Unreal, Fake, Or Pretend Foods
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There are a number of common debates within the vegan community that I simply don’t understand.
Case in point: meat alternatives. I don’t see why anyone would have a problem with them. It’s got to be that since I grew up vegetarian, the meat alternative products aren’t filling a void for me. They’re not reminding me of anything or taking the place of anything. They’re purely new and interesting foods. Trying an unfamiliar meat alternative is exactly like trying a new fruit: it’s exciting and fun. There’s nothing “weird” or “fake” about it.
But for many people, vegan alternatives are unreal, fake, or pretend foods.
The other day, I brought some vegan ranch dressing and veggies to a group gathering with nonvegans. Some tried the dressing and formed their opinions about its taste based on its taste. But others refused to even try it, insisting that because it wasn’t made of dairy, it couldn’t possibly be any good. They’d tried some other kind of vegan ranch dressing and that tasted horrible, therefore they concluded that all vegan ranch dressing tastes horrible.
These are not stupid people. If you gave them three different kinds of mushrooms, they would never insist that they all tasted exactly the same. Or even, give them three different kinds of dairy-based ranch dressings and they’d argue over which one tasted the best. But give them something with the label “vegan” on it and wow, they lose their rationality.
And then there are the vegans who have issues. What!? Instead of just eating the foods they prefer, they’ll actually argue against products labeled as meat or dairy alternatives. Some of the reasons they cite are: it’s confusing, it’s supporting the taste justification that meat-eaters use, it’s processed and unhealthy, etc etc etc. To all of which I simply say, “Who cares?”
These vegan foods aren’t going away. The demand for meat alternatives is growing faster than ever. Furthermore, they’re helping people go vegan or part-time vegan. So they’re effectively helping to build a society that acts more compassionately towards animals. So why complain? Aren’t there more important things to worry about?
I think the truly unreal, fake, or pretend foods are the things no one should be eating: animals. Animals are a terrible food source for humans. Animals suffer tremendously in human food production. The Earth suffers as a result as well. The public health suffers, too. Meat and dairy alternatives are better for animals. Meat and dairy alternatives are generally better for the planet. And even if they’re not exactly health foods, they’re virtually always still much healthier than animal products. In my book, that makes the imitations more real than that which they imitate.
Inspired by:
- Vegan Fake Meat Products: Defeating or Defending the Point of a Vegetarian Diet?
- Are “Fake” Meats in the True Spirit of Veganism?
- Why Eating Meat-Shaped Vegetarian Food Is Like Having Sex with a Blow-up Doll
I like the vegan alternatives and “fake” products. To me, it is just a reminder that we can eat tasty products without killing animals. The world would be a lot better off if everyone at those products, rather than animals.
As a vegan myself, I totally understand your frustration with people who are so reticent to even try vegan alternatives. There is such a gorgeous array of deliciously friendly foods out there and it’s a cryin’ shame that they aren’t more accepted by the mainstream in general.
My only issue with “fake” foods is that most of them (not all) are very highly processed to make them resemble the taste and texture of food they are mimicking. With that in mind, I try to eat this stuff sparingly. (I do love a good veggie dog with lots of mustard though… I can’t lie!)
I didn’t go vegan because I hated the taste of meat and cheese, I went vegan for the animals… So if I want to eat a “hamburger” or “chicken” patty who cares? Yes, it may not be the healthiest alternative but I’m not contributing directly to animal suffering.
People go vegan for all kinds of reasons: Health, the environment, animal rights, etc. So why judge? I’m just happy people are contributing to the movement, whatever their reasons might be!
Food is so emotionally laden and the food we ate growing up really strikes a chord within us. I eat a lot of things I never would have dreamed of eating before. But I still crave hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken patties, etc. And aside from the hotdogs (for which I’ve never found a good-tasting substitute), all the other meat analogs have been passable to really yummy.
I can understand some of the arguments against meat analogs, but when emotion fights rationality, emotion wins a lot of the time. Sometimes you just gotta have a burger, fries, and a side of slaw. If there were no meat analogs, I’d just suck it up and go without, but as long as there are, I’m happy. I just had tacos the other day with TVP. Quite tasty.
.-= veganprimate´s last blog ..Why didn’t I think of this sooner? =-.
veganprimate:
Word on the vegan hot dogs! All the ones I have tried taste way funky… Like some weird chemically flavor, yuck!
That’s funny you two don’t like veggie dogs because I’ve known people who refused to eat them because they taste too much like “the real thing” and it upsets them. They like the veggie burgers and other foods that don’t remind them of dead animals.
I absolutely agree with you. If the analogues (my preferred term) lead to a reduction of animal foods consumption, that’s a good thing. I didn’t go veg because I hated the taste of meat, I went veg because I could no longer digest the stuff, and I soon realized the immorality in animal-based foods.
What magical vegan hot dogs are you trying? I want some! I have yet to find vegan hot dog buns though, unfortunately…
For me, Vegan Boca Burgers satisfy my burger craving, Tofurkey peppered lunch meat for sandwiches, flavored mashed garbanzo beans make a mean tuna/chicken salad, Morningstar Meal Starters Chik’n strips are an awesome chicken replacement, and seitan easily replaces beef…
Vegans have it so easy nowadays! Most of this stuff hasn’t been around for that long… I am so glad this movement is growing so fast, we have awesome replacements for just about everything which makes going vegan so much easier than say, 15 years ago!
I totally agree. It serves a purpose. It also helps vegans feel like they are not being totally singled out when they can throw a Boca burger on the grill along with the rest of what is on there. I do think that we should try to eat as unprocessed as possible, but I also have a practical side. If you have kids, they do not want to be singled out as different. It is hard enough to keep them vegan, but if they couldn’t have their vegan chix nuggets, or their “burger”, they may never stay vegan. You have to choose your battles as a parent, and as a vegan.
Amen! I have been on some board that had posters that were nasty to people that made the choice to eat meat alternatives. If I want to eat something that is over processed, but hurts no animal in that process, then no one has the right to take me to task for that choice.