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.

Almond milk is nice,esp in a latte

What is good about this change OP?
Please can I refer you for a start to the Compassion In World Farming website because there are so many answers to that one question it would be a very lengthy response indeed and they cover such topics as the extreme cruelty of factory farming,of live transport,of the amount of food used,about the decimation of crops,about the terrible over use of anti biotics on the factory farmed animals.
Everyone is individual,but if I'm cooking sausages(organic)mash and veg for the last remaining meat water at home,rather than cook a completely different meal i can add veggie or vegan sausages and gravy to keep everyone happy.similar at bbqs.It's not always that people don't love the burgers,steaks ,it's just when I think that an animal has had a miserable ,caged life,then been abused and died screaming in terror so I can eat its flesh,urgh,never ever.I
pubs here do vegetarian fish and chips with battered humous....it is just giving people choice and getting close to favourite dishes they cannot or will not eat any more.
Everyone has choices,maybe not in budget,organic food is very expensive,but most of us can opt to eat dead flesh or not.
I hope,if you look,the Compassion website helps,if not there is also Animal Aid,PETA.
Also hope you can make some informed decisions.

I turned vegetarian 2 years ago, purely for ethical reasons. I made the decision fully aware that I loved meat. Fake meat made it easy as I could still eat the same meals, roast dinner, sausage and mash, spag bol etc but with Quorn. That's all there is to it, no point in pretending otherwise. I eat a lot of plant based meals as well.

pubs here do vegetarian fish and chips with battered humous

I really hope you mean halloumi and not hummous, as that would be revolting....

I agree op. I find the thought of eating meat revolting so find the idea of pretending to eat it a bit weird.

“I think I have figured it out. It is basically marketing isnt it?“

Pretty much yes, it’s an easy way to sell it to people, look, you can cut down on meat without having to really change what you’re having... which is a bit weird really because although I haven’t had meat in decades, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t like quorn or soya.

I don’t really think of them as pretend meat, they’re just ingredients that I like in certain things.

Apart from quorn bacon which is like a frazzles sandwich that you can eat in front of people

No contradiction at all. If you think eating meat is morally wrong, you don't eat meat. Eating quorn does not normalise the eating of meat in any way. it normalises the eating of quorn!

This is what I think too. I’m veggie for animal welfare reasons. I like the taste and texture of meat but don’t want to eat it. An occasional quorn patty or southern fried burger keeps me from missing my old favourites (sausage and egg McMuffin or chicken burger) too much.

I eat it because I went veggie decades ago and it was a good way to appease my Mum that I was eating enough protein. I’ve continued eating it because I’m allergic to nuts and don’t really like pulses or tofu so need to continue having protein in my diet. The fake ham tastes nice and it’s good to have something other than cheese in my sandwich.

Essentially, it doesn’t matter if you find it weird. I personally find it weird that people fawn over spring lambs in the fields/farms and then eat them but that’s their choice and would never dream to question it to their faces. Different strokes and all that.

Pulled jackfruit as a beef substitute is incredible.

Essentially, it doesn’t matter if you find it weird

Who said it mattered fgs?

I don’t seek meat substitute as

1. Never liked meat,don’t miss it.
2. Genuinely like veg,and pulses

OP if your 5-year-old doesn’t really like eating meat and you don’t want her to be vegetarian , keep an eye on her iron intake.

Just giving her more vegetables won’t really cut it for a balanced diet.

It's very simple. Veggies and vegans often still like the taste and texture of meat. Just fundamentally disagree with the morals that go with producing it.

Sure, lots of nice meals don't involve any fake meat at all. But why restrict yourself if you don't have to?

I had vegan chicken chunks in a stir fry tonight and my OH will have a quorn turkey salad sandwich for lunch at work Monday. Ooh and a Sunday veggie sausage sandwich breakfast :)

I bloody love the amazing artisanal gourmet vegan fake meat you get sometimes, I had a platter at a vegan beer festival and it was actually a game changer. A delicious platter with all vegan smoked ham, turkey, cream cheese, chutneys, olives, even a fake bread crumbed egg that oozed 'yolk' when you cut it open. And this gorgeous bread with nice salty vegan butter.

drools

It's not revolting when you know it's fake. If you knew it was real then yes, it'd be absolutely repulsive. The one occasion I've accidentally bitten into meat in the past 23 years I gagged and threw up. Luckily I was alone!

There is some real bollocks being talked on here.

I am vegetarian purely for ethical reasons. I eat fake meat. I eat anything I like the taste of, except meat, fish, gelatine, etc.

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

Being vegetarian is about not eating meat that came from an animal or a fish. It's as simple as that.

Most people who are veggie/vegan don't do it because they dislike meat, they do it for the ethical/health etc. issues instead. Fake meat alternatives are the perfect cruelty free option if you crave meat.

I rarely eat meat substitutes but sometimes I want a fake meat burger instead of a bean burger, or I eat fake meat sausages to recreate a dish I loved in the past since there's no vegetable alternative to the sausage in it that would still taste the same.

I find actual meat weird. Each to their own.

I’m veggie and don’t eat “meat substitutes”

I actually really like tofu, and was eating it out of preference at places like chinese restaurant for years before i became veggie.

I like stuff like veggie burgers- but not the ones that pretend to be meat. The ones that are pretty much veg patties are fine.

There is a massive range of stuff that you can eat instead of meat without needing to eat pretend stuff- halloumi, falafel for example.

Can’t stand quorn though!

I'm sure my 5yo is fine on a not-that-much meat diet. How would you suggest I improve her iron @suburban? I thought green leafy veg was the answer. And I mentioned beans.

lots of really interesting answers btw. I'm no more convinced to eat quorn, but I guess that is partly to do with not being a fan of processed food on the whole.

I think it depends on why you're veggie in the first place. If you like meat but it's for reasons of health or principle, you'll probably like them.

I'm veggie because I've always hated meat right from being weaned. So I avoid them like the plague.

(Ha, my temporarily veggie ex used to describe the veggie bacon strips as "like chewing my trainer insoles after a run"!!)

I like meat but if I'm going to have a meat free dish, I'd rather have vegetables rather than "meat substitute"

We are all vegan in this house, not for health but because we don't want to eat animals or consume animal products. I don't have much meat alternatives as I have never eaten meat (but do make seitan). But DH and the children like vegan mince/chicken/ham but no quorn as the vegan version smells fishy . I don't like vegan cheese either but the children cost me a fortune in it easily going through a block of violife a day.

a salient point is that some people see them as a meat substitute, and some people just see them as a vegetarian product.

I never thought Tofu was a meat substitute.

I quite like tofu and never considered it meat substitute. It's good in stir fry as it takes on the flavour of the sauce you make very well.

Not a veggie but easily could be.