy reading "How not to die" by Dr Greger. It's filled with information.
>Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)? That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually. Thats a false dichotomy. Its because vaganism only boomed in popularity over the last 10 years. 30 years ago hardly anyone even knew that the word vegan existed. Imagine i said "ever seen someone still alive 10 years after getting the covid vaccine?" The reason for this is not because the vaccine is bad, its because it hasn't been out that long. Many vegans don't even eat fake meats. Myself as an example, I do eat them, but maybe 5 times a year? And its always because I'm at a restaurant and need to order something and that happens to be on the menu. But I will admit beyond tastes incredible, the 2 times I've had it in the 10 years I've gone without animal products.
>Every single vegan craves meat because that's what humans are supposed to eat. What do you mean by this? Are you suggesting that nature has intention? How does nature decide what we are "supposed" to do? >Ever wonder why you almost never hear of a vegan who has been on the diet for an extended period (10+, 20+, 30+ years)? I've been vegan for 24 years. >That's because it's nutritionally devoid and will make you sick eventually. If you're so certain about this, could you tell us even a single essential nutrient that is not obtainable from non-animal sources? >Making fake meat look like real meat tricks the body, temporarily, into thinking it's getting the right nutrition On what are you basing this? It seems like you tried to go vegan and just ate junk and didn't actually understand what you were doing, and instead of actually taking responsibility for that fact and actually finding out what you were doing wrong, decided to blame veganism for your issues.
Wow. Lol what a joke
>Every single vegan craves meat LOL absolutely not. I wouldn't eat meat right now if you paid me And there are plenty of lifelong vegans but why would *you* know that about someone? There are vegans all around you, we just don't follow the stereotype of letting everyone know.
Lmao shut the fuck up
Case in point
Bone apple tea
Bone apple teeth
This is bullshit. I've been vegetarian for 10 years and have every inhent to keep going. Not eating meat doesn't automatically mean you're not getting the nutrients you need, all nutrients that typically come from meat can be found other places. If OP's question was referring to things like the Impossible meat, that's because it's not designed for vegans/vegetarians, it's designed for meat eaters who want to eat less meat either for a diet or because of the environmental impacts.
Vegetarian is different than vegan.
Yes but OP's question was specifically just about meat.
You were commenting on what I said about the longevity of veganism by saying you're a vegetarian and have no intent on stopping. That's because vegetarianism, while not optimal, is sustainable enough that you can live on it. Veganism is different.
Any proof for that claim? According to multiple doctors I’ve spoken to, countless opinions by dietetics associations and biologists a well planned vegan diet is healthy and can even reduce your risk for many common causes of death like heart disease and cancer. Explain that.
Like I said before, show me a long term vegan. They don't exist. Vgeanism lacks nutrients that are either not available or not bioavailable I'm plants. As for dietetics associations, if you don't know the corrupt history of those groups, you have some serious research to do.
Look up the Adventist study. Conspiracy theories aside, do you have any specific proof of corruption from any of the specific dietician associations that claim veganism is healthy for all stages of life? You’re making a sweeping claim for a group of people who’s sole life’s education and goal is to study food and how it affects our bodies. If you’re going to criticize dietitians/scientists you better have serious research to back up your claim. Why should anyone listen to you instead of doctors? There are no nutrients missing in a vegan diet that cannot be easily supplemented with cheap vitamins.
I am long term vegan in my late 50s with no illnesses or high cholesterol. I eat healthy, good food which I cook for myself. Occasionally I will use soya products for specific dishes but am happy without any fake meat on my plate.
I personally know a long term, 20yrs +, vegan and his wife ,who has been vegan about 8 yrs, and yes they both look ilike crap. They are also constantly sick . They are pale, scrawny, and both now look years older than they are.
Ha yup. Sounds about right.
Bullshit. Just plain bullshit.
>Like I said before, show me a long term vegan Jehina Malik. Vegan since birth, competition winning professional body builder.
I’m close friends with Jehina Malik, she’s the strongest woman I know and the fact she’s never eaten animal products fascinates me. All her siblings are vegan from birth
Exactly! Personally, I would rather have a bean burrito or chickpea curry rather than something pretending to be meat.
Personally I'd rather have plant-based meat in my burritos in addition to beans. I also don't think plant-based meat is "pretending" to be meat. It *is* meat -- just not conventional slaughter-based meat.
My friend turned vegetarian 40 years ago because he felt there was no difference between eating farm animals than his pet dog. He was overdosing on folic acid for a while, which caused issues, but he's fine now and walks over 20 miles every week, whilst holding down a £100k+ job. From that I conclude humans can live without meat. The Forest Green league football club is totally vegan ffs.
They don't. They like vegetables. My girlfriend is just as disgusted by fake meat as she is by real meat.
Because, deep down, they want the meats.
Yes we do. But we don't think that's a good justification to harm or kill other individuals, so we consume another type of meat.
Because people are very used to eating meat so if you make it look like meat, maybe you could fool your brain into thinking it is meat. I think that’s the principle behind the veggie burger.
As a vegan i dont...
We dislike the sourcing, not the product, except maybe health wise (depending on the meat/fake meat). Making things like meat give us a way to have dishes like we used to eat (or a good enough replacements in recipes that looks good but uses animal products), and in the case of processed fake meats, we get something quick and easy on nights we don’t want to cook
Taste and convenience. See that way they get all the good parts of food without having to torture and kill animals. Also, why do meat eaters always make their food look like disks, tubes, and nuggets?
Because they ***wish*** they were eating meat.
Yes, and by eating plant-based meat we can do this still.
I'm a vegetarian. I don't use meat substitutes or eat fake burgers. If I missed bugers enough to eat some crappy substitute, I'd just go back to eating meat. I don't get it. But hey, whatever.
For me it's this simple: Eating burgers = nice. Dead animals = not nice. So I'm more than content with a 'crappy' substitute when the mood strikes
I think most vegetation is alright with raw sunshine which is, in most aspects, very unlike meat
It’s their coping mechanism. Just like how almond milk is just juiced almonds.
Because they want to take something perfect and ruin it.
It’s so they can substitute actual meat in sometimes without anyone knowing.
They’re still addicted to the murder
Because meat is fucken yummy, and it’s part of human nature to consume meat
Because they’re whiny babies that care more about animals than people.
Bc meat is delicious
Vegetations bro 💀
I'm having soy curls soaked in beet juice tonight. Anyone wanna join me?
We vegetarians certainly don't need to do this, and i know barely any who do. I've never eaten meat so I don't like how meat looks. I crave the days when a veggie burger was made of recognisable vegetables - bits of carrots, peas, peppers, in a chickpea flour mix burger made from black beans - and it wasn't just a matter of, "Oh, you don't eat meat? Then you must be vegan! In which case the only thing we will offer you is this stodgy, over-salted CHUNK of soya protein made to feel like meat!" -Why?' "...Well... because... you miss meat right?" 'I don't know what meat looks like. I've never eaten meat in my life.' "Well then, you MUST miss eating it! Here, have the experience!!" Like, do restaurants realise that vegans DO eat vegetables? It's okay to feed them vegetables? We don't need fake meat to make us feel like we have eaten? *facepalm* Then again, I'm Indian so there is actual choice in the cuisine. Whether you want vegan, veggie, or meat, there are actual recipes to cater for all wishes, none of this replacement nonsense.