AIBU to find fake meat a bit wierd?

[Millybingbong]

There is a lot about currently about vegetarianism and veganism, and I am quite interested in reducing the amount of meat we eat as a family.

We don't eat meat at every meal certainly, but we really like meat and it is a learning curve not to put it at the start of the list for the meal planning. Most of the meat we eat comes with our farm box; we eat sausages/bacon or ham maybe once a week, but rarely things like chicken nuggets or kiev that I would considered to be processed food.

What slightly perplexes me is when people offer up "meat alternatives" as an option to avoid meat. Things like "non-chicken nuggets" or non-ham. And I dont understand an interest in Quorn or Tofu either.

Do people literally just have a ham sandwich with just non-ham?

Surely it is about a dietary change where you actually eat different foodstuffs?

What is good about this change? Diet wise I mean - I can see the cows might prefer us to eat a load of processed non food.

People have dietary preferences I can’t see why it perplexes you
I’m veggie, eat tofu and I love it. And veggie bacon, mmm
I’m not mimicking meat,like you I’m eating what I want

I think it's difficult for some people to make the change, so it makes it simpler to straight up replace like for like.

And some people miss things that they grew up with- like a nice runny egg for example, or steak.

Not everybody is vegan because they 'hate meat'.

So don't eat it then.

Well, everyone is different. I'm a lifelong vegetarian and I very rarely eat Quorn or tofu. I guess partly because I don't feel like I need to replace something as I never ate meat/fish.

Vegetarian sausages are quite handy though, especially for BBQs and fry ups :)

You certainly don't need to eat those foods if you don't want to.

Just don't eat them then.

I went veggie this year and do have sausage replacements in the freezer to have them on sausage and mash nights and sometimes I have the chicken bits in fajitas as it tastes good.

I haven't tried any replacement hams but I am a cheese fiend and could quite happily live off cheese

I think people eating less meat can only be a good thing, I’m not a vegan but know the affect meat production has on our environment - so I think any alternatives, regardless of their form, are positive.
Also I don’t care that much about what other people eat!

Quorn is ok,but I think meat eaters think veggies exist on quorn
Essentially I prepare meals from pulses,veggies,soya,quorn and tofu
doing it so long I’m used to it

Sausages and bacon are more processed than Home made chIcken nuggets.

And your point is?
It’s not clean eating it’s a sausage

Just wanted to say tofu is not fake meat it is a food in its own right and is nothing like meat, I use it in alot of Asian cooking, stir fries, Thai curries etc and occasionally in place of eggs for quiche and scrambled tofu. Once you get the hang of cooking and seasoning it well it's a great food to include in any diet, veggie or otherwise :)

Tofu has been eaten for centuries. Its a good source of protein and is very flexible (used in both savoury and sweet dishes). I’m not sure what you don’t understand about it?

Quorn obviously tries to mimic the taste and texture of meat more, with differing levels of success, and is a bit more controversial because a lot of people seem to have bad reactions to it, but I always enjoyed the chicken style pieces and the sausages. As others have said, not everyone is vegetarian because they dislike meat and quorn helps you still enjoy certain dishes where the meat isn’t so easily replaced.

Agree with Hale

I always find it odd that westerners perceive tofu as sone kind of weird fake meat whereas in Asia it’s just an ordinary food in its own right eaten by many omnivores!

Fake meat is far better for the planet so many make the transition from meat to fake meat for environmental reasons.

I'm a pescetarian due to digestion issues and am so glad that there is a meat alternative out there. Everyone has their reasons.

Tofu isn’t a recent invention to replace meat - it’s existed for a couple of thousand years.

I’ve never eaten meat and I don’t really understand this point of view. I just eat what I like. A veggie burger made of vegetables isn’t trying to pretend to be meat - it’s just in the same shape. Same with lots of sausages. But some people give up meat for moral reasons so would like to eat something with a similar taste or texture. What’s the problem?

There’s many types of tofu,silken, firm,smoked
Brands cauldron, too fou.

I'm vegan and very rarely eat meat subs. Some are nice on occasion though, frys do some good chicken style burgers, and Linda McCartney sausages are fine.
I mostly eat whole food plant based and it's a delicious and healthy way of eating. It's literally opened a whole new world of food and cooking as well as health benefits. Get some good recipe books and go for it, you won't look back.

Quorn and tofu are not comparable are they? One is made in a lab and one isn't.

Or am I wrong?

Cross post with the tofu recognition society it seems!

Surely it is about a dietary change where you actually eat different foodstuffs?

Yes. They are different foodstuffs. Which I'm sure you realise since you know that meat alternatives are not meat?

tofu recognition Society I’d def like to join that club

also, you have no understanding of what tofu is, or what processed food means.

I'm a veggie who prefers veggies. I do eat some quorn but I dont like much of it. I'm not a fan of tofu either. I use paneer instead of meat when making a curry which my meat loving dh loves. Also, halloumi and flat mushroom burgers instead of beef. I oven bake the mushrooms in a little garlic butter and add caramelized onion chutney. They are amazing!

I think you can often make nicer meals by using vegetables instead of meat substitutes. There are many dishes where I prefer the non meat version such as vegetable lasagne or bean and sweet potato chilli. I think soya mince is nicer than quorn as it has more texture. But I have started giving ds quorn sausages as I think he eats too many meat ones in child care settings and free range / organic ones are expensive.

I eat a low mear diet and eat lots of quorn.
I prefer quorn to meat. It's not a meat-a-like to me. It's a protein source that I prefer.

I like thr mince and 'chicken' stuff but I don't like the ham/bacon attempts.