On Moving Toward Vegetarianism: Mock Meat

I'm sorry, but I am still baffled that these articles continue to be published, considering the author is not herself a vegetarian.

"I don't understand why anyone who has decided not to eat meat would want to eat something that is shaped like meat."

That point is worthless considering you're not a vegetarian. Why would you want to eat something meat-like when you could just eat the real thing? This is so silly.

People give up eating meat for reasons that have nothing to do with not enjoying the taste and texture of meat. For that sort of vegetarian, meat-like substances from the plant kingdom make sense, as tastes usually don't turn overnight from steaks to bowls of lentils.

Even for other vegetarians, who usually eat veggie fare that doesn't resemble meat, cookouts and tailgate parties are usually easier if one can throw a fake burger or fake sausage on the grill, and go with the flow.

As for dining out, the menu or the server can tell you if it's really soy or wheat gluten or whatever.

what a silly premise for an article by a non-vegetarian. Geez..

You assume that vegetarians and vegans gave up meat because they didn't like the taste of it. I am vegan and I gave up meat for environmental and ethical reasons. So if I can find something that mimics meat, but is eco-friendly and doesn't involve killing, I'll eat it. Many mockmeats taste good and allow vegans and vegetarians to greatly expand their diets or to eat comfort foods that they might otherwise miss.

It all comes down to why someone is a vegetarian. If you're a vegetarian because you dislike meat, then tofu dogs probably aren't for you. But if you are a vegetarian for its perceived health benefits, or because you believe it's a more ecologically sound way of eating, then you might still like the taste and texture of meat. Fake meat would be a way to eat something similar--in theory--to food you enjoy but won't eat.

Dan, she said in her first post 1) "In the interest of journalistic honesty, I have to say up front that I am not a vegetarian, although I eat very little meat." and "Now, at the very most, we eat meat once a week." 2) it is entitled "on moving towards vegetarianism."

As another who is trying to go veg for reasons of the carbon footprint of meat but has not yet completely, I must say that I am troubled by how may vegetarians are so doctrinaire and clubby that they cannot acknowledge that someone who still touches meat occasionally might have anything to say.

And for those who are moving toward vegetarianism for environmental reasons, cutting 90% of the meat out of their diet is a damn fine thing for their carbon footprint, and they still have to eat the other six nights of the week. Why do you attack them?

Remember that in a lot of instances the meat you eat is shaped to conform to the container. So, if as a vegetarian you want to eat some tofu or tvp between a bun it is going to look hamburger shaped. It you want some quorn slices in a sandwich it is going to look like sliced meat.

My wife and I took the plunge to become vegetarian last Summer. We have avoided mock meats, for a lot of the reasons listed in this article. But lately...both of us have started experiencing some pretty serious cravings. We both love reuben sandwiches, and buffalo chicken wraps, and there's no real way to create vegetarian versions of these without mock meat. So this week, I thought I'd give it a go, picked up some fake chicken strips, and tried making some buffalo "chicken" wraps.

Holy crap did that ever quell the cravings. It was awesome. While mock meats will likely not be a staple of our diet, I am VERY thankful that they exist when those cravings hit.

Well, I'll tell you what the point of my eating the mock meat is: I've been a vegetarian for about 13 years now. I eat the fake meat for the nutrional values, as well as because I dont have the time or the motivation or desrire to make the exact same thing out of tofu and mashed bread crumbs and chickpeas from scratch. The fake meat is a good source of protein and after being a vegetarian for so many years you learn to be inventive and you grow to become tired of eating the same raw or sauteed veggies all the time, etc.

I dont care what the fake meat looks like or what it is called. The companies could write "Vomit Crumbles " or "Barf Sticks" and I'd still eat it.

Why?

-It's fake meat and that's NOT the same thing as real meat.
-t's not injected with hormones and antibiotics.
-It's not murdered brutally.
-It's not fed with feces or other animals or other foul matter.
-It's better for you than meat.
-It tastes alright and is easy to flavor and add to meals to make them more delicious and less boring.

How could you NOT see the point of eating it?

Also, if its true that the author is not a vegetarian her/himself then I can see why the point was not seen by her/him.

Making people feel guilty for eating mock meats certainly isn't going to help the cause of moving them toward vegetarianism. If you don't like mock meats, that's fine. If you want to write about how a lot of them are really unhealthy or full of chemicals or overpackaged, I'll agree. But, I'm not a huge fan of a non-vegetarian writing articles about how I should feel about food. Maybe the author doesn't understand the appeal of mock meats because she still endulges in real meat. I'm just really tired of this lame argument, especially since it almost always comes from a non-veg*n.

KR: It wasn't my intention to make people feel guilty for eating mock meat

I'm a veggie, and I eat quite a bit of "mock meat". Not sure what it's like over in the States, but here in the UK we have a brand called Quorn which is quite good.

