Faux meat

[Tallulah]

Does anyone feel as I do?

I personally feel that eating "faux meat" undermines my "vegan-ness" somehow. The thought of eating fake meat reminds me of the real "thing", which I have absolutely NO desire for. The same goes for fake cheese for me as well...

[leedsveg]

I have absolutely no problem with it. Some tastes ok, some not, but as long as it's suitable for vegans, it's suitable for me. I'll stop eating it when they stop making it and I'll still remain a vegan.

leedsveg

[missbettie]

^ I agree. :)

[Tallulah]

Of course you will still remain a vegan :-). This isn't a "vegan" "non-vegan" post.

Sorry.

I wonder if anyone else has these feelings. Thus, my post.

[RubyDuby]

I don't see the connection.

My boss is vegetarian and can't stand the vegan fake meat products that I eat because they're too much like the real thing and that's "gross". The only products she will eat are the ones that don't taste as real to her, which all contain egg and milk products. She's a vegetarian because she loves animals. I find it ironic.

[Tallulah]

Yick RubyDuby!! She's vegetarian because she loves animals... Hmmm.

[RubyDuby]

The funny thing is she hasn't eaten meat since she was 6, so it's all in her head whether it tastes real or not. She doesn't like veggie dogs for example, bc they're "too real", and I can taste the soy in those!

[Tallulah]

I am just stating my feelings on fake meat. My personal feelings. And asking if anyone else understands these feelings or can relate to them. I'm not here to be attacked by fellow vegans.

Someone... Close this thread now? Thanks :-)

[missbettie]

i don't think anyone thought you were attacking them...we all have our opinions. I think there is actually a couple other threads about this topic too...

i think the fake meats actually kind of help our cause. it kinda helps show omnis that we can still enjoy the foods that we used to eat, only its cruelity free!

but to each their own!

Edit: oh wait, you thought that we are attacking you? I'm sorry, i'm only speaking for myself here but i was definately not attacking you, and everyone was just giving their own opinion just as you gave yours. :)

[KymVegan]

I use the 'fake' only because it's easier when dining with others.... they have their meat and salad, I have fake and salad and lessens the questions that get thrown at me. I don't eat it because it tastes like dead animal at all..

[leedsveg]

Of course you will still remain a vegan :-). This isn't a "vegan" "non-vegan" post.
Sorry.
I wonder if anyone else has these feelings. Thus, my post.

Hi Tallulah

Absolutely no offence taken. I was a veggie for 6 years, then a vegan for the last 13 years. Up to going veggie, I'd been an omni for 43 years and I quite liked the taste of fish and meat. My 'conversion' was to do with a recognition of the cruelty in an omni diet, rather than a change in my taste buds. Knowing that the 'bacon' I eat is suitable for vegans is all I need to know.

leedsveg:thumbsup:

Not aware of anyone attacking you, why would they???

[Tallulah]

Hi Tallulah

Absolutely no offence taken. I was a veggie for 6 years, then a vegan for the last 13 years. Up to going veggie, I'd been an omni for 43 years and I quite liked the taste of fish and meat. My 'conversion' was to do with a recognition of the cruelty in an omni diet, rather than a change in my taste buds. Knowing that the 'bacon' I eat is suitable for vegans is all I need to know.

leedsveg:thumbsup:

Not aware of anyone attacking you, why would they???

I understand leedsveg. Thank you for clarifying. I am not "attacking" anyone. These are my feelings at the moment. They may change. I've only been vegan for a month,so I have TONS of room to grow.

[RubyDuby]

I am just stating my feelings on fake meat. My personal feelings. And asking if anyone else understands these feelings or can relate to them. I'm not here to be attacked by fellow vegans.

Someone... Close this thread now? Thanks :-)

I don't really see how anybody attacked you, but I apologize if it seemed like I was!

[Tallulah]

You didn't RubyDuby. It's all okay. :-)

[matt35mm]

Yeah I think everyone here can understand and respect your feelings on that. I certainly can understand it, but I personally don't have a problem eating fake meat. My problem with meat isn't that it tastes like meat, and I DO happen to still have a desire for a kind of meatiness. I ate a lot more fake meat toward the beginning of my veganism though. Now it's once in a while, but I enjoy it.

But again, ain't nothing wrong with not wanting to touch the stuff.

