"Why do vegans eat fake meat?"

[Poppy]

I thought this was a nice, succinct article about why many of us choose meat substitutes - and I thought their suggestions were spot-on. Except for the Chick'n Scalloppini, I've tried and enjoyed all of these.

Why Do Vegans Eat “Fake” Meat?

 

[silva]

Do they really? Because I've tasted cooked flesh but have never tasted a vegan anything that came anywhere near what meat tastes like. I've had vegan bacon, sausage, chik'n, all kinds of burgers, even 'beefy crumbles'--but they all tasted like what flesh gets seasoned with--not what 'meat' tastes like.
Just as you can take the chicken out of chiken broth and still have a similar taste, you can't take the seasoning out of it and have it be any good

I do take back one thing--Beyond Meat chicken strips really do remind of meat! The smell, the look, the taste. I do not like it at all!

 

[silva]

This is one of the things omnis say that really ticks me off quite a bit--vegans also cook!

 

[PTree15]

I thought this was a nice, succinct article about why many of us choose meat substitutes - and I thought their suggestions were spot-on. Except for the Chick'n Scalloppini, I've tried and enjoyed all of these.

Why Do Vegans Eat “Fake” Meat?

Indeed, I've explained to many a person that I never loathed the taste of meat; I just wanted food that didn't come from animals, so why shouldn't I enjoy cruelty-free versions of dishes I enjoyed as an omni? Too many people think vegans are vegan for reasons other than cruelty to animals.

 

[shyvas]

I still remember what meat and fish taste like. I haven't tasted every single fake meat or fish product that is available. Some products tastes really good ( Gardein, Tofukey and virtually all the UK brands) but some taste vile. I had a brand of chicken strips bought in the US and they did not taste anything like the real things and were awful. Gardein's Fishless fillets taste awful and the texture is nothing like fish. On the other hand their crab less cakes taste really good but don't taste like crab meat. Cauldron (UK brand) sausages taste amazing and far better than pork sausages. Quorn products also taste amazing.

I also enjoy fake meat and fish products because they give me a wider option of dishes to eat. Moreover I'm not a fan of tofu and don't want to eat seitan on a daily basis. I do like pulses but also don't want to eat them on a daily basis.

It's also practical and easy to have a pack of fake meat and be able to prepare a tasty easy meal. When I'm visiting family in the US or UK it enables me to also share their meal without it being complicated for them.

You don't realise how spoilt for choice you are for those of you in the US & UK. Over here there is very little choice of fake meat and cheese.

 

[Tom L.]

Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I've been quite happy with the meat/fish/dairy/egg substitutes I've tried. Some have been more convincing than others, I suppose, but they've all been good IMHO.

Of course there's also plenty of traditionally vegan foods which often appeal to omnis and veggies alike, such as hummus, vegan chili, hummus, minestrone without meat or cheese, hummus, meatless chow mein, hummus, pasta e fagioli (AKA pastafazool- which is sometimes made vegan, but not always), hummus, a good vegan curry or other Indian dish...

Oh... and hummus. Garbanzo beans. Sesame tahini. Garlic. Lemon juice. And maybe a bit of olive oil... what's not to like? (Unless garlic is a turn-off for you).

 

[silva]

I do understand they're made to be similar to meat textures and the seasonings used, but do wish they wouldn't always get called animal names
My kids grew up with Boca chik'n patties and I remember when they were young we were at a Mcdonalds They didn't want hamburgers and got the chicken patties instead. Both complained they didn't taste like 'chik'n' patties and didn't like them. They weren't raised veg either

What about people who've never had meat? They can grown up eating vegan products without any idea of flesh

Here's an example--I was talking to a co worker who wanted to quit eggs, but liked the taste. I suggested she try black salt, saying I thought it tasted just like cooked eggs. The Indian woman next to us said "no, no, that does not taste like egg." I asked her if she had ever tasted egg, since I knew she avoided them, and she said no, but couldn't imagine it tasting like black salt. The co worker tried it, and indeed, thought it tasted exactly like egg.