As someone who doesn't like the taste of meat (not that I can remember what it tastes like nowadays), it tastes pretty good and is nutritious - often moreso than meat itself.

It just makes it easy to substitute meat for an alternative - for instance, in a lasagne, or a barbeque, or just a lazy meal of sausages and beans.

I've been vegetarian for almost 15 years and vegan for about 2 and I love fake meat. As far as "chicken" or "egg" salads....I'll be honest. I like the simplicity. A batch of either will keep me and my husband in sandwiches for almost the whole week. True, I could have hummus and veggies, and often we do eat those things. I like variety in my diet, though, and sometimes I crave these rich, fatty, decadent approximations of the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Many vegetarians and vegans grew up in omni households eating the SAD. Those things are comfort foods for a lot of us.

Hail Seitan!

Always a topic the quickly degrades into name calling and mockery... I've been vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous - by the above the above I'd say that qualifies me to comment. I've never eaten much meat and routinely have meatless meals for no particular reason. This fight is one I've been through countless times as I'm sure many of you have.

My personal opinion is that calling foods something they are not does it a disservice. Who has ever liked 'Tofu Turkey'? Its not turkey; if people like turkey they will be disappointing by the prefix and hate it before they try it whether its good or not. Soy Milk is another great example. Its a terrible 'fake milk' but its a great drink of its own accord. If it wasn't trying to be something its not it would likely be more welcomed by people not already firmly in the veg camp (isn't that partially the point? Win over new people).

The "meat is torture" argument only holds sway for industrial meat and if meat eaters would wake up and look at what's going on they wouldn't want to eat it either. We raised animals growing up and we only eat pasture raised or wild animals now. They have good lives, they are raised and killed with compassion. Please stop doing good farmers this injustice.

If you love meat and the environment eat much less of it, and eat the whole animal (heart, tongue, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach...that's all food you know).

The "you're not a vegetarian you have no right to comment on this" argument is just silly too. As vegetarians you think you have the right to tell meat eaters they are wrong. Clearly many think they do as the above comments show. We should strive to understand each other. You will never convert a sensible meat eater by offending and mocking them.

The morning star 'chicken' nuggets are to die for and Silk Chocolate Soy Milk is the best chocolate milk I've ever had from a cow or soybean.

We will continue to divide into groups over this issue. We will continue to throw stones. Hopefully each time a few people put their stones down and realize we're not all that different.

They are also a great transitioning food item. I'm a caregiver to my 85 year old grandmother and she likes nothing but crap. If I even suggest something healthy she'll stick out her tongue in disgust.. She even thinks organic, free range eggs taste funny!

Thanks to Morningstar and Boca I can swap a boca chicken or hamburger patty in her bun, or heat up some "corn dogs" for example and she cannot tell the difference. No animals are killed and it's healthier for her heart. :-)

I'm going to say that I'm not a vegetarian, although I do eat very little meat, and no red meat.

My sister had a time where any meat would upset her stomach, so we ate a lot of fake meat.

And I sometimes don't like the flavor of meat, but I like the taste of fake meat. It's a subtle difference but it is there. It's exactly like drinking soy milk instead of regular milk. I'm not lactose intolerant, but I do prefer the taste of soy milk.

This is somewhat off-topic but certainly related. I've been a vegetarian for nearly 15 years and I love mock meat. That phony bologna has been a lunch sandwich staple of mine. So you can imagine my concern when a friend of mine (a fellow vegetarian) mentioned that soy protein isolate--an ingredient found in MANY mock meat products--is not the healthiest thing for you and at worst, may actually cause harm. Have you ever wondered how they even make those mock meat products? Well, as this article explains, it is a highly industrialized process, at times using caustic ingredients. l still eat it but certainly not with the frequency I used to. Sometimes the truth hurts.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.html

I keep kosher. I like cheeseburgers. Reason enough for fake meat for me right there.

"Always a topic the quickly degrades into name calling and mockery... I've been vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous... I've never eaten much meat and routinely have meatless meals for no particular reason."

I just have to make a comment on this post...

Routinely having meatless meals does not make you a vegetarian. I'm really confused by posts like this. I don't think people really have a good grasp on what being a vegetarian actually means.

I much prefer lentil burgers over store-bought veggie burgers, but the veggie-tasting ones (the ones that don't taste like meat) are alright too.

And uh, yeah...if I liked meat, I'd eat it. However, it's the "food" I was always trying to trade for more mashed potatoes as a kid. So glad my mom started making tofu for dinner in an effort to be healthy. And if I could digest dairy, I'd eat it.

