Mock meat aka as fake meat (spaghetti, tomato, italian, chinese)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Then why do people use them as direct substitutes for meat? Tofurky dinner on Thanksgiving, a Gimme Lean sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich, eggs and Gimme Lean bacon, TVP to replicate ground beef in chili, Veggie dogs and burgers at a BBQ, Chik'n nuggets as...chicken nuggets, deli slices so you can pretend you're eating a ham and cheese sandwich, fake meatballs because, apparently, spaghetti just isn't the same without them.
Even the manufacturers advertise that way with things like, "Breakfast just isn't breakfast without sausage or bacon. And with our veggie versions it never has to be." Or, "Enjoy an all-American classic, veggie style", referring to a soy dog. Or, "A vegan ham that looks tastes and handles like real meat". The selling point for all these things is how meat-like they are and that you don't have to sacrifice that dinning experience.
I've never eaten meat in my life and I'm not curious about what it's like, so maybe I just don't have the perspective to understand the desire to replace meat with things that look like meat
I do have the perspective to understand, and I still don't understand. When I "went veggie" for a time, you couldn't get a lot of the analogues you can get now, but many did still exist. I did a more "whole foods" variety of vegetarian though. When I finally did shift back and decide I -liked- meat too much to do without it, I didn't turn to mock meat. I turned to meat, and got off the veggie wagon. I returned to an omnivorous diet, though my palate now accommodates a lot more veggie and whole-foods choices that it didn't have prior to my initial shift. But no - I'm like AOne - if I wanted to eat meat, I'd eat meat. Not mock meat. I'm like that with everything though. If suddenly I was no longer allowed to eat dairy, I wouldn't start eating toffutti sundaes and putting soy milk on my oatmeal. And if I became gluten intolerant I'd stop eating bread. I wouldn't start eating substitute bread.
I should qualify... I do eat my tofu pups which look like hot dogs, but those certainly don't look like meat. As I point out to my friends ...mine uses all the parts of the soybean, I don't want to know what theirs has.
There are lots of non-meat products these days that are supposed to be very similar to animal meat/flesh which try to resemble them in taste and looks. These products try to imitate not only the flavor but also the texture and the appearance of their meat counterparts. I guess the idea behind this is that we became so used to eating meat/flesh at some point in our lives, that those tastes and textures are imprinted in our brains as being the preferred ones. And so when we eat one of these faux products, we are brought back to re-awakening those "preferred" tastes and textures from the past. To me, it's like not being able to let go of the meat eating days by trying to fake ourselves out of it with plant-based substitutes. How do you feel about it, and do you like those products?
If a veg*n enjoys these products he or she can eat them, if not, well, then don't eat them. Obviously you don't like them. But don't be so quick to determine the reasons other veg°ns do eat them. None of your reasoning applies to me or any of my friends who are veg*n.
Why do veg*ns feel the need to judge? Isn't it enough that fewer animals are being slaughtered due to people eating these non-meat products?
You have no frame of reference or experience with eating meat and therefore for whatever reason can't understand eating meat substitute. Others do have memories of eating meat and therefore enjoy eating something that tastes good to them while still maintaining their choice not to eat animal based products. Don't let it bother you so much and don't try so hard to defend your choice. Be happy and content in your own choices and don't be so concerned with the choices of others.
What on earth gives you the impression that I feel the need to defend my choices to you or any one else? The OP asked a reasonable question and I've wondered the same thing myself. Asking a question or giving an opinion or disagreeing with someone is not being judgmental. Don't be so sensitive.
I second this. That judgmental attitude is part of the reason that vegans are sometimes viewed as "nuts" quite frankly. I guess the "Live and let live" applies only to animals for some. I wonder if it would make Missik feel better if the vegan chicken or beef was shaped like a banana or avocado?
If she's a vegan or vegetarian, she probably eats bananas and avocados and, therefore, won't feel the need to find something to replicate them.
I have to laugh because most folks on this forum express their views very adamantly, arguing their points, so Anna, feel free to express yours, too LOL.
I pretty much started avoiding animal fat & dairy 40 years ago. So yes, I put rice milk on my cereal as a milk substitute. And we occasionally melt almond "cheese" on our casseroles or mexican food. Yum!
If I were gluten-sensitive, which thank goodness I am not, yes, I would choose gluten-free breads. I like my sandwiches too much to give that up.
As for meat analogues, I started in the 70's with TVP, textured vegetable protein & still use that occasionally for chili.
How wonderful it is that now we have other choices than that darn TVP LOL.
We have black bean burgers, both homemade & Morningstar in our repertoire of meals. We also eat veggie burgers, especially at BBQs so that I likewise have something to put on the bun LOL. A lot more exciting than the olden days when I would eat a bun of lettuce, tomato & pickle.
I have had a very busy life: teaching, hiking, skiing, lots of interests. It's easy to pull veggie burgers out of the freezer, bake a couple of yams, toss a big salad & presto... healthy dinner!
Plus, I have an omnivorous hubby who is thrilled to have eaten the healthy, homemade diet that I have cooked all these zillions of years. He has been an incredibly good sport about our pretty much whole grain/legume/veggie diet. He eats meat only rarely (no pun intended) when he is out at a restaurant. So at home he enjoys the meat analogues. We're both extremely healthy & athletic, so occasional processed foods haven't seemed to hurt us.
I also make homemade tofu burgers, which I suppose could be interpreted as faux meat.
Last night I tried ground soy for the first time. I made homemade stacked spinach enchiladas with jalapeño jack almond cheese, crumpled ground soy & homemade chile rojo with garlic. Mr. Bongo was thrilled.
For me, the proof is in the pudding. Folks on here argue about soy being unhealthy, about corn being unhealthy, about veggie burgers being unhealthy or inappropriate. For me, it's all about our health, which is top-notch, especially for a newly retired couple.
I sincerely empathize with those who are revolted by the sight of meat, since the meat analogues do have the look of the real thing. So I can certainly understand why those folks would avoid the mock meat stuff.
I've replaced meat with avocado mostly plus im addicted to it. But we do have those chinese food nights once in a while so i pick up vegan sesame chicken or anything else they have at my local veggie chinese food restaurant and i enjoy it and it taste awesome. Better than meat
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
