Vegan fast food that looks like meat

[veganlookslikemeat]

E.g. all the new vegan options that chains have been coming out with recently. All the vegan fake meat burgers/subs/pastries etc (Burger King, Subway, KFC, Greggs etc)
They all look like the real thing they are trying to mimic so how can you actually tell you've been given the vegan option and not meat by accident?!
AIBU to want a vegan option that you can clearly tell is vegan... or can someone share how to differentiate these vegan items with the non vegan counterparts?

"Burgers" and "sausages" and, above all, "chicken" are by default meat. If a vegan wants to eat something that looks and tastes like meat that is an admission that meat is a perfectly acceptable thing to eat. The closest thing to a vegan "sausage" would be a carrot.

Does cauliflower rice become rice when you shape it into rice using a ricer and is butternut squash “spaghetti” actually pasta? Shaping one product into the shape that another is most conventionally seen in doesn’t make them actually that thing

I totally understand why there are loads of vegan foods designed to imitate meat. People don't give up meat because they dislike it. They give it up because of the issues surrounding it. So a meat like substitute is perfect for them.
But alas, I'm a lifelong veggie and meat substitutes are unpleasant to me both in taste and texture and it's getting harder to buy veggie burgers etc that aren't 'meaty'

I don't mind eating fake meat products i.e. I can tell the greggs sausage roll is vegan as it has a different pattern. But I want there to be a way I can confirm I have definitely been given the vegan option!

In regards to the Burger King whopper, I think it is up to the individual to decide how much cross contamination bothers them.

I am a vegan because I don't want to give my money to the meat and dairy industry. Purchasing a plant based whopper that was cooked on the same grill as meat does not conflict with that in any way. Ton me it is no different to eating an Oreo which most vegans are happy to eat even though they are processed on the same production line as milk.

@TinaYouFatLard

Why support multinational companies that support the torture and murder of animals?

I used to think this way, and have zero issues with vegans eschewing certain companies for ethical reasons of course.

But as I grew older and thought about it more I realised that every time you buy something vegan from a place that isn't a solely vegan restaurant or shop, you're supporting a company that contributes to the torture and murder of animals.

It's difficult to be ethically against buying a vegan meal in McDonalds while also feeling okay about buying a vegan product in Tesco or Asda.

Very, very few people are able to solely shop in 100% vegan shops and restaurants. You'd have to live in a certain area, have enough money and time to go from one place to another. It'd be a privileged position to be in for sure!

I'm not vegetarian but I am reducing my meat consumption drastically. If I have vegetarian sausages would it be better to pile all its ingredients in a heap on my plate or is it better to have it formed somehow? Sausage shape is much better.

I totally understand why there are loads of vegan foods designed to imitate meat. People don't give up meat because they dislike it. They give it up because of the issues surrounding it. So a meat like substitute is perfect for them.
But alas, I'm a lifelong veggie and meat substitutes are unpleasant to me both in taste and texture and it's getting harder to buy veggie burgers etc that aren't 'meaty'

@flowersWB I completely agree! I will eat some meat substitutes but I much prefer a bean burger etc.

@skirk64

I don't think it matters if the vegan product is indistinguishable from the real thing, the worst that can happen is that someone gets a real burger. If they notice, they can complain, if they don't notice then what's the harm?

I agree with the PP that vegan options should not try to imitate meat though. "Burgers" and "sausages" and, above all, "chicken" are by default meat. If a vegan wants to eat something that looks and tastes like meat that is an admission that meat is a perfectly acceptable thing to eat. The closest thing to a vegan "sausage" would be a carrot.

Christ you're an idiot.

@veganlookslikemeat

I don't mind eating fake meat products i.e. I can tell the greggs sausage roll is vegan as it has a different pattern. But I want there to be a way I can confirm I have definitely been given the vegan option!

You can look at it, smell and taste it. Lets not pretend that fake meat is anything close to indistinguishable from real meat.

As I said on a previous thread, it's really amazing how vegans manage to live in some people's heads rent free.

And all this shite about "a vegan shouldn't want to eat faux meat, I just don't uuuunderstaaand". Don't want it? Don't eat it. Someone else enjoying vegan chicken nuggets or whatever has no impact on your life.

Very, very few people are able to solely shop in 100% vegan shops and restaurants. You'd have to live in a certain area, have enough money and time to go from one place to another. It'd be a privileged position to be in for sure!

This is a really good point - there are lots of factors which might hold you back from being as ethically vegan as you might like to be.

I’m not a vegan myself but surely all efforts to reduce/stop buying animal products add up, even if some manage in more ways than others.

I'm an omnivore and love veg so often choose the veggie option, but only if it doesn't resemble meat.
I also hate things being called plant based as it doesn't tell me anything about them really.

