People tricking you with cheaper food

[HuntIdeas]

AIBU to get really annoyed with people substituting cheaper alternatives into food and thinking you can’t tell the difference! No dumbass, we’re just too polite to say “your food is a bit crap today” so instead say “that was lovely, thanks”

I went over to a friends yesterday and she served chilli con carne. After the meal she gleefully told us that it was quorn and lentil, as if we didn’t think we could taste the difference! At which point all we said was “I thought it tasted a bit unusual”. I really should have said “no wonder it was almost inedible” but I’m way too British for that!

Ok, seems I succeeded it's a recipe for bbq, but I just cook in the oven. I do cover with alfoil until near the end as the yoghurt will burn. I like lots of sauce so double the recipe.

If I was hosting and doing a chilli I’d say veggie chilli if I wasn’t using meat, I mean why wouldn’t you mention what people are eating.

I do eat meat but have nothing against veggie or vegan food, I often opt for the veggie choice anyway. I don’t however like quorn, it doesn’t taste nice and with the mince you absolutely can tell it’s not meat so you not fooling anyone, I’d rather have the chilli made with chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, lentils etc than quorn.

I have a friend that does this kind of thing, will say cake for dessert all good until you taste it and it’s been made with sweetener and whatever else to cut calories. Why? If im having cake I’d rather have a slice of actual cake sugar and all then be able to enjoy it.

Quorn- horrible stuff that makes me Ill. No it isn't just like meat and yes I can taste it even if hidden in things.

By all means pad out meals with things that are supposed to be in there. For example if I was making a chilli and wanted to stretch it I would add some fresh chopped tomatoes and an extra can of kidney beans. The sweet and sour we are having tonight will have extra veg in the sauce. Or even add some extra side dishes

But quorn. No thanks.

If I was hosting and doing a chilli I’d say veggie chilli if I wasn’t using meat, I mean why wouldn’t you mention what people are eating.

This. Carne is meat. So wouldn't you say it's veggie chilli? Exactly, Jennifer. I had Amy's veggie chilli for lunch, says so on the tin, 'veggie'.

I don't see what's rude about commenting on differences whilst you are eating, though. 'This chilli has an interesting texture, X,' isn't rude.

Quorn is vile. As I was veggie for years I am aware that quite a few people have gut problems with it so would never not tell anyone if I were using it but it has a very discernible texture.

And I would never expect to have to ask a host if they used it when invited over for chilli con carne.

Does anyone really still say Chilli con carne? It seems such an old fashioned dish. Everyone I know would just say they were doing a chilli - although probably would say specifically if it was veggie. I don't eat meat but I'd avoid using quorn cos its yuck. Lentils go in loads of my stuff though

Nothing wrong with Quorn or lentils. Not sure if it is cheaper than cheap mince, but it is healthier and better for the environment, as well as more ethical. Win all round surely?

There's nothing healthy about lab grown fungus that gives you bad bellys and the shits

I think it's annoying to be tricked about what's in something and I hear that some people have allergic reactions to quorn. Although the dish itself sounded okay to me, lentils and quorn wouldn't fool anyone!

My current pet peeve is when a dish is listed on a menu but they leave out half the ingredients that they add to the dish. I ordered a winter salad recently that had several surprise extra ingredients in it including sultanas (which I have a particular dislike of). Sometimes that one extra ingredient can completely change the resulting dish.

Yabu

Do you normally judge people on what kind of produce they can afford to make dinner for you?

I’m not a fan of chilli myself and would say so. I don’t mind quorn either nor have a bad reaction to it so as long as the dish tastes good, I’m not too bothered whether it’s there or not.

It’s also not hard to say if you don’t like a certain food, have an intolerance, or an allergy. I was making a bacon and veg soup with wild rice for dinner and my mil noticed I had celery on the side. She asked if it would be alright if I left it out because fil gets stomach cramps from it. Said sure and popped it back in the fridge. Problem solved. People aren’t mind readers and if you don’t say something, how are people supposed to know.

DP, who eats almost everything (except for oily fish, salmon and big pieces of mushroom), told me years ago that the family had gone and stayed with an American friend & family when he was a teenager and he didn't like the food at all; he said it 'tasted weird'. He was working over there last year and, despite having access to free food all the time, lost the best part of a stone because, despite trying, apparently the 'weird' tastes were still present in everything. He spent the entire time living on fresh fruit.

