At the risk of offending vegetarians....

jonsey_s

....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

griff7809

This should be interesting....


In for answers.

UsedToBeHusky

That's a good question.

It's a social/psychology thing, I suspect.

PaleoChocolateBear

Jim Gaffigan already addressed this

billsica

Carnivores are never creepy

jonsey_s

Jim Gaffigan already addressed this

He's as funny as cancer.

mcibty

I had this conversation recently. I think the Quorn stuff looks like meat to please the newer veggies, rather than the well practiced ones. It's a good substitute to ween new vegetarians off of meat products and onto more 'true' veggie foods. Veggies do not need this processed stuff on a daily basis.

Us carnivores have some pretty awesome foods, no reason the veggies can't have an equivalent/substitute!

...I know nothing btw, just my opinion.

JessTicles86

But if not meat shapes what shapes would they be? Would every vegetarian product be shaped like broccoli?

wolverine66

what does it really matter?

it's not like anyone's trying to trick you into eating fake meat, right?

mister_universe

it's not like anyone's trying to trick you into eating fake meat, right?

Dude, do you not have a mother?

My mom tried to trick me into all kinds of "healthy" stuff.

miss_jessiejane

rml_16

....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

Well, some vegetarians are veg because they feel bad eating animals and not because they don't enjoy the taste of meat. So it's nice for them that they can knid of have both, although the fake meats rarely taste just like the real thing. It's still nice to have sometimes.

trubs182

These just make me smile.

I actually really like standard quorn fillets/pieces in their own right - they sure as heck don't taste or feel anything like chicken.

rowanwood

As a former vegetarian...the key to offending them is to open your mouth and have sound come out. They will take it personally.





Also, hypocrisy seems to be the primary reason for meat shaped non-meat. But I'm not bitter about my own stupidity. I'm FINE.

ReNewYou

I had this conversation recently. I think the Quorn stuff looks like meat to please the newer veggies, rather than the well practiced ones. It's a good substitute to ween new vegetarians off of meat products and onto more 'true' veggie foods. Veggies do not need this processed stuff on a daily basis.

^^This
When I first went to vegetarian the fake meat help make the transition a great deal easier. Now that I have been at it for almost a year I no longer eat that fake meat. I did some research on it and it is worse for you then real meat. Now I really enjoy the veggie based foods. But it is all a matter of personal opinion and ye=our own reason to go vegetarian.

MNA76

I like to shape my meat to look like the animal that I'm eating. No denial.

rjmudlax13

As a former vegetarian...the key to offending them is to open your mouth and have sound come out. They will take it personally.

LOL

QFT

rml_16

As a former vegetarian...the key to offending them is to open your mouth and have sound come out. They will take it personally.





Also, hypocrisy seems to be the primary reason for meat shaped non-meat. But I'm not bitter about my own stupidity. I'm FINE.

Seriously?

HappyStack

I admit I find this weird, too. But I think it's more to do with how other people perceive what they're eating.

Like, you can't tell the difference between a quorn sausage and a real sausage unless you're eating it... maybe it comes from a desire to not feel like an outcast.

Although I don't know any health benefits to not eating meat, nor do I see any environmental benefits if you're eating organic free-range meat products, so I don't know why anyone would choose not to.

Fair enough that animals get slaughtered and that's not so nice, but... meh? animals die horrible violent deaths all the time. At least our version of slaughter is "humane" in comparison.

MaryMaryElizabeth

I've been vegetarian since age 9 and eat quorn all the time - I like the taste, I just don't like eating animals. Simple!

MaryJane_8810002

For people that can not eat meat for medical reasons not ethical.

rowanwood

As a former vegetarian...the key to offending them is to open your mouth and have sound come out. They will take it personally.





Also, hypocrisy seems to be the primary reason for meat shaped non-meat. But I'm not bitter about my own stupidity. I'm FINE.

Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

Do you know how many "ethical" vegetarians eat meat when no one is looking? People who decide not to eat meat for other reasons are usually misinformed about quality protein, from my experience.

dandelyon

I'm not offended as a vegetarian. I'm not sure exactly WHAT the reasons are, and I don't eat a lot of fake chicken nuggets, fake corn dogs, fake sausage, and fake bacon, but I know a lot of people like them as a lower calorie (possibly healthier, depending on your definition) option. It's an easy way to get protein if you're not watching your sodium. I eat boca burgers at work quite a bit because it's really convenient. If it wasn't a pattie, it would be bit harder to pop into the toaster oven.

I know that my mom buys them because the idea of everyone not having a burger at a bbq feels like bad hosting to her.

Also, meat doesn't come off the animal in hot dog or hamburger shapes. Maybe we're all just programmed to chow patties... even us weirdos who want soy-based patties :P

RedheadQuine

I was vegetarian for a couple of years as a teen, because of ethics. Therefore I really enjoyed 'fake meat' as I felt I wasn't missing out so much if I could still have sausage and eggs, or 'chicken' fillets etc!

celadontea

When did we decide animals should be meat shaped and cooked into things like hamburgers, hot dogs, deli slices? These are constructs of the human imagination that formed a massive animal into another product/image. We are just applying the same construction by using different ingredients. Now are those highly processed faux meats all that great for you? That's another story altogether.

sinistras

There are faux meat products because many vegetarians still "like" things like burgers/hot dogs but don't like the consequences eating meat has on their health, the environment, or the animals used to make meat products. I don't see the problem in shaping a veggie patty like a hamburger patty--that's just practical for fitting on a bun!

For some vegetarians, these faux meats are great "transitional" foods as they learn to cook more plant-based meals.

Personally, I think a good homemade black bean burger or veggie nugget beat "the real thing" any day. :-)

SoDamnHungry

Maybe because meat tastes good and we've been conditioned to want it. Those who don't eat it for either ethical or health reasons still want it, and the food that resembles meat is very appealing.

tangerinepen

My dad says this to me all the time. And I always give him the same response: I like the taste of meat. Since what your food looks like is so important, and since those brands are appealing to people who like the taste of meat (usually), they make it look like meat to make it more appealing and (subconsciously) tastier. I don't eat meat because the suffering it causes animals is impermissible. That has nothing to do with taste.

I don't get what's so hard to understand about that.

gowrirao81

I had this conversation recently. I think the Quorn stuff looks like meat to please the newer veggies, rather than the well practiced ones. It's a good substitute to ween new vegetarians off of meat products and onto more 'true' veggie foods. Veggies do not need this processed stuff on a daily basis.

^^This
When I first went to vegetarian the fake meat help make the transition a great deal easier. Now that I have been at it for almost a year I no longer eat that fake meat. I did some research on it and it is worse for you then real meat. Now I really enjoy the veggie based foods. But it is all a matter of personal opinion and ye=our own reason to go vegetarian.

I agree. I was brought up vegetarian as a child in India ... I assure you there are no fake meat products there! Meat eaters who have given meat up as a choice use these products you mention to help get through the transitional phase.

HappyStack

For people that can not eat meat for medical reasons not ethical.

These people are precious few in comparison to the amount of "ethical" vegetarians.

pan0ramic

1) Many veg*ns (including myself) grew up eating meat, and thus like the familiarity of the products. There can be a significant overlap period while people transition.

2) It allows for direct substitutions in recipes and social gatherings. Example: veggie chicken strips for fajitas, and tofu dogs for BBQs.

3) Meatless Mondays are becoming more and more popular, thus there is a market in making vegetarian products that appeal to meat-eaters. (I was one of those).

Just as a note: meat itself is often arbitrarily shaped. I might ask the same question back: why is meat often pressed into strange shapes: strips, nuggets, sausages, etc. Over the decades, we've sort of figured out these ways of eating that are convenient meat-delivery options, so it would make sense that the vegetarian options are just the same.

Anyways, it's just the fake meat stuff anyway. It's not like they're trying to make broccoli look like a steak.