Is anyone offended byt the term Soy "chicken" or s

My 9 year old daughter just can't stand seeing the word chicken or beef on soy product packaging.

The manufacturers obviously have to market the product in a way which will describe the product and appeal to the widest possible market, but is it potentially offensive to a vegan/vegetarian?

I think it only makes sense. There are plently of people who are just turning vegan or vegetarian that are trying new things and would like to have a general idea of what something might taste like.

And alot of people are just curious in general.

I would much rather see (and it seems more appealing) something labeled as "Soy Chikin Deli Slices" instead of "Flavored Soy Slices"

Yeah I prefer the misspelled name like "chikin" or "bakon" or something to that affect. But we also eat turkey-styled deli slices. So I guess all that matters is that the animal isn't actually in the food!

This has crossed my mind before. I have never been offended by it, but it is a shame that it's an issue to begin with, why isn't everyone VEGAN?!?

I'm not offended. I see it as a transitional food, so it's easy for people to identify with. They def aren't health food. My girls eat them occasionally, but not too often. They are begining to like whole foods better, and losing their "taste" for the processed ones, claiming they are to heavy or too salty, etc.

Good point re: being a transitional food!

It's a good way to look at it.

Perhaps my daughter is ending the "transitional phase"

seems like the very word "chicken" on the package makes her start thinking about real chickens .......

I hope that she and her brother will follow in your girl's footsteps SeaSiren

I'm not offended. My main concern is my small children getting confused. I like to make sure they understand we are eating Tofurkey and that it's different than turkey. They have picked up on that and will correct anyone who says "hot dog" etc. about something they are eating. They prefer to say veggie-dog, regardless of the wording on the package.

I don't really like the idea of it but its worth offending us if non vegans actually try it...I don't see what the gain is by spelling it differently though...kinda like Chick Fille does for some of their advertisements

I think they should go for snappy slogans, like -

"SOY-BEEF-CHUNKS - it's like eating a pice of dead cow, but with soya instead of flesh"

Really though, I don't feel offended by the situation described but it does seem very lame to me that products which have no relation whatsoever to dead bodies try to connect themselves with cadavers, in their efforts to appeal more to a potentially closed-minded populace.

It's also a bit stinky in that the makers of such products as "veggie beef strips" or "soya-chicken roast" must surely realise that doing that might well alienate vegan people but have the approach that well, who gives a toss about the vegans since it might then appeal more to flesh-eaters and there's more of them so they matter more.

I would much rather see (and it seems more appealing) something labeled as "Soy Chikin Deli Slices" instead of "Flavored Soy Slices"

That's not really a fair comparison though, I think.

For example, i would find it more appealing to consider eating something calling itself "Soy Deli Slices" than something called "Chicken-flavoured Soy Slices"

I like that "Soy Deli slices" idea!

You know, this discussion actually brings up another thought re: these "fake meat" products.

Why are we eating them?

Do we somehow miss the flavours or possibly the textures?

Some products are so close to meat in appearance it's almost disturbing. I've actually felt rather nauseous looking at some of these products.

Yahr, I am not 'offended' by this, but sometimes find it odd. I eat some textured soy stuff, and vegan ice cream and cheeses, and milk. Some days I feel so weird about it that I avoid them altogether. I think of animals as my friends, eating something which is made to taste like my friends' dead bodies does freak me out. But then I try to think of it just in terms of, it's just name of the product. Even if animals didn't exist, I'd still enjoy eating these things, so it's not like I am eating it BECAUSE it's anything like animals, I just like the taste of processed soy, whatever you want to call it.

yeah....exactly what I was thinking!

There are some products I avoid because they gross me out.

As far as the texture argument goes, portabello mushrooms have a very "meaty" texture. It's just the products that appear a little too "meatlike" that I object too.

It's a tough subject because if an omnivore eats this instead of a steak... that's great!!!

I think it's mainly due to the general way that food and veg*nism is seen right now. If there was a society where nobody ate meat, there would be no benefit in comparing something to meat anymore. There are some things these days which are just what they are, with no other words. For example, lots of tofu is just tofu, and you can get 'TVP', I get vegemince etc, I think that's how things will go, as soy and tofu are accepted more as just food in their own right without the need to say they 'replace' anything.

If there was a society where nobody ate meat, there would be no benefit in comparing something to meat anymore.

This is very true. The way i was raised, there was no benefit in people comparing non-carcass food to bits of dead bodies, and I was certainly never taught to view things in that context.

I feel fortunate to have been raised in such a way.... from time to time i see people saying stuff like "I really like this one type of fake-chicken burger but the thought that it's like meat really puts me off being able to eat them" , "I like these pies but i find their simialrity to meat to be disturbing"

I always feel sad for them, that this is the way their mind functions. Of course, i fully understand why they make this connection and are unable to shake it off.... I can only imagine that if i had been fed flesh as a child i would be quite traumatised by it once people started being honest about it, and might well have the same issues with 'fake meat' products.

If people went about calling tofu "fake dead dog", then i would just think yeah, whatever you reckon, it makes no difference to me, since really it's just soybeans and stuff, and there's nothing dead-doggish about it to my mind... I mean, I don;t know what dead dog tastes and smells like... for all i know it's identical to tofu.... if that were the case and i had been fed lots of bits of sliced up dead dog as i grew up, then i can easily imagine why eating tofu as an adult might stir up unfortunate memories of eating dead dog, or form some more subtle and less obvious mental connection, whether conciously or subconsiously.