I wonder if it's something to do with how farm animals are reared, together with the processing, high fructose corn syrup and all the other ingredients that are not present in UK/EU products? I know that UK Heinz Ketchup is seen almost as a health food alternative because of the lack of HFCS and flavourings, for example.

I've cooked Quorn mince for a veggie friend - it takes a lot of work to make it taste and have the texture of something other than cotton wool, polystyrene and sadness, so I spent roughly double the usual time in the kitchen, carefully adding ingredients, spices, cooking it down, adding some oats for texture, etc, to create something that was pleasurable for all of us to eat. I think it would have been easier to just use lentils - or, do my usual thing where I know there's a chance there might be some dietary requirements to allow for - a couple of vegan vegetable/potato/pulse curries with the option of yoghurt of some type for those that wanted it, plus flat breads.

I'd need to know in advance if somebody had allergies, though (and whether they're one of those people who detest coriander) - and I'd ask if anybody had them so I could not only make sure whatever they were allergic to wasn't in the food, I'd want to make sure it wasn't in the house and everything was washed/cleaned again immediately prior to cooking for them.

Having endured some awful meals as a teenager where I've had to be polite to somebody's Mum, I don't ever want somebody to come away from our house thinking the food was shit or I tried to get one over on them. I just want them to enjoy themselves.

Pity the OP's friend was apparently looking for a 'conversion meal', rather than that.

Why are you so worried about cheap ingredients, I always use cheap ingredients, can't afford to do otherwise, no one ever complains. Have you thought their budget might be tight? Quorn is often reduced at our asda and often ends up being much cheaper than meat. People don't tell you when they are struggling so if that is the case, I'd think you should be very greatful that they accommodated your meal into their budget ;)

quorn tastes awful and is vvvvv dangerous if allergic to it. I hope you told her. Id be furious as shes no idea re allergic reactions. Yanbu.

@hibble. Look at how quorn is made. It is anything but healthy and suspect in 10 years time banned as it be cancer related or something like that. Its made in huge vats. Chemicals and similar to fungal foot.

it takes a lot of work to make it taste and have the texture of something other than cotton wool, polystyrene and sadness

That is EXACTLY what it tastes like Mitzi!

Horrible, horrible stuff!

I think some people are trying to cut down on the amount of red meat they eat which might be the reason rather than being tight.

She probably wasn’t being cheap as quorn can be more expensive than cheap mince anyway. I expect it was for health reasons or she wanted to try out a new recipe. Maybe she didn’t soak the lentils for long enough. I’m all about using cheaper ingredients rather than expensive branded one. As most of the time there really isn’t any difference between raw ingredients. A tomato is a tomato. If you're a good cook you can make even the cheapest ingredients taste delicious. I’ve been doing a blog about just this for the last 3 years. Feeding families on £1 meals. Why pay £2 for a posh branded ingredient that supermarket own saver brand costs 35p. Once you add your own herbs and spices it makes no difference.

Qourn and lentil is a healthy alternative to meat. I wouldn't automatically think it's a cheap alternative. I would be happy someone had made me a nice meal.

When I was a vegetarian, I cooked for a friend.

After the meal they said 'did you eat mince?'

It was soya mince. They hadn't realised, but I want trying to trick them, I thought it would be obvious...

i'm assuming you don't have allergies and your friend knows this.I would rather eat lentil or meat alternative than greasy beef mince any day. What an unpleasant 'friend' you are!

Qourn and lentil is a healthy alternative to meat.
It really isn't!
But if it makes you unwell, warn your host in advance.

It is healthy. It's low fat protein. I didn't say it was healthier than meat but a healthy alternative.

I know exactly how Quorn is made thank you. It is healthier than meat: less salt, less fat, less cholesterol, same or more protein.

I'm not sure if a lot of posters realise how unhealthy meat is.

I’m delighted when it turns out well.... but not so much when I’m presented with something that looks and tastes like what I can only assume my cats puked up 🤢

Something that artifical really isn't healthy guys...

whats thed trick tho-because its quorn?

i'll eat anything given to me for free