Why do vegans eat food products that represent animals?

jpuderbaugh

morning star is not vegan there are eggs in most of their products as well as cheese.

Thank you! I was going to say this too. There is a difference between vegetarian and vegan.

I personally like the flavor of a burger, but growing up with cows on a farm, I forbid to eat any beef products. I got attached to so many of the cows and then watched them be hawled away and then learned I was eating them (why my parents and grandparents found it so funny to tell me this I will not ever understand). So morning star products are such a blessing. I remember eating them years ago, and being the picky eater, I did not like them because they used to contain big chunks of veggies. Now they are smooth and you don't see them, except for some of the burgers, depends on the flavor. I like that they contain beans too because I cannot stomach the texture of beans. You bite into them and this pre-chewed goop comes out of them, disgusting. The only beans I like are edamame.

bsexton3

20 some years ago, my wife and I were basically vegetarians for financial reasons. We had just moved to the East Coast where meat was about twice the price as on the West Coast. So, we got the Moosewood Cookbooks and became mostly vegetarian. I say "mostly" because we ate meat when we could afford it--about twice a month.

I am amazed that it now seems to cost more to be vegetarian or vegan than not. We will consider meat a luxury, and don't necessarily eat it every day.

jpuderbaugh

I understand it. There's more societal pressure than you think. Plus, cutting into a tofurky on thanksgiving is just more fun than just cutting into a giant block of baked tofu. It's tradition and allows a vegan the pleasure of enjoying a holiday without being too weird about it.

I'll say it again, societal pressure is more powerful than you think. Plus, what else would a burger look like. Round, triangle, 3 dimensional? How else would you make a burger look?

I think the people saying "because thats what a burger looks like" are missing the point of the question. Why do you want a food that looks like a burger? I think if you've made a life decision to have a plant based diet, no meat or meat products, I would think you would want just that food. The question is more if you dont eat meat, why is there a need for products that make it look and feel like you're eating meat?

I don't feel like I'm eating meat when I have a veggie burger. I don't feel like I'm eating chicken when I have a veggie chicken patty. Veggie products like morning star are a blessing for people like me who don't want to eat meat but want to get protein in their diet without using protein powder in shakes and stuff. I don't eat them because I want something that looks like a burger, I eat them because they are a nice change from a stupid freaking salad.

kayemme

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kayemme

First off nothing against vegans or the food as I have best friends that are and I cater to them when they come to visit. So yea I have always thought it funny that hard core Vegans eat foods that look like animals. Like burgers. The whole Morning star brand. Fakin bacon etc. Am I the only one that thinks that's funny?

I don't know if vegans necessarily eat "food that looks like animals" I don't think a burger looks anything like an animal. In fact, pre-dating burgers are many vegan / vegetarian "fritters", falafel for example.

i recognize you're not trying to be offensive, and no offense is taken here; it's just that the perspective is a bit narrow.

Jesse_Hunter

Junk is junk no matter what it resembles, in my opinion.

Faux meat is chemically injected, processed slosh.

You are better off without it, your body will thank you.


http://www.icallthisliving.com

kayemme

Don't pretend it's not judgmental "because that's what it is". The peas you are eating are dead also, do you call them a bowl of dead stuff? Meat is meat, beans are beans, peas are peas. It's okay if you think meat is gross, but at least own what you are doing.

that's not entirely true. fresh food is still living in many cases. and your example of peas: it does not kill the plant to eat peas, in fact, it's good for the plant for the peas to be picked and eaten. it helps the plant thrive.

it's a tired and invalid argument that eating fruits, vegetables & legumes is dead food. it's not always, and often is not even close to the truth.

i say this as a gardener & foodie. I even eat meat occasionally, so i'm not saying it like "you're a meat eater and you suck for doing it" i'm just trying to point out that the argument for living food is a strong one.

njh2008

I am vegetarian and the primary reason I dont eat meat is I dont like the TASTE. The secondary reason is ethical.

The vast majority of quorn and soy "burgers", "fillets" etc DO NOT taste like whatever they are supposed to mimic. The only exception I have come accross are lamb and mint steaks which I couldnt eat as they tasted too "meaty".

It is not about thinking it is really chicken or beef mince, it is about ease. If you want to make shepherds pie, you can easily buy "fake mince", if you want to make chicken fajitas, you can use quorn peices. It is not about eating it pretending you are eating the "real thing". Also, if you want a burger for the bbq, it wont break up whilst cooking like a veg/lentil one would probablly. Plus theres the time aspect for people who have work/kids- if you want burger chips and beans, you can bang the beans in the microwave whilst the chips and burgers are in the oven.

And as for the real thing, most meat eaters I know who scorn at the vegetarians dont eat the "best " meat. They eat burgers, sausages, cheap chickens, and reconstituted sandwich meat. If they had to look at it with eyes they would squirm and think Gross but they can eat meat if they are not shown where it has come from(an animal). At then end of the day, the only reason the carcass lasts so long is because they drain the blood and take out its stomach etc which are the first things which start to degrade and decompose, and package it correctly so it lasts a while. It takes a while to go to slaughter, be hung for 21 days or however long, cut into sections, packaged, sent to supermakers, put on shelves with a further "eat by date". At least with quorn etc, it is frozen and so you can eat it as and when, without having to chuck it out once it goes off.