[Tallulah]

Matt35m: I understand. I'm thinking maybe I'm too new a vegan? Maybe that's why I have this aversion? But I don't miss meat or dairy at all, and I was addicted to both. Embarrassingly enough, I did the Atkins Diet long before I became vegan, just to lose a few pounds. :-(

[matt35mm]

I don't really think the length of veganism has much to do with it. If anything, I think people generally eat more fake meat toward the beginning of vegetarianism/veganism to wean themselves down to a point where they don't crave real meat anymore. But then again everyone's different! Perhaps you may eventually get to a point where the fake meat just doesn't remind you of anything. I don't really think about anything when I'm eating fake meat.

Either way, whatever happens happens. No need to push yourself one way or the other on it.

[Tallulah]

Maybe so. Thanks matt35mm :-)

[baby_vicuña]

Well personally, I was never much of a meat or cheese eater prior to becoming a vegan. I eat tofu now but I don't make it to taste like meat cause I just don't like the flavor of meat.

There was one time though, my mom bought this tofu "steak" though I didn't know that's what it was. I just thought it was the stuff we usually fix. So I cut some up and put it on my salad. After the first bite I gagged and spit it out. The texture was SO much like the texture of meat (at least from what I could remember) that I was sickened.

So I can see why fake meats get to some vegans. And I can see why they don't bother other vegans. I think it just depends on the person really. I hate the taste of meat whether real or fake, and that's just me :)

[baby_vicuña]

I don't really think the length of veganism has much to do with it. If anything, I think people generally eat more fake meat toward the beginning of vegetarianism/veganism to wean themselves down to a point where they don't crave real meat anymore. But then again everyone's different! Perhaps you may eventually get to a point where the fake meat just doesn't remind you of anything. I don't really think about anything when I'm eating fake meat.

Yeah I agree. The fake meats can soften the transition. I think they're also good to show non-vegans that you can still get similar flavors as a vegan (like the Skinny Bitch cookbook which calls for a lot of fake meats, cheeses, etc.) Fake meats make veganism less daunting to some people, I think.

[Ms_Derious]

Its interesting how different people feel.

Personally, I don't eat much fake meat/cheese because it's expensive and I'm not that fond of them. Having said that I used a fair bit of soy milk and non-dairy spread so it really depends how far down the line you want to go.

When I was a vegetarian I ate a fair bit of Quorn because I didn't really know how to cook and it was an easy option. I found omnis often seemed to think they had won some kind of arguement when they asked why I ate this but didn't eat meat. That's a bit like saying 'how can you object to stealing but not to accepting gifts' they are both about transfer of ownership of an item.

My reason for being vegan is that I don't want to be involved in the suffering of animals, with a side order of evironmental and heath reasons. This doesn't negate the occasional slice of soy cheese. However, because of the environmental/health reasons wouldn't eat a lot of this as they tend to be highly processed items which might not be too great for a person.

[leedsveg]

I don't really think the length of veganism has much to do with it.

Hi matt

You may well be right. Probably few if any studies done on this but it would be interesting to know how many 'converts' give up faux meats (if they ever tried them in the first place) and at what stage they do. Also how many 'converts' start, or resume eating, faux meats at a later stage.

cheers

lv:)

[rulska]

i think the fake meats actually kind of help our cause. it kinda helps show omnis that we can still enjoy the foods that we used to eat, only its cruelity free!


Is this true though? Judging from some 'go vegan for x days' challenges I've seen online, many people seem to think that vegans subsist on highly processed substitute stuff, so fake meats might have the opposite effect in that they isolate us even further by creating the impression that we are this weird group that only eats our own separate stuff.

This is not a value judgement on anyone who uses fake meats, just a general observation that might be wrong as I don't have much first-hand experience in similar situations.

To answer the original question, I don't buy fake meats because they are not available here! :p I'm curious to try some products, esp. things like vegan bacon, but I sincerely don't know how I would react if they were too realistic.

[rulska]

Hi matt

You may well be right. Probably few if any studies done on this but it would be interesting to know how many 'converts' give up faux meats (if they ever tried them in the first place) and at what stage they do. Also how many 'converts' start, or resume eating, faux meats at a later stage.

cheers

lv:)

Hi leedsveg, your response came up as I was writing mine. I would definitely fall into the second category. One year ago, I wouldn't want anything to do with faux meats, as I found the idea a bit disturbing, but, as stated above, I would give them a try now, if I could.

[leedsveg]

Hi rulska

Probably no black/white or right/wrong answers in all this. I can certainly see the arguments for and against eating faux meats. It's so terribly difficult sometimes knowing what our best actions are which will help other people 'convert'.

lv:)