Everyones tastes are different. I never liked fish fillets but love Gardien fishless fillets
I think Beyond Meat Chikn strips smell and taste just like chicken and can't go near them
I liked beef, and love Beyond Meat crumbles in things--but rarely cause it does remind me of meat, just not too much
Gardien crabless patties I hate, and hated the real ones too- think they're the very similar

I found the Beyond Meat 'fresh' hamburger on a bogo. Can't wait to see how crepped out that makes me!
I'll report back

 

[KLS52]

I do understand they're made to be similar to meat textures and the seasonings used, but do wish they wouldn't always get called animal names
My kids grew up with Boca chik'n patties and I remember when they were young we were at a Mcdonalds They didn't want hamburgers and got the chicken patties instead. Both complained they didn't taste like 'chik'n' patties and didn't like them. They weren't raised veg either

What about people who've never had meat? They can grown up eating vegan products without any idea of flesh

Here's an example--I was talking to a co worker who wanted to quit eggs, but liked the taste. I suggested she try black salt, saying I thought it tasted just like cooked eggs. The Indian woman next to us said "no, no, that does not taste like egg." I asked her if she had ever tasted egg, since I knew she avoided them, and she said no, but couldn't imagine it tasting like black salt. The co worker tried it, and indeed, thought it tasted exactly like egg.

Everyones tastes are different. I never liked fish fillets but love Gardien fishless fillets
I think Beyond Meat Chikn strips smell and taste just like chicken and can't go near them
I liked beef, and love Beyond Meat crumbles in things--but rarely cause it does remind me of meat, just not too much
Gardien crabless patties I hate, and hated the real ones too- think they're the very similar

I found the Beyond Meat 'fresh' hamburger on a bogo. Can't wait to see how crepped out that makes me!
I'll report back

I found these to be amazingly like real hamburger...my Omni son and husband were visibly shocked and annoyed at having to admit they liked them. My issue is the gross smell that doesn't go away until they are fully cooked. It really bothers me. I'm sure someone will disagree and say what smell, lol.

 

[Danielle]

it's just seasoned veggies. I don't like it when the vegan version of something is called fake because it's made from plants instead of animals. It is real food.

 

[silva]

I don't like people calling them 'transition' foods. I wanted nothing to do with anything that resembled meat (other than the things I was already used to) after going veg. About a year ago I started craving new things, and Gardein, and seitan, certainly fit the bill

Anyone seen Morningstar riblets lately? I haven't seen those in ages! Still comes up on the site

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Am I some kind of freak for being utterly repulsed by "fake meat" products?? LOL I mean, I'm very happy for others that there are these options, but personally, I want nothing to do with anything that looks like, smells like, tastes like, or has the texture of any animal flesh product....

Well, I've been a weirdo my whole life... why stop now? LMFAO

 

[Danielle]

You are not the only one. I can't understand those feelings myself though. Some vegetarians want nothing to do with anything that even resembles meat, but it's just plants. When it comes to just preference, that makes sense. You don't have to like meat substitutes to be vegan.
I haven't seen morning star ribs in a while.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Even when I was omni, I'd pick pasta over a burger any day! And I never liked meat sauce... but, god, did I over-do the parm, holy crap! LMAO

 

[silva]

Am I some kind of freak for being utterly repulsed by "fake meat" products?? LOL I mean, I'm very happy for others that there are these options, but personally, I want nothing to do with anything that looks like, smells like, tastes like, or has the texture of any animal flesh product....

