To not get the vegan meat thing.

[Katzia]

I just don't get it. Surely if you're vegan/ vegetarian you don't want things to taste of meat which you have foresworn, so why want a fake meat taste. I just don't get the fake steak, fake bacon etc thing. Be vegan/ vegetarian or just eat meat. It's one or the other.

I wanted to see the GIF so badly I copied and pasted the link from your first post, 'AryaStarkWolf*

I then got so excited that I forgot how to bold usernames! Back to the lentil hut of shame for me

@AryaStarkWolf how did you do that

JosefKeller of course it is. People have reactions to all food there is probably not a single natural food type that no one has a reaction too.
I bet a lot of these ‘ugh quorns grown in a lab it’s disgusting’ types love their supplements too. Which are tablets and powders made in a lab not vitamins lovingly squeezed out of veg

@AllergicToAMop Do what? Catch a vegan out? ...did you not pick up on the sarcastic tone in my post lol

@MsChnandlerBong haha aww, it wasn't that exciting in the end though

@AryaStarkWolf calm down Arya😂 The gif! How did you do the gif?😂

@AllergicToAMop Sorry went a bit hysterical there didn't I........

I saved it to my computer and then used the upload image option below

Ethically sourced meat is affordable for almost every family. Just eat it 3-4 times a week, rather than for every meal every day.

And where does the family on a low income get their protein from for the other 17-18 meals a week?

Meat substitutes at £13 a kg?

No meat is ethically sourced though. Even if the welfare conditions are high the environmental cost of giving land over to pasture and growing animal feed (before you even get to the emissions) is high.
Everyone should be aiming to reduce their meat consumption even if they don’t give it up completely. Even if you just swapped beef with chicken it would help.

And where does the family on a low income get their protein from for the other 17-18 meals a week?
Jack Monroe’s books contain a lot of nutritious vegetarian and vegan meals for those on a low income. Not eating meat works out cheaper for those on a budget if you rely on beans and pulses for protein rather than meat substitutes.

I'm not a vegan, but have not eaten meat or fish for a very long time.
I eat meat substitutes for the food density aspect and for the protein.
I can't remember what meat tastes like but a lot of the 'plant-based' meat imitations are pretty good. Some are a bit unpleasant.

A complaint I have about eating out is that the food isn't satisfying, often it will seem like meat and two veg without the meat, possibly with a third veg or a pastry containing more veg, or it will be a mushroom or butternut squash risotto. A meat substitute would add to the protein and make it more filling and balanced.

I have no objection to people eating good quality meat or dairy, but if people ate less processed meat that would be a start.

I get it OP.

When I was a young lass I had friends who were vegan/ vegetarian for religious purposes but also some that were for animal issues and health.

All the food were made from scratch (I remember watching in awe one of the dads making tofu!! I still want to try making it!) and we had "wimpy" made at home with bean burgers which I still drool over from my memories because I can't eat that now due to severe bowel issues (I'd love to munch on one but the world would fall out my bottom!).

Back in the "old days" most vegan and veggie diets were a very "pure" plant based from what I saw. They made their own nut butter, made their own tofu and bean burgers/ sausages. Yes you could be a veggie and live off egg and chips but I never knew anyone like that until I got into my 20's.

Then the fast food and highly processed manufacturers caught on and started cashing in on this market.

I had a similar conversation with a couple of my old vegan/ veggie mates about this last year and they also didn't understand this need for "mock meat" .

My mates aren't "militant" and rarely bring up their food choices and love me even though I eat meat/ dairy but one of them got in a right rage over the Greggs vegan "sausage roll".

To her mock meat and highly processed vegan "pretend meat/ dairy" foods are totally against her vegan food ethics. Yes, Quorn may have a lower processing waste method than growing a cow until it is processed for meat but processing Quorn still uses a shit load of energy and water to make when you could just eat a nice "meaty" big mushroom.

As a meat eater I've never understand why, if you take out meat/ dairy from your diet for animal, environmental or health issues you would then want to replace it with some highly processed stuff because you "miss the taste/ texture of meat" or "miss cheese".

She also agreed with me... to her being vegan means that you will miss out on some "mouth textures" associated with eating meat and dairy products but thats the whole point of being a vegan. You don't eat animals or animal products so she can't get her head round to saying you are a vegan but still want to eat something that tastes like animal flesh or butter or cheese.

But I think they are in the tiny minority about "mock meats/ mock dairy" debate.

I think the "definition" of vegan and veggie food has changed over the years and now it's "OK" to eat something highly processed to be made to taste and look like a meat but isn't and call yourself a vegan.

Last time everything was "gluten free", now it's "vegan". I'm trying to figure out what the next food buzz will be so I can get rich!

No meat is ethically sourced though. Even if the welfare conditions are high the environmental cost of giving land over to pasture and growing animal feed (before you even get to the emissions) is high.
I don't give the land over to pasture - it's been pasture for hundreds of years. My sheep eat silage in the winter. We can't grow other crops here.

If they can get to a point where it's indistinguishable from real meat then it may result in lots of non vegans turning vegan

Whilst I can see the point and am all for people turning vegan and getting meat substitute that tastes like meat.

Please though spare a thought for those of us who hate meat.

When eating out lately I am back to the 1980s where I end up ordering a couple of side dishes instead of a main meal.

For me it has gone backwards

I think the "definition" of vegan and veggie food has changed over the years and now it's "OK" to eat something highly processed to be made to taste and look like a meat but isn't and call yourself a vegan

Would you say that the "definition" of food made from animals has changed over the years? Also, when were you asked to let us have your definition of what a proper vegan looks like? Why do you think you get to decide that? Is it so you can 'catch out' the naughty ones who enjoy a burger sometimes? That meat shaped bastion of carnivores, the burger. Have a word.

Jack Monroe’s books contain a lot of nutritious vegetarian and vegan meals for those on a low income

Yes I agree and if you have a cooker that you can use as often as you like without worrying about fuel costs, the confidence to cook even simple meals, as well as having a copy of her book or access to the internet to read the recipes, that’s a good solution.

Just googled one of JM’s recipes from 2014 and it’s got red wine in

No meat is ethically sourced though. Even if the welfare conditions are high the environmental cost of giving land over to pasture and growing animal feed (before you even get to the emissions) is high.

What a load of rubbish.

Most pasture has been pasture for hundreds if not thousands of years. Short of covering it in polytunnels and plastic, you can’t grow other crops there.

And where does the family on a low income get their protein from for the other 17-18 meals a week?

Fish. Eggs. Pulses. Etc.

Look back 100 years.

Why are the vegan bashers on these threads so wilfully ignoring the fact that most non vegan food is also highly processed, and most omnivores have a shit diet - hence the obesity rate?!

Yes and 100 years ago omnivores were eating plain meat and 3 veg grown nearby. So? It's not the case anymore is it? Most omnivores are eating meat that's been pre-prepared and overpackaged along with out of season veg that's been flown in from somewhere else. Or ready meals, or fast food.

Has op been back

The countryside would look quite different without farm animals.
Hill land is not suitable for growing crops, and is ideal for sheep farming for example.
A lot of plant based food is based on ingredients that do not grow in UK.

Because, and I really am sick of repeating this, some vegans and vegetarians actually really like the taste and texture of meat - it’s the animal slaughter and environmental damage we oppose to.

Is it seriously THAT hard to understand?

Fish. Eggs. Pulses. Etc.

Of course! Because fish and good quality eggs are so affordable and everyone has the resources to soak dried beans and pulses, cook them for a couple of hours and then enhance their flavour with ingredients from their extensive spice cupboard.