However, my husband eats ANYTHING and will happily de-bone and pluck etc any animal he's eating. He is happy to eat occasional vege meals as long as they do not include suchlike as quorn as it is "pretend", he can happilly eat lentil bake for example.

An undercooked carrot or "chicken nugget" is unlikely to kill me, an undercooked meat could, or give other things like BSE etc.

kadoodle76

Wow, what a ridiculous question. Ask about real issues, weight control, exercise, or something ... but why vegans eat faux meat that still resembles meat forms?

It's not a ridiculous question. She was curious, therefore she asked. An answer to a question that does not attempt to answer the question is ridiculous.

jenningsdustin

The veggie "burgers" are shaped like regular hamburgers because buns are circular. The veggie "hot dogs" are shaped like meat hotdogs because the buns are shaped to fit that type of product. Its really that simple.

hkevans724

My reasoning for not eating most meat (pescetarian) is not because I object to how meat looks. Seems like a ridiculous question.

It's like asking why people who don't eat worms will eat gummy worms because they look like worms. Don't eat teddy bears? Then why would you eat gummy bears?

I agree with you

beezlebubb

I have been wondering that for years.

Corollary: people that don't eat meat (Worthington, for one) are the last people who should be attempting to emulate it..

Although, I have to admit, Prosage, in some circumstances, is pretty close to scrapple, Choplets kinda close sorta like gyro meat, and Leanies are quasi deviled ham / potted meat product.

Then again it looks like on it's BEST day vegetarian "meat" barely matches real meat on meat's WORST day.

I understood about 25% of that. What is scrapple? Choplets? potted meat? corollary?

jpuderbaugh

Don't pretend it's not judgmental "because that's what it is". The peas you are eating are dead also, do you call them a bowl of dead stuff? Meat is meat, beans are beans, peas are peas. It's okay if you think meat is gross, but at least own what you are doing.

that's not entirely true. fresh food is still living in many cases. and your example of peas: it does not kill the plant to eat peas, in fact, it's good for the plant for the peas to be picked and eaten. it helps the plant thrive.

it's a tired and invalid argument that eating fruits, vegetables & legumes is dead food. it's not always, and often is not even close to the truth.

i say this as a gardener & foodie. I even eat meat occasionally, so i'm not saying it like "you're a meat eater and you suck for doing it" i'm just trying to point out that the argument for living food is a strong one.

And vegetables and fruit have a purpose of feeding and nourishing people and animals and insects, etc. Not saying that animals aren't bred for the purpose of food. My point is that pretty much the only purpose for veggies and fruit is to feed something or someone.

carld256

The easiest way to make a vegan black bean "burger" is to roll it into a ball and smoosh it. Who in the world would be maniacal enough to carefully mold it into a square just so it wouldn't look like meat? That's psychotic.

kayemme

i will say as a part-time vegan/ mostly vegetarian or whatever label you want to apply to my diet, that i am not a fan of processed soy, so i don't eat "meat" products. i find them almost as repulsive as meat itself (which i occasionally do eat, but only when i feel like i need to, mostly around my "lady time")

I do make "bean burgers" because I like the sandwich that we call "burgers". I love having fresh avocado, lettuce, tomato, cold onions & homemade pickles on a disk-shaped patty that I can put in my hands and consume easily. food is cultural as much as it is nourishing. "burgers" are a summertime favorite, and why shouldn't I?

I never think of them as meat (of course not! they're totally different!) and it's a lot like saying falafel is like a chicken nugget or a meatball, when it's clearly a different thing all together.

people have been making hand food for centuries. often times it was created without meat in the first place. so it's almost like asking the questions "why do you meat eaters make things that look like vegetarian food?"

rumpusparable

Can only speak for myself but it's about tastiness. To clarify, for an example, I just like the taste of Boca Chik'n Patties... they don't taste like real chicken, they taste like yummy Boca Chik'n Patties.

krystyleee

Wow, what a ridiculous question. Ask about real issues, weight control, exercise, or something ... but why vegans eat faux meat that still resembles meat forms?

It's not a ridiculous question. She was curious, therefore she asked. An answer to a question that does not attempt to answer the question is ridiculous.

krystyleee

I LOVE meat. But I also like vegetarian and vegan products. In response to your question though, if you go to a store and are looking for vegetarian things, most likely you are going to see stuff in the shape of patties or nuggets or whatever because that it what people are used to. But a burger is a sandwich and the shape of that has nothing to do with a cow, turkey, or chicken. Just simply the shape of a sandwich, that of which it represents. I think since Americans are so USED to a burger being real meat that we associate it with the animal or the meat itself when that is not necessarily the case.

I think that's a great question though and this is just my opinion.

kadoodle76

Can only speak for myself but it's about tastiness. To clarify, for an example, I just like the taste of Boca Chik'n Patties... they don't taste like real chicken, they taste like yummy Boca Chik'n Patties.

Me too. I LOVE them. They don't necessarily taste like chicken, but they look like the greasy chicken patties I shouldn't eat and taste good.

noirnatural

My reasoning for not eating most meat (pescetarian) is not because I object to how meat looks. Seems like a ridiculous question.

It's like asking why people who don't eat worms will eat gummy worms because they look like worms. Don't eat teddy bears? Then why would you eat gummy bears?

good way to put it