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"fake" meats

Pessimistic Hippie

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There was a restaurant I loved in Chicago called Native Foods Cafe that made me obsessed with tempeh and seitan, to the point I loved them more than real meat. xD I legit couldn't tell that they weren't sometimes. I also love making vegan burrito bowls at Chipotle with their sofritas.

And I definitely think someone qualifies as a real vegetarian if they don't eat meat (or other animal products I guess.) That's the only qualification for being a vegetarian, period. : / I don't like when people try to one up one another with that sort of thing to the point of trying to change definitions to suit their feelings. Anyway these are some of the things Native Foods Cafe had, and I'd 100% recommend anyone go if they're near one, if dropping meat entirely has been difficult for them and such and they wanna treat themselves every now and again.

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90d52ad0a9e0e9721c19b6d2387dbaec.jpg
 

Red Memories

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There was a restaurant I loved in Chicago called Native Foods Cafe that made me obsessed with tempeh and seitan, to the point I loved them more than real meat. xD I legit couldn't tell that they weren't sometimes. I also love making vegan burrito bowls at Chipotle with their sofritas.

And I definitely think someone qualifies as a real vegetarian if they don't eat meat. That's the only qualification for being a vegetarian, period. : / I don't like when people try to one up one another with that sort of thing to the point of trying to change definitions to suit their feelings. Anyway these are some of the things Native Foods Cafe had, and I'd 100% recommend anyone go if they're near one, if dropping meat entirely has been difficult for them and such and they wanna treat themselves every now and again.

20190621-160527-largejpg.jpg


90d52ad0a9e0e9721c19b6d2387dbaec.jpg

I'm not even vegetarian and I wanna eat this omg.
 

ceecee

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There was a restaurant I loved in Chicago called Native Foods Cafe that made me obsessed with tempeh and seitan, to the point I loved them more than real meat. xD I legit couldn't tell that they weren't sometimes. I also love making vegan burrito bowls at Chipotle with their sofritas.

And I definitely think someone qualifies as a real vegetarian if they don't eat meat (or other animal products I guess.) That's the only qualification for being a vegetarian, period. : / I don't like when people try to one up one another with that sort of thing to the point of trying to change definitions to suit their feelings. Anyway these are some of the things Native Foods Cafe had, and I'd 100% recommend anyone go if they're near one, if dropping meat entirely has been difficult for them and such and they wanna treat themselves every now and again.

20190621-160527-largejpg.jpg


90d52ad0a9e0e9721c19b6d2387dbaec.jpg

They have a Cajun Cauliflower Po'Boy that's incredible but I think their wings are unlike any other plant based item I've had. This is why I encourage people to give different brands a try or make your own because that's good shit.
 

chickpea

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i’ve tried a few different kinds, they’ve all tasted good to me. chicken is the easiest to substitute IMO. beef substitutes are fine, but just aren’t as good as the real thing. and cheese especially, nothing like the real thing!!

of course people who eat fake meat are still vegan/veggie, but i do understand why people might think it’s missing the point. there are so many delicious dishes you can make without having to add fake meat to it :shrug: (not that i have the willpower to quit meat).
 

Doctor Cringelord

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I'd rather just limit my meat intake and eat a giant spinach salad. Although the morning star products aren't bad. The Beyond stuff is OK but seems kind of pricey and gimmicky. The big problem with fake meat is it's a lot harder to grill, easier to burn or dry out if cooking over an open fire.
 

Rainbow Iris

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It's okay, especially while transitioning to a plant based diet, but eating a bunch of processed food on a regular basis, even if it's vegan or vegetarian processed food, isn't ideal for health. I personally believe that a whole foods approach is best, and over time your tastes will usually adapt so that you're likely to eventually prefer foods that taste like vegetables over foods that have been designed to imitate meat.

But there's nothing wrong with liking fake meat. People don't tend to become vegans or vegetarians because they dislike the taste of meat. It is more often because they care about their health, the environment, animal rights, or other things unrelated to flavour.
 

Lady_X

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i like them but try to limit them and other processed foods most of the time now. i have been aiming for about 90-95% whole food plant based.

are you trying to be vegetarian or vegan? are you not sure if you should identify as such or what? i don't understand that part of the question.
 

Abcdenfp

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when i had my little restaurant anything vegan was bean based, there was this beet and black bean burger people used to go mad for, i actually was inspired by this recipe with home made pickles delish!

