fake meats

[dontxhide]

So we all like eating fake meats, but I know many vegans here in Utah who dont like eating fake meats that actually look like the animal its trying to mimic.

 

For example. We have this chinese foods store that serves LOADS of fake meat. Like chicken legs and look like chicken legs, shrimp that looks like shrimp, duck, etc etc.

 

I had the shrimp last night. It was scary. You could tell it was fake, but the taste almost mimicked it, and the texture was so close.

 

What are your thoughts? I think its great. But at the part where the shrimp was a couple nights ago NO ONE would touch them because they looked too much like the real thing.

[xjohanx]

i support fake meat because it makes it easier to convert meat lovers to vegans. my personal opinion is however that it's overly (is that a word?) processed products that shouldn't be a part of a healthy diet. i eat it sometimes, like once a month or so. but i don't feel the cravings for it at all.

[michaelhobson]

I didn't like the fake meats at first, not to mention there weren't many around. But after 20 years, meat is such a distant memory that it doesn't bother me at all. Some of the Chinese stuff can be a little freaky but I love it, don't live in an area any more where that stuff is much available, so really enjoy it when I get the chance. There isn't really a moral issue with it. I did worry that my kids would have trouble, having grown up eating Boca Chick'n patties and burgers, veggie dogs and stuff. But our girls are 5, 7 and 8 now and haven't ever had an issue with it, a LOT of questions around age 4 for all of them, but no real issues. They are all well aware that the stuff they see their friends eating at school may look the same, but they are really eating dead animals.

[markc7]

I agree that fake meats are good for making veganism more acceptable to non-vegans. Even in the 3 years that I've been vegan, I've seen a noticeable increase in the number of omni-substitutes available. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go vegan 20 years ago when none of these things were around. But I agree that the more realistic ones can be a bit odd to eat. I tried a vegan drumstick a couple years ago; it even had a fake bone in it!

[jmoney]

Mock meats are cool for people starting out with veganism. I personally don't like them because they are highly processed, give me mad heartburn, and they taste all too real sometimes. I had the soyrizo and some mock chicken salad and it made me sick! I'm not a big fan of the TVP. One's diet shouldn't center around them since they aren't that nutritious in my opinion. I dunno... I mean "chicken" with a "bone"....that's taking it too far lol. I love plain tofu though, the smell of it gettin nice and crispy in my stir fry. Mmmmm. I wouldn't have it any other way!

[Emmybear]

I support them because They help support the transition to veganism/ vegetarianism...with out boca chicken and gardenburger riblets....my boyfriend would probably still be omnivorus.(he loves tofu though)

 

I don't eat as much of them anymore...I have grown to like beans seeds nuts and tofu....but they are so convinient. Tofu is not easy to prepare and the pre- seasoned is really expensive.

[DV]

EmmyBear, if you have a Trader Joe's near you then try their superfirm tofu (I think it's WildWood rebranded for them and much cheaper). It's already pressed of all the liquid so it is super easy to marinate and bake - giving you your own seasoned tofu that will last for many days in the fridge.

 

We ate a lot of fake meats when we first went vegan but have since stopped. I have a few items in the freezer that we'll eat over the next few months but after that it will be homemade seitan or tempeh or tofu. I think those foods make for more sophisticated dishes and allow more complex flavorings, anyway, since they don't come pre-seasoned from a factory.

[pamela]

I tried a vegan drumstick a couple years ago; it even had a fake bone in it!

That was at the very first potluck at my house.

--

 

I like fake meats ok. I only eat them sometimes. I certainly don't have an ethical problem with it, because if it means less real animals are eaten then how can I complain? The fake meats I like the most are fakes of meat that I never ate as an omnivore (hot dogs and shrimp come to mind), so I'm not quite sure what that means.

[tuc]

i support fake meat because it makes it easier to convert meat lovers to vegans. my personal opinion is however that it's overly (is that a word?) processed products that shouldn't be a part of a healthy diet. i eat it sometimes, like once a month or so. but i don't feel the cravings for it at all.

I think just like our pretty boy here.

 

I don't have anything against them, but when I cook (which is often) I don't try to mimic meat. I try to make good food that is vegan. Period. Sometimes it tastes like meat but it's not the ultimate goal, only one of the alternatives.

 

My training buddies make the best seitan in the world and it doesn't taste like meat. It tastes like seitan with spices.

[Marcina]

I made some tofu yesterday that tasted like chicken karage.

It was way salty and didn't like it.. But my boyfriend gobbled it all up! He loved it.

[xjohanx]

i support fake meat because it makes it easier to convert meat lovers to vegans. my personal opinion is however that it's overly (is that a word?) processed products that shouldn't be a part of a healthy diet. i eat it sometimes, like once a month or so. but i don't feel the cravings for it at all.

I think just like our pretty boy here.

 

 

 

I don't have anything against them, but when I cook (which is often) I don't try to mimic meat. I try to make good food that is vegan. Period. Sometimes it tastes like meat but it's not the ultimate goal, only one of the alternatives.

 

My training buddies make the best seitan in the world and it doesn't taste like meat. It tastes like seitan with spices.

 

dude do you have vegan/veg training buddies? if so it's awesome and i wonder if they've achived as good gains as you have..?

[Aaron]

On rare occasions, 1x a month maybe? I usually don't keep it in the house but 2 for 1 sale at the market by my house recently got me stocking my fridge up.

[Dawgbert]

I certainly support fake meats but I personally do not like them. I like tofu though, especially if it is prepared and marinated well.

 

Often it seems like fake meats are used to replace a meat-based meal. Instead of hotdogs it's tofudogs, instead of steak it is a fake meat substitute. It seems to me it might reinforce the idea that a meat-centered diet is the way meals should be formed and replacements can be found for every type of meat available rather than create entirely new dishes. And there certainly is nothing wrong with that, I just find it interesting.

[Dawgbert]

The other thought I had was that a well created veggie dish might be more attractive to a meat eater than faux meats anyway. I saw this today actually. A co-worker ordered a veggie dish for lunch because it looked good was a platter containing a variety of interesting Greek foods. Had the option been faux meat versus gyro meat I feel very confident I know what the choice would have been. Obviously it is just one meal, but the more of these veggie "one meals" everyone eats is a good thing.

 

I realize I am hijaking the thread and on a slight tangent so I digress. Back to the discussion of fake meats. Which as I mentioned above I do support.

 

Oh and Emmybear, the Tofu DV mentioned at Trader Joe's is a great option. It is high-protein so contains about 30% more protein per ounce then normal tofu. Try it in something that has a strong flavor such as a curry. Just cut it into cubes and soak it in the sauce a bit beforehand.

[pamela]

I had two hotdogs for dinner last night! We BBQed them and they were delicious.

[tuc]

OK, this is a bit offtopic but what the hell...

 

dude do you have vegan/veg training buddies? if so it's awesome and i wonder if they've achived as good gains as you have..?

There are already one couple who come to my place to train, they are strict vegans and animal right activists. Their main hobby is taekwondo which means that they don't search for more mass but more explosive power (he has had bronze medals in Finnish championships while being a vegan). Another guy I work out with is a veggie (not a vegan and not 100 % strict I guess) and he has had great gains. He is going to be a physician and it's great that I can show him what you can do while being a vegan since he's going to talk with thousands of people about health at his work.

 

A bunch of other vegans promised that they will start working out with me (because I let people to use my home gym for free) as well but I'm still waiting for them to come over. My vegan gf also works out with me once in a while but she's not taking it very serious.

[xjohanx]

sorry for the off topic, i just got curious. sounds cool though. go finland