My daughter and I are both vegetarian and mock meat plays a large role in social situations. It's a lot easier to prepare a veggie dog or veggie burger for a party than it is to deal with other children or adults making negative comments about our lifestyle. It also shows people that it's okay to like traditional comfort foods and the flavors associated with meat without the cruelty and environmental destruction stemming from real meat. I think the quality of faux meats and milks have come a long way and they are a great tool to convert people to vegetarianism and veganism. Animals shouldn't have to suffer and die for our tastebuds.

I think it's just food preferences. As a vegetarian, I hate eggplants. Yet earlier on in my vegetarian years, it seemed that eggplants were the only food people tried to serve to me. I also hate it when you go to banquets and the only meal they could bother to make for you is penne pasta with red sauce that may as well be Chef Boyardee. I rant about this from time to time. I've heard the mock meat rant too. It's okay to rant about it, a vegetarian or pseudo vegetarian, even a carnivore could do it. We can agree with it or not. I'm just happy more people are taking more meat out of their diet.

"I don't understand why anyone who has decided not to eat meat would want to eat something that is shaped like meat, or made to approximate the taste and texture of it."

Because they want to eat meat but do not like one or more of the health, environment or "animal rights" implications of eating meat; it's not quantum mechanics.

If you want vegetarianism to reach a significant penetration among the population in general you're going to need very convincing fake meat(possible cultured in-vitro meat) and animal products of as many varieties as you can find(in my case, salmon, smoked mackerel, pickled herring, eggs, strong cheese and chicken; miss one and I'll eat the real thing).

like many commenters i am vegetarian. and the reason i gave up meat 20 years ago was because i could no longer support the industry and its environmentally destructive practices. it wasnt because i disliked meat. except for liver and porkchops of course.

trader joes vegan meatballs are great by the way.

When I first became vegetarian, I started eating a lot of dairy, because there was no way I was going to touch any "mock meat." While I enjoy tofu, beans and lentils and the like, and eat them regularly, I get fairly bored of them on their own, so I kept up with the cheese based dishes too. But then as I got older and my metabolism slowed down, the weight started to creep on and the cholesterol levels started to climb. So now lately I've been adding fake meats to my diet, to get the protein levels without the fat or cholesterol of dairy or eggs.

As for what restaurants mean by the quotation marks on items such as "pork" ribs, well it indicates the style of the food - it's in the style of pork rather than in the style of cubed tofu. I expect something completely different of a tofu stirfry to a "chicken" stirfry. And if you're worried about what it is - just ask the waiter.

Fake meats have their place. As others have said, they're also good transition foods for people making the switch.

first up. i was a vegan for 2 years and a vegetarian for about 5. i'm solidly omnivorous now and make my food choices based on proximity, seasonality and growing/raising method.

to all the vegetarians out there that don't eat meat because of the "industry" and carbon footprint issues should take a look at the ingredient list on most fake meat products. i'd rather eat a free range beef burger than a veggie burger made with various iterations of soy that props up one of the two (corn being the other of course) most destructive crop regimes in the world. i haven't seen many certified organic fake meat products. gmo free claims cannot be trusted unless it's certified organic.

i've also found strident vegetarians to be the biggest bore at the party. sorry, couldn't resist. ;)

veggie turned vegan here. I remember during the first few months I stopped eating meat I was disgusted by the idea of my friends eating mock meats and loving every bit of it. I agreed, at the time, with the author that it seemed trivial to be veg/vegan while eating something that imitated meat so closely.

Lately I have come to enjoy mock meats on occasion. I like the idea of eating something that can be healthier for you and can taste just as great, not the same, but just as great as the product it is trying to imitate. Also, I think it ties into my (our) food history growing up as children. We grow up in a meat industry with pork chops, meatloaf, and chicken nuggets, so its only natural that we turn to these foods for comfort. This is one of the reasons why I like mock meats, because they help tie parts of my past to my present.

Same goes for "fake" milks. Even though milk is more of a generic term for a offwhitish liquid, rather than mammalian milk we grew up with. Soy milk is not really "fake" milk, its just not the milk most people grew up with.

Lastly, how can killing anything that is not already suffering already ever be considered compassionate? Or is that just said to make your steaks taste better?

Jeff,

I agree that many fake meat products are not ideal foods, which is why they are meant as transitional foods or party foods as many people have said here. I recommend Trader Joe's Masala Burgers, Hawaii Taro Burgers, and the many iterations of black bean burgers on the market. They are all soy-free and among the healthiest alternative burger options out there.

I can't imagine using local foods as an argument for eating meat. You can find locally grown vegetable protein in every state, whether they are beans, nuts, seeds, legumes, or whole grains. There is also the option of growing your own. Anyone can grow protein-packed sunflower or bean sprouts.

Eating a free-range beef burger(aren't most cattle put out on the range? Did you mean grass-fed?) has a larger carbon footprint and a larger negative impact on the creatures of this earth than eating locally produced or homegrown vegetable protein.