Beet and Black Bean Burgers (Vegan and GF) — Just Beet It

serve it in a pita warmed in the oven with a lime based slaw.... sweet potato fries lol your welcome
 
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I don't know if western substitutes actually taste like real meat since I haven't really made it a point to try vegetarian meat, but the meat substitutes here suck. I don't like it, it tastes... bland and rubbery, for a lack of better word. That's why I don't like to eat vegetarian meals, because they often contain substitute meat. Substitute fish tastes okay in terms of texture, though, so I'm fine with that.

Unless you mean things that people eat in place of meat... I'm okay with tofu, and I like tempeh.
 

Luminous

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The new impossible meat has been very good the couple of times I've had it, definitely a step up from past products that tried to taste like meat. The intp said Really? That wasn't chicken?! after having it last time. I'm excited to try a burger made from it.

Impossible Foods: Meat made from plants

They found what makes meat taste and seem liked meat (heme) and they're making it from fermented yeast. I think it's great and would switch happily to it from other stuff if it were more widely available.
 

Saturnal Snowqueen

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Morningstar Grillers are really good, they have that crumble to them that meat burgers do. My family gets them a lot, not because they're vegetarian but simply because they taste good. I am wary of a lot of veggie burgers though, because a lot of them have this weird slight sweetness that I don't like(which the Grillers don't, luckily). I remember this veggie burger once I got in college, and it had these weird beet chunks in it and it was just....no. Morningstar sausage patties are also pretty close to the real thing, I can have those for breakfast and I also like fake bacon-it doesn't crisp up the same but, eh, it's its own thing. Morningstar's a really good brand it general, the chicken nuggets are probably my least favorite thing as those ones do have that slight sweetness but even then they're close to the real thing. TVP I'm not a fan of, it's tolerable but it looks like dog food and it's just so gristly feeling. Tofu....it's a mixed bag. I like it better when it's not supposed to replace meat, like in hot and sour soup and scrambled tofu. I've had some Chinese food that tried to replace meat with tofu, and it was just spongey and gross. I do intend to try it in a smoothie, though.

I don't see why eating it wouldn't make you a real vegetarian. I guess it's because if you're eating those you're still craving real meat, but still. If you're eating them for health reasons, who cares what molds your vegetables come in? If you're eating for ethical versions, you're not missing the fact you're eating an animal, you miss the taste. Come to think of it, it is slightly strange that we're trying to replicate the tastes of dead animals even though we don't want to eat them. Doesn't change my opinion, though.
 

ceecee

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Morningstar Grillers are really good, they have that crumble to them that meat burgers do. My family gets them a lot, not because they're vegetarian but simply because they taste good. I am wary of a lot of veggie burgers though, because a lot of them have this weird slight sweetness that I don't like(which the Grillers don't, luckily). I remember this veggie burger once I got in college, and it had these weird beet chunks in it and it was just....no. Morningstar sausage patties are also pretty close to the real thing, I can have those for breakfast and I also like fake bacon-it doesn't crisp up the same but, eh, it's its own thing. Morningstar's a really good brand it general, the chicken nuggets are probably my least favorite thing as those ones do have that slight sweetness but even then they're close to the real thing. TVP I'm not a fan of, it's tolerable but it looks like dog food and it's just so gristly feeling. Tofu....it's a mixed bag. I like it better when it's not supposed to replace meat, like in hot and sour soup and scrambled tofu. I've had some Chinese food that tried to replace meat with tofu, and it was just spongey and gross. I do intend to try it in a smoothie, though.

I don't see why eating it wouldn't make you a real vegetarian. I guess it's because if you're eating those you're still craving real meat, but still. If you're eating them for health reasons, who cares what molds your vegetables come in? If you're eating for ethical versions, you're not missing the fact you're eating an animal, you miss the taste. Come to think of it, it is slightly strange that we're trying to replicate the tastes of dead animals even though we don't want to eat them. Doesn't change my opinion, though.

Same here. I keep some homemade pretzel buns in the freezer with the Grillers and that's a quick meal that's really good.
 

The Cat

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I enjoy plant based protein products.

- - - Updated - - -

I call it Space Meat.
 

Coriolis

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I enjoy plant-based protein quite a bit - tofu, lentils, beans, etc. - but I don't need or want them to masquerade as meat. They are worthwhile for what they are.
 

xenaprincess

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I’ve had Impossible Burgers. They’re delish. It’s sold in some supermarkets. Not cheap. There’s a nutty flavor to it that’s nice.

I’m allergic to Tempeh. Whatever bacteria is in there doesn’t agree with me and I’ve thrown up twice as a result.

what I truly love is tofu, bc it comes in so many different textures and densities. We haven’t cooked any type of meat in a long, long time, perhaps over a year. :)
 

Maou

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Not to rain on anyone's parade, but yeah high processed food is terrible for you.
 
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