@myBumJuiceSmellsLikeRoses

I don't understand why you'd want to eat something that looks like meat, if vegan/vegetarian. Never made sense to me.

For the same reason people use dildos. Looks the same, feels the same, fills a hole, but no hearts are broken in the process.

The pastry in Greggs looks totally different for each. I realise the conversation has moved on but I thought it was a considerate thing for them to do.

@toocoldforsno

They all look like the real thing they are trying to mimic so how can you actually tell you've been given the vegan option and not meat by accident?!

You can taste it instantly.

I don't understand why you'd want to eat something that looks like meat, if vegan/vegetarian. Never made sense to me

I hear this all the time, and the stupidity never dies. How can you not understand that a lot of vegans/vegetarians like meat, but choose not to eat it for other reasons? Or understand that a lot of non vegan/vegetarians want to eat vegan and vegetarian food?

The stupidity never dies? It's because you haven't answered the question. I've often wondered why vegan/veg options are made to look like meat and still waiting for an answer?

@skirk64

I don't think it matters if the vegan product is indistinguishable from the real thing, the worst that can happen is that someone gets a real burger. If they notice, they can complain, if they don't notice then what's the harm?

I agree with the PP that vegan options should not try to imitate meat though. "Burgers" and "sausages" and, above all, "chicken" are by default meat. If a vegan wants to eat something that looks and tastes like meat that is an admission that meat is a perfectly acceptable thing to eat. The closest thing to a vegan "sausage" would be a carrot.

I read a lot of truly stupid things every day on mumsnet, but this might actually be the stupidest yet.

Are people who pretend to be are confused about fake meat also confused about faux fur? Maybe they are but I never see people bitching and moaning about faux fur.

The stupidity never dies? It's because you haven't answered the question. I've often wondered why vegan/veg options are made to look like meat and still waiting for an answer?

People have already answered you.

@Notimeforaname

I don't understand why you'd want to eat something that looks like meat, if vegan/vegetarian. Never made sense to me I became a vegetarian at 12. These foods are high protein..which I need. Not my fault food manufacturers make these foods in the shape and texture of meat 🤷‍♀️

I understand this response, regarding why vegan "meat" looks like meat. Thank you.

@skirk64

I don't think it matters if the vegan product is indistinguishable from the real thing, the worst that can happen is that someone gets a real burger. If they notice, they can complain, if they don't notice then what's the harm?

I agree with the PP that vegan options should not try to imitate meat though. "Burgers" and "sausages" and, above all, "chicken" are by default meat. If a vegan wants to eat something that looks and tastes like meat that is an admission that meat is a perfectly acceptable thing to eat. The closest thing to a vegan "sausage" would be a carrot.

Cringing for you. Bet you save this embarrassing statement for MM rather than in front of family and friends. Do you get all confused with peanut butter or hot dogs too....

The stupidity never dies? It's because you haven't answered the question. I've often wondered why vegan/veg options are made to look like meat and still waiting for an answer?

I literally answered in the same post. It's right there. Way to prove the stupidity.

Why is it, whenever anyone starts a thread about vegans, people start with dickish comments like 'i don't understand why they want options that are like meat' and 'how can they support these places that sell meat'.

It happens every time. It is answered every time. And yet there always seems to be someone that 'doesn't understand' in a way that is critical of other people's choices. It seems at best, lacking any kind of critical thinking, and at worst, deliberately obtuse.

I'm not vegan. I'm not even vegetarian. I often choose the vegan and vegetarian options at places that have them. Why? Well, it really shouldn't matter to anyone other than me. But seeing as some people 'don't understand' the answers are because I want to. Because I like them. Because I wasn't to be kinder to our planet.

You even quoted the answer. Fuck me.

A "burger" is a hot, hockey puck shaped thing that can go in a bun. You don't have to approve of eating meat to enjoy a hot thing in a bun.

"Sausages" are a mixture of ground up crap in a cylindrical shape, usually with spices, that are nice in a roll or with mash. You don't need to approve of eating meat to enjoy a hot cylinder of ground up crap.

@NowtSoQueerAsFolk

Why is it, whenever anyone starts a thread about vegans, people start with dickish comments like 'i don't understand why they want options that are like meat' and 'how can they support these places that sell meat'.

It happens every time. It is answered every time. And yet there always seems to be someone that 'doesn't understand' in a way that is critical of other people's choices. It seems at best, lacking any kind of critical thinking, and at worst, deliberately obtuse.

I'm not vegan. I'm not even vegetarian. I often choose the vegan and vegetarian options at places that have them. Why? Well, it really shouldn't matter to anyone other than me. But seeing as some people 'don't understand' the answers are because I want to. Because I like them. Because I wasn't to be kinder to our planet.

They fully understand, they just think they're being big and clever and trotting out such a 'gotcha' comment, when in reality they just come across as a bit simple.