Tofu and wheat gluten have been used for centuries as meat analogues in many cultures (especially those that mostly eat vegetarian). It’s not a silly concept at all, and opens up a world of delicious culinary options to those of us who don’t eat animal flesh.
I don’t think parent was ever saying that tofu was (nor should) be similar to meat in taste nor texture. That is not the point.
You can still prepare and spice tofu just like you would do with meat, and get a complete meal that replaces meat with something else that adds to the quality of the meal just like meat would, regardless of whether the substitute replicates the texture or taste at all.
That is much closer to my standpoint then. I think it’s silly to imitate meat, when there are plenty of delicious vegetarian dishes. For example tofu dishes.
How is that different from saying: "It's silly to eat Indian food [prepared by Americans] when there are plenty delicious American dishes"? No one is forced to eat fake meat, but as vegetarian who likes burgers, how am I silly for eating fake meat burgers? I also eat tofu, vegetables, Indian, Italian, and Vietnamese food, and I think variety is a nice thing to have. Silly me.
I honestly think that meat eaters are missing out when they eat these fake meat burgers (or beef burgers for that matter). You can put so many things between these buns some of these are really delicious. The variety of the veggie patties is amazing. When I order a veggie burger at a new restaurant, experiencing a new kind of patty is part of what makes burgers such a great food.
Yes, I bet meat eaters say the same about beef burgers, there is difference in texture and flavor of each patty. Difference in quality of the meat, the coarseness of the ground, etc. But knowing that, makes me thing that meat eaters don’t actually like the meat part in their diet, and trying to replicate the meat part of a beef burger when making veggie patties just seems like a lack of imagination and an unnecessary limitation.
> I honestly think that meat eaters are missing out when they eat these fake meat burgers
Have you considered the possibility that it is you who are missing out on experiences by refusing to eat these vegetarian alternatives that taste like meat?
"Oh, but real vegetarian food is so much better bla bla bla"
Ignoring your knee-jerk reaction, have you actually tried the Impossible Burger or the Beyond Meat burger?
But nobody claims the experience the of eating ultra processed fake meat is BETTER than the real thing, do they? So how could us haters be “missing out”?
Because it has the taste and texture of meat, which you don't eat. So eating these would be a way for you to experience this taste and this texture, and that should at least have some novelty value for you.
Backing up to the meta discussion, I love how these meat alternatives, and near-future things like cultured meat or synthetic milk test everyone's convictions and prejudices. Why do we eat the things we eat? Habit? Ethics? Preference? Virtue signaling? It's a good way to examine your principles.
You seem to have landed in that these meat alternatives are bad because they're "processed", and everything "processed" is bad. Alright. But would you eat clean cultured meat? Muscle tissue that has never been inside a living animal, and yet is indistinguishable from meat that's been cut out of a slaughtered animal?
And going further out, would you eat cultured human meat?
Since I eat normal meat, I’m not missing out by not eating fake meat.
I’m generally against fake and highly processed things, I don’t want them in my life, and definitely not on my plate. That would definitely include lab meat. So I’ll keep eating regular meat until the fake meat industrial complex gets it outlawed, and then I can just eat vegetarian food.
During my life as a vegetarian/vegan I regularly consume “fake meat” products because they are simple to prepare and allow me to use recipes that are not vegetarian. For example, it’s extremely hard to find a good vegetarian burger — the beyond burger was a revelation the first time I tried it. I still like burgers, even though there are many wonderful vegetarian dishes. I didn’t stop eating meat because I don’t like the taste of meat.
Imagine that many of your favourite dishes, those you grew up with, were suddenly unavailable to you because some ingredient no longer existed. If a new ingredient hit the market that was not quite the same but was a convincing substitute in taste and texture, would you consider it silly and avoid it?
Maybe in that dystopian future where bacon doesn’t exist and I get very nostalgic for the carbonara of my childhood, sure.
But that’s not quite what we’re discussing. Meat exists but some people want to go vegetarian without sacrificing anything. I suppose it’s pretty similar to the logic of people who want to lose weight without giving up sweets or soda, so they switch to aspartame versions.
> Meat exists but some people want to go vegetarian without sacrificing anything.
Yes, how dare they?!? How can you call yourself a vegetarian without sacrificing anything? If anyone could be a vegetarian, there wouldn't be any moral superiority for the real vegetarians! Oh the horror!
I’m not vegetarian and it’s not about feeling superior.
I just happen to think fake meat and fake sweeteners are some of the most absurd things in modern society. I prefer food to be natural and unprocessed.
> My point is that you shouldn’t expect the taste pr texture of meat if you’re not eating meat.
This is completely ridiculous.
From your comments, and from other obvious vegetarians/vegans in this thread, there's a weird sense of "sour grapes" combined with some sort of martyr complex.
You're angry, because you've sacrificed to be vegetarian, and now terrible horrible meat-eating people like me can just swoop in, eat stuff that tastes like meat, and be vegetarian without any sacrifice! Without any hassle! Without any virtue signaling possibilities whatsoever! THE HORROR!
Look at this subthread. It's full of people who like meat and eat meat who are singing the praises of these new meat alternatives. And then there's you, and people like you, contrarians who complain that people "shouldn't" like these meat alternatives because "we're missing out on real delicious vegetarian food".
I'm not going to stop you from eating and enjoying your little salads, so why the hell do you have an opinion on what I should and should not eat? Other than the fact that you're losing your moral superiority that you're currently enjoying?
Why else would you encourage people who like meat to eat more meat? Because you want to keep feeling superior. That's what this is really about.
I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t think it’s wrong to eat meat. I think animal welfare in meat plants is horrendous but I don’t have the slightest issue with eating game.
I’m not encouraging people to eat more meat, in fact I think people eat way more meat than is healthy or reasonable.
The thing I have against fake meat is that it’s fake. And of course that it’s ultra processed. I prefer authentic, natural things, especially food.
I've spent a fair bit of time in India, mostly with work, over the past 15 years or so.
Despite being a meat eater at home, any time I'm in India, I don't eat meat - none at all, for up to 4 weeks at a time. And I don't miss it one bit! Fact is that India veg food is much more common, but also IMO much more tasty.
