If everyone was vegan would restaurants survive

[meepmoop]

I was reading about a protest at a steakhouse and wondered if everyone became vegan would many restaurants/eateries survive?

Obviously there are vegan restaurants but would there be enough variety to keep others going?

I'm not vegan myself or against it the thought just popped in my head

Runnynosehunny- I love the idea of steakhouse becoming nuthouse!

But the taste of beef is that of a dead animal...

Seems very contradictory

I think potentially there'd be more eating out if everyone was vegan - as veg, pulses etc cost less than meat, fish etc, so lower prices overal = more demand from customers.

Also, vegan and vegetarian food is harder work to cook - personally I'd love it if there were local restaurants doing a really good range of dhal, chille, veg curries etc but I'd be reluctant to pay the mark-up for a steak, which is something that's so easy to cook at home.

Another question is: if everyone ate as much meat as people in the West, would the human race survive?

This too.

Race...

Yes i get it,

The point I don't get is vegan dishes that taste of meat, there's a whole world of flavours out there and yet some vegans choose dishes that replicate the things they disliked.

Another question is: if everyone ate as much meat as people in the West, would the human race survive?

Not only would they survive but they would thrive.
All the grain that we feed to animals can be fed to people so there would be less poverty all round.

Who says vegans dislike the taste of meat?

But not everyone would become a vegan - as far as I'm concerned most of their food is inedible - so I'll keep the steak house and fish and chip restaurants going.

Babygrey
entire region of the world are vegetarian
Where ?
I have travelled quite a bit and cannot think where you mean.

If everybody became vegan, hedgerows would cease to exist as they get in the way of tractors.
Unemployment in rural areas would rocket as hill farmers would be out of work.
Subsistence farmers would starve as they could not get the calorie density without animal products.

@StarCutterCookie Most vegans/vegetarians are so because of ethical or environmental reasons, not because they dislike the taste. I don't see how that's contradictory or difficult to understand.

@Talkinpeece India described meal options as 'veg' or 'non-veg', that is the extent to which being vegetarian is the norm there. There are also many cultures where there are very advanced vegetarian food traditions, e.g. In Ethiopia fasting food which is eaten through lent is vegan (and absolutely delicious) despite the traditional diet being v meat based.

babyworry
that is the extent to which being vegetarian is the norm there
R..I..G..H..T
Only the ultra poor are vegetarian or even vegan in Asia

It was a source of huge amusement to Buddhists we met that people were surprised at them enjoying beef and chicken and pork and lamb and fish.
Eggs and milk and cheese and curd are absolute staples of the diet everywhere.
Dried fish and rice is the standard poor people's supper in coastal areas

Ethiopia - what proportion of the population observe Lent ?

babygrey said whole regions of the world were Vegan
that is untrue

@StarCutterCookie I LOVED meat, steak, fried chicken, the lot. I stopped eating it because I didn’t want to harm animals and the planet more than necessary, I stopped eating it for moral reasons not taste reasons!

OP - I’ve had vegan Chinese, vegan Italian, vegan Mexican, vegan fried chicken, vegan fish and chips, vegan burgers.... everything you can think of. A vegan diet really isn’t just bowls of veg and lentils

I don’t think absolutely global veganism is possible or desirable for various reasons, such as the subsistence farmers mentioned above. But those people going into restaurants mentioned here are not subsistence farmers and have no need beyond pleasure to eat meat.

But not everyone would become a vegan

Yes, this is called a hypothetical situation. 🙄

@SilverySurfer ‘most of their food is inedible’ what are you on about? Do you literally only eat slabs of meat and cheese? I think you need a better idea of what a vegan diet actually looks like.

I love vegan food
I love vegetarian food
I love free range ethically produced meat and dairy
I love a mixed arable environment in the countryside

One size does not fit all

Oh and I’m not vegan - was mainly plant based for a few years, now more pescatarian, but very supportive of veganism in general - before anyone leaps at me

@Talkinpeece wrote:
If everybody became vegan, hedgerows would cease to exist as they get in the way of tractors.
and
Subsistence farmers would starve as they could not get the calorie density without animal products.

It takes more of green mass to produce meat products so if your logic applied we would have no hedgerows now!
Calorie density has nothing to do with meat or vegan diet rather with what you include on your plate. The highest density of calories are in nuts and oils and not meat produce (apart from obviously fat you can extract form some meats).

If everybody became vegan, hedgerows would cease to exist as they get in the way of tractors.
Unemployment in rural areas would rocket as hill farmers would be out of work.
Subsistence farmers would starve as they could not get the calorie density without animal products.

Huh? It's demand for meat that's leading to deforestation worldwide. As plant-based diets require less land, a switch in that direction might give hedgerows a chance. The scientific evidence is clear that people need to switch to far a far more plant-based diet than is current in the West if we are to have any hope of tackling climate change/protecting environmental diversity - doesn't have to be vegan/vegetarian, but a relatively low amount of meat. www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown

prob wouldnt survive- far too limiting.

Huh? You do realise you can make Chinese vegan food, Mexican vegan food, Indian vegan food, Italian vegan food etc? If the same number of people wanted to eat out, why wouldn't the same number of restaurants be needed?

Well, Gordon Ransay would have to find another job. He and silverysurfer would probably starve to death, anyhow.

But the taste of beef is that of a dead animal... Seems very contradictory

Of course it's not contradictory. Person grows up eating meat but later decides to stop for ethical reasons. That doesn't mean their tastebuds change. They gave it up because they believe it is morally wrong, not because it tastes morally wrong! And meaty flavoured tofu is in no way morally wrong. I'm not vegetarian or vegan but have no trouble understanding this tbh.

In terms of the environment, I'm fairly sure cultured meat will replace traditional farming before people significantly reduce the amount of meat they eat. But that's ok, the result is the same.

Of course it's not contradictory. Person grows up eating meat but later decides to stop for ethical reasons. That doesn't mean their tastebuds change

I have a relative like this, he constantly asks me (with a look of utter confusion on his face) why I eat bacon or chicken flavoured crisps even though I'm a vegetarian. When I tell him that the crisps don't contain meat and I'm vegetarian for ethical reasons rather than because I don't like the taste of meat, he just acts like he doesn't understand it. Drives me mad.

Some people are just hard of thinking, especially about other people's choices and situations!