Do most people think vegan food is utter shit? It's not!

[Ennuid]

And that we all just eat still eat pasta, salads and that vile tofu (yuk!) they used to make in the 90's?

I've been vegan for 15 years and let me tell you there isn't anything these days that you will miss in terms of taste or texture, the ''fake'' stuff is amazing and just as good, if not better than the real thing (not to mention much healthier). I mean meat, chicken, fish, cheese, melty cheese, ice cream, milk, yogurt, salami, pate, mayo, spreads, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, even eggs... literally anything you can imagine! Ask me anything you'd like to replace and I can come up with at least 2-3 great vegan alternatives.So may EU and US companies make really good stuff and the chinese fake meats are different but equally amazing. Every largish city will have at least a few veggie/vegan restaurants and stores (I have personal experience of Brighton, Edinburgh and Norwich).

The best thing you can do is visit one of the vegan fairs where you can get lots of free samples and see everything in one place. There seems to be a vegan fair just about everywhere in the UK nowadays (quite surreal since 5 years ago there were maybe 5 or so?) , here's a schedule for 2015: [edited by MN to remove possibly spammy address, we're sure MNers are smart enough to Google if needs be] .

There's even a new all vegan supermarket chain spreading all over Europe. Vegan is the new organic, baby!

[HighwayDragon]

Vegan is the new organic

[FuzzyWizard]

What is it you think you might be being unreasonable about?
I'm sure there's lots of lovely vegan food about, I'm sure it's not shit but I like eating meat. I'm sure there are nice veggie pates but I also like duck, rabbit and pork ones.

[Uhplistrailer]

We're veggie and have been for a long time. My perception of being fully vegan isn't that the food is shit, butthat we'd really struggle without eggs, cheese and milk. I've tried all of the alternative milks (oat, rice, soy, almond, hazelnut etc) and I wouldn't want any of them in my tea of on my cereal. We went to a vegan fair and tried a lot of vegan cheese and it was all pretty grim imo!

[BlackCake]

Any fake meat type thing makes me feel sick. The texture is awful.

Not keen on vegan 'treats' either. Cakes, 'chocolate' etc - nothing like the dairy stuff.

But I will happily eat vegan veggie dishes. Delicious.

[chrome100]

You are wrong. My vegan friend is always plying me with vegan chocolate and soya milk and other subsitutes. They all taste like shit.

[NomiMalone]

Who are you trying to convince? Us or yourself?

I've tried vegan cheese. It's disgusting.

I've tried lots of pretend meat products. All disgusting.

So no thanks. Butter, cheese, eggs, steak, bacon, chicken are are all far too tasty.

Off to make a BLT

[ConcreteElephant]

Hmmm, I disagree that the 'alternatives' are just as good or better. We got some free Dee's vegan sausages the other week and they were absolutely vile. No texture or substance at all. I'm a vegetarian of 24 years standing so I've had my fair share of meat/ fish alternatives! I like tofu though...

[GeorgeYeatsAutomaticWriter]

Fake stuff is gross.

Natural vegan food is nice.

[MrsBertMacklin]

What's the vegan supermarket chain, please?

[diddl]

Is this an advert?

[SaucyJack]

YABU. Vegan cheese is not just as good, if not better.

I could live without butter and milk, but I'd miss the odd dippy egg and Marmite soldiers.

[PattiODoors]

Agree George

Fake cheese in partic is a bit 'orrible

[expatinscotland]

I don't just think it's shit, unless I know it's shit, with the exception of a few Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, soups and dips.

[bumbleymummy]

I like tofu too. We don't drink cow's milk but I don't particularly like vegan substitutes for cheese/eggs etc. I'm not convinced they're that 'healthy' either given the list of ingredients they have to put together for something that mildly resembles a natural product.

[LazyLouLou]

Well, who knew that veggies, fruits and tofu could taste good?

Apart from anyone who has tasted them, that is.

I do have a question though. Why bother with the fake stuff? Fake bacon, burgers, sausages etc have always puzzled me. If you are veggie/vegan why make stuff that pretends to be the stuff you don't eat? In the 10 years I was veggie I never ate a fake anything.

Also, I disagree that tofu is disgusting. But maybe that is because of the way I eat it. When I want eat meatless I just don't eat meat I eat tofu in a Chinese/Japanese way, rather than as a replacement/pretend for meat.

So, what was the AIBU/point again?

[gobbynorthernbird]

I very much doubt that fake, created food is healthier than the real thing.

[Pedestriana]

OP, I'd be interested to hear what 'cheese' you recommend. I am trying to transition from veggie to vegan but I'm aware that I'm not doing well on getting all vitamins in properly - in the past year my eating habits have become very lax. I've tried scheeze (vile), and violife (ok, but rubbery). I can about manage without eating cheddar etc. but I adore halloumi and goats cheese. I'd really like to find something that tastes like cheese! :)

[ThursdayLast]

Oooooookaaaaaaay

[ConcreteElephant]

My DC aren't veggie, in fact DD (5) looks at me with such sympathy when she's tucking into a bacon roll on a Sunday morning...

She tried one of the vegan sausages and we all just looked at each other, silently vowing never to speak of it again.

DH and the DC do eat meat, but always organic, as chock-full of ethics as we can find, preferably local and butchered on site. They don't try to convert me, I don't try to convert them. Peace reigns.

[Bue]

I concur that natural vegan food is delicious. It's the substitutes (fake meat, cheese etc) that give it a bad name. If you're going to be veggie/vegan it's best to embrace it and forget about the substitutes (although I think a lot of the milks are really good on cereal. In tea, not so much.)

Tofu is absolutely delicious when prepared properly. I too always eat it with Asian flavours/prep modes.

[ConcreteElephant]

Diddl, I got a bit of an advert vibe too. I felt like I was being spoken 'at' and I'd usually ignore such posts but I really had to challenge the assertion that vegan food is always delicious ;)

I agree with PP that there's no real need to eat alternatives (not as a veggie anyway), given that veg and pulses, fruit, spices etc make such yummy meals on their own.

[Klayden]

Vegan 'cheese' is utter crap but otherwise, I'm fairly open to trying new things. Like meat and like veggie food, some vegan food is utter shit but that's ok.

[SorchaN]

I love vegan food, but I think I would struggle to be vegan because I'm on a low carb diet (as recommended by my doctor). Most of my vegan friends eat very high carb diets. I have to admit that I can't stand tofu; however, everything else I've tried has been yummy!

[BadLad]

I don't think it's shit, necessarily, but for me the highlight and tastiest part of any meal is the meat / fish. Hence I have no interest in eating vegan food.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I think you might have had your taste buds readjusted if you think vegan fake bacon or cheese is anything like as tasty as the real thing.

Normal food that is vegan is great but as soon as you start making fake things made out of chemicals and starch it's not nice.