Justine

All good points. My last comment was a bit glib. I was feeling snippy.

I agree that there are good alternative veggie burgers out there, but they aren't really meat substitutes like quorn or tofurkey or veggie ham, etc. The good ones are made from whole foods, which is what we should be eating, be it vegetable or animal. I'm all for vegetable protein, just not textured vegetable protein, if you get my drift.

As for the beef statement. Yes, I indeed did mean grass-fed, but more importantly organically raised. I buy beef only from sources that I know, which is two different mixed farms that have a minimal number of animals, that are really on the farm more for enriching the soil than making the farmer rich. I eat very little beef, so it really was a poor example.

I do however eat lots of chicken, again bought from trusted sources outside of the industrial system. A fair bit of fish, mostly salmon, bought directly from two or three independent fisherfolks. This past year I hooked up with a fisherman who fished the Nass river in BC, which was one of the only salmon fisheries that was rated a sustainable buy.

Anyhoo, I digress. The main point of my comment, and the main point of Kelly's post if I'm not mistaken, is that making (mostly soy based) vegetarian food that looks and tastes like animal products is, well, silly. If a vegetarian doesn't eat meat because they don't like meat it's silly because they aren't going to like the taste of the mock meat. If they don't eat meat because they don't like the way animals are treated in the industrial system there are many many alternatives to source sustainably and humanely raised meat. If they don't eat meat because of health reasons then mock meat really isn't getting them that much further along to optimal health. I'd in fact argue that it's a step backwards, away from whole foods.

And one last thing. The meat that I feel most at ease with cooking, eating, and serving to my family and friends is the moose and deer that I've received from a friend who is a hunter. He also happens to be married to a vegetarian.

Now I'm off to try Kelly's lentil loaf recipe!

my wife and i enjoy the feaux meat producst as part of our vegitarian diet. I like the fake chicken strips and the burger crumbles. they can be used to creqate various dishes.

they are also an excellent source of protirn, being as they are soy or vegitable protien.

Jeff,

I appreciate your well thought-out post, however I do take issue with one point. While you can obtain meat from sustainable and humanely raised animals, the animals were killed inhumanely. You are missing the fact that many vegetarians/vegans are vegetarians/vegans because they believe other animals have a basic right to life. Their interest to live is greater than our interest to taste thm. There is no humane way to kill an animal that wants to live, whether they are cows, chickens, or humans.

Justine

I do agree that some folks are vegetarian or vegan because they simply don't agree with the exploitation of animals in any capacity. Perhaps this is demonstrated in it's purest form through the Jain principle of Ahimsa.

And I also agree that it would be silly to argue that any form of killing could be considered humane. I do, however believe that farmers who use animals as part of a holistic, regenerative land management system, like biodynamics, are going a long way to leaving the land in a better state than when they started.

I most certainly respect a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle and agree that we'd be way better off if we all moved a little closer to vegetarianism.

BTW, the lentil loaf was delicious!

I am sorry. You can not complain about meat substitutes for an entire post and then list a recipe that is plainly trying to replicate a traditional meat recipe like meatloaf. Did you ever realize that some people who have been raised on meat since childhood may need something similar to ease them into being vegetarian or vegan. Plus, i'm sorry protein crumbles that look like ground beef are actually really delicious. Thanks.

I think the numerous other comments have already covered the main flaws in this article. The only point I don't see covered (though I may have missed it) is in the line:

"I don't know about you but the term chunks of mock meat doesn't do anything for my salivary glands."

Neither does the term "water, vital wheat gluten, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), white beans, garbanzo beans, non genetically engineered corn starch, natural vegetarian flavor, expeller pressed non genetically engineered canola oil, shoyu soy sauce (water, non genetically engineered soy beans, wheat, salt, culture), spices, lemon juice, calcium lactate from beets."

That, by the way, is the ingredient list for Tofurkey Roast. Notice how—in the first few ingredients—it has both wheat gluten and tofu. This is the case for the most convincing of mock meats: they are not just tofu, seitan, or tempeh. They are usually something else altogether, a unique concoction put together for the sole purpose of imitating meat. To imply that mock meats are the same as (or interchangeable with) tofu etc. is to demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge/experience related to these alternatives.

Go eat some Tofurkey deli slices, Morningstar burger crumbles, or Vrapple if you're in the Philly area. Then you'll understand.

I love the taste of meat. I love hamburgers and steaks, however I recently, as of May of this year, became a vegetarian for ethical reasons. Having fake meat as an alternative and an added ingredient is great.

I don't feel that need to buy a burger because the veggie burger I get at BK is a good substitute. The barbequed Seitan I had a couple of days ago was better than any real bbq I ever had.

Not all fake meats are created equal though so you have to find what you like best, but don't stomp on anybody's parade unless you can actually understand why they do something.