Well, I've been a weirdo my whole life... why stop now? LMFAO

I felt exactly the same when I first gave it up! I remember being at Whole Foods with my younger son trying to find something vegan he would like. I got Beefless chow mein. It may as well have been human flesh the way I responded to tasting it. EWww ewww ewww!
I do love to try new foods. Even things I know I'll hate I like to taste. My son gets kombucha- wanna taste. salsa with cilantro, the yucky winter squash I make every fall....
I got over the idea of plant foods being flesh after being away from meat for so long. The only exception I guess is chicken, which is the last meat I remember eating by mistake. It was a Subway sub. My son said he was getting the same one so when he returned and left the room I just picked one up and bit into it. I will never forget spitting out that first bite, examing it, not understanding what putrid chewy thing it was. He came back and said chicken. I still get spooked by things too much like chicken.
I gotta say the lasagna I made with Beyond Meat crumbles (sauteed before assembling) with vegan mozz was amazingly good! The Beyond Meat fresh burger--- loved it!
This is why I'm so adamant about not calling vegan foods animal names. They aren't replacing the flesh, they're creating texture and flavor from plants. Chickpea salad is beans and herbs and spices- whatever your calling 'tuna' is kelp. Egg is black salt. Chik'n or beef broth is all about the seasoning. Bacon is about smoke. Sausage -- sage, fennel, fat.
These are processed products and I limit them for that reason. I don't crave them often, about once a week I use a 'faux meat' thing, so they're not 'replacements' for meat. They're special foods. I eat desserts more often!

 

[silva]

I know how I started liking these things! It was from seitan experimentation! My son loved my first attempts at seitan-me not so much. I found there were tons of different ways to make, and cook, seitan. I preferred the naked water simmer with loads of flavor in the dough itself- then sauteing or baking. My son likes the foil wrapped method. Seitan became a monthly hobby and comparing it to things like Field Roast and Tofurky sausages. I still buy Tofurkly Italian for spaghetti-only because trader joes has a good price. What is it now? $3-$4 a four pack?

 

[silva]

Another thing- this topic both fascinates and irritates me- in grade school we had soy burgers, and I loved them. I feel like I've spent my life looking for the taste and texture they had. Maybe they even played a big role in why I chose veg? Anyway, the beefy kind of vegan meats I like resemble those soy burgers than any real beef, ground or otherwise.
If you were raised vegan would meat be 'faux' plant product?

 

[Danielle]

It's hard to imagine such a world

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I've occassionally tried one that tastes very similar to meat. I don't actually quite like that, I find myself wanting to double check the packet.

I actually prefer ones that have a wierd taste so that they are recongnisably different, some soy burgers are just clearly not meat.

I must admit that even the best veggie burgers are a little short of the taste quality of bacon or a really good steak. However, I think if you are eating in a bun with salad etc, the taste difference is quite minimal between a typical meat or veggie burger.

What I like about fake meat is that I can still eat a burger and fries. The fake meat on its own doesn't do a huge amount for me it's the whole package with a burger bun and salad etc that I still want to be able to eat.

 

[FortyTwo]

Most of the time the appeal of fake meat to me is just protein, seasoning, and something that tastes pretty good you can center a meal around. There have only ever been a few fake meats I think actually taste like the real thing.

The Fishless Filets from Gardein, for instance, are delightful. I've probably ruined my digestive system from the sheer amount of soy and hamburger buns I cram into my maw at every available opportunity I have to eat these (which is probably more often than is good for me).

Most recently the Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat freaked me out a little bit in how much it resembles actual cooking meat. Can't speak to the taste that much because I've never had real beef but they're certainly delicious, and everyone who I've seen try them immediately claims that they taste just like real beef patties.

Otherwise, most fake meat tastes pretty good, but not like meat. Which is fine, but not talked about a lot.

(And the fake meat that is awful is truly awful.)

 

[Moll Flanders]

I like a lot of the mock meats and some of the cheeses. I didn't give up meat at first because I hated the taste, it was just the idea of meat being a dead animal that started to make me feel queasy. I still ate chicken and tuna for a while until I became vegetarian in 1993. I used to love meat when I was a kid as I didn't really think about it that much. My family had a farm so I knew where meat came from, but I didn't think it was wrong to eat the animals.

Lately, I usually make a meal from scratch each day, but a lot of the time my other main meal is usually a veggie burger in a bun, a vegan Quorn burger or an Amy's meal with salad or veggies. I love the fake ham or the mock chicken slices with mustard in a sandwich too.

Other vegans have told me that there is a very nice mock tuna substitute, but I haven't ever seen it anywhere. I usually just make chickpea salad instead.